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Minim wage was 2.20/hr when I worked at McD 's going by the logic presented here and nearly continuously by the right, theinimim wage of 7 something an hour should have crippled and nearly killed McD's by now.

That was more than 35 years ago, so you can attribute the change in minimum wage to inflation. Take a look at what a Big Mac cost then compared to what it costs now.

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Ummm that was my point though . Minimum wage has been rising steadily since then and each time there is a cry out that it will cost jobs and curtail business.

 

Does each mcd store have a smaller crew than back then? Sure they do, but processes have changed and streamlined since then. Those changes would have occurred regardless of minimum wage.

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Ummm that was my point though . Minimum wage has been rising steadily since then and each time there is a cry out that it will cost jobs and curtail business.

You pointed out a $5.05 increase over a period of 35 years; today's protesters are calling for a $7.75 (107%) increase overnight. Nobody would complain about tying minimum wage increases to the rate of inflation, but doubling pay overnight would undoubtedly result in a loss of jobs and higher consumer costs. There's no other way that it could turn out.

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Actually, You're already complaining about it: minimum wage v. inflation.

No I'm not. And that article is comparing minimum wage to productivity, not inflation. 

 

And another article about inflation vs. minimum wage.

The article says that the actual value of the minimum wage has fallen 20% from $9 in 1967 to $7.25 in 2013. As I said, the wage should be adjusted for inflation, so raise it back to $9 -- several states have already done so. The protesters' demands to raise it to $15 are ludicrous and unworkable.

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Every time the min wage has gone up that I can remember your argument gas been brought out by conservatives. Again you completely missed (ignored ?) my point. Besides if min wage was tied to inflation it most likely would be in that $15 range.

 

Btw if $9 was proposed or tying it to some inflation index I know exactly what the argument would be.

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Every time the min wage has gone up that I can remember your argument gas been brought out by conservatives. Again you completely missed (ignored ?) my point. 

Past increases have been on the order of 10% (much less than a dollar) every few years. The protesters are demanding that the wage be raised by $7.75 -- more than double the current rate.

 

Besides if min wage was tied to inflation it most likely would be in that $15 range.

No, if you'll look at the articles/charts that Don Draper posted, you'll see that they would be in the $9 rage.

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Again you ignore my point that the amount if the increase is irrelevant the right will always and has always raised the same arguments regardless of the size of the increase.

So your only point is that business owners (not just "the right") with minimum wage employees resist efforts to force them to pay their employees more money? Well, duh.

 

I thought we were discussing the recent demand that the minimum wage be doubled to $15, historical wage increases of the past, inflation and the standards and cost of living.

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it's not about importance, it's about value.  The President's salary is $400,000.00 but I don't think anyone would argue that his job is less important than a corporate CEO.  I sometimes wonder how many people wailing and moaning about CEO salaries have actually spent any time knowing a CEO.  I am not saying that some CEOs' salaries aren't bloated or entirely out of whack (I'm sure there are)--but many of them work insane hours under even more insane pressure, and they are booted if they do not perform.  It takes a certain kind of talent to run a multi-billion dollar corporation that is not widely had.  I have less of a problem with a CEO of a profitable corporation making millions than I do an athlete making tens of millions (and yes, I recognize that it takes a certain kind of talent to hit a 98 mph fastball, but I still don't think it merits $17 million/year)

 

the problem w/ CEO compensation is that it's all set by other CEOs...talk about an old boy's network.

 

http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2012/02/focus-0

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Why shouldn't $15 be discussed for the minimum wage. As with all negotiations you have to start higher than you want to end up. But since there is no actual collective bargaining going on here, the amount is "pointless".

 

Someday a real organizing campaign that hurts everyone for awhile until something more just happens (such as the Montgomery bus boycott) will need to occur. This will have to include real unionization by the workers and a real boycott by consumers before any justice or fairness results.

 

LouieB

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I doubt most Americans even know who Raul is.

They don't, but I doubt the right wing media will make a distinction between Raul and Fidel. Not that in truth there is much distinction. But tomorrow a lot of people will say he shook hands with Fidel at the funeral.

 

Obama's speech btw was pretty good. Got to listen to the whole thing driving to an early morning meeting in Chicago.

 

As for the selfie, that is not cool.

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