from the business news

[marcinstl]

after coffee and a cig, I get into my regular morning routine of checking the business news- see what the Asian, European markets did while I was sleeping, then check the US futures numbers, see if I need to do anything before the Wall St. opening. (boring, but somebody has to do it, and I'm just that greedy.) so I see a link to a story about politics and how the game is played-- http://www.thenation.com/article/181...-exclusive%23#
so here's your typical scumbag politician sucking up to the rich elite and promising to screw the little guys for them. Mitch says they ain't going to pass a raise in minimum wage, even though that is favored in Kentucky, 2 to 1. Dodd-Frank regulation(financial regulation) and McCain-Feingold(political money regulation) get shot down to, because the Koch bros. say so. if you ain't a billionaire with a voice, you ain't squat. why is anybody a Republican or a Democrat? it's meaningless.

[downtownv]

I am neither. I am a Constitutional Conservative.

[knkali]

raising the minimum wage is the worst thing you can do---ever.

[muggsy]

It may not be the worst thing that you can do, but it's got to make the top ten. I too am a constitutional conservative.

[SlowBurn]

Hard to think of 3 worse legislative acts than those three. If McConnell could be trusted to REALLY be against them he wouldn't have so much Tea Party opposition.

[deadeye]

I am neither. I am a Constitutional Conservative.

Yes! Well stated! I have been searching for those words for a long time. Thanks!

[yqtszhj]

Conservative libertarian. The less government the better. Except for the drug position they have some good ideas.

[b4uqzme]

raising the minimum wage is the worst thing you can do---ever.

+1000. Just because it's popular doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. Most people don't understand the economics of wage price fixing. Just google Milton Friedman or Thomas Sowell regarding minimum wage.

[marcinstl]

if you live down south in one of those non-union, "right to starve" states, this doesn't apply to you. (big time 1%er's can hose off too.)
for the rest of us, who work and haven't seen any substantial pay increase in 20-30 years, the minimum wage is crucial. minimum wage is the basic pay level for any warm body that clocks in for another shift. if a worker has skills and knowledge, they should be paid some multiple of the min. wage. the union would say that the higher the skill level the higher the multiple. management looks at how much the worker is making for the company and the multiple is based on that.
the min. wage is one of the basic numbers in the economy. the more money flowing thru the economy the better it is. raise the min. wage 50 cents and Walmart and McDonalds makes more money-- easy concept.
Friedman and the Chicago School are drastic failures. Ayn Rand wrote goofy novels, don't name your goofy kid after her.
“I did not mean that Conservatives are generally stupid; I meant, that stupid persons are generally Conservative. I believe that to be so obvious and undeniable a fact that I hardly think any hon. Gentleman will question it.

[John Stuart Mill, in a Parliamentary debate with the Conservative MP, John Pakington, May 31, 1866.

now, do ya need a link to Krugman?

[berettabone]

Yes, by all means, let's raise the minimum...................skills, who needs em....................show up for work....when they feel like it. Yes, we need to pay people with an IQ of 12, $15 an hour starting wage. Making fries is a relentless task, taking all of your will, and strength. Sweeping the floor is an art. Taking out garbage is considered a college course...............give me a break. You get paid what your worth........if you don't like it, get another job..................oh, no skills?..........should of thought about that when you were on the couch shoving chips in your face. I'm supposed to pay $12 for a hamburger, because someone thinks that these people are worth $15 an hour? Really. Obamanation at it's finest. Won't do a thing for the economy. After the $15, they'll still be late, if they show up, and the costs will be passed along to the consumer. What a joke......................

[DavidS]

If we must set a minimum "national" wage, should we not also set a few maximum "national" costs such as gas, food, and housing. After all, if the minimum wage is supposed to provide a minimum standard of living, how can it do so if the costs of living are not the same?

[knkali]

If we must set a minimum "national" wage, should we not also set a few maximum "national" costs such as gas, food, and housing. After all, if the minimum wage is supposed to provide a minimum standard of living, how can it do so if the costs of living are not the same?

The wisdom in that question speaks volumes about the ridiculousness of the minimum wage in the first place and how everything ratchets up to adjust for it. There is no free lunch.

[marcinstl]

everything is moving and changing, changing in cycles. housing prices, wages, inflation, prices. for some, a bump in min. wage would be a bump for them. temporary at best, maybe enough to buy another pistol or box of ammo. watch the way the economic winds blow and make your best deals. look at the stats, N.Dakota get's back $4 for every $1 dollar they send the fed., there's also a boom town going on up there for oil. a guy could move up there, make big money an fall in love with a girl that knows how to make rate. muhaha!

[JohnR]

Be careful what you wish for, if you let politicians pass more laws, they just build in more safeguards for them and their shadow puppetmasters. Fewer laws is always better. Always.

[knkali]

Be careful what you wish for, if you let politicians pass more laws, they just build in more safeguards for them and their shadow puppetmasters. Fewer laws is always better. Always.

FukknA