California set to raise minimum wage to $10

[barfbag]

$10 isn't very much money in CA, but it's a great way to scare away companies into moving to Texas. The same thing is going on at the federal level. I can't blame companies for going overseas. What we need to do is eliminate the corporate tax and place tariffs on goods from companies who move overseas. No corporate taxes will bring jobs back from overseas. All we're doing in places like CA is scaring them away. All they'll do is raise prices in order to get back to where they were and then we're right back to where we started.

[barfbag]

$10 isn't very much money in CA, but it's a great way to scare away companies into moving to Texas. The same thing is going on at the federal level. I can't blame companies for going overseas. What we need to do is eliminate the corporate tax and place tariffs on goods from companies who move overseas. No corporate taxes will bring jobs back from overseas. All we're doing in places like CA is scaring them away. All they'll do is raise prices in order to get back to where they were and then we're right back to where we started.

Yeah, McDonald's is packing their bags as we speak.

What you just said was stupid. In fact stupid isn't a good enough word to describe your post. Anyone who understands business knows that the wage laws don't apply to McDonald's because they're in a league of their own. They're so successful that they could afford to pay higher wages. However, mom and pop stores who have a handful of workers will suffer and go out of business. Walmart and McDonald's will still be winners. Do you like monopolies? I don't and neither do a lot of other people. However, if you like monopolies so much, then perhaps a $10 an hour minimum wage is just what's needed. Why did you even make a joke about McDonald's. I'm sure with the intellect of this forum, most posters will be able to figure out there is no comparison between McDonald's and Uncle Bob's Diner. Oh wait I get it now. You probably set me up to tear you down so that you could provide a greater comeback. Man I fell for it didn't I? At least that's what I'm hoping.

[barfbag]

"mom and pop stores" evade min wage and other labor laws, as a rule

In a way they can if they include tips. However, legally they're not supposed to depending on the state. Regardless, it's stupid to compare McDonald's to any other food company. Nothing else needs to be said on the matter.

[barfbag]

$10 isn't very much money in CA, but it's a great way to scare away companies into moving to Texas. The same thing is going on at the federal level. I can't blame companies for going overseas. What we need to do is eliminate the corporate tax and place tariffs on goods from companies who move overseas. No corporate taxes will bring jobs back from overseas. All we're doing in places like CA is scaring them away. All they'll do is raise prices in order to get back to where they were and then we're right back to where we started.

Yeah, McDonald's is packing their bags as we speak.

What you just said was stupid. In fact stupid isn't a good enough word to describe your post. Anyone who understands business knows that the wage laws don't apply to McDonald's because they're in a league of their own. They're so successful that they could afford to pay higher wages. However, mom and pop stores who have a handful of workers will suffer and go out of business. Walmart and McDonald's will still be winners. Do you like monopolies? I don't and neither do a lot of other people. However, if you like monopolies so much, then perhaps a $10 an hour minimum wage is just what's needed. Why did you even make a joke about McDonald's. I'm sure with the intellect of this forum, most posters will be able to figure out there is no comparison between McDonald's and Uncle Bob's Diner. Oh wait I get it now. You probably set me up to tear you down so that you could provide a greater comeback. Man I fell for it didn't I? At least that's what I'm hoping.

Most of those mom-and-pop stores don't seem to have a problem with it.

No and I wouldn't either because I'd just raise my prices to get back to where I was. Do you actually think someone is going to publicly state they're against a raise in the minimum wage? Come on! Putting on a happy face is a great way to recruit new customers. Again, it's stupid to compare McDonald's to other places in the food industry. In fact when looking at success I'm trying to think of a company who can rival them. IBM has made quite a bit of money, but they're not in the same industry and neither is Microsoft. My point was that McDonald's can afford a higher minimum wage and most other places can't without raising their prices. One last thing is that anyone who has worked at McDonald's knows that 90% of them are privately owned. Therefore, in a way not even McDonald's would be able to afford it outside of their corporate stores which only exist in large cities. We may see private owners selling some of their McDonald's to make ends meet.

[barfbag]

$10 isn't very much money in CA, but it's a great way to scare away companies into moving to Texas. The same thing is going on at the federal level. I can't blame companies for going overseas. What we need to do is eliminate the corporate tax and place tariffs on goods from companies who move overseas. No corporate taxes will bring jobs back from overseas. All we're doing in places like CA is scaring them away. All they'll do is raise prices in order to get back to where they were and then we're right back to where we started.

Yeah, McDonald's is packing their bags as we speak.

Lol.  True.  Kind of hard to serve a hamber, chicken, or pizza to someone from Texas.

So don't think either that McDonald's is in a league of their own? They are when it comes to the food industry. To suggest otherwise is uniquely wrong.

[barfbag]

Barfbag, most small businesses pay more than minimum wage.  You didn't actually respond to me or the article, you're just spewing talking points and making baseless assumptions.

No I'm not. In fact you just made my point even more. If I already pay more than minimum wage, what would I care about it being increased? You didn't even respond to my response where I said that no one is going to publicly oppose an increase in minimum wage outside of a political debate on its effects of the economy.

[barfbag]

Barfbag, most small businesses pay more than minimum wage.  You didn't actually respond to me or the article, you're just spewing talking points and making baseless assumptions.

