Exclusive The poorest person you know pays more taxes than Amazon

[CupWizier]

Funny you should mention QP which was 2 1/2 blocks from my house on Northrup. Great hamburgers and a pretty good milkshake which was 50 cents and 25 cents, respectively. I was just getting involved in a mini reunion for my graduating class at Chapman grade school when some mentioned Quality Pie.

I lived on Northrup for about 8 years which included my time in the Army. When I got out of the Army, I moved into an apartment near Bonnie Burgers, very near NW 19th and maybe a couple blocks North of Bonnie's which would make it Kearney, although that street name doesn't seem right. I lived in that apartment about a year and a half.

My daughter has been living on about 21st and NW Kearney for several years now.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

My daughter has been living on about 21st and NW Kearney for several years now.

Does she like dogs? Especially poker playing ones?

 

[MarAzul]

I would guess we are right on the edge of having the Federal government begin regulation of more industries. Industries like Facebook. It makes about as much sense to me as the Federal government setting a minimum wage with no real basis for doing any regulation.

There is no indication in the Constitution for the Federal government to enforce a minimum wage, therefore any such effort belongs to a county, union, state or some other organization of the people. Perhaps there is even less reason for any envolvement in what Facebook does. I mean, Facebook is in the business of selling what you give them if you join Facebock. Why the hell should
tax money be spent on regulating a service you do not need to use?

 

[Lanny]

Lauretta Jean’s has a plethora of pie choices, along with a nice variety of other baked goods. I was never a pie crust guy but LJ’s uses butter in the crust instead of Crisco or lard. I could eat that crust all by itself. But then, but then I’d miss out on a slice of an incredible tart cherry pie. Apparently the lady who started LJ’s learned pie making at the knee of her Georgia grandmother (for whom the place is named) and she learned her lessons very well. I look forward to late summer when they put out an old fashioned peach pie. Indescribable.......as you have southern roots, I suspect you’d enjoy the experience.

My Alabama grandmother use to make a fabulous fried apple pie. My father was a builder and we were building a house near Decatur and we would take her fried apple pies for a lunch dessert. My Georgia grandmother never baked me a pie.

However, one of my favorite tv shows is Good Eats with Alton Brown who lives and tapes his show in Atlanta, my birth town.

My favorite pie is a good blackberry pie, which my aunt, a transfer from Georgia to Oswego use to bake.

 

[barfo]

Why the hell should
tax money be spent on regulating a service you do not need to use?

Good point. Let's remove government regulation of cigarettes too. If 6 year olds want to smoke, that should be their decision!

And heroin. Nobody needs to use it, so let's not regulate it. Same for nukes, airlines, coal mines, etc.

barfo

 

[riverman]

I've heard that the House of Saud is worth more than twice the Rothchilds. I've also heard that Putin is worth approx. the same as the Rothchilds family.

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/insights/052416/top-10-wealthiest-families-world.asp

The plastic king in Taiwan is the overlord of the Green Triad...huge organized crime organization all over the world....there are plenty of dictators and gangsters who have money that's not really on the books....there are lots of international gazillionaires who have territories they control....the Rothchilds don't control them whatsoever.....the Titans can however control money exchange rates anytime they want...tilt the markets.

 

[riverman]

My favorite pie is a good blackberry pie

I love those....have tons of blackberries on the property...but my favorite pie is strawberry rhubarb pie....

 

[MarAzul]

Good point. Let's remove government regulation of cigarettes too. If 6 year olds want to smoke, that should be their decision!

And heroin. Nobody needs to use it, so let's not regulate it. Same for nukes, airlines, coal mines, etc.

barfo

Well I guess that is interesting in itself, if you see Facebook and heroin in the same category.

 

[riverman]

if you see Facebook and heroin in the same category.

both are dangerously addictive and will dull a person into a lethargic existance

 

[barfo]

Well I guess that is interesting in itself, if you see Facebook and heroin in the same category.

