Geez, if only someone would have seen this coming.
Socialism always sounds good. Always. It never is. Never.
For the young who have no memory, history or experience, minimum wage increases are not about the minimum wage. They’re about the unions higher wage brackets scaling up with minimum wage. Young people will suffer for the unions to get their 5% increase.
The people hurt the most buy this are the working poor.
There is a mountain of evidence from the 1960’s up to and including today to support the fact that the working poor are the big losers. Sadly though, guilt driven liberals and craft trade unions don’t give a rat’s ass about them as long as they can benefit from an increase in the minimum wage to a “living wage”.
Milton Friedman on the minimum wage law
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca8Z__o52sk
Saw this on Ace Of Spades HQ “First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Communist. Then they came for the Social Democrats, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Social Democrat. And then they realized that all their problems had pretty much been solved, so they stopped coming for people.”
-Slavic Nationalist on GAB
You mean that isn’t taught in our unionized “education” system?
The real minimum wage is always zero, no matter what any law says.
YOUR time and YOUR labour ergo it’s unethical for the government to set a minimum price. Only you can decide what that price should be. If you agree that the government can set a price for something as intrinsically yours as your time and labour then you are admitting that it can set prices for anything since all property is acquired through your time and labour.
“Minimum wage rates, whether decreed and enforced by the government or by labor union pressure and violence, result in mass unemployment.” — Ludwig von Mises, Planning for Freedom, p. 27
“Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” — George Santayana
Socialism is like going to a nude beach…..sounds great until you actually get there.
Well, this is difficult. Seven bingos for the seven comments above.
Well now … let’s be honest … the proponents of a higher minimum wage have said that the Consumer won’t mind paying a few more dollars for their meals to know how much they’re “helping” their servers. So every restaurant simply needs to charge more for their meals. No problem. Everybody gets richer … until another boost in minimum wages is required to keep pace with inflation. Oops !
Instead of increasing the minium wage would it not be better to reduce income taxes?
When will the left concede that income taxes are regressive — they hurt the bottom half more than the top half?
World War I is long over. Why aren’t income taxes?
Last week, my medium chocolate shake at the DQ was $4.20. On Monday, I got to the drive-thru window with two loonies, a toonie, and two dimes, but had to give up a five instead. New price is $4.50 for the same shake. That’s an extra $30 per year, just for milkshakes. Based on that alone, I’d say the change in the minimum wage will cost me at least half of what my wife and I have been spending on vacations for the past few years. The carbon tax will amount to about what my wife has been able to put into her RRSP. Yeah, those NDP policies really benefit us.
“Instead of increasing the minium wage would it not be better to reduce income taxes?” Rizwan
In the real World that happens… Workers would sooner get a (bigger) Per DIAM expense payment than a wage increase that is taxable….and costs the employer (no pay-role taxes) less…. The Worker makes out big time…Government not so much.
It should be simple for low wage earner employer’s to work out a reasonable employment Expense Per Diam and add that to their costs…..The employees can have a choice without Government tax Claw-Back
The last time I spoke with my friend in Calgary he said the downtown was dead, especially in the restaurants at lunch time. It’s about time the government did something to promote business and support business owners, not just pretend to be supporting workers.
Is there anyone in the NDP caucus or back room who ever has met a payroll as an employer? I doubt it and therein lies the problem. Socialists always believe they can solve all problems by soaking the rich, defined as anyone who hires workers in a business transaction.
The ndp are setting the table for what really matters to them and that is negotiations with the teachers and nurses.
Look for huge increases. Payback to the unions for support.
Remember rachael is sleeping with a union boss.
So if “inequality” is a major concern, why has she not thought to reduce the wages of all those public sector union folk? That would help to level the playing field, surely. It would also help to reduce costs across the Province — a win, win. Maybe it is just that she want to “appear” to be doing something, while keeping her pals in the unions happy.
I run a manufacturing shop in which many employees started with few or no marketable skills. Most started in the $14-$15/hour range and received training while doing what they could. Most of them are now making over $30 with a few over $40.
The question is, who will I hire now for $15? I can already hear it. “I can get that much flipping burgers.” The answer for me is simple. I can no longer afford to hire unskilled workers to be trained on the job.
As for wait staff, I’ve already informed my favourite bartender that, as his wage increases, and with it, the price of my drink, my tips will decrease to offset the extra cost. His response was that he didn’t ask for the wage increase. I told him that, while that may be true, it’s important to vote.
Martin…..no….I would bet that nobody in the NDP caucus or backroom has ever met a payroll. You can tell by the stupidity of their comments and that of their brain dead union supporters. I recall one time hearing some union hack from Ontario babbling about how much the union members were “earning” and that the numbers put forward by the employer were not what the members were “earning”. That one comment indicated just how out of touch with reality the NDP and their union supporters really are. They seem to think that the gross salary of their members is the only cost to the employers. Just ignorant beyond belief. They also don’t seem to understand that while it APPEARS that the employees are paying taxes, the truth is that the employer has to earn the GROSS salary of the employee (plus all the payroll taxes and other overhead burden) before they see a dime themselves. So in effect, it isn’t the employee paying the taxes of the employee, but the employer.
The extremists that currently run government of Alberta don’t care about economics, engineering (except socialist), physics or anything that’s connected to the real world, that would ruin their made up of paper structure of the world.
It could be said that none of the ministers of the government had actual real job that would cause them to do real actual productive work.
Most in not all of them have lived and are currently living off the money supplied by the actual working people of the province.
And they constantly insist with their extremist ideology that they will tell the working stiffs that they absolutely have to pay up. As much as the extremist decide.
Unfortunately, now they have the rich socialist aristocrats made of some of the largest corporations in Canada to play pass for them.
Like this crowd:
http://calgaryherald.com/news/politics/rempel-slams-big-oilpatch-players-for-carbon-tax-support
“Companies such as Cenovus, Suncor, CNRL and Shell Canada publicly supported Alberta’s NDP government when it unveiled its climate strategy, which includes a broad-based carbon tax that will come into effect Jan. 1.”
And of course Telus, the company that got spanked by the customers.
You see the rich socialist bosses of these companies don’t really care how expansive things are, they are raking in the big bucks plus company payed perks. Hey, they have it made who cares how much the poor sucker has to pay.
They get together with the extremists to make up the ruling class. Sounds like fascism. Don’it?
Yeah, world is on downslide.
Exhibit “A” the province of Ontario…they’re fast running out of money. Their solution is to slap on more tax on everything we need to survive, people can’t pay their bills, businesses shut down or move out and people lose jobs. As someone once said, socialism works until they run out of other people’s money.
Tell you one thing, there will be a hell of a lot of kids laid off from retail. Time is coming when there will be one (1) employee in any store, there will be controlled entry and exit, and nobody will help you with anything. Checkout only.
McDonalds is leading the way with their computer kiosk thing. Their goal is to automate the restaurant completely. They have to. Humans are too expensive.
Next question, who wants to eat food in a place where there’s no humans, just a bunch of TV screens and a fake fireplace?
And then, you have the “experts” like this one:
“Carbon levy will have little impact on investment in Alberta, economist says”
http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/carbon+levy+will+have+little+impact+investment/12254027/story.html
“A new carbon levy alone won’t stop Alberta from competing for new petro-chemical facilities with U.S. jurisdictions that don’t have such charges, University of Alberta business school professor Andrew Leach says.“
Of course, the free enterprise thrives on losing money. Yes, they would rather go to Alberta than to Texas or any other place in the US where they can make the big money.
This guy works at a university, so he puts a bunch of numbers in his computer that would come up with the answer that he expects, mixes it up with some socialist rhetoric and starts pushing the bull. There is no doubt that the socialists are going to praise him to no end for his “expertise”
As some wag put it several decades ago, the factory of the future will be automated and will have only 2 employees: a janitor and a guard dog to make sure the janitor doesn’t touch the machinery.
Adam Smith’s “Wealth of Nations” any person, especially Politicians, who have not read this Seminal Book, do not have a sensible opinion or the right to destroy Western Society.
In this very easy to read and to follow theme and context, the reader will learn the true Source of employment and a Nation’s Wealth is the ability of the ordinary Citizen as the Consumer to purchase items which provide increased ease of living.
This remains the Truth of Economics; especially for a currently and regularly published Book originally published in 1776. (coincidence that it was a book read by all the Founders of the U.S.A. Constitution & Bill of Individual Rights as a NEW concept).
The ease of money moving through many hands increases not only access for almost all if not all, but is the foundation of productivity.
Canada’s significant difficulty of having a lower productivity rate than the U.S.A. is access to a similar size Consumer Market. The Wisdom of Ronald Reagan & The Drive and Ability of Brian Mulroney in establishing the “Free Trade Agreement” (F.T.A.) in the Later 1980’s has been the most practical Trade Agreement in the world and stands boldly beside the Coal & Iron Treaties of the Originating European Free Trade agreements.
Unfortunately the original superiority for the Free Trade Concept in Europe was steadily engulfed by the Elitist Cutural oversight of a Bureaucractic remnant approach sustained after World War Two and the crouching Minion survivor class of the sixties. The over bearing Committee upon Committee control led to failure as evidenced by Brexit.
However with innate long term Wisdom of both Canada’s similar Citizenery with the American and of the Drive and Competence of Brian Mulroney President Reagen saw F.T.A between two similarly educated & enlightenment aware cultures, not only doable as the F.T.A.; BUT will be the best template possible to bring Mexico into the North American Fold of Cultures.
A consistenancy which will serve as the Bulwark of retaining High Productivity through comparable labour realities as the Asian Economic Tigers started their prowl of the Life-Styles now being shown through Television to huddled Asian masses still living the Sixth & Seventh Life Styles of the repressive middle-east.
