WH Considering Reclassifying Fast Food Jobs As 'Manufacturing'

NY Times ^ | 2/20/2004 | David Cay Johnston

[Kenautry]

I once believed in utter market contolled free enterprise...but when I think about all the money Walmart makes and the percentage the lowest employees get...I'm outraged. When I think of engineering firms or law firms, if their company is successful their employees share in that success; their employees also share the failure.

JUST BECAUSE something CAN be done...does that make it right?

Just because these service, low-skill oriented jobs can pay every worker minimum wage, is it right? I used to believe that the market would determine the wage and that certain businesses would pay their workers what the workers deserved; in many markets this is true. The context that I'm looking at are those markets that are dominated by very successful organizations.

There must be some solution. Namely, because everyone can't be: a technical worker, professional worker, or government employee. As a matter of fact, I'm going to be an air traffic controller. I'm not an economist or accoutant or professional businessman so I don't understand every element involved with gigantic corporations. But think about this, one family, the owners of Walmart is worth near 100 billion dollars.

I'm not suggesting that every successful person give their money to government...I'm suggesting every successful CORPORATION give MORE of that success to their workers.

My concept of a perfect pay system.

When business is good...employees share the wealth (comparatively), and when business is bad...employees share the loss. Just that simple.

[Still Thinking]

Is cooking a hamburger patty and inserting the meat, lettuce and ketchup inside a bun a manufacturing job, like assembling automobiles?

Um, no.

[international american]

BUMP

[facedown]

But think about this, one family, the owners of Walmart is worth near 100 billion dollars.

So?

[xkaydet65]

It's ideas like this that give Democrats hope.Take this genius out into the woods. Shoot him and call it improving the breed.Republicans survived calling ketchup a vegetable, I don't know if they'd survive calling making a Big Mac manufacturing. It never helps to look ridiculous.

[John Beresford Tipton]

"Is cooking a hamburger patty and inserting the meat, lettuce and ketchup inside a bun a manufacturing job, like assembling automobiles?"

Absolutely, [in an election year.]

[newzjunkey]

Namely, because everyone can't be: a technical worker, professional worker, or government employee.

But every single American believes his or her can and should be. And *that* is why there will always be a need for an economic underclass. The Dem's know this and choose to exploit them via the unions or as political pawns in the case of illegal immigrants. It's all a scam.

Perhaps on some level we're fortunate there are so many underachievers and drop outs. Or are we?

[freeeee]

Is cooking a hamburger patty and inserting the meat, lettuce and ketchup inside a bun a manufacturing job, like assembling automobiles?

"Well, I guess that depends on what the definition of 'manufacturing' is."

It a good thing we have Republicans now, otherwise we'd be stuck with dishonest politicians who parse meanings of words for political advantage!

[Sabertooth]

But the presidential report points out that the current system for classifying jobs "is not straightforward." The White House drew a box around the section so it would stand out among the 417 pages of statistics. "When a fast-food restaurant sells a hamburger, for example, is it providing a 'service' or is it combining inputs to 'manufacture' a product?" the report asks.

"Sometimes, seemingly subtle differences can determine whether an industry is classified as manufacturing. For example, mixing water and concentrate to produce soft drinks is classified as manufacturing. However, if that activity is performed at a snack bar, it is considered a service."

Stupid writer and stupid proofreader for this report, if this account is true.

In a speech to Washington economists Tuesday, N. Gregory Mankiw, chairman of the president's Council of Economic Advisers, said that properly classifying such workers was "an important consideration" in setting economic policy.

Mankiw, of "outsourcing is good" infamy, looks like he might be getting set up here. His only quote is "an important consideration," yet the NYT is trying to link it directly to the quotes from the report.

So does every other article I found on the subject...

Special Ed Administration
Cornell Daily Sun - Feb 25, 2004
... written by Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors N. Gregory Mankiw, is presented ... In
a speech to Washington economists Tuesday, Mr. Mankiw was blunt and ...

Quaqmire World
Mother Jones, CA - Feb 22, 2004
... In a speech to Washington economists Tuesday, N. Gregory Mankiw... said that properly
classifying such workers was 'an important consideration' in setting ...

Bush Wants to Classify Fast Food Worker as a Manufacturing Job
ShortNews.com - Feb 23, 2004
... N Gregory Mankiw, Council of Economic Advisers chairman, says this
is "an important consideration" in setting economic policy. Fast ...

