Look, from one Noo Yawker to anudder I gotta tell ya, that was one funny April Fool’s joke youse pulled in today’s fish wrap. Ya know that part about Tennessee weathering “economic downturns better than most other states” because while “unemployment is rising to disturbing levels and industries are fleeing other states which, in turn, are experiencing severe job loss, Tennessee has managed to attract three new, large employers that will create numerous jobs for skilled and hard-working Tennesseans to fill?” Fugeddaboutit! I almost spit out my freakin’ corned beef sangwich I was laughing so hard.
And the part about “fear the mandated living wage because it would destroy economic health of our state…?” Like anyone would really believe that fair wages would be what kills us. Yoo are too freakin’ hilarious!
But, I gotta tell ya, I think this was the best part:
Wages are determined by the market, or supply and demand. When government interferes too much with the marketplace, the result is job loss. Why? Because when government attempts to artificially fix a price for labor above what the market will pay, there is a decrease in the demand for labor, thereby leading to increased unemployment. The elimination of low-wage jobs can potentially devastate a local economy, because so many services are provided via lower-wage jobs.
Wut da hell…? That wasn’t a joke? Well, excuse me for livin’. And for reading in the Tennessean just a few short weeks ago that the unemployment rate in Tennessee was above the national average in January and at it’s highest level since 1973 in February. And for thinking that you really hate doze guys washing your dishes at **insert your favorite restaurant here**.
And a big FYI man, a local living wage mandate is market driven – that’s what makes it, ya know, local. It’s usually based on a serious analysis of the cost of living the area. It can be tiered (benefit v. non-benefit jobs) and can take into account the number of employees as well as the number of full vs. part-time employees. All I’m sayin’ is, it’s worth a look.
And if you really think that “a patchwork of different regulations in different cities across the state will create an atmosphere where lower-wage jobs – ones that are desperately needed by many people struggling to make ends meet – will flee to other areas where no increased wage is imposed,” I got dis bridge to sell you in Brooklyn ’cause as I far as I can see, no one’s been able to prove dat.
Listen, if you’re not kiddin’ with this crap then you’re gonna give me some serious agita.
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