They definitely are. Clearly addictive, leads to social problems, etc. Facebook should be Category 1.

barfo

 

[CupWizier]

Does she like dogs? Especially poker playing ones?

of course she likes dogs, but she already has one.

 

[Lanny]

I love those....have tons of blackberries on the property...but my favorite pie is strawberry rhubarb pie....

That's another one I like.

I also like, huckleberry, mince meat, apple (with gravenstein and granny smith apples), lemon meringue and pecan. Surprisingly, I had a 2nd. cousin with a pecan orchard in Alabama but no one in that large extended family ever baked a pecan pie that I ever knew about.

One night we had three tornadoes pass by so close that it sounded like a freight train was going through our back yard.

My grandfather went to work with my dad and I one morning and on the way to work we saw a huge copperhead lying across the road, ACROSS. My grandfather told my dad, "Jay (his name was John but his family called him Jay) stop the truck!" We stopped and granddad grabbed a hoe for mixing mortar out of the truck and chopped that snake's head off. I also found a rattle snake working it's way across our back yard. And then there was the scorpion I found in a load of brick from Texas. I was so young and stupid that I put a bottle over it and left it there while we went to work. On the way home I suddenly remembered it and looked at the bottle now rolling around on the passenger floorboard, where I sit. No trace of the scorpion was ever found. I think we dodged a bullet.

My father, divorced from my mother, some years before, and had a girlfriend who was the secretary to Werner Von Braun. She offered to introduce me to him but for some reason, I declined. Perhaps it was out of fear of his immense status. I kick myself in the butt every time I think about declining that offer.

Geez, this has nothing to do with pie but I have led an interesting life.

 

[MARIS61]

That's funny, I don't know any that poor. One of us hangs out with the wrong people.

Explains your rather limited world view.

 

[Lanny]

Explains your rather limited world view.

Yep, I avoid those types. I knew some in college and with one exception, they were all low lifes. The exception was a nice guy who got his degree in nuclear engineering. That's more the type I hang out with.

On the flip side, I do hang out with Sly so please don't say that I have no experience with Low Lifes.

 

[bodyman5000 and 1]

That's another one I like.

I also like, huckleberry, mince meat, apple (with gravenstein and granny smith apples), lemon meringue and pecan. Surprisingly, I had a 2nd. cousin with a pecan orchard in Alabama but no one in that large extended family ever baked a pecan pie that I ever knew about.

One night we had three tornadoes pass by so close that it sounded like a freight train was going through our back yard.

My grandfather went to work with my dad and I one morning and on the way to work we saw a huge copperhead lying across the road, ACROSS. My grandfather told my dad, "Jay (his name was John but his family called him Jay) stop the truck!" We stopped and granddad grabbed a hoe for mixing mortar out of the truck and chopped that snake's head off. I also found a rattle snake working it's way across our back yard. And then there was the scorpion I found in a load of brick from Texas. I was so young and stupid that I put a bottle over it and left it there while we went to work. On the way home I suddenly remembered it and looked at the bottle now rolling around on the passenger floorboard, where I sit. No trace of the scorpion was ever found. I think we dodged a bullet.

My father, divorced from my mother, some years before, and had a girlfriend who was the secretary to Werner Von Braun. She offered to introduce me to him but for some reason, I declined. Perhaps it was out of fear of his immense status. I kick myself in the butt every time I think about declining that offer.

Geez, this has nothing to do with pie but I have led an interesting life.

That scorpion might be in your house right now!!!!!!! They live forever

 

[Lanny]

Good point. Let's remove government regulation of cigarettes too. If 6 year olds want to smoke, that should be their decision!

And heroin. Nobody needs to use it, so let's not regulate it. Same for nukes, airlines, coal mines, etc.

barfo

Pharmaceuticals, you left off pharmaceuticals. And driving while drunk. Why, there's a whole litany of them you left out.

 

[donkiez]

I've got a feeling you're wrong about that, barfo.

