I do worry about my pre-schooler who seems to have a certain aptitude for correct usage of words he’s not supposed to know until he’s 8. If only the little buggers weren’t born knowing how to push buttons you didn’t even know you had, the little ones probably wouldn’t know how to use those words correctly until they’re old enough to get shitty part-time jobs for minimum wage where the customers and the management treat them like used tissues.
Sure there’s an inherent reason flipping burgers isn’t enough to raise a family on. Fast Food is a discretionary purchase, that falls off quickly as prices rise. There was a time, not so long ago, where I could get meals for my family of four for under 20 bucks. These days, it’s more like thirty-something bucks and heading for forty dollars. For THAT amount, I can upgrade to Takeout or Delivery, and spend about as much. As such, we don’t do fast food as much. With FEWER customers, any rational employer will NOT be raising wages. And with added costs, will likely be dropping hours, and using cheaper part-time labor. Which, by the way, is the economic model fast food was built on. Other than store management, it is not DESIGNED for permanent workers. . .
Then what is the wrong here? That McD’s pays workers withing legal limits or that WE have set the legal limit so very low?
It’s easy to blame the companies but McDs is far from the only employer handing minimum wage like it’s a prize. It’d far more uncomfortable and true to point the finger at ourselves and say we the people are to blame for (re)electing these people.
I completely agree, Self-responsibility shouldn’t be allowed to disappear nor should it be passed on to the easy target.
I’m better. I never came ALL the way back, am generally short of breath, and need a cane to walk. I deal with it, my only accomidations are a handicapped parking space and a better (personally purchased) office chair. . .
Oh, and the lawsuit against the Pharmaceutical Company that nearly killed me, is, of course, stalled, along with the rest of us in the class action. I wasn’t the only one, but surviving, I was one of the lucky ones. For values of “lucky”. I’m 52 and pretty sure I will not see 60. . . .
Sounds precocious… but that probably means he’s whip-smart and bound for glory! It’s a pain now, but you’ll look back on it one day and laugh I’m sure, especially when he is taking care of you in your old age.
And I think you’re last point describes what is wrong with our world.
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Holy crap, that really fucking sucks. I am so sorry. I can’t even imagine how pissed off you must be, especially with a stalled class action lawsuit. But of course, there are some people who think that in this situation, that it should be handled via arbitration and awards for any wrong-doing found should be capped.
And for what it is worth, I think this just underscores the key points some of us have made in this whole ongoing thread–that our society is dominated by large corporations that do not give a shit about the rest of us, as long as they are turning a profit. For however capitalism was intended to work, this is how it actually works. You’re life and health is tangential to increasing profits–for them that comes first and foremost.
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I might buy that if there weren’t countless examples of existing economic models which prove you wrong. An employee who works 40 hours a week flipping burgers in Hong Kong or Norway might not be living high on the hog but they can still pay the bills.
Besides, who ever said fast food should be so cheap? Food now makes up a smaller portion of most household budgets in the U.S. than it did a generation ago, whereas other expenses like health care have skyrocketed. Why must we provide economic subsidies for things that make us unhealthy but pay through the nose for the things that keep us well?
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I think the cheap food and higher health care rates are interrelated… not that that is the only reason healthcare has gone up, but one among many.
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Then what is the wrong here? That McD’s pays workers withing legal limits or that WE have set the legal limit so very low?
Like I said, both.
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[quote=“Brainspore, post:212, topic:12700”]
I might buy that if there weren’t countless examples of existing economic models which prove you wrong. An employee who works 40 hours a week flipping burgers in Hong Kong or Norway might not be living high on the hog but they can still pay the bills.[/quote]
That may be true in other places, but they have DIFFERENT economic models from ours here in the States. With differing legal and social frameworks, it’s possible, as you noted. But in OUR framework, it’s not. . .
[quote=“Brainspore, post:212, topic:12700”]
Besides, who ever said fast food should be so cheap? Food now makes up a smaller portion of most household budgets in the U.S. than it did a generation ago, whereas other expenses like health care have skyrocketed. Why must we provide economic subsidies for things that make us unhealthy but pay through the nose for the things that keep us well?[/quote]
That would be the Free Market. And what are we subsidizing: Fast food employment was NOT designed as a career, but as a part-time jobs for low-cost, entry-level workers. What we’re subsidizing is the CHOICE of individuals to not advance themselves to better jobs and careers. I recall, once upon a time, that McDonald’s was considered the number one job training program in the US, it’s where tons of workers developed good work habits and advanced to bigger and better jobs. . .
I know it’s still a pile of money, but their income was around $10 billion in 2012, not their profits. Profits were around $5.5 billion.
Um… that’s still a shit load of profit dude. A billion dollars is a crazy amount of money. 5 billion is massive.
aa[quote=“anon61221983, post:213, topic:12700, full:true”]
I think the cheap food and higher health care rates are interrelated… not that that is the only reason healthcare has gone up, but one among many.
[/quote]
Really ? Staples have gotten cheaper as well. Adjusted for inflation, basic things like meat, flour, milk, etc, have been getting cheaper. Now, if you’re referring to PROCESSED foods, you may have a point. (We buy most of our stuff in bulk. a 40-buck 50# bag of flour is a LOT cheaper than buying it in 5-pound containers. . .)
That would be the Free Market.
You might as well say “that would be the unicorn fart”. The Free Market is a myth. We’re dealing with real humans here, correct? The truth of the matter is humans are flawed and we need regulations that are at least somewhat spurred via a somewhat representative democracy or we end up with things like more child labor than we already have today, etc.
I certainly agree that we should all as a human race strive towards bettering ourselves and perhaps some anarcho-syndicalistic utopia, but to pretend that we live in one already is usless and not seated within our current reality. We need to strategize with the tools in our hands or within our grasp, not imaginary, idealistic tools we only wish we had.
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Even many of our staples are processed to some extent. Since good is often shipped from long distances, there are lots of ways of doing that, sometimes this is done just for comestic reasons (dying meat, for example to make it look brighter red). Plus, there are things like hormones and anti-biotics, gene manipulation etc, whose effects are not fully been explored yet. And processed food is still on a whole cheaper and more convenient.
I appreciate your sarcasm. For some reason the 9 people before me, missed it.
Speak for yourself, Mindy, at least for beef and pork: I buy MINE on the hoof and pick it up at the butcher’s shop. (grin)
Chicken, on the other hand. might as well be manufactured on a line these days. . .
You should read the rest of the thread. It wasn’t sarcasm.
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Yeah, but not everyone has access to that, especially in cities. It sounds awesome, though. When I buy beef, I try to look for local grassfed. I’m also happy with the chicken I buy, bell and evans. Though, plenty of companies game the organic label, and I’m not sure they are one of them.
The only reason we have a legal and social framework that allows full-time employees to live in poverty is because we allow that framework to persist. There are a few simple steps we could take immediately (such as raising the minimum wage to keep up with inflation) that would go a long way toward changing that model. We lack only the political will to do so.
The “Free Market” is overrated. Once upon a time the “Free Market” is where human beings were bought and sold. Besides, this isn’t really a product of the Free Market anyway: if your business model depends on a substantial portion of your workers receiving government assistance, then your business is effectively subsidized by the government.
We don’t need to make minimum-wage employment glamorous or lucrative, but there is absolutely no reason why a full-time employee at a multibillion dollar corporation need live in poverty. When work pays less than welfare then you’re doing anything BUT encouraging people to develop good work habits.
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