Puna Puna Pizza Pizza

[kalakoa]

The pizza (calzone, pasta, sandwich, wrap, salad) place by my house is way better.

[Chas]

Just got back. KWXX was giving away a hat or free lunch combo if you said "Pizza pizza", which I did. I had already ordered thin crust pizza and wings, so I have plenty of food for the day.

Another radio station was starting a promotion at noon, so if you get there by 2 you might be able to get in on the free stuff

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The pizza (calzone, pasta, sandwich, wrap, salad) place by my house is way better.

And which place is that?

[HiloJulie]

If you want a good example of an equitable system read about Denmark.  

Ironically, Denmark doesn't have a statutory minimum wage.

Wait, wasn't this thread supposed to be about the new pizza place in Shipman park?  Has anyone tried it?

In as much as Denmark has no government mandated minimum wage per se, over 80% of ALL employees are covered under various collective bargaining agreements which averages out to the lowest wage paid to be $18.00 American dollars per hour. 

Yes, I have tried the new Little Caesars in Shipman and found it to be what any Little Caesars chain pizza place to be. Obviously very nice and neat and clean inside and the workers were nice dressed sharp and very outgoing. 

I thought when you posted the cost of a McDonald’s hamburger along with the Hawaii State mandated minimum wage per hour along with the website link, that that was what you wanted to talk about. 

My apologies if that was not what you wanted to talk about.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Ironically, Denmark doesn't have a statutory minimum wage.
…
averages out to the lowest wage paid to be $18.00 American dollars per hour. 


Which was my point.  The system in Denmark works well for employers, employees, and companies WITHOUT a mandated minimum wage.
In Hawaii or America in general, every time the minimum wage is increased people howl, kick & scream that it's impossible to pay THAT much. Businesses will collapse!
The economy will be doomed!
It's the end of the world as we know it!

And it never is.

I'll add to HiloJulie's observation about the good old days in 1970, and the price equivalent between a 1970 burger and a 2023 burger.  I was raised in a middle class family and back then we might have gone out to eat once a week.  Maybe.  How often do people dine out now?  If you can afford more than one time on a Friday or Saturday night, your food budget fund and disposable income is probably greater than you think, comparatively speaking.

[HiloJulie]

Which was my point.  The system in Denmark works well for employers, employees, and companies WITHOUT a mandated minimum wage.
In Hawaii or America in general, every time the minimum wage is increased people howl, kick & scream that it's impossible to pay THAT much. Businesses will collapse!
The economy will be doomed!
It's the end of the world as we know it!

And it never is.

Oh, for God's sake, please don't tell them about Denmark's mandatory minimum 5 weeks of paid vacation per year, up to 52 weeks of paid maternity and paternity leave - split between Mother and Father per child, mandatory pension funding, maximum of 48 working hours per week and last but not least, free universal health care. (That damn Obama!)

Ironically, the average McDonald's worker in Denmark is paid what would equal $22.00 AMERICAN dollars per hour.

Guess what?

In Denmark, a Big Mac Meal costs .......... $13.00 AMERICAN dollars!

[terracore]

Which was my point.  The system in Denmark works well for employers, employees, and companies WITHOUT a mandated minimum wage.
In Hawaii or America in general, every time the minimum wage is increased people howl, kick & scream that it's impossible to pay THAT much. Businesses will collapse!
The economy will be doomed!
It's the end of the world as we know it!

And it never is.

Oh, for God's sake, please don't tell them about Denmark's mandatory minimum 5 weeks of paid vacation per year, up to 52 weeks of paid maternity and paternity leave - split between Mother and Father per child, mandatory pension funding, maximum of 48 working hours per week and last but not least, free universal health care. (That damn Obama!)

Ironically, the average McDonald's worker in Denmark is paid what would equal $22.00 AMERICAN dollars per hour.

Guess what?

In Denmark, a Big Mac Meal costs .......... $13.00 AMERICAN dollars!

With the highest average income tax rate in the world, those workers are taxed at about 45%, bringing their hourly take-home pay below the threshold necessary to buy the Big Mac.  It sounds to me like Denmark needs a minimum wage!

[HiloJulie]

With the highest average income tax rate in the world, those workers are taxed at about 45%, bringing their hourly take-home pay below the threshold necessary to buy the Big Mac.  It sounds to me like Denmark needs a minimum wage!

And yet the average cost of living in Denmark is 18% lower than America. 

Go figure.

[AaronM]

Too much snow. I don't care how nice it is there.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Too much snow.

In the short term, yes our Puna weather can't be beat.
In the long run - - we're fortunate that most economic systems are not climate dependent.  If residents in Puna weren't bamboozled by fake news networks, and our leaders looked after our best interests, we could have a similar system.


bringing their hourly take-home pay below the threshold necessary

And yet, people in Denmark like their system because the benefits and peace of mind outweigh the tax rate. University tuition is free and students are paid $900 a month for expenses.  Gee - - how does that compare with a 22 years old Puna student who is saddled with decades of student loan debt when they graduate?

In Denmark, it is widely considered that the vast benefits afforded by the welfare system greatly outweigh the high Danish taxes. The fact that every individual knows that they will be taken care of in various ways throughout their lives makes it far easier to pay an average of 45% tax.
https://fmpglobal.com/blog/why-danes-app...-tax-rate/

If I could choose between American style capitalism and our part time socialism of social security and Medicare at my current tax rate, and Denmark's slightly greater socialist system with no worries about choosing the best Medicare Advantage plan that may cover this prescription but not that one, may treat only one eye a year, or pay for 2 teeth this year…
I'll pay the tax and leave health care worries behind.  I don't care what a pizza-pizza or hamburger costs.

[HiloJulie]

Too much snow.  I don't care how nice it is there.

You could pretend that the snow is just a different version of a warm continuous nonstop Hilo rain and the biting below freezing temperatures are hundreds of mosquitoes biting your feet, legs arms and neck!

On the downside, there is no Little Caesars!