(07-27-2023, 09:13 PM)HereOnThePrimalEdge Wrote: Imagine you're a worker at Burger King somewhere in East Hawaii (it may or may not be at a classified location in Hilo or Pahoa).
You take a couple of classes at HCC to hopefully escape from your serfdom, (note for some readers of this forum - not to be confused with surfdom).
You learn:
* The dairy industry receives huge price supports, so Burger King can get cheap milk products and cheese.
* Same for the beef industry.
* The corporate business structure allows Buger King to dodge billions in taxes, just a single example:
( https://americansfortaxfairness.org/issu...tax-dodge/ )
* They benefit from cheap transPacific shipping because the oil industry receives huge subsidies.
* You the employee at the Pahoa or Hilo location who can't even afford to buy a Whopper for an hour of flipping those burger patties on the grill start to wonder, maybe my employer shouldn't be named Burger King, but would better be called Welfare Queen?
This is why any "real minimum wage" discussion should center on local businesses. I used to say "local family owned businesses" but having done that ourselves, family members in a business frequently aren't paid anything, they contribute towards it, meaning that they are paying to work. Try asking a local business owner making -$10/hour to hire somebody making $30 after mandatory minimum wages + insurance +health insurance + workers compensation insurance + social security + FICA + etc and you can see how the Costcos and Walmarts have the financial muscle to do that- so the corporate dream is alive and well but a local dream of hiring a single employee is impossible (assuming one can get permits to even open).
Your elected officials have employees / volunteers that make less than minimum wage. Ask them how you can hire people at the same rate they do. "Rules for thee but not for me."