@zoosermom, of course, it is a concern for me. This country is an oligarchy. Soros, Zuckerberg, Buffett, Gates, Ellison are in the oligarchy. There was an article that mentioned this…“8 people, 2 Koch Brothers and 6 Walton family members”
These are the two wealthiest families in the United States.
Go ahead, come up with other people instead.
@prezbucky, http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2013/06/26/the-origin-of-the-worlds-dumbest-idea-milton-friedman/
Hey! Zuckerberg only pays himself $1 a year. 
http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-businessmen/ceos/mark-zuckerberg-net-worth/
interesting article, thanks. Technically, the corporation belongs to the investors; they own it. hehe. But they won’t like the results of their investment if customers or employees are forgotten.
Oh my goodness, really, wow!
You crack me up, dstark. Truly one of my favorite posters and I always look for your name.
The answer is not to take stuff from the rich. The answer is to create more good jobs that people can work in and earn a good salary.
More jobs are created when someone invests their money in a business venture where they think they can make more money. This means the rich become richer. But it also creates jobs for the average people.
If no one is willing to start a new business, then the people at the bottom have no jobs to work.
The economic problems in this country will not magically be solved if you can take all the money from the richest 500 people.
Fact: just because inequality grows, does not mean people at the bottom are worse off. If you have $5 and I have $1, and then you have $15 and I have $2, we are both better off, even though inequality has increased.
@soccerguy, if people don’t buy products or services, businesses don’t make money.
Is that what happened?
Yes… Real wages are higher now than they were a generation ago. You can go look it up for yourself but they’re up about 10-13% since 1990.
People argue that it’s not enough (which isn’t too unreasonable, it means real wages have only increased 0.3-0.5% a year) but yes, absolutely, real wages have increased since a generation ago.
That wasn’t the question.
Real wages were higher in the 70’s.
You should also break down income changes to different income groups. Income gains at the top can skew the numbers.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-if-the-middle-class-kept-up-with-the-top-1-percent/
Yes…if costs have remained the same.
Armageddon cometh! A business owner has to pay her employees $15/hr, and they must sell hamburgers to gay couples?!
/sarcasm off.
@BunsenBurner, lol!
This is hilarious. We have a guy like Langone who is one of the founding owners of Home Depot. He believes in free markets and very small government.
Yet, he wants the government to give subsidies to companies so the companies can raise wages? Lol.
A few years after the program is enacted, I can see the government subsidies going to CEOs and CFOs. Companies know best. Lol
Interesting article about the increase in automation and robots in the restaurant business.
Or…how to live like a politician without ever having to run for office.
Some of you are aware that now NY fast food companies are starting the ball rolling to challenge the minimum wage increase. Let’s see if the case gets settled before 2021.
So the plan in NY is to increase the minimum wage in NY State for all eligible fast food workers to $9.75 on 12/31/15.
Every year there will be an increase and the amount is based on if you work in NYC or NY State. My guess is NY State FF workers will get a $1/hour minimum wage increase every year until 2021, and NYC FF workers will see their minimum wage increase by almost $2 per hour every year until 2018.
By 12/31/16, NYC eligible FF workers will have a minimum wage of around $11.75 and NY State eligible FF workers minimum wage will be $10.75.
Great Title:
Oops, but no advocate of artificially raised wages will look behind and assess the effect and just take credit for supposedly doing a great thing, even if when done by a company with a plan, the company must make up the difference if there is no matching production increase
Now, imagine what happens in the background when artificially raised to $15 without the subsequent production increase to back it up.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/food/article/Crowds-flock-to-new-S-F-tech-friendly-fast-food-6478759.php
And now there’s eatsa that people can order food from ipad. No need for waiter.
Here’s something directly from the horse’s mouth at Walmart:
“The company said that the wage increase reduced earnings by 2 cents a share in the quarter. Investments in its online business also hit profits. Still, Walmart’s Chief Financial Advisor Charles Holley said he expected the wage increase to have a positive effect over the long-term because employees will have more to spend. The company’s sales also fell short, the latest sign that consumers aren’t spending much right now.”
The hypocrisy here just blows my mind… I bet these are the same progressive people who fight tooth-and-nail against corporations for reasons related to workers, pay, and benefits.