Feel all you want, but employment pools are governed by the same free market laws that anything operates on. We have a surplus of unskilled, minimum wage labor available to employers which causes negative pressure on wages.

 

[bodyman5000 and 1]

Feel all you want, but employment pools are governed by the same free market laws that anything operates on. We have a surplus of unskilled, minimum wage labor available to employers which causes negative pressure on wages.

Lanny responded to barfo doubting that minimum wage had much influence. In my post barfo quoted I said "or less, who knows?"

 

[barfo]

Lanny responded to barfo doubting that minimum wage had much influence. In my post barfo quoted I said "or less, who knows?"

You are right, I overlooked that part, and I wasn't terribly clear in my response even so. What I was really trying to say (not that it matters) was that I don't think most employers say to themselves "let's see, how much can I afford to pay this new position? Ok, that's the right number then".

More common would be "what's the going rate for this sort of position? Can I afford to pay that?"

barfo

 

[bodyman5000 and 1]

You are right, I overlooked that part, and I wasn't terribly clear in my response even so. What I was really trying to say (not that it matters) was that I don't think most employers say to themselves "let's see, how much can I afford to pay this new position? Ok, that's the right number then".

More common would be "what's the going rate for this sort of position? Can I afford to pay that?"

barfo

There's a ton of stuff they have to take into account. I'm curious what would happen if there were no minimum wage.

 

[barfo]

There's a ton of stuff they have to take into account. I'm curious what would happen if there were no minimum wage.

There would be a lot of people working for really shit wages. It's not that hard to predict. In places where the labor supply is larger than the demand, wages would be driven down below the current minimum.

barfo

 

[donkiez]

There's a ton of stuff they have to take into account. I'm curious what would happen if there were no minimum wage.

Based on other countries with no minimum wage, I would say that there would be stronger unions in place to negotiate on the workers behalf instead of relying on the government to set a standard.

https://www.investopedia.com/articl...developed-countries-without-minimum-wages.asp

Sweden
Sweden is often touted as the poster-child for abolishing the minimum wage. However, the Nordic nation is certainly no free-market free-for-all. Instead, minimum wages are set by sector or industry through collective bargaining. Nearly all Swedish citizens belong to one of about 60 trade unions and 50 employers' organizations that negotiate wage rates for regular hourly work, salaries and overtime. The minimum wage tends to hover near 60-70% of the average wage in Sweden.

Swedish law limits the workweek to 40 hours, just like in the U.S. However, it also dictates that all workers are entitled to 25 paid vacation days and 16 additional public holidays each year, which is far more generous than the U.S. standard.

Denmark
Relations between workers and employers in Denmark have been deemed downright harmonious due to the lack of a federally mandated minimum wage. Once again, trade unions take care of ensuring that workers are paid a reasonable wage and seem to be doing a fine job of it, keeping the average minimum wage across industries at a healthy $20 per hour.

Iceland
Iceland does not receive very much attention except for its breathtaking scenery. However, this tiny island nation consistently ranks among the happiest countries on earth, along with every other nation listed here, because of its low crime rates, high wages and happy, healthy populace.

Employees in Iceland are automatically enrolled in trade unions, which are responsible for negotiating baseline salaries for the industries they represent. A recent Gallup poll showed nearly unanimous support for a plan put forward by the Icelandic Professional Trade Association to increase the negotiated minimum monthly wage to ISK 300,000, or roughly $2,233, within the next three years.

Norway
Norway is yet another northern nation that has eschewed a federally mandated minimum wage in favor of having union-negotiated wages set by industry. Norwegians enjoy good job security, healthy wages and ample vacation time. Basic hourly wages vary by industry. However, unskilled workers in the agriculture, construction, freight transport and cleaning industries, for example, earn minimum rates ranging from $16 to $21 per hour, with increases based on experience and skill level.

