🚀 go-pugleaf

In <514u78$le@metro.atlanta.com> Troy Brackett <troyb@atlanta.com> writes:

#>jrose@robins.af.mil (GS-1670-09 Jeffery C Rose) wrote:

#>Yes indeed corporate America is chomping at the bits to pay me a
#>high salary because I have gone out and  bettered myself.  However,
#>I submit that if the minimum wage goes away that you will see
#>everyones pay take a significant cut.

#Can you give me some statistics, please, so that I can understand where 
#you're coming from?

#I've been running businesses for 16 years, and ya know what?  I can't 
#remember the last time I paid someone the actual minimum wage.

#By the way, did you happen to read the article in the business section of 
#this past Sunday's AJC?  You know, the one that began:

#LABOR SHORTAGE MIGHT FORCE WAGES HIGHER

#>UNderstand that for last few years corporate profits have been 
#>made by buying a company and laying off their workers.  

#Hey, that's business . . . sometimes that happens.  Sometimes you have to 
#do things like that just to keep the business alive.

#No one really likes laying off their workers.  Why?  Because the more 
#people they lay off . . . the less successful that company will be.  When 
#you begin lay offs you are no longer a growing company.

#No corporate exec that I've ever heard of liked having a negative-growth 
#company.

#>Unemployment is down, but to understand
#>that you have understand something about how they get those
#>statistics.  If you come off the unemployment roles you are no
#>longer unemployed whether or not you have a job.

#I'm sorry, but I didn't get that.

#>It would be nice if big business were interested in anything 
#>but the bottom line.  

#Many big businesses are.  That argument just doesn't hold water.

#>A few years ago the head of Heinz made 81 million dollars in one 
#>year.  keeping 10 million, which is more than he could spend, 

#So what?  Where is the problem in that?  Do you know how much ketchup you 
#have to sell to be able to rake in 10 million bucks?  Damn, I say, if you 
#can sell that much ketchup you deserve that kinda money.

#I don't recall the exact figure off hand, but Michael Eisner with Disney 
#is raking in an incredible paycheck.  And why shouldn't he?  

#>he could have created 2028 35000 dollar a year jobs and never
#>endangered his present life style.  

#Did he or did he not earn what he got?  

#>But you go ahead and keep blaming the job problem  on the 
#>guys wanting to make$5.00 an hour. 

#Perhaps you should go back and reread what I wrote.  You evidently missed 
#the point.

#I really don't understand this attitude of "Damn the man" if he's able to 
#acquire wealth.  


You and me both.  I haven't been paid minimum wage since I was a teenager.
I just came off the longest period I've been out of work since graduating
from college (unless you count going to school fulltime as being equivalent to 
work, in which case we go back a few more years), which was all of 4 weeks.
If it'd lasted two more weeks, I would've gone back to working security,
temp work, or whatever, to pay the bills until I could get back into
working in my field (which isn't what my degree is in).

I don't think the above person realizes that $10 million is the return on
a lot of time, sweat, and risks.  Secure jobs pay less than unsecure ones,
the difference in pay is to compensate for that insecurity.  I could probably
make $10k more a year doing contract work, if I really wanted to (not with
a kid, new truck, and expensive computer habit, though).

Oh, and for reference, the lowest paying job I've had, other than Taco Hell
as a teenager, was working for the State.  Private industry has ALWAYS 
paid me better.  And it wasn't that long ago when I was working two jobs,
with the higher paying one being unarmed security, to pay my living expenses
and for another computer course to help me get into my field.

James
#Later,
#Troy