Repub senator calls for conditional $15 min. wage

[Makeshift Python]

The more people are paid, the more they spend, thus the more the economy is stimulated.

Rich folks don’t understand that because they assume people would just pocket the money at a Swiss bank account and never touch it like them. Meanwhile they keep lying to you about trickle down economics like they have for 40 years.

Something-d-o-o economics. Voodoo economics. Anyone? Anyone?

[Thebestoftherest]

Hey Python you seems smart is what Fuzzy saying true.

[TulipQulqu]

Personally I feel making the minimum wage for ma and pops stores the same price as a mega corporation lile walmart to he silly.

The issue is that the mega corps will just find ways to make "ma and pop" shaped cut outs to do all their business. McDonalds, for example, is technically a bunch of small businesses (franchises) that are paying to rent the brand name and ingredients.

[Draco Dracul]

Personally I feel making the minimum wage for ma and pops stores the same price as a mega corporation lile walmart to he silly.

The issue is that the mega corps will just find ways to make "ma and pop" shaped cut outs to do all their business. McDonalds, for example, is technically a bunch of small businesses (franchises) that are paying to rent the brand name and ingredients.

Yep. And in companies that don't franchise you'll see them hire small contracting companies to staff workers for them. They pay the local staffing company 11-12 dollars per hour per head and the company in turn pays the employees 8-9 dollars per hour.

[Nealithi]

I would like to put forth a concern I heard on this and get opinions.

Is the timing of raising the minimum wage right? Many places are still closed or on limited workforce. If you raise the bar before they can reopen, won't they need to bring back less or none of the people that had been working beforehand? Thus stalling the economy?

My analogy is you have an engine that is sputtering. You ease on the throttle to get it running then tune things. This would be like stomping on the gas and hoping it does not die.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

My analogy is you have an engine that is sputtering. You ease on the throttle to get it running then tune things. This would be like stomping on the gas and hoping it does not die.

Minimum wage hikes are done in tiers that take place over a number of years. That mitigates the negative economic effect somewhat for starters. It's not very clear the precise effects. Businesses tend to raise prices, lower employment, or expand their business if possible, from easiest to hardest.

The analogy though of stepping on the gas as if a business's long term economic profile resembles a car between fueling stations to which it never finishes approaching is not very accurate to describe the situation.

[Madner Kami]

I disagree there a difference from a local small business having to make cute to keep the lights on versus a multi billion dollar company ripping off it employees so those at the very tops can get even more money

So then you create an environment where small business can outcompete large businesses in regards to wages. As was pointed out, the large businesses will simply dissolve into smaller, yet still connected parts and you've done noone a favour. But there's also another factor there:

Who would you want to work for? A back-breaking mindless and thankless job for a multibillion-dollar company that gives you $15 for each of your hour or for Ma and Pa Kent, who give you a back-breaking mindless and thankless job in their local grocery store, but only give you $10 per hour or even less? I know what I would do and Ma and Pa Kent can have the nicest work-environment going for all I care, I still only get $10 or less instead of the $15 I could earn elsewhere. I still have to make ends meet and my personal freedom is still mostly dependant on my income, argueably even moreso in an environment where someone gets 50% more per hour for the same work and is living in the same place as I do...

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

I disagree there a difference from a local small business having to make cute to keep the lights on versus a multi billion dollar company ripping off it employees so those at the very tops can get even more money

So then you create an environment where small business can outcompete large businesses in regards to wages. As was pointed out, the large businesses will simply dissolve into smaller, yet still connected parts and you've done noone a favour. But there's also another factor there:

It's not unheard of to give subsidy to more diminutive businesses or economies as a matter specifically for development. Whether it's negative taxes or duty favoring is somewhat arbitrary, and a bracketed minimum wage structure is considerably measured.

It's not very comparable the marketing of a big business to a small one. It's like comparing an ocean liner traveling in the pacific to the US military branch of operations in Micronesia.

[Madner Kami]

I disagree there a difference from a local small business having to make cute to keep the lights on versus a multi billion dollar company ripping off it employees so those at the very tops can get even more money

So then you create an environment where small business can outcompete large businesses in regards to wages. As was pointed out, the large businesses will simply dissolve into smaller, yet still connected parts and you've done noone a favour. But there's also another factor there:

It's not unheard of to give subsidy to more diminutive businesses or economies as a matter specifically for development. Whether it's negative taxes or duty favoring is somewhat arbitrary, and a bracketed minimum wage structure is considerably measured.

It's not very comparable the marketing of a big business to a small one. It's like comparing an ocean liner traveling in the pacific to the US military branch of operations in Micronesia.

Negative taxes or subsidies are considerably different to different base minimal wages for the otherwise same work. The former does not impact the outcome for the worker, the later does. And the later's outcome is what you wanted to adress in the first place, remember? You wanted to improve it, but you'd make it worse instead.

[Mickey_Rat15]

Business ownership is a privilege, not a right. If you pay your employees so little they need government assistance, then you don't deserve to run a business.

Because someone is being given a wage that is less tan what you think is acceptable, does not mean that person is being wronged. The work performed needs to have a value greater than the wage (due to the non-wage costs of employing someone). The purpose of a business to sell goods and services, it is not to employ people at wages that you think satisfy your moral principles. If you think it is then you are welcome to start a business and apply your morality to it.

There is a right to own a business as long as the owner can consistently keep expenditures less than revenues. If the worker is satisfied with the wages received, then who are you to object? If the worker is not satisfied, then they they are free to seek a better job, and again, who are you to have a say? It is quite easy for you to judge when you do not have to make the hard choices to balance a business' ledger. Introducing price controls of any sort, including wages, will have perverse consequences and is generally not the kind of authority politicians should be given. They are generally are much less capable than they think, if they are not corrupt.