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  • #31
    Re: Business, Economics & Tax Policy 5.0: Can a blind nut find a squirrel?

    Originally posted by ShirtlessBob View Post
    Menards and Home Depot are being sued because a 4 by 4 doesn't exactly measure 4 inches by 4 inches.

    http://www.wzzm13.com/news/nation-wo...tion/451196391
    At the Home Depot we bought all our house crap at there were signs that clearly indicated this. (It was, by the way, news* to me.) I would think the presence of signage nullifies the argument.

    IINM when it says "4x4" there are no units specified, anyway, so for all one knows 4 Rigelian skulpulshanks equals 3.5 Earth inches, and the name is correct.

    * Here is the reason, for everyone not born on a workbench.

    Lumber manufacturers typically cut a tree into dimensional lumber very shortly after the tree is felled. Then, the newly-sawn (but soaking wet) lumber is kiln-dried until it reaches the desired moisture level. As lumber dries, it shrinks (as the moisture in the wood is reduced, the wood cells shrink, particularly across the grain). While the 8' length won't change much as the wood dries, the 2" width and 4" height (cross-section of the grain) will shrink considerably.

    Because of this shrinkage, a typical 2x4 will usually measure out to around 1-1/2" x 3-1/2".
    This should go in Home Improvement. In fact, I'm moving it there.
    Last edited by Kepler; 06-27-2017, 08:40 AM.
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    • #32
      Re: Business, Economics & Tax Policy 5.0: Can a blind nut find a squirrel?

      Seattle discovers that, if you raise the minimum wage "too much," it leads employers to cut back on hours to compensate....

      A study commissioned by the city of Seattle finds recent increases in the metro area’s minimum wage may have backfired, reducing the pay of workers because their hours were cut by employers in response to the requirement their hourly pay rise.

      The Seattle Minimum Wage Study, funded in part by the city and conducted by six economists at the University of Washington, looked at Seattle’s two-step increase in the minimum wage—the first step from $9.47 to $11 took place in 2015 and the second increase to $13 in 2016—and found the second step caused employers to cut worker hours.

      Using a unique set of data, the economists found the first increase had little effect, but the step to a $13-an-hour minimum wage resulted in a 9% reduction in hours for lower-wage jobs, while only raising hourly wages by about 3%. Combining these two effects, they found that workers in lower-wage jobs saw an average drop of $125 in monthly income.
      ....
      Seattle’s finding suggests that while small increases in the minimum wage do no harm, at some point a minimum wage gets so high that it becomes counterproductive for the very workers the policy is meant to help.

      In other words, the true minimum wage is $0.00, unless you can actually get hired and stay hired....
      "Hope is a good thing; maybe the best of things."

      "Beer is a sign that God loves us and wants us to be happy." -- Benjamin Franklin

      "Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy." -- W. B. Yeats

      "People generally are most impatient with those flaws in others about which they are most ashamed of in themselves." - folk wisdom

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      • #33
        Re: Business, Economics & Tax Policy 5.0: Can a blind nut find a squirrel?

        Originally posted by FreshFish View Post
        In other words, the true minimum wage is $0.00, unless you can actually get hired and stay hired....
        So to be clear you advocate no minimum wage at all, correct? That's where your argument leads. Any amount would violate your impeccable logic.

        Abolish all minimum wage. Yes or no?
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        • #34
          Re: Business, Economics & Tax Policy 5.0: Can a blind nut find a squirrel?

          Originally posted by FreshFish View Post
          In other words, the true minimum wage is $0.00, unless you can actually get hired and stay hired....
          They did stay hired, what you quoted completely discredits your editorializing.

          Comment


          • #35
            Re: Business, Economics & Tax Policy 5.0: Can a blind nut find a squirrel?

            Originally posted by Kepler View Post
            So to be clear you advocate no minimum wage at all, correct? That's where your argument leads. Any amount would violate your impeccable logic.

            Abolish all minimum wage. Yes or no?

            Do you agree that people deserve to get paid based on the value they produce? Shouldn't a person who produces error-free work be paid more highly than a person whose work is riddled with mistakes?


            If a "minimum wage" is as valuable as you contend, then why is the very first dollar of earned income taxed at 15.3%? How much sense does that make? If you want less of something, you tax it. Does that mean that we as a society have decided we want wages to be less than they could be by taxing them so heavily from dollar one?



            A national minimum wage doesn't make sense because of regional variations in the value of the same job in different parts of the country.



            A minimum wage was never supposed to be a "living" wage; think of it more as probationary on-the-job training stipend for entry-level positions.


            I'd say an enlightened social contract would see employers and employees have routine conversations with each other about how to improve the quality and value of labor and set standards on what kind of productivity improvements would be tied to what level of wage increases.
            "Hope is a good thing; maybe the best of things."