Switzerland
Switzerland saw a proposal for a legally enforced minimum wage soundly rejected in 2014. The decisive vote against a $25 per hour base salary was touted as evidence the Swiss do not want or need government intervention, which might cause low-wage workers to lose jobs if employers are unable to pay more. However, like all the countries listed in this article, Switzerland relies heavily on trade unions and employee organizations to negotiate fair wages for each industry, meaning 90% of the Swiss earn more than the proposed minimum anyway.



Read more: 5 Developed Countries without Minimum Wages | Investopedia https://www.investopedia.com/articl...tries-without-minimum-wages.asp#ixzz5CD5vR6DZ
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[Lanny]

Feel all you want, but employment pools are governed by the same free market laws that anything operates on. We have a surplus of unskilled, minimum wage labor available to employers which causes negative pressure on wages.

Actually, they shouldn't be. You see, workers at the wage level have no mobility and cannot move around to whatever job pays the most. You also have the added problem of vesting. You have to be at most companies for five years before your vesting begins.
So, all in all, your mobility is very limited.

Were such workers not limited in their mobility, I would tend to agree with you.

 

[Lanny]

Based on other countries with no minimum wage, I would say that there would be stronger unions in place to negotiate on the workers behalf instead of relying on the government to set a standard.

https://www.investopedia.com/articl...developed-countries-without-minimum-wages.asp

I was a union rep. at Boeing. Yes, engineers and technicians have their own union at Boeing and the president, Frank Schrontz, when I was there was an ex member of that union and a big supporter. It is called SPEEA pronounced just the way it's spelled.

So, Washington state had a state law that said no matter what the status of an employee was, union or non union, he gets whatever benefits the union negotiates with the company. Kind of a shitty deal in my opinion. There's more.they wanted to fire this one engineer but needed a union rep to represent him before firing. They picked me so I had to argue for his remaining with the company even though he wasn't a member of our union, SPEEA, Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace. We were only at Boeing when I worked there, don't know about now.

 

[MARIS61]

There's a ton of stuff they have to take into account. I'm curious what would happen if there were no minimum wage.

Realistically, there is no minimum wage because we have over 10 million slaves willing to work for less than minimum and no safety rules or bennies.

 

[MARIS61]

There would be a lot of people working for really shit wages. It's not that hard to predict. In places where the labor supply is larger than the demand, wages would be driven down below the current minimum.

barfo

Without illegal aliens no minimum is needed and wages accurately represent the worth of the work.

 

[barfo]

Realistically, there is no minimum wage because we have over 10 million slaves willing to work for less than minimum and no safety rules or bennies.

There are still more than 10 million trump supporters, aren't there?

barfo

 

[donkiez]

Without illegal aliens no minimum is needed and wages accurately represent the worth of the work.

Without "illegals" who would we blame all our problems on?

 

[donkiez]

Actually, they shouldn't be. You see, workers at the wage level have no mobility and cannot move around to whatever job pays the most. You also have the added problem of vesting. You have to be at most companies for five years before your vesting begins.
So, all in all, your mobility is very limited.

Were such workers not limited in their mobility, I would tend to agree with you.

I kind of feel like we are talking about different groups of people. There is plenty of mobility in unskilled labor jobs, I have about 10 fast food joints and twice as many stores all within walking distance of my house, and probably thousand more all within reasonable mass transit rides away. Employees are literally disposable in these industries. Both of your examples seem to reference skilled labor and even within Boeing style jobs there is some regional mobility, maybe not as much for aerospace engineers (but thats a limited field of study and not the only job at Boeing), but none the less skilled labor comes from a much smaller labor pool than unskilled labor, which gives them (you?) more bargaining power. Supply and demand.

 

[riverman]

Without illegal aliens no minimum is needed and wages accurately represent the worth of the work.

without real estate agents making housing unaffordable a person could buy one on a wage ....greed hasn't made this possible...nothing to do with the labor force at all..more to do with snowballing profits and short term gains...at the expense of the working class...check out the homeless with the cardboard signs and you'll see very few are illegal aliens. The cost of living has not matched wages in a long, long time