>> Very sad letter to the editor today:
As a first-generation San Franciscan, I am very proud to live in this city and pursue the “American Dream.” However, San Francisco leaders and voters are quickly turning my dream into a nightmare. I run a small café near downtown San Francisco. I have to work seven days a week just to make ends meet. However, after doing calculations, I will have to close my shop and move back to Korea. <<
>> This city does not promote companies doing business in The City. Half of our customers are gone. Now with sick days, health care and a minimum wage of $9.14, my business cannot survive. Not all businesses are giant corporations as perceived by the Young Workers United. There are many small shops and cafés just trying to survive. However, City Hall and Young Urban Workers are making our dreams fade away. <<
Sick days? $9.14 an hour? Health care? I'm sorry to hear that such expenses are driving you out; you're apparently the kind of immigrant we need. But please understand that in a lot of places, there are no sick days, work days as short as three hours, $5.15 an hour and no health care; total costs that are probably significantly less than a third of your costs. Anyone surviving on that little either should be studying his homework, or staying put in Mexico.
Now, if you WERE paying that little, and couldn't afford to spend $220 dollars more to staff your shop from 7 AM to 11 PM, seven days a week, I'd suggest the reason wasn't that your costs were too high, but that customers don't like workers who can't speak English. (Your English seems excellent; I'm referring to the English spoken by the sort of workers who are working at the minimum-wage differential.)
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus