What a beautiful analysis of the current economic conditions in the labor force. These issues are not just associated with entry-level jobs, but with jobs at all levels. For example, I have had people interview for jobs as a surgeon with my practice. I currently work seven days a week and take two weeks of vacation per year. I have to generate and collect all of the money for our practice. Nothing is given to me and I don’t want any sympathy whatsoever with that, said, the new doctors coming in without any skills want eight weeks vacation paid. They only wanna work six hours a day and they do not want to take any hospital called. They also don’t want to work on weekends. When I asked what they want for a salary to start, noting, they have no goodwill in the community, no definable skills, other than a medical degree and have not taken any risk in the community or hired any employees or taking out any bank loans? They wanna make more money than I am currently generating and being paid. My answer is if you can find a job like that then tell me and I’ll take it. That is the delusion of the masses. Every aspect of our society has been affected.
Aug 17, 2023·edited Aug 17, 2023Liked by NotFromTexas
Funny story. The other half almost dumped me over an argument about just this issue. Oh, he wasn't especially political, but this is an ax he has to grind. He agrees with you by the way.
In theory, I understand the purpose of the minimum wage, and with our system the way it is, whether it's a greater evil than letting a very messed up market set wages? I don't know. I have a feeling you either set the minimum wage or you have a ton of people working full-time and on benefits because they aren't making it. But where as once I felt strongly about it as "solution," now I see the whole system as messed up and the minimum wage is a token "fix."
My problem with the minimum wage is my problem with Obamacare. They are both bandaids. They mask a systemic failure. Were we to, as you suggest, stop illegal migration along with recategorizing companies who are American in name only as something else so they don't benefit from the protection from tariffs for their foreign-made goods forcing them to "reshore" (what a funky word) manufacturing along with scaling back the system so behemoth corporations didn't have so much market share pulling money out of local communities . . . basically, we need to go back to a system where most all the money spent in a community stays in the community and most all the money made in the country stays in the country. Until you do that, everything you do, including raising the minimum wage, is just stalling an eventual collapse and re-serfing of the middle and working classes.
The problem with the minimum wage is The State. Actually, The State is the problem with almost everything.
To that, there are three things that are rock solid truths from where I'm perched:
1) You can not fix a problem you can not properly define.
2) You can not expect the people who created the problem to be the ones to fix it.
3) Given the opportunity, The State will pick who wins and who loses every damn time.
The State can not properly define "the problem" the minimum wage is supposed to fix. The minimum wage creates more problems needing The State to intervene on and by this point, The State absolutely is deciding who gets put on the winning side of the column. Spoiler Alert, it all comes down to votes and maintaining power.
But what do I know! I ride a bike and got my degree in Leisure Studies. I'm basically a high functioning idiot.
Fantastic comprehensive analysis. You probably could have ended after the part explaining how the minimum wage going up was a gift to the labor unions but I’m glad you didn’t.
What a beautiful analysis of the current economic conditions in the labor force. These issues are not just associated with entry-level jobs, but with jobs at all levels. For example, I have had people interview for jobs as a surgeon with my practice. I currently work seven days a week and take two weeks of vacation per year. I have to generate and collect all of the money for our practice. Nothing is given to me and I don’t want any sympathy whatsoever with that, said, the new doctors coming in without any skills want eight weeks vacation paid. They only wanna work six hours a day and they do not want to take any hospital called. They also don’t want to work on weekends. When I asked what they want for a salary to start, noting, they have no goodwill in the community, no definable skills, other than a medical degree and have not taken any risk in the community or hired any employees or taking out any bank loans? They wanna make more money than I am currently generating and being paid. My answer is if you can find a job like that then tell me and I’ll take it. That is the delusion of the masses. Every aspect of our society has been affected.
Funny story. The other half almost dumped me over an argument about just this issue. Oh, he wasn't especially political, but this is an ax he has to grind. He agrees with you by the way.
In theory, I understand the purpose of the minimum wage, and with our system the way it is, whether it's a greater evil than letting a very messed up market set wages? I don't know. I have a feeling you either set the minimum wage or you have a ton of people working full-time and on benefits because they aren't making it. But where as once I felt strongly about it as "solution," now I see the whole system as messed up and the minimum wage is a token "fix."
My problem with the minimum wage is my problem with Obamacare. They are both bandaids. They mask a systemic failure. Were we to, as you suggest, stop illegal migration along with recategorizing companies who are American in name only as something else so they don't benefit from the protection from tariffs for their foreign-made goods forcing them to "reshore" (what a funky word) manufacturing along with scaling back the system so behemoth corporations didn't have so much market share pulling money out of local communities . . . basically, we need to go back to a system where most all the money spent in a community stays in the community and most all the money made in the country stays in the country. Until you do that, everything you do, including raising the minimum wage, is just stalling an eventual collapse and re-serfing of the middle and working classes.
The problem with the minimum wage is The State. Actually, The State is the problem with almost everything.
To that, there are three things that are rock solid truths from where I'm perched:
1) You can not fix a problem you can not properly define.
2) You can not expect the people who created the problem to be the ones to fix it.
3) Given the opportunity, The State will pick who wins and who loses every damn time.
The State can not properly define "the problem" the minimum wage is supposed to fix. The minimum wage creates more problems needing The State to intervene on and by this point, The State absolutely is deciding who gets put on the winning side of the column. Spoiler Alert, it all comes down to votes and maintaining power.
But what do I know! I ride a bike and got my degree in Leisure Studies. I'm basically a high functioning idiot.
Fantastic comprehensive analysis. You probably could have ended after the part explaining how the minimum wage going up was a gift to the labor unions but I’m glad you didn’t.