News   Jun 25, 2024
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President Joe Biden's United States of America

As many of you here will know by now, California imposed sector-wide bargaining for Fast Food workers this past year, and the result is that the minimum wage for said workers in the State has risen from $16USD to $20USD per hour.

This is a 25% increase.

In the media story linked below, we see the impact on prices in the California Fast Food industry:


1713730447153.png


This is a perfect and positive example of the impacts of the increase; as employers so often proclaim, the impact of a wage increase is indeed a price increase; but one far less than the wage increase, because wage accounts for such a low portion of total cost. (typically 12-20% in fast food)

So we see 3 examples above at ~7.5% average price hike, and 2 others at 2.5%. Not a complete sample, but I'll lean slightly to the higher increase and weight the average at 6.25%. To the extent that is correct, you're getting a price increase, on average, at 1/4 of the percent of the minimum wage increase.

I for one would support that every single day. There is, of course, a limit, and I think California is probably fairly close to it; but at $20USD per hour, you're at $27.60 per hour CAD, which would not leave me feeling too badly for someone working in said sector.
 
What century is Arizona living in!!?

Arizona Supreme Court reinstates near-total abortion ban from 1864​

If you’re an evangelical prolifer a total ban makes sense. If the life of the fetus is all that matters, it thus doesn’t matter if the future mother was impregnated through rape or incest, or even if her own health is at risk. It makes no sense to make exceptions. So, kudos for consistency you theocratic nut bars.
 
Tony Keller who was of the first mainstream media columnists to call out the foreign student/TFW issue has an interesting column on the U.S. deficit/debt situation.


Essentially, using data from the latest IMF Fiscal Monitor, here: https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/FM

He looks at the All-Government deficit/debt situation (All government meaning Federal/State/Municipal for the U.S. and Federal/Provincial/Municipal here)

The numbers aren't great in Canada, but appear to be trending a bit better than I might have thought, the numbers in the U.S. should be setting off alarm bells; and here too.

From Mr. Keller's column:

1719320727084.png


It is noted by Mr. Keller than the above is optimistic in that it involves zero new major spending initiatives or tax cuts.

The IMF data:

1719320834266.png


Yikes! Now, Mr. Keller notes the U.S. can probably keep muddling through, spending money it doesn't have for many more years, possibly even beyond a decade........but eventually, the bill will come due.

We, in Canada can't be smug about this as the U.S. economy well and truly tanking would not be good for us, at the very least on the export side, but may also have a host of other consequences.

Japan has been the poster child for what should be unsustainable debt, for more than a decade now, and has somehow managed to work through it so far, though with its population decline having begun, its unclear how much longer.

The U.S. has one ace in its deck which is that the U.S. Dollar is really the reserve currency of the world. Should that change at all.......(that's very unlikely in the next year or two or three....but).....
 

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