Pages about Wages

 I have been entertained by all of the liberals who have spent the last several years pushing a $15 an hour minimum wage. They call it a "living wage".  Now it's my turn to rant.

Just for the record, before the Republicans led by Newt Gingrich, took control of Congress in 1994 running on their "Contract with America", there were people working in the Capitol (Pelosi's temple of Democracy) who made less than the federal minimum wage.  How did this happen? The government routinely exempts itself from the laws that they pass. 

Now the Communists (or Democrats) want a $15 minimum wage. First question, do they pay everyone who works for them $15 an hour? I am not talking about just at work. Let's include the babysitter, the kid who mows their lawn, and the guy who shovels snow or rakes leaves. How much to the kid who washes your car or dates your ugly offspring?

How much are you willing to pay someone with no skills? Since Congressional representatives make $174,000 a year plus all the stock tips they can carry, that's probably not the right question to ask that group. Let's try again. As a private businessperson, what are you willing to pay someone with no skills? 

Minimum wage is an entry level wage. Most people get better at their jobs and move up on the pay charts. If you have been at a job five years and still make minimum wage, you need to examine your job performance, attendance, and attitude.

Fifteen years ago, I had a cook who told me one afternoon that he needed a raise. I told him that we would discuss it the next day. So, I looked at his timecards and attendance records and eagerly waited for the next day. When we spoke the next day, I asked "Jimmy, how would you like to make $75 more a week?"  He responded "That's what I'm talking about! When does this start?"  I told him that it could start the next day. Then I showed him his schedule and his timecard. I explained that if he actually came to work on time and worked his scheduled hours, he would make $75 more a week. He responded, "That's bullshit!"  I told him that I was not going to pay him anymore an hour until his attendance improved. He left a few weeks later to take a job making less an hour. I love stupid people!!

A friend claims that algebra is the basis for all logical thought. I just tell people that life is a math problem. Life is filled with equations. People in government ignore this fact. They pass minimum wage laws, but no minimum productivity laws. They want employees to have guaranteed leave but there is no mandatory attendance law. We have to have worker's compensation to cover employee injuries, but employees don't have to carry insurance to cover equipment that they break. Yes, I am a confirmed capitalist.

Now, Congressional staffers are considering forming a union and Democrats like Pelosi think that it is a good idea. I am opposed to any unionization of government employees. When was the last mass layoff of government employees? When did government salaries last get reduced? When did you last have an encounter with a government employee and say "Wow! What great service!"  When was the last time you spotted signs of life at the DMV office?

You would think that after Reagan fired the air traffic controllers, other employees would have paid attention. No way. we's gumment workers!

We already have unions for teachers and postal employees. As Dr. Phil says, "How's that working for you?" There hasn't been real school in two years, how many teachers have missed a paycheck? Recently, it took eleven days for a "Priority Mail" piece to reach us from Louisiana. How long would nonpriority mail take? Been to a Post Office lately? You can feed the family at Chic-Fil-A quicker than you can mail a package. 

How long before the military votes to unionize? Will wars be limited to 40-hour weeks? Will we take all of the federal holidays during a campaign? Will riflemen be allowed to throw grenades, or will we need a specialist for that?  

Back to wages. I tell people that when wages rise, the cost of goods also rise. This hurts those at the lower end of the wage scale the most. By now, even the slow among you are aware of "inflation". Businesses are having to pay higher wages to compete with the government giving people money to do nothing. As you pay more, you have to charge more. There are probably less than a dozen people in the federal government who understand this concept. None of those folks inhabit 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. 

With inflation raging, the person making $15 an hour has about the same buying power as he had making $8 an hour. The Consumer Price Index is not an accurate reflection of what people actually buy. Congress needs to take some field trips. They need to go to the grocery store, the Dollar Tree, the gas station, and a fast-food restaurant. Then they need to take some action based on facts.

The government is borrowing money to give it to people so they will stay home and not work. If someone is earning $30,000 a year at their job and the government is giving the unemployed $20,000 a year in benefits, who will work? They aren't going to work for $30,000 when they can do nothing and get $20,000. Why work for the extra $10,000? I hear people talking about this at my part time job. People working understand how stupid this is, Democrats in government haven't got a clue.  This program is NOT sustainable. 

Economics was the cause of the first American Revolution and the Second American Revolution (The Civil War). Will it be the cause of the Third American Revolution? We will know in the next few years.