Dunkin' Donuts Worker's Death Reveals The True Cost Of Our Low-Wage, Part-Time Economy

a reply to: crazyewok

Like stated previously, Ireland is providing tax incentives for new businesses.

Why can't the US do the same thing?

Don't punish business with higher taxes.

Bring industry BACK to the US so we can stop being a service-based economy and can go back to being a manufacturer-based economy.

originally posted by: beezzer
a reply to: crazyewok

Like stated previously, Ireland is providing tax incentives for new businesses.

Why can't the US do the same thing?

Don't punish business with higher taxes.

Bring industry BACK to the US so we can stop being a service-based economy and can go back to being a manufacturer-based economy.

I agree, try and encourage business growth.

Businesses taxes hurt economy's.

The idea of taking away Social security would be a disaster

Millions of Americans will starve to death or have to go on the meager welfare system

Social security is probably life saving for the poor and is not in financial trouble and needs to be made better not cut

a reply to: Willtell

I was talking about phasing it out, not eliminating it at once.

Get off dependence of government. Put more money in people's pockets.

a reply to: beezzer

Are you really in complete denial that the uber rich control the US government?

originally posted by: Kali74
a reply to: beezzer

Are you really in complete denial that the uber rich control the US government?

If that is the case, then what would be your suggestion to improving the current situation?

I'm offering solutions, not placing blame and pointing fingers.

originally posted by: beezzer
Let's all concentrate on the poor woman who had to work 4 minimum wage jobs.

Let's all focus on the debate about how low minimum wages are.

Let's all ignore the fact that America's worker base is service-related.

Let's all ignore the fact that America's creative manufacturing base has been wiped out.

Let's focus on minimum wage industry and ignore supporting, endorsing, creating professions like medicine, engineering, production, manufacturing, construction, architecture, science, etc.

We have a president and congress soiling themselves over minimum wage and they are purposefully ignoring the fact that in a service industry, you can't raise wages unless you raise the cost of service!
They are ignoring America's weakening educational levels, America's poor professional levels.

Forget having more scientists or engineers!

Let's raise the effing minimum wage to 50 effing dollars an hour!

*bah*

I'm not the sharpest bowling ball in the drawer, but even I can see this is going the wrong way!

Beezer im going to have to actually agree with you here good point.

originally posted by: Willtell
Social security IS NOT THE PROBLEM people.
Don’t be sidetracked by ignorance.

Social security is the retirement plan for most Americans, whether we like it or not.

And a disability plan for the disabled

It was here when the economy in the 50’s and 60’s was roaring away.

It has NOTHING to do with the economy going bad

The problem with the economy is the US trade policy that has sent manufacturing jobs out of the country and makes us compete with slave wages internationally

Also the Tax issue is paramount because the rich and super rich are getting away with murder because Reagan cut their taxes so much in the 80’s

Then there is the anti union issue which has caused many problems such as lowering wages and benefits

Also we need a huge investment in the infrastructure that the GOP congress is constantly stopping

All of this is pre-planned to make America descend into austerity

When and if we have a GOP congress and senate and president again the US will be near total destruction

If SS is the retirement plan for most Americans, then most Americans are screwed.

The good news, at least for me and my wife, is that SS is NOT our retirement plan. We have instead invested money in other actual retirement plans that payout a LOT more that SS ever has.

Enough so that we'll be able to not only pay bills, but buy food and do somethings.

When I graduated high school back in the mid 80's, most of us back then looked at SS as something we (my generation) would most likely never see, as even then, SS was not enough for people who were retired to live on.

a reply to: beezzer

You are placing blame. You are blaming the imaginary nanny state. Our government is not nor has it ever been a nanny state. It has become a coward state, a let me lick your boots state, a whore state, a I'll do anything you want just donate to my campaign state.

You want to reduce the government, fine, I'm all for that but your way the "libertarian", "true republican", "true conservative" way... only grows the problem by encouraging more lap dogging and less effective, representative of the people, government.

The solution begins with leashing the ability to buy our government.

I will not spend money at Dunkin Donuts, this list grows larger almost everyday. I will not support companies that don't support there employees.

The company said in January it plans to open about 400 Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in the U.S., with 15% to 20% in new markets such as California, Colorado and Texas. In the latest period, the company opened 309 new restaurants around the globe.

Dunkin' reported a profit of $42.1 million, or 39 cents a share, up from $34.3 million, or 32 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding costs related to an increase of shares outstanding, earnings rose to 43 cents from 34 cents.

Revenue jumped 13% to $183.2 million.

wsj

They have the money to operate the stores they have plus open 309 new stores plus make a profit of $42 million.

They can clearly pay there workers more, plus work them full time with benefits, but in order to pay there shareholders 43 cents a share they are relying on slave labor, again catering to the rich on the backs of the poor.

