Wal-Mart workers plan Black Friday walkout

[ZahZoo]

On 2.75/hr? Even if you account for inflation adjustment, cost of living and the economics of 1976 I'm calling shenanigans on that one, too.



I'm sure there were numerous down turns but you defeated your own argument knowing you worked with the incentive for opportunity and advancement probably because those employers wanted to see you gain a better quality of life. I'm sure you can make the case that the times of 1978 were much different than today and that food stamps/welfare programs were not a supplementary pseudo benefit to being gainfully employed but no one is handing anything to Wal-Mart workers, either. Except of course, food stamp application forms. I'm all for your work ethic and stance that you took nothing from nobody to achieve success in life but this is 2012 where having such ideas is frowned upon by the likes of Wal-Fart. That is what I'm trying to tell you.

Go look it up... minimum wage levels and economics are well documented. Yes, times were different. Older workers and management were all operating on 40's-60's work ethics where hard work was rewarded.

There were still folks only motivated to do their minimum job and didn't advance as there are today, although I will say that attitude or lack of drive is far more prevalent today. With the exception of a few great managers/mentors over the years... most weren't all that encouraging. Most were just playing the company line to meet objectives. It was me driving myself... boredom is my enemy to this day.

[FORD]

It's really so simple that even Chimpy Bush could understand it (though he would still choose to ignore the reality anyway).....

When people have money to spend, they will spend more of it, which means more stuff is sold, which means more stuff has to be made, which means more people need to make it.

Of course the flaw in that plan in recent years is that most of that stuff isn't made HERE. Which fucks up the entire cycle. And that's exactly why ALL of the tax/trade/economic policies since 1980 need to be shitcanned, and go back to what actually worked for this country.

[BigBadBrian]

It's really so simple that even Chimpy Bush could understand it (though he would still choose to ignore the reality anyway).....

When people have money to spend, they will spend more of it, which means more stuff is sold, which means more stuff has to be made, which means more people need to make it.

Of course the flaw in that plan in recent years is that most of that stuff isn't made HERE. Which fucks up the entire cycle. And that's exactly why ALL of the tax/trade/economic policies since 1980 need to be shitcanned, and go back to what actually worked for this country.

FORD, that all sounds nice...kind of like tax the rich less, they will then have more money for company expansion and more employees, more employees means more income and payroll taxes for the government in the form of revenue, and more revenue means less of a deficit! See how that works?

Getting back to the living wage argument...how much do you suppose a sales associate, cashier, and stock boy should be making per hour at Walmart? I realize it's going to differ based upon region...just give me a nice average figure.

[FORD]

FORD, that all sounds nice...kind of like tax the rich less, they will then have more money for company expansion and more employees, more employees means more income and payroll taxes for the government in the form of revenue, and more revenue means less of a deficit! See how that works?

No, because the last 32 years are evidence that it does NOT work. The Jude Wanniski "Two Santa Claus" /supply side economics myth is a dangerous fiction that has destroyed this country, and it's time to stop pretending otherwise.

Getting back to the living wage argument...how much do you suppose a sales associate, cashier, and stock boy should be making per hour at Walmart? I realize it's going to differ based upon region...just give me a nice average figure.

At the very least, they should be able to feed themselves from the store they work at, without the government picking up the tab via food stamps. The Walton inheritance brats could afford to buy each and every one of their employees steak & lobster dinners every night for the rest of their lives and they would still be rich.

[BigBadBrian]

No, because the last 32 years are evidence that it does NOT work. The Jude Wanniski "Two Santa Claus" /supply side economics myth is a dangerous fiction that has destroyed this country, and it's time to stop pretending otherwise.

Stop it, you know nothing of supply-side economics or any other economics other than what you read in the DU, DK, or HP.

At the very least, they should be able to feed themselves from the store they work at, without the government picking up the tab via food stamps. The Walton inheritance brats could afford to buy each and every one of their employees steak & lobster dinners every night for the rest of their lives and they would still be rich.

Nope,you're not getting off that easy. Give me a dollar figure for each position I named.

[Kristy]

Stop it, you know nothing of supply-side economics or any other economics other than what you read in the DU, DK, or HP.

Hey, go fuck yourself with one of these and get out of this thread:

[Kristy]

There were still folks only motivated to do their minimum job and didn't advance as there are today, although I will say that attitude or lack of drive is far more prevalent today.

That I will agree with you on. I am ashamed at the amount of people in my age bracket or younger (I won't say generation here) who want such material goods such as iPhones, iPads, top fashion labels even BMW's but won't lift a finger in a laborious task to achieve one. Even if they do rarely they appreciate having such a luxury. I myself drive a Mercedes but its old, a pile of shit and has its share of problems but I worked over two years to get it (and another 3 to pay it off). My age bracket would rather complain endlessly what it means to have a boss/supervisor telling them what to do rather than see how lucky they are to have a job in the first place.

[envy_me]

Can I be honest with you guys? WHERE do you find the energy to fight this much?? I want some of that energy. I come home from work, dead tired, the last thing I wanna do is argue with people. Maybe when I was 15, but not now.
What's your secret? Red bull?

[FORD]

Can I be honest with you guys? WHERE do you find the energy to fight this much?? I want some of that energy. I come home from work, dead tired, the last thing I wanna do is argue with people. Maybe when I was 15, but not now.
What's your secret? Red bull?

It's all that crap in the typical "American" diet..... high fructose corn poison, preservatives, bovine growth hormone, genetically modified "vegetables", etc.

Just like Dr. Frankenstein's original monster... rotting flesh, artificially powered by evil mad scientists.

[Dr. Love]

Can I be honest with you guys? WHERE do you find the energy to fight this much?? I want some of that energy. I come home from work, dead tired, the last thing I wanna do is argue with people. Maybe when I was 15, but not now.
What's your secret? Red bull?

You don't understand.

SOMEONE IS WRONG ON THE INTERNET

[envy_me]

It's all that crap in the typical "American" diet..... high fructose corn poison, preservatives, bovine growth hormone, genetically modified "vegetables", etc.

Just like Dr. Frankenstein's original monster... rotting flesh, artificially powered by evil mad scientists.

I'd sacrifise my health for some of that energy. Live a little instead of putting out fires everywhere I go, just cause I am to old to fight.

.

[Kristy]

My endless hatred for Jimmy "Fuckface" Page keeps me going.

[envy_me]

You don't understand.

SOMEONE IS WRONG ON THE INTERNET

Seriously, I'm not gay, but that signature is hypnotic. I can't stop looking at it.

.

[Dr. Love]

Seriously, I'm not gay, but that signature is hypnotic. I can't stop looking at it.

.

We'll go with "bi" then.

[envy_me]

We'll go with "bi" then.

I am not that either, but I can't stop. First I stare at it for like a minute, then I start laughing

[Dr. Love]

Don't lie. You like big butts.

[envy_me]

Don't lie. You like big butts.

It's so jiggly

.

[envy_me]

NOW you stop fighting??? Just when I need some entertainment??


Check this out:



.

[ZahZoo]

Can I be honest with you guys? WHERE do you find the energy to fight this much?? I want some of that energy. I come home from work, dead tired, the last thing I wanna do is argue with people. Maybe when I was 15, but not now.
What's your secret? Red bull?

For me it's just multi-tasking... keeping entertained during mind numbing conference calls on global projects that last a couple of hours and I only care about 10-15 minutes of it.

Dr Love is correct... someone is wrong on the internet... you can't let these things slide.

[envy_me]

For me it's just multi-tasking... keeping entertained during mind numbing conference calls on global projects that last a couple of hours and I only care about 10-15 minutes of it.

Dr Love is correct... someone is wrong on the internet... you can't let these things slide.

Hahahaha, multi tasking Lucky you then :-) I can do it for like 3 posts, then I don't care anymore. I lose interest quicker then... I don't know.

.

[PETE'S BROTHER]

Hahahaha, multi tasking Lucky you then :-) I can do it for like 3 posts, then I don't care anymore. I lose interest quicker then... I don't know.

.

a goldfish

[envy_me]

a goldfish

What were we talking about? Oh, energy. Maybe omega-3 is the thing for me.

[sadaist]

Hey, go fuck yourself with one of these and get out of this thread:

OMG Kristy. When I grew up we lived a bit on the outskirts and only had 3 TV channels. So we had to entertain ourselves a lot. Outside mostly. We had an old pogo stick that I became super good on. My record is 1,000 hops in a row without stopping or falling. I SWEAR TO VAN HALEN! One thousand!!! No shit. I can't believe it either. But I did 1,000 hops while going around our wraparound driveway a few times. Was awesome!

Sorry for the derail, carry on.

[Kristy]

No such thing as a derail when it comes to BrainDeadBrian

[ZahZoo]

Hmmm not too far fetched eh?

[Kristy]

That's exactly what it is.

[tbone888]

I couldnt care less what figures people in this thread are pulling out of their ass.....You can live off of simple retail wages, and quite well. Ive seen it first hand.

Both my parents had nothing more than a HS education (one didnt finish HS). My mother worked for retail giant and dad worked as a tech. Neither were ever in supervisor positions and both made what many here are calling "wages impossible to live on".

They put 2 kids through 4 years of college, bought real estate and ended up with 7 figures of wealth (a couple times over) by the time of retirement.

How you say? They ALWAYS lived below their means. After paying off their 1st car, they never had a car payment again. They bought groceries on sale and prepared meals at home from scratch. They cut their own hair (no $200 salon trips here).

When the household shrunk to 3 (my sister went off to college), we lived off my mother's income and invested my father's income. Thats right...THREE people living off wages from a retail giant!!

[jhale667]

You're honestly going to compare the economic situation your parents flourished under to today's? Get real.

[tbone888]

They saved/invested all their money post 50 years of age...in other words, a little over 10-15 years ago It can be done today just easily as then...i know. It all comes down to whether you want do do it.

[FORD]

They saved/invested all their money post 50 years of age...in other words, a little over 10-15 years ago It can be done today just easily as then...i know. It all comes down to whether you want do do it.

It's not nearly as easy now, because wages have not kept up with rising costs. Hell, in the early 70s, you could buy a decent house for less than $20,000 and own 2 cars (neither of which were new) and do it all with only one person working. My mom never had a full time job after I was born. So yeah, it was possible back then. Not so much after 32 years of supply side fictional bullshit dragging down wages and driving up costs of everything.

[jhale667]

They saved/invested all their money post 50 years of age...in other words, a little over 10-15 years ago It can be done today just easily as then...i know. It all comes down to whether you want do do it.

Since FORD already debunked that bullshit...

It's not nearly as easy now, because wages have not kept up with rising costs. Hell, in the early 70s, you could buy a decent house for less than $20,000 and own 2 cars (neither of which were new) and do it all with only one person working. My mom never had a full time job after I was born. So yeah, it was possible back then. Not so much after 32 years of supply side fictional bullshit dragging down wages and driving up costs of everything.

I'm just reiterating - you're full of it.

[tbone888]

Excuses...

[ELVIS]

No dude, they need three big screen tv's, four smart phone accounts, A PC and two laptops, an internet and satellite account, two suv's, a small car and a boat...

[Dr. Love]

It's not nearly as easy now, because wages have not kept up with rising costs. Hell, in the early 70s, you could buy a decent house for less than $20,000 and own 2 cars (neither of which were new) and do it all with only one person working. My mom never had a full time job after I was born. So yeah, it was possible back then. Not so much after 32 years of supply side fictional bullshit dragging down wages and driving up costs of everything.

Ford, 20k from the 70s is about 120k in today's money.

The problem is consumer debt and discipline. People now are completely irresponsible with money and credit.

[ZahZoo]

You're honestly going to compare the economic situation your parents flourished under to today's? Get real.

Ya know I got to thinking after posting how I got by in my younger days on low wages... Some things convert fairly closely when you adjust for inflation and the value of a dollar back then to today. Energy/fuel and food costs are about the same. Housing is slightly higher as are transportation costs.

But the thing that jumps out today that I didn't have back then... internet connectivity, cable TV, and cell phone costs. I've eliminated mine now... but a lot of people today are floating a lot of debt on credit cards, cars, boats, etc. If you have young kids... daycare costs are killer. I think those costs right there tip the scale from getting by on a lower wage ($8-12 per hour) today. If you could live without all that... you could survive... doubtful you'd ever get ahead though.

[FORD]

Ford, 20k from the 70s is about 120k in today's money.

Yes and no....

Obviously the price of a house has inflated that much, or probably worse. I don't remember exactly what my parents sold the house for when they moved about 10 years ago, but it was probably more than that.

The problem is that wages have not kept up to scale. Which is why you don't have single "breadwinners" in a family. And yeah, some people go overboard on credit, and others get caught in debt for other reasons (student loans, medical expenses, whatever) so that all factors in to the national picture. But there are millions of Americans out there who did everything responsibly to the best of their ability, and still got fucked by this Reverse-Robin Hood bullshit of the last 32 years.

[tbone888]

Housing in many places are lower than 10 years ago.

I was talking to a friend's 20 something kid the other day..bitching he couldnt get by today, all the while checking his Apple I-whatthefuckever.

Told him i knew his dad and if he was really serious....ask to move in with his parents for a few years with the understanding that he would basically save every penny he made. Ditch the cell phone, stop eating out, pack a lunch etc and get down to business. He could easily save 60k in a few years. Put it down on a duplex and live in one side. Done right, one can basically live rent free. Thats just a start. Carry the good saving habits forward.

[jhale667]

Didn't realize Mitt Wrongney was posting here..."move back in with your parents!"



And ENOUGH with the "get rid of your cell, internet, cable"... it's 2012 FFS. Like you're going to get a BETTER job than the one you have without an internet connection...

[tbone888]

Exactly the attitude i was expecting. Again...excuses.

[ELVIS]

Tacoboy lives in a fantasy...