Posted on 04/14/2014 6:57:03 AM PDT by Phillyred
To the Editor:
First, we thank Matt Cooley for his research and links to interesting information about minimum wage impacts — or should we say, non-impacts — in his March 30 letter.
We also feel called to respond to S. Douglas Leard’s letter of March 23. Why not celebrate when others have the chance to get a little more reinforcement for the work they do — especially when these chances are few and far between?
Instead of begrudging or wailing about people making a minimum wage of $10 an hour (less than $23,000 a year), our outrage and energy might be directed at the salaries of CEOs. In 1982 the discrepancy between CEO salary and the lowest paid worker was a ratio of 42 to 1. Today it is 354 to 1. According to CEO Pay and You.com, “In the past few decades, CEO pay has skyrocketed while the average workers’ pay has stagnated. The middle class is dwindling and more working people are living hand-to-mouth.”
Many companies already pay $10 an hour or more, and that may seem generous until you take a closer look at the salaries the CEOs get with benefits, bonuses, stock options and overall company profits. Not to mention that many CEOs use multinational corporations to create low paying jobs overseas, and at the same time they park profits overseas where they do not have to pay US Taxes. Does this not spark outraged?
According to CEO Pay and You.com, a few selected CEO salaries in 2012 were: ExxonMobil — $40.3 million; Coca-Cola — $30.4 million; Starbucks — $29 million; McDonald’s — 28 million; Wal-Mart and Target each — $21 million. These do not include stock options and bonuses.
Former President Ronald Reagan was the first to coin the phrases “Greed is good” and “the welfare queen,” and it seems to us that ever since, instead of a war on poverty, there has been a political, economic and social war waged against the poor and working poor.
Every U.S. person has to pay the same for food, gas, car insurance, etc., whether they are minimum wage earners or make over $100,000 or millions of dollars. If you insist on keeping wages down, then let’s have dedicated gas pumps with lower gas prices for qualified low-income drivers, and counters at the grocery stores that discount the whole food bill, and car insurance at reduced rates for minimum wage earners. Gratefully, some companies (like PECO) offer compassionate price programs for low-income folks, but it’s not enough.
Teens deserve the rewards of jobs at $10 an hour, too. The small businesses can pass on the price increase to customers, and customers need to have allegiance to these businesses. Small business owners should join with the rest of us in efforts to put a cap on CEO salaries and end all loop holes for corporate taxes. The multinational corporations can easily absorb the extra price by decreasing CEO salaries.
Let’s build a world where we all celebrate everyone getting a better life. There’s enough.
Let’s not allow ignorance and greed to dismantle all the social and environmental protection programs that have been enacted since former President Franklin D Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act in 1935. Let’s keep moving forward. If we have to lend a helping hand along the way, let’s do it. Let’s try to support our fellow human beings because whether you like it or not, we are all in this together.
Gail Daniels and
Susan Curry,
Ambler
That is the problem with liberals. They don’t follow the bouncing ball to its full conclusion and see it continue on over the cliff. They are knee-jerk reactionists that don’t see the future impact of this thought. They only seek instant gratification. They can’t perceive that this will only cause prices to rise across the board and that their temporary gain in wages will be reduced as the prices are raised in proportion to their wages. The rich will hardly be impacted at all. All that college and no common sense. Such a shame.
Jaw dropping stupid. WE have seen the enemy and he is us. I am willing to bet these are high school or college students.
“Former President Ronald Reagan was the first to coin the phrases “Greed is good” and “the welfare queen,” and it seems to us that ever since, instead of a war on poverty, there has been a political, economic and social war waged against the poor and working poor.”
That’s just a plain, old LIE. These morons think that Reagan was a character from an Oliver Stone movie.
That’s what they are told..
It’s rare anyone can set them straight either.
Programmed drones is what they are.
There was a post on Facebook lauding a Deli in Ann Arbor Michigan for paying the help $15 an hour and providing healthcare. The typical sandwich is $18 and a Lemonade is $8. An employee would have to work almost two hours to afford to eat lunch there.
Yep, had a useless gun control debate at a family gathering last night. It is just impossible to break through this pop-culture brainwashed America.
around here, even after tax, the min wage can buy you lunch at a fast food joint.
Gov Dayton is gonna fix that by signing a min-wage bill today. 9.50 with in 2 years.
Standard-issue leftist with a useless ‘job’ and the usual affiliations with the mutually delusional.
LinkedIn profile
Susan M. Curry
Community organizer and animal rights
Ambler, PennsylvaniaCivic & Social Organization
Current
Ambler EAC
Previous
Ambler Tree Tenders, Alliance for a Sustainable Future, Pennypack Farm & Education Center
Standard-issue leftist with a useless ‘job’ and the usual affiliations with the mutually delusional.
LinkedIn profile
Susan M. Curry
Community organizer and animal rights
Ambler, PennsylvaniaCivic & Social Organization
Current
Ambler EAC
Previous
Ambler Tree Tenders, Alliance for a Sustainable Future, Pennypack Farm & Education Center
“Teens deserve the rewards of jobs at $10 an hour, too. The small businesses can pass on the price increase to customers, and customers need to have allegiance to these businesses.”
Businesses do pass the cost to consumers. And then ten dollars an hour only buys what minimum wage bought before.
Why not make minimum wage $100 an hour or $1000? Then we can all be RICH!
Unskilled labor can never be expected to receive a living wage that allows supporting a family comfortably. Teens usually work jobs for spending money. Anyone who wants to earn more needs to add skills to her or his resume.
If we did not have selective government handouts and minimum wage, competition would drive costs down to very reasonable levels.
quiet honestly, the 10 bucks will likely buy LESS than the 7.25 an hour did.
Yes, and people who currently make $10 per hour or slightly more will be severely harmed by the change, not to mention the job losses that will occur.
LOL, nice to see someone else had the exact same reaction.
bkmk
"From each, according to his ability. To each, according to his need."
-PJ
I NEVER had a poor person sign the front of my paycheck.....EVER.
100%... GMTA!!!
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