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Cap'n Teach expresses his opinions about the fast food worker protests a few days ago.I can understand why anyone would like to get more pay for the work they do, but to demand twice the pay for what is unskilled labor is ludicrous. As Cap'n Teach writes, “I wonder if next week’s headline will be 'Unemployment Applications Rise' followed by 'Fast Food Restaurants Advertise For Lots of Newly Opened Positions'.”
One protester in particular became the focus of the his piece after she talked about having worked the same job for years but still only being paid minimum wage.
Furthermore, many, like Brandi, have worked these jobs for years, and if you’re still making minimum wage after being their (sic) for 5 years, don’t blame the company, blame yourself. Obviously, the work skills are not present. These people could have parlayed the skills into management/supervisory positions at the same or other companies, yet they’re still slaving away in a job meant for teens and people who want to earn a little extra cash. Again, this says something about themselves, not the companies.Indeed. Nothing is owed to them for merely existing. If they want more they need to prove they're worth more.
Something else the protesters should consider: At $15/hour it becomes cheaper to replace workers with machines. That's already happening in Europe. Isn't a job at $7.50/hour much better than no job at $15/hour? Or have these folks taken a lesson from the Washington DC City Council which wanted to force Walmart to pay at least $10.25 to workers they would hire after building three new stores in DC? Walmart balked and has reconsidered building any stores in DC. As the City Council found out, 900 jobs at $7.50/hour (or more) is a lot better than no jobs at $10.25/hour.
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On a related topic, Bulldog over at Maggie's Farm gets into the issues he has with Millenials in his workplace.I've worked with the 'Gen Y' folks, otherwise known as 'Millenials' now for about 8 years now, and they are among the most difficult to work with that I've ever encountered. Full of good ideas? Sure, every new generation has good ideas. That's not the issue, though. I try to be a positive, forward-thinking ruler manager and I let each one know that my goal is to see everyone succeed somehow. Sometimes, unfortunately, that success means you have to leave the company you're working for.As Bulldog goes on to note, every generation gets evaluated poorly by the previous one. But this one seems to lack the ability to think independently which requires more oversight on his part.
A college classmate of mine, who runs her own company, recently told me how wonderful all these young people are, all so smart! I told her I must get the ones who have fallen off a turnip truck. It's not that they lack intelligence. Their problem is they don't like to engage thought and don't respect experience. I wind up giving them more direction and have to constantly praise them for work that's part of their everyday regimen. What impressed my old friend was how well they could 'communicate using new media', which is essential for her company. I laughed and said I knew how to use Facebook and Twitter, too. She told me I was just "being old." I doubt it. I remember what I was like when I was that young. Sure, I had some similar attitudes, and it took me longer than most my age to respect experience.
Another friend of mine hired one as a bookkeeper. He used QuickBooks for his small business, and after several months was told he owed the government $77,000 in back payroll taxes. My buddy looked at me in amazement as he told the story. After all, QuickBooks gives you a 'tickler' warning each month if a bill goes unpaid. For some reason, this youngster ignored or forgot to mention these bills needed to be paid for several months. To make matters worse, they asked for a raise at the same time. I believe this is known as 'chutzpah'.
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As Bogie writes, the Farmers' Almanac is predicting a winter with “piercing cold” for the Northeast.That's one reason I'm laying in an extra cord of wood for the Official Weekend Pundit Woodstove this fall. I have already contacted the chimney sweeps and made an appointment for them to clean the chimney in preparation for the upcoming winter.
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And speaking of winter, I have to admit to feeling dismay during my visit to one of the local hardware stores. We are still in summer with summer weather and summer activities, yet the hardware store had already set up its display of snowblowers. In August.Do they know something we don't know? Or have they read the Farmers' Almanac and made plans accordingly?
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Yet another sign of California's decline is the film and television production industry's abandonment of the Golden State for greener (and much less expensive) pastures.When other states and/or Canadian provinces offer much lower costs than California can only dream about, is it any wonder more film and TV production is being done outside of California?
I have seen more programs on the various cable channels being shot anywhere but California, with many TV series being shot in British Columbia or Ontario. (One of my favorites, Haven on SyFy, is shot in and around seven towns in Nova Scotia, a stand in for the rocky coast of Maine where the fictional town of Haven is located.)
North Carolina has been a favorite for movies and television for some time. My home state of New Hampshire is starting to see more film and television production as well, as is Massachusetts. (One advantage to shooting in NH is that no tax breaks are required to induce production companies to shoot here because we don't have a lot in the way of taxes on which to give breaks to begin with.)
With movie and TV production becoming easier as the technology improves, the need to shoot in Hollywood decreases. That it's also a lot less expensive to shoot outside of Hollywood is also another factor driving production companies to leave California.
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This just in: 82% of whites support 'racist' voter ID...as do 83% of non-whites.So what's the real issue here? Could it be those who are against voter ID are against it not because it is 'racist' but because it means it will be harder for them to commit voter fraud?
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Something which I must credit to Cap'n Teach is the new moniker he's laid upon President Obama: Presidenty McBombypants.That's certainly less vulgar than the Left's nickname for his predecessor: Chimpy McBushitler.