The unaffordable higher minimum wage fallacy

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

They need a new business model not everyone has to live and suffer in poverty because they have to increase profit ratio's.

originally posted by: burdman30ott6


2. Make the United States a federally mandated "Right to work" state.

Hey, this sounds great!

Providing the employees that do not belong to the union begin work at the rate of pay, work place safety levels, vacation (or lack there of), work weeks, work rules and job security that were standard to the job prior to the formation of the union. (That'd really help the old bottom line, wouldn't it?)

Otherwise they would just be scum walking across the river on the backs of their neighbors, right?

a reply to: burdman30ott6

If no one hire them they would not be there, but of course it's the illegals fault for trying to do what every American did, all of you are immigrants, the difference is you went there, got strong and changed the law so no one else could replicate your success.

There are laws to be a legal immigrant, ipocresy all Europeans that went to us to work unskilled jobs went before the laws, and then they made the laws, a country made by unskilled immigrants don't want unskilled immigrants anymore but are eager to pay them less that their own sons, pick up your mind you don't want them but only hire them.

a reply to: Indigent

Nevertheless, my solution corrects the problem.

"All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again" - Battlstar Galactica

Ah, I love that show. Such a good quote. History always goes in cycles and repeats itself. The names, places, and actor change but the main themes stay the same.

No one wants to admit it, but we are witnessing the shift into what I call "Neo-Feudalism".

a reply to: MystikMushroom

Yep, I agree. Wealth and privilege will continue to accumulate into the hands of a few. Right up to the point that the ordinary people get fed up, kill them all and take it back.

Happens over and over again. Someday I hope either the few learn to share the wealth or the many get fed up earlier. Eventually it would be nice to find a happy medium.

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
No one wants to admit it, but we are witnessing the shift into what I call "Neo-Feudalism".

And people I say this too rarely take me seriously.
It's happening right before our eyes, we have to fight it and take the power back.

Here's another quote I like :

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein

We have to stop being insane and see things more clearly. I can't believe that humanity doesn't have enough smart people to make our world a much better place.

originally posted by: onequestion
a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

ETA: something to point out, beyond all that follows: you say "increase profit ratios". That isn't what we are talking about here. We are talking about maintaining profits. Not increasing. Very important word change you used that I need to make sure is pointed out.

They need a new business model not everyone has to live and suffer in poverty because they have to increase profit ratio's.

Perhaps they do.

Or perhaps they need a better taxation strategy to alleviate regulatory costs.

Because, if we are being honest, mom and pop running a burrito stand...do you really expect them to create a whole new business model? If you do, let me predict that your expectation most often will not be met, and the result will be a reduction in the number of burrito stands that are open in the US.

Which is great. So the folks who actually have jobs will get paid more. The rest....will be paid far, far less.

For kicks and grins, I am interested in hearing about new business models that can get around the fact that people will only pay so much for a product, while vendors will only give so many discounts for a product. It could be possible that there is some, heretofor unknown model (lets call it the "Blood From Turnips" model) that is awaiting discovery by some savvy entrepreneur. I run small businesses for a living. My people are paid above the market average, and are offered insurance benefits taht we pay 80% of. If i could possibly improve on that, I would love to hear suggestions. Because otherwise its a Mexican standoff between me, the customer, my employees, and my vendors. Who is going to get the shaft....

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

Do you ever notice that none of these people go out and start a business? If businesses are just being greedy and not paying their employees enough, then why don't you ever see these progressives go out and start a company and pay their employees the "living wage" they go on about so much on these threads?

They are free to start a company, grow it to whatever size, only pay themselves whatever ratio they feel is acceptable to their lowest employee, give all the profits away to the homeless shelter, etc. Yet, they never do.... because deep down they know their ideas are just a fantasy.

a reply to: Edumakated

I am starting a company and its not easy because people dont have money to spend.

Theres also tons of competition from other people opting out of crappy wages and they are sick of the way they get treat by management.

Tons of competition.

a reply to: onequestion

Good luck. And I am serious: if you develop a new business model and want to discuss it with me...i am interested in hearing it. The model I execute currently is not too bad at giving a decent wage to employees while providing them some benefits. But if that can be improved upon, im game. Because what i do isn't a big secret. We execute a standard model that is common in the industry for individual owners (not corporate franchisees)

If things continue to go the way they're going, what we're going to eventually see is a world like we see in the movie "Elysium".

There are a very few rich people, who live in isolated pleasure-domes, meanwhile 95% of the population lives in poverty and fights over the VERY few jobs that are required to support the rich 5%.

When all the wealth flows to the top, the only people who can afford anything are the wealthy. Since there aren't many of these people, there aren't many customers -- manufacturing begins to decline, jobs are lost.

We're going to see that, in combination with automation. Between the two, jobs are going to become unicorns in the future. The only people buying anything will be the uber-wealthy, and the only people with jobs will be a small cadre of peons making a mere pittance to supply them with products.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

That's what people don't realize. The people screaming, "He didn't work hard enough" or "She should have went to school." are blind to what's happening. A global shortage of jobs. When I first came to ATS, I had the same mindset that people were lazy, didn't want to work, and that there was opportunity everywhere. I've had a personal shift in that mentality. Opportunity is diminishing. Jobs are diminishing. The current mindset and economy has, and is, failing.

The same people that tout personal responsibility and hard work have no idea what is in store for their offspring or future family.

a reply to: onequestion

few people believe the corporations cant afford to raise their minimum wages,

the real issue is how to keep them from raising their prices, as they do so they dont have to take a hit to their massive profits when we forcibly raise their minimum wages,

a reply to: pryingopen3rdeye

That's the thing. If they raise wages, they'll just raise prices to offset the cost. Nothing really changes in that situation.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

The point im making is that its possible and it can work.

We all know it wont work because of the greedy elite.

originally posted by: onequestion
a reply to: MystikMushroom

The point im making is that its possible and it can work.

We all know it wont work because of the greedy elite.

We are all slaves to labor, threat of starvation and homelessness, and hopelessness. Money is humanities "god". I don't foresee it ever changing.

a reply to: onequestion

Greedy humans. If you became a billionaire, its only one generation before altruism fades.

At the end, itll always be a fight against human nature.

The minimum wage is proven to be beneficial in study after study. Not only that, but the argument against it doesn't make much sense. If I get paid 7$ to make ten pizzas an hour, and my pay get's raised a dollar to $8, then my boss just has to raise prices 10 cents a pizza to break even. Or they could just take the hit, unlikely though that is. Anyways, ten cents on a $15 dollar pizza is negligible and most people won't even notice the difference, but my standard of living will be better.

That's the real issue, do we want our people to live reasonably well, or live in misery and poverty? And why are Republicans so committed to keeping everyone else poor while calling themselves patriots?

The working class pays more taxes when they make more money, maybe a minimum wage scale dependent on company revenue could be a real answer. Corporations are the real issue though, they are "too big to fail"...BUT if they do, it is the taxpayer that pays the price. 2008 set the precedent, anytime there is a market collapse the taxpayer will suffer, while the corporations will prosper. Not only will they prosper, they will years down the road also give you a slap in the face with a lawsuit saying you didn't give them enough...AIG is scum