That is terrible, herbie, that the poor woman died! 
Stress is indeed a killer. Keep doing your excellent job of rallying the troops, herbie, and remind them how little Uncle Gordo has done for them come the Spring of 2009.
I will be supporting Mr. Coons in the Spring here in PR. 
The minimum wage has to go up. The first job I ever had was eight bucks an hour, in eighty-seven. Gas was only fifty-three cent’s a litre, so I could actually afford to consume. Now, making a decent living wage, but I’m paying more for less latly. I’m still comfortable, but I can’t imagine how others are doing.
This does not mean that everyone would get a raise, just those at the bottom. I have tremendous respect for local retailers who are already pay a decent wage, that’s why I try to buy local as often as possible, haggle, and pay with cash. Cover the investment by raising prices, tax cuts for small businesses, and those who have enough for a hundred life-times, can take a pay-cut. I have no problem paying a little more if I know it will go into the pockets of those who need it most. The stress relief alone, on those people, would be a side benefit to our health care system. And that money would not just disappear, it will be spent, recirculated through our economy again.
Stop calling wages a cost, these are human being we’re talking about, its an investment.
Something has been wrong with our economy in Canada, ever since food banks appeared.
Or, maybe we should stop worrying, the economy will be o.k. because of Exxon, they made 14+ billion this quarter…lol
peace
The minimum wage is legislated poverty!
I actually don’t have a problem with the minimum wage. It is a MINIMUM wage after all. In some retail outlets, such as convenience stores, where the profit margin is low it is only fair that the wage reflect what the store owner can afford. If the minimum wage were to go up to say $15 per hour then we’d be paying twice as much for a pop, bag of chips or a chocolate bar. Everyone would then head to a more affordable location and you’d see the death of small business. Big box stores already have a stranglehold on the market in many locations and raising the minimum wage would only amplify that. I’m not sure what all of the answers are but raising the minimum wage will also just increase the cost of living.
… and EVERY employer wants to pay minimum wage, even the ones that require skills. Just ask all the female workers out there.
Depends if you’re in a union or not.
I’m female, and I’m making over minimum wage.
I work with several female workers who make 3 times the minimum wage and have female friends who also make similar wages. My wife makes $50,000 plus per year. No doubt there are some employers that pay less than they should but raising the minumum wage will only drive many small business owners out of business. Raise the minimum wage then the cost of living will increase and those still making minimum wage are no further ahead then they were before.
I’d be more concerned with the overall cost of living. When you have to pay $150 or more for a pair of Nikes to help Pay Tiger Woods huge endorsement deal then that drives up the cost of living and should be addressed. All of the products that we buy are more expensive because we have to pay for huge marketing campaigns and endorsement deals. How much do you think General Motors pays to have GM Place named after them? We pay for that in every GM product we buy. Staples Center, the ACC. It goes on and on.
The only reason we have a minimum wage, is because of government protection. If business had it’s way, we would all be working for six cent’s a day… man, I miss the industrial revolution. We should strip all of the rights of the working class, just have a free for all, and make a ton of profit for the boss. Don’t know who is supposed to consume the widgets we produce, maybe Asia has a middle class that can afford it… yeah, that’s the ticket, lol…
peace
As I said before … legislated poverty.
How old are you anyway?
Would you rather there be no minimum wage so that businesses can pay what they want to?
Both options are not ones I’d like to consider.
We pay alot for what we buy. I noticed this just the other day when I bought a new pair of shoes. They were Sauconys, and aside from the 10% off I got on them. They were probably thirty or fourty dollars cheaper than a pair of Nikes. Why? Because Saucony doesn’t advertise, They don’t need to, they’re a better shoe than Nike.
We pay through the nose to watch the advertisements on TV. And every time something new comes out, we go out and buy it. Advertising works. And that’s why the world is so expensive.
Just turned thirty-seven my friend. Who would have to shut down if the wage was increased, Franchise Burger? Shop Mart? The small operation who is already paying ten bucks an hour? Where do people get these facts? Economic think tanks that would like to privatize the planet? Eight dollars an hour is a slave wage. It is not right that our government can reward itself with pay raises anytime it chooses, CEO’s, brokers, banker can give them selves huge bonuses, and the rest, just work hard, the next life will be better, so our leaders tell us. I would not trust any of them to operate the flush lever on my toilet. What planet do these people live on? The science of exploitation has to stop… it’s sick.
peace
Sixty or seventy years ago taxes were paid something like 65 per cent by business and 35 per cent by individual taxpayers. Now that figure has reversed and is probably even lower for business.
When I say business, I mean large corporations who now hide from taxes in many of the industrialized nations of the world. Small business can be equated with individual portion.
Let’s take the Husky Station downtown for example. The guy who operates the store is independent from Husky. He is a small business owner. Most of his sales would be lottery, cigarettes, chips, pop and chocolate bars. He is already hampered by the fact that less people come into his store because of pay-at-the-pump and the new legislation surrounding that.
All of the items in which he sells have a very low profit margin. He probably makes less than a dollar on a pack of smokes and gets little or nothing from the gasoline sales. If he is forced to pay more out in wages from an already small profit then he will be forced to raise his prices just to stay in business.
People will then be forced to walk across the street to Safeway who buys pop, chips and crap like that in mass amounts and gets a better price from the supplier. Besides, they make their big profit at something else.
You could put the minimum wage up all you like but it will only either drive up the cost of living or kill small business. The problem is bigger than that.
Paper Pusher, please, give us the answers, since you know the problem is huge, what is the solution please?
I’m going to vote for those who will use their power to increase the standard of living for those who have no power. Please, get those who would close down there business into this debate. I talk about this all the time to local retailers. Since most of them already pay ten dollars an hour or more, they have no reason to fear a government legislated increase in wages. Once again, where are you getting your information? Economic think tanks that would like to privatize our planet? Do you read my post’s, or just look at them? I seem to recall saying I’m willing to pay more if it actually went into the pockets of those who need it most… I understand the “problem”… what’s your solution?
More philanthropists?
peace.
I’ve already said in a previous post that I don’t have all of the answers. Where our opinions differ is actually where we perceive the problem to be. Where do I get my information? Most of my family including myself, my parents, siblings and extended family have either been self-employed at some point in their lives or have always been self-employed. When I say self-employed I do not mean that they are Jimmy Pattison, Bill Gates or even Jack Payne. I mean that they are truly self employed where their entire life’s work and savings are wrapped up in their small business. This includes their past, present and future. This is their bread, butter and potatoes. Everything they’ve had and will have including during their retirement years.
You can use phrases like “Economic think tanks” and “privatize our planet” all you want. The truth is that not every self employed person or small business owner is a multi-millionaire that can pay out huge wages and benefits. There are those who can handle paying the minimum wage so that they dont have to stay in their retail outlet for 16-24 hours a day just to keep it open.
Do I read your posts? Do you read mine? You may be willing to pay more but you cannot keep a store alive on your own. I have seen a man put down a litre of milk in my store when I lived in the Okanagan only to go to a large supermarket because it was 10 cents less there. You should have heard his complaining. How do you compete with that?
You get invovled and learn…
peace…
You become aware of what is actually happening, and inform others of it. 
And no, I’m not going to get into a huge debate about it all. If you really want even just a tidbit of info, PM me.