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Dear Fellow Plutocrats, the pitchforks are coming.
02-08-2015, 09:05 PM
This is a gazillionare who makes the case that income inequality is bad. Not from a moralistic POV, but from a business POV. I cannot disagree on any of the points he spoke of. I would vote for a politician who can craft policies of his talking points, regardless of party. I'll even hold my nose and vote for Rand Paul if he enacts policies like these. As he said at the end, if we let the trend continue, we either become the future version of the pre-revolutionary france or a police state. Then comes the revolution.
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*Applaudes*
I am now hoping that Letticia Van de Put gets elected as Mayor of San Antonio. But regardless of who is elected, I want to see if I can bring this video to their attention and to the attention of the City Council. It would do San Antonio a world of good to have a $15 minimum wage.
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Quote:Black Aeronaut wrote:
*Applaudes*
I am now hoping that Letticia Van de Put gets elected as Mayor of San Antonio. But regardless of who is elected, I want to see if I can bring this video to their attention and to the attention of the City Council. It would do San Antonio a world of good to have a $15 minimum wage.
Let me know what the reaction is.
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http://dailysignal.com/2015/02/03/books ... wage-hike/
http://borderlands-books.blogspot.com/2 ... march.html
Quote:... through all those challenges, we've managed to find a way forward and 2014 was the best year we've ever had. The credit for that achievement goes to the fine and extraordinary group of people who have come together to work here. Their hard work, combined with the flawless execution and attention to detail provided by Jude Feldman, Borderlands' General Manager, is the reason we've succeeded for these past 18 years.
...
In November, San Francisco voters overwhelmingly passed a measure that will increase the minimum wage within the city to $15 per hour by 2018. Although all of us at Borderlands support the concept of a living wage in principal and we believe that it's possible that the new law will be good for San Francisco -- Borderlands Books as it exists is not a financially viable business if subject to that minimum wage. Consequently we will be closing our doors no later than March 31st.
...
The change in minimum wage will mean our payroll will increase roughly 39%. That increase will in turn bring up our total operating expenses by 18%. To make up for that expense, we would need to increase our sales by a minimum of 20%. We do not believe that is a realistic possibility for a bookstore in San Francisco at this time.
Increasing minimum wage means cost of doing business increases, which means that unless sales increase, prices increase.
Prices for some businesses -cannot- increase, either because they are forcibly set by distributors (as in the book market) or other forces prevent it (such as competition with larger chains that can afford the losses).
One thing that would really help a lot of low-income workers and would actually make sense would be to stop exempting tipped workers from existing minimum-wage laws.
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Quote:ECSNorway wrote:
Increasing minimum wage means cost of doing business increases, which means that unless sales increase, prices increase.
Prices for some businesses -cannot- increase, either because they are forcibly set by distributors (as in the book market) or other forces prevent it (such as competition with larger chains that can afford the losses).
One thing that would really help a lot of low-income workers and would actually make sense would be to stop exempting tipped workers from existing minimum-wage laws.
Unfortunately, this is more of a product of changing times than anything else. Hundreds of book stores across the country have shuttered their doors because of competition from Amazon alone. And this isn't really the fault of politicians trying to enact positive change. Like you said, some businesses can't change the price of their products because those prices are set by the distributors. And it will only be when the last of the brick and mortar stores close up shop will these distributors realize what they've done. Much like when MP3s became popular and RIAA's resistance to change all but eliminated the brick-and-mortar music stores. Now, only specialty shops dealing in second-hand vinyl and the like remain. So the same shall happen with books - soon, only second-hand book stores will remain.
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Quote:One thing that would really help a lot of low-income workers and would actually make sense would be to stop exempting tipped workers from existing minimum-wage laws.
I noticed your lack of comment to this line. Do you believe that restaurant staff do not deserve to beneft from the minimum wage as much as everyone else it claims to help does?
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Why should he? It's not a controversial statement.
Of course, my memory is that the way minimum wages have tended to work in the past has shown that the increased prices are more than canceled out by the increased business from people who find that their wages are now more valuable than a way to starve slowly rather than quickly.
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In regards to the tipped wages...
On good nights, I am essentially making about $15/hour. It fluctuates, yes, but in this matter it will have to be something where we'll have to pick our battles. I'd rather fight just to get the minimum wage raised than fight to get them to stop exempting tipped labor wages from minimum wage.
EDIT: Fun thought: if the minimum wage were raised to $15/hour, I'd probably get a lot more on tips, because more people would be able to afford to tip!
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Tipping culture in the US is weird.
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Quote:Dartz wrote:
Tipping culture in the US is weird.
Can't argue with you there. It is weird.
Especially when it becomes most - or in too many cases all - of a worker's wages.
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Tipping is the last culturally sanctified remnant of "Look how Christian I am, tossing pennies to the poor!" Token Charity combined with "I'd better give them money so they don't spit in my salad."
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
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I've always overtipped because I know someday that might be me. Last night I tipped approximately 50% half because of good service half because I could.
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