            "Beer is a sign that God loves us and wants us to be happy." -- Benjamin Franklin

            "Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy." -- W. B. Yeats

            "People generally are most impatient with those flaws in others about which they are most ashamed of in themselves." - folk wisdom

            Comment


            • #36
              Re: Business, Economics & Tax Policy 5.0: Can a blind nut find a squirrel?

              Originally posted by FreshFish View Post
              {fumbling evasion}
              It's a simple question. Zero out all minimum wages: yes or no?

              But your evasion has already answered it. Not just a crackpot ideologue, but a cowardly one.
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              • #37
                Re: Business, Economics & Tax Policy 5.0: Can a blind nut find a squirrel?

                Originally posted by FreshFish View Post
                Do you agree that people deserve to get paid based on the value they produce? Shouldn't a person who produces error-free work be paid more highly than a person whose work is riddled with mistakes?


                If a "minimum wage" is as valuable as you contend, then why is the very first dollar of earned income taxed at 15.3%? How much sense does that make? If you want less of something, you tax it. Does that mean that we as a society have decided we want wages to be less than they could be by taxing them so heavily from dollar one?



                A national minimum wage doesn't make sense because of regional variations in the value of the same job in different parts of the country.



                A minimum wage was never supposed to be a "living" wage; think of it more as probationary on-the-job training stipend for entry-level positions.


                I'd say an enlightened social contract would see employers and employees have routine conversations with each other about how to improve the quality and value of labor and set standards on what kind of productivity improvements would be tied to what level of wage increases.
                I agree with Kep. Zero it out then. Oh, wait, that doesn't work because of ****letard business owners who abuse that power? BAM. Back to minimum wage again.l
                **NOTE: The misleading post above was brought to you by Reynold's Wrap and American Steeples, makers of Crosses.

                Originally Posted by dropthatpuck-Scooby's a lost cause.
                Originally Posted by First Time, Long Time-Always knew you were nothing but a troll.

                Comment


                • #38
                  Originally posted by FreshFish View Post
                  Do you agree that people deserve to get paid based on the value they produce?
                  Subject to certain regulations, sure.

                  Shouldn't a person who produces error-free work be paid more highly than a person whose work is riddled with mistakes?
                  Sure, but a minimum wage doesn't prevent that. It's a price floor, not a price ceiling.

                  If a "minimum wage" is as valuable as you contend, then why is the very first dollar of earned income taxed at 15.3%? How much sense does that make? If you want less of something, you tax it. Does that mean that we as a society have decided we want wages to be less than they could be by taxing them so heavily from dollar one?
                  Not all taxes are sin taxes. Taxes are necessary because we as a society value the products and services government provides, from roads and fire fighters to national defense, working court systems, and a social safety net. Income taxes are one of the fairest ways to pay for such services. The revenue has to be collected, regardless.


                  A national minimum wage doesn't make sense because of regional variations in the value of the same job in different parts of the country.
                  States are always free to go higher, which many have done. But it's also funny how the political party you support states it loves local control until cities try to do things it doesn't like, such as increasing the local minimum wage in response to their local conditions. Oh wait, you just bashed Seattle for doing exactly that.

                  A minimum wage was never supposed to be a "living" wage; think of it more as probationary on-the-job training stipend for entry-level positions.
                  This is an oft repeated canard with no basis in reality. The minimum wage was pushed through by unions, who overwhelmingly represented full time, able-bodied workers who were the bread winners for their families. If the minimum wage merely kept up with inflation since the 60s, it'd be at roughly $11/hour today. Given how much productivity has increased our GDP above and beyond inflation, I could easily argue that $15/hour is not an unreasonable floor for wages.

                  I'd say an enlightened social contract would see employers and employees have routine conversations with each other about how to improve the quality and value of labor and set standards on what kind of productivity improvements would be tied to what level of wage increases.
                  For the third time, the minimum wage is a price floor. Companies are clearly allowed to provide higher salaries if they want.

                  Comment


                  • #39
                    Re: Business, Economics & Tax Policy 5.0: Can a blind nut find a squirrel?

                    Originally posted by unofun View Post
                    The minimum wage was pushed through by unions [in northern cities in the 1930s] who overwhelmingly represented full time, able-bodied [white] workers who were the bread winners for their families. [It was expressly designed at that time to prevent non-union blacks who were migrating from the south to the cities to undercut union wages. It was an inherently racist measure when it was started].
                    um, you omitted some really important details, see above. While many people dislike Thomas Sowell's political commentary, his economic research generally is highly-regarded.

                    Depending upon the level at which the minimum wage is set, it is often a mechanism deliberately designed to restrict the free market by preventing one group of people from offering to work for less than what another group of people wants for themselves. If one ethnic group would work for less than other ethnic groups, then by definition the minimum wage is discriminatory.

