I’m with you-- I have a hard time feeling bad for business owners and I’m far more concerned with employees being able to earn a livable wage. $18.75/hour is still far from a living wage and the expectation that anyone should be willing to work with zero vacation, paid or unpaid, is absurd and out of touch.
I used to be of the mindset that I should make a conscious effort to buy local but in the recent years I’ve realized that many business owners who don’t pay their employees a livable wage just use "buy local" as a way to mislead consumers into thinking they’re helping out working class people when in reality, they’re unknowingly just making business owners wealthier than they already are.
Even small business owners whose businesses are suffering… I really have a hard time feeling bad for them given the fact that it’s their employees who are suffering far more. If the business ultimately fails, again I don’t see why it makes sense to feel more empathy for a failed business owner than their employees, as both parties are now unemployed and the business owner most likely owns assets at least worth something while the employees likely own little to no assets.
All these people talking about how minimum wage does little good… it’s baffling to read their comments because it’s almost as if they’ve never made a genuine effort to stop and think about how much more exploitation of working class people there would be if we got rid of minimum wage. This is the kind of mindset that glorifies child labor and sells it as an experience that builds character, while disingenuously leaving out all the negative aspects of child labor that ultimately come to a country’s detriment more than benefit.
I don’t see why it makes sense to feel more empathy for a failed business owner than their employees, as both parties are now unemployed and the business owner most likely owns assets at least worth something while the employees likely own little to no assets.
I won’t tell you which you should feel more sorry for. It’s a pointless exercise. You feeling sorry for them won’t help them.
But if you supported the policy which caused them to be destitute, aren’t you the problem?
It’s this sort of magical thinking that if you raise the minimum wage by statute, that somehow everyone who is currently paid less than that will suddenly be paid more… it’s unrealistic. Fewer people will be employed at that higher rate, and the others will just have nothing.
What are you going to do about them? Do they just have to take one for the team?
I don’t recall saying or implying that me feeling sorry for employees more than business owners will help them. I do however believe feeling sorry for them is a step in the direction of understanding the struggles of employees, which is important to me as I’m interested in helping the majority of working class people.
But if you supported the policy which caused them to be destitute, aren’t you the problem?
What policy are you referring to, minimum wage? If so, are you really of the belief that abolishing minimum wage wouldn’t result in a sharp increase working class people struggling to make a living wage?
It’s this sort of magical thinking that if you raise the minimum wage by statute, that somehow everyone who is currently paid less than that will suddenly be paid more… it’s unrealistic. Fewer people will be employed at that higher rate, and the others will just have nothing.
So let me ask you… you really are of the belief that business owners who staunchly oppose minimum wage are doing so in part because they want what’s best for their employees? Come on, and you’re accusing me of “magical thinking”? Why do you think corporations are largely opposed to increases in minimum wage? Given the enormous wealth gap between the rich and the poor, something tells me these people can take one for their team and pay employees a livable wage.
Also, why did you avoid addressing the other points I made in my original comment?
I’m with you-- I have a hard time feeling bad for business owners and I’m far more concerned with employees being able to earn a livable wage. $18.75/hour is still far from a living wage and the expectation that anyone should be willing to work with zero vacation, paid or unpaid, is absurd and out of touch.
I used to be of the mindset that I should make a conscious effort to buy local but in the recent years I’ve realized that many business owners who don’t pay their employees a livable wage just use "buy local" as a way to mislead consumers into thinking they’re helping out working class people when in reality, they’re unknowingly just making business owners wealthier than they already are.
Even small business owners whose businesses are suffering… I really have a hard time feeling bad for them given the fact that it’s their employees who are suffering far more. If the business ultimately fails, again I don’t see why it makes sense to feel more empathy for a failed business owner than their employees, as both parties are now unemployed and the business owner most likely owns assets at least worth something while the employees likely own little to no assets.
All these people talking about how minimum wage does little good… it’s baffling to read their comments because it’s almost as if they’ve never made a genuine effort to stop and think about how much more exploitation of working class people there would be if we got rid of minimum wage. This is the kind of mindset that glorifies child labor and sells it as an experience that builds character, while disingenuously leaving out all the negative aspects of child labor that ultimately come to a country’s detriment more than benefit.
I won’t tell you which you should feel more sorry for. It’s a pointless exercise. You feeling sorry for them won’t help them.
But if you supported the policy which caused them to be destitute, aren’t you the problem?
It’s this sort of magical thinking that if you raise the minimum wage by statute, that somehow everyone who is currently paid less than that will suddenly be paid more… it’s unrealistic. Fewer people will be employed at that higher rate, and the others will just have nothing.
What are you going to do about them? Do they just have to take one for the team?
I don’t recall saying or implying that me feeling sorry for employees more than business owners will help them. I do however believe feeling sorry for them is a step in the direction of understanding the struggles of employees, which is important to me as I’m interested in helping the majority of working class people.
What policy are you referring to, minimum wage? If so, are you really of the belief that abolishing minimum wage wouldn’t result in a sharp increase working class people struggling to make a living wage?
So let me ask you… you really are of the belief that business owners who staunchly oppose minimum wage are doing so in part because they want what’s best for their employees? Come on, and you’re accusing me of “magical thinking”? Why do you think corporations are largely opposed to increases in minimum wage? Given the enormous wealth gap between the rich and the poor, something tells me these people can take one for their team and pay employees a livable wage.
Also, why did you avoid addressing the other points I made in my original comment?