So out of the very Complex Free Trade Agreement (F.T.A.) came a proven template of success and the development of the North American Free Trade Agreemen NAFTA) was born and successfully replaced the F.T.A. between Canada and the U.S.A.
Unfortunately the success of bringing the Low Wage Stage of Mexico’s establishment as an equal Consumer market and therefore equal Partner in the North American cultures was thrown in Front of the William Clinton Democrat Political Bus.
His Kumbaya approach of brokerage politics was failing. The “It’s the money; Stupid” replaced the common sense of Maintaining North America as a contained Low Wage & High Productivity Zone.
Waiting and allowing the Asian Economic Tigers to fight their way to solvency and the natural development of a Consumer driven marketplace as Seminally defined by Adam Smith with “Wealth of Nations”.
NAFTA became the vehicle for the Democrat Party of America and it’s equally corrupt “Little Cousin” the Liberal Party of Canada to restablish their compliant Special Voting Blocks. Urban Voters, especially those mrginalized by skin tone and/or culture and by language.
The great potential of the combined marketplace to bring Canada’s knowledge and experience of two official languages; the proven success of similar well educated populace; thrown aside in the Democrat Party’s Rush to replace the steadily increasing number of well educated black role models spring boarding into the Mainstream Cuture.
A devolution into Rascism inevitable as POTUS Clinton signed into Law ELIMINATION of Tax-payer Gurantees —–(something Adam Smith specifically warned about in Wealth of Nations)—– setting up the Situation of American Business moving their manufacturing facilities & their Capital into the control and use of the Asian Tiger’s Economies.
Avoiding the Rush of illegal immigrants from Mexico into the U.S.A. as the local manufacturing business tried to survive the subsistance life-styles labour costs of Asian Countries by placing facilities & Capital in Mexico through the Wisdom of Ronald Reagan & Brian Mulroney’s capabilty setting up the present; –a presently destroyed Immigration Process; the Clinton Exploitation Schemes to build their Generational legacy.
It is not the Reagan/Mulroney Visions which are wrong!—-It is the Usual Self Serving actions of the Democrat & Liberal Political Crony Crowd that is the demonstrable Villain.
Your “Yeah, world is on downslide.” comment is bang on. Fascism? That is exactly how the companies functioned in Germany, sucked up to the party bosses, maybe lost a little room to move freedom, but hey, it was worth it as between them and the party bosses they kept the little guy in his place and had their hands in his pocket.
As to your comment 12:51, the professor is appropriately named, and being a “business” professor is beside dumber than a bag of hammers. As if these companies would be stupid enough to invest here. Obviously he did not read the Financial Times about the big seven oil companies investing 50 billion in four of the stan countries.
A great book on the history of the “progressive” drive for a minimum wage is “Illiberal Reformers: Race, Eugenics, and American Economics in the Progressive Era” by Thomas C. Leonard (Princeton University Press, 2016). Leonard argues that policies such as the minimum wage were actually designed to exclude minorities and the downtrodden from the benefits of being a worker, all to enrich a certain section of the working public. Interesting read. It was well-understood by those who first pushed for such policies that they would have the effect of driving unemployment up amongst the underclasses, which lessened or eliminated job competition faced by their favoured groups.
Forgot to add: also a good article on this very point at Reason magazine (which is where I first found out about the book):
http://reason.com/archives/2016/06/12/the-secret-history-of-the-mini
Let’s not forget that the Alberta PCs allowed the Public Unions instead of deeming the work they did essential and saying NO.
Lev and mikesr, Notley cares about economics.
She didn’t read Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations but I’m sure that she read Marx’s Das Kapital.
Red Rose again, lance?
Your Saskie jealousy knows no bounds. It’s as though you don’t want the WildRose Party to win.
“setting up the Situation of American Business moving their manufacturing facilities & their Capital into the control and use of the Asian Tiger’s Economies.”
During the debate Trump said something very interesting..If we don’t bring back the off-shore wealth (stranded because of Tax Rates) We risk that companies will follow their money…That would be a boom for any Country that respects the rule of law…Name them!
You still have an RSP? One thing I have learned; registration leads to confiscation. Guns, savings, your car; registration, without exception, eventually leads to confiscation.
Lev – Andrew Leach is the “brains” behind the PPA debacle; he admits he never considered that electricity would get cheaper. Ivory tower braindead.
Specifically, the university “experts” blow the hot wind. They have to produce some BS to justify their existence. If it does not work out, well, no big deal, the producers will just have to suck it up and he is home free.
It’s the way it works.
They can’t be fired for putting out nonsense.
Oz, my entire life people from Alberta have been making fun of Socialist Saskatchewan. Throughout the liberal rule over Ontario and the NDP in MB various AB commentators here have been lording over conservative commentators from there.
As always, this blog has made fun and been critical of Provinces with socialists in power.
Suck it up buttercup.
You said it nicer than I was going to. I really don’t see SDA readers conflating Red Rose with Wild Rose. IMHO, Danielle Smith is the one who did that.