                    That being said, there is a convenience factor for businesses to have a regional minimum wage.



                    Frankly, this whole conversation is bass-ackwards.

                    The fundamental economic issue should not be about the minimum wage at all, but how to re-cast work in the 21st century so that every person who wants a decent job can produce enough value from performing in that job to earn substantially more than the minimum wage. There are a lot of skilled positions going unfilled because too many people went to college who didn't really belong there, and not enough people went to trade schools or entered apprenticeship programs.

                    Even a two-tiered minimum wage structure might make sense, one for entry-level people, then another for people who have served their apprenticeship so to speak and have graduated to journeyman status.


                    Ideally, the minimum wage should not be more than a trivial issue; the real focus should be on developing more well-paying jobs that people are willing to fill.
                    "Hope is a good thing; maybe the best of things."

                    "Beer is a sign that God loves us and wants us to be happy." -- Benjamin Franklin

                    "Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy." -- W. B. Yeats

                    "People generally are most impatient with those flaws in others about which they are most ashamed of in themselves." - folk wisdom

                    Comment


                    • #40
                      Re: Business, Economics & Tax Policy 5.0: Can a blind nut find a squirrel?

                      Originally posted by Kepler View Post
                      It's a simple question. Zero out all minimum wages: yes or no?
                      Have you stopped beating your wife? Yes or no? It's a simple question!


                      and it's a really stupid question. It's the quality of the available jobs that's the real issue. If there were enough quality jobs available then no one would be arguing about the minimum wage at all.

                      I thought you considered yourself smart enough to see through the superficial distractions put forth to keep us from dealing with the really important issue.
                      "Hope is a good thing; maybe the best of things."

                      "Beer is a sign that God loves us and wants us to be happy." -- Benjamin Franklin

                      "Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy." -- W. B. Yeats

                      "People generally are most impatient with those flaws in others about which they are most ashamed of in themselves." - folk wisdom

                      Comment


                      • #41
                        Re: Business, Economics & Tax Policy 5.0: Can a blind nut find a squirrel?

                        You didn't just fumble that one, you threw an intercepting, blocked your own team, and then celebrated in the end zone with the other team.

                        Also, your first line isn't even the proper use of that line. So double fail for you!
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                        • #42
                          Originally posted by FreshFish View Post
                          um, you omitted some really important details, see above. While many people dislike Thomas Sowell's political commentary, his economic research generally is highly-regarded.

                          Depending upon the level at which the minimum wage is set, it is often a mechanism deliberately designed to restrict the free market by preventing one group of people from offering to work for less than what another group of people wants for themselves. If one ethnic group would work for less than other ethnic groups, then by definition the minimum wage is discriminatory.

                          That being said, there is a convenience factor for businesses to have a regional minimum wage.



                          Frankly, this whole conversation is bass-ackwards.

                          The fundamental economic issue should not be about the minimum wage at all, but how to re-cast work in the 21st century so that every person who wants a decent job can produce enough value from performing in that job to earn substantially more than the minimum wage. There are a lot of skilled positions going unfilled because too many people went to college who didn't really belong there, and not enough people went to trade schools or entered apprenticeship programs.

                          Even a two-tiered minimum wage structure might make sense, one for entry-level people, then another for people who have served their apprenticeship so to speak and have graduated to journeyman status.


                          Ideally, the minimum wage should not be more than a trivial issue; the real focus should be on developing more well-paying jobs that people are willing to fill.
                          How should entry level workers live if they aren't paid a living wage? Not everyone can borrow money from their parents like Romney and Trump. Isn't that the point? That the minimum wage should be sufficient for entry level workers to survive until such time as they are skilled enough to more than merely subsist?

                          Just admit you're a selfish bastard who wants to save a nickel at Applebee's rather than let the 20 something earn a decent living performing a menial job. At least then you'll be making an honest argument rather than stealing from the flavor of the month at Murdoch Inc.

                          Comment


                          • #43
                            Re: Business, Economics & Tax Policy 5.0: Can a blind nut find a squirrel?

                            And lest we forget, you're carrying water for the same people who thought this would make people hate Obama.



                            (That is a real graphic from the Wall Street Journal)

                            Comment


                            • #44
                              Originally posted by unofan View Post
                              And lest we forget, you're carrying water for the same people who thought this would make people hate Obama.



                              (That is a real graphic from the Wall Street Journal)
                              Has anyone heard from these people? I'm worried about them.

                              Comment


                              • #45
                                Re: Business, Economics & Tax Policy 5.0: Can a blind nut find a squirrel?

                                Originally posted by dxmnkd316 View Post
                                You didn't just fumble that one, you threw an intercepting, blocked your own team, and then celebrated in the end zone with the other team.

                                Also, your first line isn't even the proper use of that line. So double fail for you!
                                Fishy has more dodges than a Chrysler dealership.

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