Screw them!

a reply to: Kali74

How is inhibiting PAC's, Lobbyists going to help minimum wage workers in a service-industry related economy?

a reply to: LDragonFire

That's the problem with Capitalism in it's current form...Cannibal Capitalism...in oder to feed the greed of shareholders and Wall Street, it eats the middle class.

a reply to: kosmicjack

Thats why i refer to our economy as cannabilism not capitalism ive actually made a few threads titles that.

The larger animals eat the smaller animals.

a reply to: beezzer

I say that we need to start by reverting back to our original corporate charter system. If the corporation does not adhere to very strict regulations, we pull the charter. If they cannot provide decent jobs and their employees are forced to ask for government assistance, they are not doing us any good and we pull their charter.

Then we look at ways to lower taxes. This begins by pulling our troops back home and we stop this meaningless perpetual war. We legalize drugs, opting for medical treatment for addicts instead of incarceration. This will relieve a huge burden on our prison systems and we must not allow states to pass minimum population requirements.

Continuing on the tax issue, we stop subsidizing certain crops and quit diluting our gasoline with ethanol. We allow the market to work freely through supply and demand and we don't pay farmers to not grow crops. We stop all foreign aid and we stop giving tax breaks to business'. If the taxes are low, there is no reason they cannot pay their fair share right along with the citizens.

And then we break up the central banking system. Allow banks to operate as a business and compete with each other by having good prices for their services and low rates for loans.

Finally, we stop paying the salaries of retired presidents and congressmen. They are supposed to be public servants and do not need to be paid for the rest of their life. That's not public service, that's welfare.

ETA: Based on a previous comment by another member, I believe we should not allow lobbyists in DC. This is supposed to be a government for the people and by the people. By allowing lobbyists to pressure our reps and corporations to donate to campaign funds and PAC's, we are allowing OUR representatives to be bought by the big money interests and will work to pass legislation that benefits them.....not the people they are supposed to represent.

a reply to: sheepslayer247

Best post ever award goes toooo....


SHEEPSLAYER!!!!!!

Naaw according to some these folks are just lazy and not trying hard enough.

originally posted by: Bilk22

originally posted by: proob4
It's a sad, sad world today!

The world has always been a "sad place". Just read history. We now have the internet, so we just hear about it sooner.

There is a difference today in our country though. We struggled the way up and life was pretty good but then some got greedy and now we are in free fall to the bottom again.

originally posted by: sheepslayer247
a reply to: beezzer

I say that we need to start by reverting back to our original corporate charter system. If the corporation does not adhere to very strict regulations, we pull the charter. If they cannot provide decent jobs and their employees are forced to ask for government assistance, they are not doing us any good and we pull their charter.

Who decides what is "decent"?

Then we look at ways to lower taxes. This begins by pulling our troops back home and we stop this meaningless perpetual war. We legalize drugs, opting for medical treatment for addicts instead of incarceration. This will relieve a huge burden on our prison systems and we must not allow states to pass minimum population requirements.

Agreed

Continuing on the tax issue, we stop subsidizing certain crops and quit diluting our gasoline with ethanol. We allow the market to work freely through supply and demand and we don't pay farmers to not grow crops. We stop all foreign aid and we stop giving tax breaks to business'. If the taxes are low, there is no reason they cannot pay their fair share right along with the citizens.

I would only add, eliminate loopholes along with reducing taxes.

And then we break up the central banking system. Allow banks to operate as a business and compete with each other by having good prices for their services and low rates for loans.

Return to the gold standard.

Finally, we stop paying the salaries of retired presidents and congressmen. They are supposed to be public servants and do not need to be paid for the rest of their life. That's not public service, that's welfare.

I don't know why we pay them in the first place.

ETA: Based on a previous comment by another member, I believe we should not allow lobbyists in DC. This is supposed to be a government for the people and by the people. By allowing lobbyists to pressure our reps and corporations to donate to campaign funds and PAC's, we are allowing OUR representatives to be bought by the big money interests and will work to pass legislation that benefits them.....not the people they are supposed to represent.

You run into 1st Amendment issues there.

a reply to: beezzer

And the blame for having a "service economy" lies squarely at the feet of profit at all costs corporate lobbyists and their puppet politicians.

We had a recession in the 80s for the same dam reason when trade pacts were created with Japan.

Now we have Nafta, and China being our favored trading partner.

Then we have the trans pacific partnership written by 600 corporate lobbyist that puppet Obama tried to fast track it out so that congress could not read and make amends to it.

We our a constitutional republic, not a democracy, so why do corporate cheerleaders tell me this when it is said that the majority of americans have no say over our government when it is infested with corporate citizens?

a reply to: jacobe001

Voting doesnt work with an ignorant populace hence the school system.