The left has always been an alliance of convenience between mostly good-hearted folks who are absolutely clueless about economics and charlatans who know better and cynically play the good-hearted economic-naifs to gain power. (Well, with a few cynical economically naive charlatans thrown into the mix.)
$11 plus gas. Shoes that should cost $60 going for $180. A grilled cheese worth $4 going for $12 and so on.
The minimum wage is one thing, but based on the liberals copying the failures of socialist Europe, look for 300% increased prices.
Repeal the minimum wage. Let the employer and employee decide and how they will be paid(wage, tip) and how much they will be paid.
Its called freedom. Government control freaks butt out.
Does it never occur to leftists that their attempts to make low skill jobs pay enough to support middle class families both contribute to unemployment and to trafficking, by making it cost-prohibitive to hire people legally at low wages?
I could never figure out what makes the labor of your counter help at the local McDonald's worth more than that of your wait staff at the local Denny's. It used to be that 10% was considered an average tip. Now they tell you it should be 15%. And what's the connection to the price of your meal? The jerk who orders the $4 special and the coffee with unlimited refills can take up a booth for four hours and leave more mess to clean-up than the family of 4 who spends $30 and is seated and gone in 40 minutes.
In Japan (and most of Asia) tipping is not the custom and the level of service is far better than anything here.
Economics teaches that supply and demand are often in equilibrium. Therefore, raising the price of something means that less of it is demanded. In the case of labor, it means fewer jobs.
But, in modern day socialist America, prices aren’t always what they seem. There’s a floor on wages different from the minimum wage—it’s the equivalent welfare wage. I’ve seen studies that say that in some states, the total of welfare benefits comes close to $15 /hour. It’s also true that if you are on welfare, as soon as you start to work, you face an extraordinarily high marginal tax, because you lose cash benefits, and in-kind benefits like Medicare and food stamps.
So, the practical minimum wage to get someone who is on welfare to choose work instead (neglecting reasons of pride and self responsibility) is quite high, and higher than the stated minimum wage.
My solution: Forget about the minimum wage. It’s a training wage for kids and people who wish to enter the workforce. It’s not an alternative to welfare.
Oh, yeah, the second part of my solution is to cut welfare substantially. Eliminate EBT cards. Make it a bit unpleasant, like having to eat government cheese and spam. There’s sustenance, but not much pleasure. I’m sick of seeing people in line in at the supermarket pay for carts filled with luxury foods with their EBT cards. Shouldn’t happen.
/rant off
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