Forest and Trees
The Dominion, Canada - Feb 23, 2004
... N. Gregory Mankiw, chairman of the president's Council of Economic Advisers, this
distinction is "an important consideration" when looking at economic policy. ...

In the New Economics: Fast-Food Factories?
New York Times, NY - Feb 19, 2004
... N. Gregory Mankiw, chairman of the president's Council of Economic Advisers, said
that properly classifying such workers was "an important consideration" in ...

In the New Economics: Fast-Food Factories?
New York Times - Feb 19, 2004
... N. Gregory Mankiw, chairman of the president's Council of Economic Advisers, said
that properly classifying such workers was "an important consideration" in ...

[AmusedBystander]

When I think of engineering firms or law firms, if their company is successful their employees share in that success; their employees also share the failure

You obviouly have never worked in a law firm or in an engineering firm. Many of their employees are among the lowest paid anywhere. Only the partners share in the success or failure. Rarely do their employees.

[1rudeboy]

Question: when the NYT manufactures a controversy, is it classified as a service? How about when the article is recycled by Bernie Sanders of Vermont and posted on his website? Or when it is then re-posted here?

[chimera]

Mankiw needs to stop running his sewer. He's costing Bush untold numbers of votes among people who would otherwise be inclined to support him every time he opens his lousy trap. Bush is already in trouble on the jobs and economy issue, the Rats are slaughtering him with it. If these bonehead "advisors" try a stupid stunt like this, it could very well be the final nail in Bush's reelection hopes.

[theDentist]

...one family, the owners of Walmart is worth near 100 billion dollars.

Considering that sometime, in the beginning, the Waltons started with little or nothing, and through very long hours, hard work, smart business, investing in themselves and in their company, the business expanded and prospered beyond their wildest dreams, and is now a staple of most communities nationwide, I don't see how you cannot say, "Good for Them". That's what America is about. Same thing with Bill Gates. People may hate Microsoft and how he runs it and how it controls the market, but he built the business from the ground up. "Good for Him". And if someday you build that better mousetrap and find your worth in the Billion dollar range, Good for You.

[muawiyah]

Republicans survived the ketchup issue because ketchup is manufactured by an industrial proletariat out of vegetables.

Democrats who'd never been part of any industrial proletariat thought ketchup was made out of plastic. More than one of them undoubtedly thought of moving over to the use of recycled plastics so that people could have an environmentally friendly ketchup.

[raloxk]

Mankiw is going to cause Bush to lose in Nov

[raloxk]

Mankiw caouldnt be doing a better job if he were a Democratic plant

[Biblebelter]

This seems logical to me. Hamburgers are a manufactured product. These products endanger the public health, so say the shyster lawyer class. The government closes down these factories to protect the public health. We start importing tofu or whatever the politically correct deem the fashionable food of the day and the government has done what it does best and that is expedite the exporting of manufacturing jobs to Asia. Not to worry because the government has already declared outsourcing healthy to the economy.

[Wright is right!]

"Considering that sometime, in the beginning, the Waltons started with little or nothing, and through very long hours, hard work, smart business, investing in themselves and in their company, the business expanded and prospered beyond their wildest dreams, and is now a staple of most communities nationwide, I don't see how you cannot say, "Good for Them"."

Consider also that the profit margin on anything you purchase from Wally World is razor thin. On groceries, it's less than one percent net profit. In the rest of the store, the margins roam around in the low single-digits. The only reason they're able to have such laughably-low margins and still reap a handsome return is the profit of SCALE. And it costs billions to build a retailing chain of their magnitude, and in so doing, creates lots of construction and supply jobs.

Wal-Mart has negotiated very very low prices from its suppliers - who then are rewarded with far more units sold than if the prices were higher. Yes, you as a supplier, might only make a few cents on each bottle of salad dressing you sell to WM, but since they buy 80 million bottles of the stuff from you every year, WHO CARES?!?!

Michael

[Solson]

From a tax basis, food preparation is considered manufacturing. In fact, because of that classification, many companies can save $$ on utility bills from having portions of the bill regarded as tax exempt.

So, for the WH to make this change wouldn't be that much of a stretch.

[theDentist]

Exactly. They built the better mousetrap.