No I'm not. In fact you just made my point even more. If I already pay more than minimum wage, what would I care about it being increased? You didn't even respond to my response where I said that no one is going to publicly oppose an increase in minimum wage outside of a political debate on its effects of the economy.

That's the whole point.  You wouldn't be impacted by a minimum wage increase if you're already paying more than that.  You can't say these small businesses would be hurt by an increase if they can already afford to pay more than the current minimum wage.  Plus, if these businesses were concerned about having to raise prices or layoff workers, they probably wouldn't be overwhelmingly in favor of the increase.

If your only real argument is "no one would publicly oppose a minimum wage increase," I feel fairly confident in my position.  You are basing that opinion on assumptions and not facts.

Again I'm not. All they have to do is raise prices and we're right back to where we started. We should have a minimum wage, but it's really a catch 22. We're damned if we do and we're damned if we don't.

[barfbag]

Why do people seriously respond to bbag?

Giving up? Do you even read what I have to say and try to look past my sarcasm or do you use it for political reasons? How people treat my ideas and thoughts is how I respond to them. I'm also realizing more and more that there is a bias on here from people like you against anything right of center.

[barfbag]

Some of you aren't even being realistic. $20 an hour for a minimum wage would kill our economy because of the huge surge in prices that would necessarily follow. The prices of goods would necessarily skyrocket.

[barfbag]

The federal minimum wage in 1968 was $10.74 an hour in today's dollars. Enough said.

You mean for federal employees?

[barfbag]

The federal minimum wage in 1968 was $10.74 an hour in today's dollars. Enough said.

You mean for federal employees?

He means for everyone.  The minimum wage was $1.60--$10.74 in 2013 dollars.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0774473.html

The inflation adjusted minimum wage has been on a steady decline for 35 years.

Ok I took it too literally. Democrats don't want minimum wage increases though because then it wouldn't be a campaign issue. They don't want equal civil rights either. What kind of talking points would that leave them?

[barfbag]

The federal minimum wage in 1968 was $10.74 an hour in today's dollars. Enough said.

You mean for federal employees?

This is also known as picking cherries. 1968 is of course a completely random and arbitrary year.

I was pointing out how much higher the minimum wage was then. By the time California raises it to $10 an hour, 1968 would be around $11.50 in current dollars.

In October 1949, a bill was signed almost doubling the federal minimum wage. So how did October 1949 - September 1950 do in terms of jobs? A 6.1% increase. The best year since then managed only 5.1%.

So the correlation is that the more of their own money companies have to give employees, the better more money they have left to hire more workers? Look I'm not a rocket scientist or anything, but if I have $1,000,000 in profit each year and give back $100,000 in wages, then a minimum wage increase would mean that I'm losing money. In this scenario I'm paying my workers minimum wage to hand out menus. Now with a doubling of the minimum wage I'm losing $200,000 each year. I've lost money and now have to charge more for my products in order to get back to where I was or lay off an employee or two. Losing money is the opposite of making money. My employees will have more money, but it won't be enough to start their own business or grow the economy. Also, in your theory, it would take longer for jobs to be added as a result from a change in economic policy. What would've happened is a decline in the value of the dollar.

[barfbag]

Ah, but barfbag, you forget one important fact; minimum wage workers spend much of their money at the same business they're working at, and at other minimum wage businesses. A worker at Walmart, even with a higher wage, will shop at Walmart, and a worker at McDonalds will eat McDonalds.

Isn't that great though? I don't understand what your point is? I'd do all I can to keep my workers spending money at a place I own. You don't want your workers and non-workers for that matter benefiting you?

[barfbag]

"mom and pop stores" evade min wage and other labor laws, as a rule

And there aren't as many left. The more typical "small business" is a franchise store.

Anyway, Brown signed the increase today.

Good soon prices will rise to make up for it and you'll be right back where you started.

[barfbag]

That would be true if labor costs were 100% of the price of goods and services. But they aren't, so it's not.

It's very simple. If I have to pay someone x amount more an hour, then I lose x amount of money each hour. I make up for it by charging y on top of what I already charge for my service.

[barfbag]

Walmart, stung and crippled by Democratic plans to increase the minimum wage and force expensive health care coverage, will no doubt lay off more workers and ...

... wait, what's that? Walmart just announced it was going to add 35,000 new part-time workers and convert 35,000 more part-time workers to full-time? And it's doing it because it slashed staff to the bone so badly during the recession that stores literally cannot keep shelves stocked or organized due to a lack of available labor?

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-25/the-real-reason-wal-mart-hired-all-those-people.html

It's sent America into a panic. Hannity's website has the numbers of how much more it's going to cost the average family compared to what Obama misled us to believe. He misled us into a quagmire. I don't understand why the country can't agree with my proposal which is located under individual politics.

[barfbag]

"mom and pop stores" evade min wage and other labor laws, as a rule

And there aren't as many left. The more typical "small business" is a franchise store.

Anyway, Brown signed the increase today.

There are still some mom and pop stores left. But they mostly have minimal employees outside of the family, and family members don't have to get minimum wage.

They pay under the table a lot of times too.