Whenever Bernie is on TV, spewing his ignorance, I think of this...................
Posted on 05/05/2023 8:34:07 AM PDT by Red Badger
WASHINGTON–Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced a bill on May 4 to raise the federal minimum wage to $17 per hour. The proposal, which is more than double the current rate of $7.25, was unveiled to the cheers of various labor leaders outside Capitol Hill.
“It is time to pass a new livable wage,” Sanders said. He was joined by AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, who said the increase would not burden large corporations, citing a leaked McDonald’s earnings call wherein the CEO says the company would do “just fine” under a $15 minimum wage.
Last December, McDonald’s opened its first largely automated restaurant, a concept that is still in its infancy as humans are still needed to cook and prepare the food.
When asked if the increase to the federal minimum wage would disproportionately increase costs for small businesses, as opposed to corporations, Sanders rejected the premise.
“[Small business] can handle it … we’re not increasing the cost of business,” he told The Epoch Times. “When these people are able to earn a living wage—you know what—maybe they’re going to be able to go out and buy a damn hamburger.”
Sanders argued that the Democrats’ previous goal of raising the minimum wage to $15 was no longer sufficient, as the dollar’s purchasing power has eroded over time. Accounting for the recent spike in inflation, a $17 wage is roughly equivalent to $14.50 pre-pandemic.
Critics of the increase say higher wages are a key contributor to rising inflation and that such policies will only worsen the problem for low-income wage-earners.
“What’s causing the dollar to lose its purchasing power?” said 2024 Libertarian presidential front-runner Dave Smith during an episode of his podcast last week. “[Sanders] just seems to have no thought, ‘Oh yeah, there actually might even be a connection between the policies you advocate for and the fact that inflation is destroying the purchasing power of the dollar.’”
Although many states have raised their minimum wages in recent years, the federal rate of $7.25 still applies in the 20 states that do not mandate a higher one. Congress has not voted to increase the federal minimum wage since President George W. Bush signed a series of increases into law in 2007.
The bill introduced by Sanders is expected to face resistance from Republicans, who have long opposed raising the minimum wage, arguing that it would lead to job losses, exacerbate inflation, and hurt small businesses.
Also speaking at the event was Economic Policy Institute President Heidi Shierholz, who argued that an increase in the minimum wage would boost economic activity and only lead to minimal job losses.
Expanding on her premise, The Epoch Times asked Shierholz why then an even higher minimum wage would not be preferable.
“Nobody is suggesting a $100 an hour minimum wage,” she said. “We know that particularly low wage employers have the power to suppress wages … that’s inefficient.”
Has been offered before and rejected.
They need the issue for campaign speeches..................
“...and a vast increase in their future political contributions.”
Please let me add the go to that bin:
taxes to the government from employee HR taxes along with increased prices to cover them will go to good uses, like support to the fine arts and any little pet projects that all levels of government can get from the invested money coming out of the pockets of the business owners from increased cost sales taken from the public. Domino effect.
wy69
My son quit after four days at McDonald back over 20 years ago when he took a summer job there for spending money.
He said everyone employed there was idiots, and once they realized he would work, he was suddenly assigned all jobs while the other sat around gossiping. I knew he would find something else so didn’t complain. He now makes big bucks in the tech field so quitting that job didn’t seem to hurt him.
However, if you have no other job skills, take a job a McDonalds or at another fast food place, even if at minimum wage. Most entry level employees, if they show up on time, get a raise after two weeks, and then if they work hard get regular raises thereafter. A motivated employee can become assistant manager and then manager in a very short amount of time. The same is true for dollar store employees.
17 is insane
Minimum wage adjust for inflation from the mid 70s to today is 12-13 an hour.
I have no problem supporting an increase to this, and then just have it adjust annually like social security and be done with this stupid invented political nonsense.
If you make minimum wage today you have ~60% of the buying power of someone who worked for. Minimum wage in the mid 70s
So says the guy who’s never held a job and got kicked out of the commune he lived in for laziness…
Whenever Bernie is on TV, spewing his ignorance, I think of this...................
““When these people are able to earn a living wage—you know what—maybe they’re going to be able to go out and buy a damn hamburger.””
When the government stops stealing the hard-earned money of the taxpayers then maybe the taxpayers will have more money to buy whatever they can afford.
Why just $17, Bernie? Why not $50? or $100?
Says the guy who’s never had a real job in his entire miserable life.
L
“The issue is never the issue; the issue is the Revolution.”
LOL - that epitomizes Bernie perfectly. If I ever met him, I’d want to ask him to yell “Hey, you kids get off my lawn!” so I could crack up laughing.
There should be no FEDERAL Minimum Wage.
When the government stops stealing the hard-earned money of the taxpayers then maybe the taxpayers will have more money to buy whatever they can afford.
Exactly right
O Bernie is no fool either, Raising minimum wage to 17/hour lets him and the other blood suckers steal more of everyone hard earn money.
I am once again, asking you to buy my BS.
I’ve seen that, too. The sharp ones figure it out.
We need a billion dollar an hour minimum wage.
Working people have suffered enough!
;-)
Sure it will, because they will immediately replace half their staff with automated kiosk style ordering (something they already started rolling out in certain markets).
I stand four-square against any federal minimum wage!! Let the market place determine their own wage levels. I will pay whatever necessary to hire employees I need.
My thought has long been that inflation was sparked in part by so much Covid free money floating around and higher market wages used as incentives to get people to work through Covid. Those crisis wages couldn’t be rolled back when the Covid pandemic passed.
Now we have lots of employed Gen Z earning way too much vs their contribution and spending money like water while those in the middle who are at a different point in their lives have experienced wage compression and are falling behind vs inflation.
When experienced managers see the distance between their pay and those fresh off the street cut in half or more they’re going to feel stressed and anger. More will be on their plate because of having to meet new goals and efficiencies to offset starting wages while their own pay that was trickling up slowly each year falls behind inflation. Overtime budgets are also drying up reducing their flexibility. Also seen is as these younger workers are making more they’re less reliable. They don’t need to work as much to meet their needs. They’ll call out for a hangnail or hot date.
This has to catch up with us at some point. The Left doesn’t care as long as the votes keep flowing their way.
Automation will likely push more out of the workforce. People over forty still deserve to work and earn a living. They don’t want to be on the public dole.
Au Contraire. Bernie is not the idiot. It is those who vote for this nonsense.
An artificial* increase in wages, causes increased costs to employers who will pass those costs on to Customers.
(Artificial meaning the increased costs do not create increase in value.)
Can you say ‘Innumeracy’? I thought you could.
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