Minimum Wage

rgambs

Jason P said:

Why is everyone so shocked that Walmart likes to make shitloads of money and make good decisions to make shitloads of money unlike some of their main competors like K-Mart?

Shaming of success is being ingrained into our minds. I like how they find a way to bring teachers into the debate. Somehow abused puppy dogs didn't make the final cut.

Also, ironic that you have to be on the grid to watch off the grid.

Shaming of success? That's a bit much! How about shaming of people who take advantage of others unnecessarily.
Is having money and making money a real measure of success?

jeffbr

rgambs said:

Is having money and making money a real measure of success?

For a business, I would think so. They have a responsibility to their shareholders to do just that. There are other measures of success of course, but making money better be a primary objective for any business.

lukin2006

Jason P said:

Why is everyone so shocked that Walmart likes to make shitloads of money and make good decisions to make shitloads of money unlike some of their main competors like K-Mart?

Shaming of success is being ingrained into our minds. I like how they find a way to bring teachers into the debate. Somehow abused puppy dogs didn't make the final cut.

Also, ironic that you have to be on the grid to watch off the grid.

I don't think most have a problem with wal mart making money, but they can easily afford better pay and benefits ...

lukin2006

rgambs said:

Jason P said:

Why is everyone so shocked that Walmart likes to make shitloads of money and make good decisions to make shitloads of money unlike some of their main competors like K-Mart?

Shaming of success is being ingrained into our minds. I like how they find a way to bring teachers into the debate. Somehow abused puppy dogs didn't make the final cut.

Also, ironic that you have to be on the grid to watch off the grid.

Shaming of success? That's a bit much! How about shaming of people who take advantage of others unnecessarily.
Is having money and making money a real measure of success?

Sadly in Canada and the U.S. momey seemingly is what success is to many.

unsung

Is there logic in bumping a 7 1/2 year old thread?

lukin2006

I guess it's better to use an old thread than to start a new thread on a topic that has multiple threads ....

Last-12-Exit

I agree with Jesse. I think Wal-Mart should take a few billion and pay their employees better. I just don't think the government should force them to do it.

PJ_Soul

onelongsong said:

desandrews" said:

Noone has ever commented on the urban/rural question. Certainly you think the minimum wage in Chicago would be different than somewhere in the middle of Kansas, correct? So, who is this proposed minimum wage appropriate for? The city slickers or the country bumpkins? So even after the change, either the country folks are being overpaid or the city folks are underpaid. Shouldn't that be addressed?

in a land where all men are created equal; how do you justify different minimum wages?

In a perfect world, all salaries should reflect the local cost of living.

brianlux

PJ_Soul said:

onelongsong said:

desandrews" said:

Noone has ever commented on the urban/rural question. Certainly you think the minimum wage in Chicago would be different than somewhere in the middle of Kansas, correct? So, who is this proposed minimum wage appropriate for? The city slickers or the country bumpkins? So even after the change, either the country folks are being overpaid or the city folks are underpaid. Shouldn't that be addressed?

in a land where all men are created equal; how do you justify different minimum wages?

In a perfect world, all salaries should reflect the local cost of living.

I had two thoughts that came quickly to me upon reading this:

1. First one was positive: Yes, absolutely. Great idea!
2. Second one was a bit cynical: Ah, but it does work that way. In a less wealthy area like parts of my semi-rural to very rural county (El Dorado) there are a few very wealthy, some middle class, and a fair number of poor. In the Bay Area, there is a more than average number of wealthy people, some middle class, and a lower than average number of poor. The difference is that the rich here make about what the middle class do in the Bay Area, the middle class here make about what the poor do in the Bay Area, and the poor here make less than pretty much anyone does in the Bay Area. So the wages do somewhat reflect the cost of living but generally speaking, the elite are the elite, the middle class is shrinking, and the poor are growing in number.

(Maybe not the best analogy but hopefully you get what I mean.)

PJ_Soul

Yes Brian, you talking about economic disparity! Probably THE number one social problem in the world - the true root of poverty and corruption IMO .... Well in a perfect world, economic disparity wouldn't exist either.

But as far as salaries reflecting local cost of living.... even with the evil of economic disparity, it is a real-life solution (coming from someone who lives in a place with a serious problem of average salaries not even coming close to being appropriate to the local cost of living even for people with relatively high salaries). That's in response to the idea of wage equality despite location. IMO, wage equality between economic disparate locations makes no economic sense at. Fortunately, that's not how it works. Unfortunately, in most places there is a serious lack of balance as far as salaries vs local cost of living goes.