Minnimum Wage

I am happy to hear that the minimum wage is going to be increased. Many people are not. Before I begin my rant let us review some facts:

Only 29% of low wage jobs are in small businesses. Most low wage jobs are with the fast food chain, retail giants, or temp agencies.

The Ontario government just gave MPP's a salary increase that is larger than a full year's income of a minimum wage worker

The average CEO earned as much by the afternoon of January 2nd as a full time minimum wager worker will in the entire year. ($16, 640)

Corporate profits have skyrocketed to $200 billion in 2006 and are at the highest share of the economy ever in Canada's history.

The Liberal government will ramp up the minimum wage to $10.25 by 2010

Some are saying eight bucks an hour is better than the old rate, but a look through the numbers show the protestors may be right. Back in 1972, the minimum wage was a paltry $2 an hour. Using the Bank of Canada's own inflation calculator - which factors in the cost of living and the rising price of goods - that would be equivalent to $9.75 in today's dollars - almost two bucks less than what's being offered the lowest paid workers.

A person would have to work 118 hours a week on minimum wage to pay for the average apartment in Toronto.

31 percent of women in Ontario, and one in four workers in Ontario earn poverty wages.

Aramark which made over $8 billion in profits last year. With low-paid jobs in the retail, food and accommodation industries constituting 18 percent of all jobs in Ontario in 2000, corporations like Aramark rely heavily on low-paid labour to guarantee their profits. Aramark pays its employees poverty wages, without pensions or benefits, and defends these practices as being "in keeping with the community norms in our industry."

At $10.25 an hour, employees working a 35 hour work week will make $18,665 per year, assuming they work 52 weeks of the year. This figure, however, is before tax and any deductions.

Well if you made it this far I am impressed. I think most of these facts speak for themselves. I don't make minimum wage anymore but I used to and I currently know people who do. I find it interesting to notice that it is the people who are not making minimum wage that are doing all the complaining. You don't see or hear of the single parent who works 40 or more hours week to put food on the table at home doing the complaining. Maybe it is the student who is in school and trying to pay down his giant student loan that works after school and on weekends that is complaining. If not then it must be the 50 year old that was layed off from his job after 25 years and instead of going on welfare is working as a janitor or at walmart to earn enough money so he can retire. I am sure there are others. I am sure you can think of some. It is the fat cats that are doing all the complaining. The people with money. They have money because they are living off the poor people. There is a neat saying that I heard from somewhere and it is brilliant it goes like this:

The rich people pay none of the taxes and do none of the work.
The middle class pay all the taxes and do all of the work.
The poor people are just there to scare the shit out of the middle class.

We are always eager to send food over to the starving children in Africa but we can't or won't even help our own. It isn't like they won't work for it. It is just they want to be paid for it. I am not saying that a person who went to school for seven years to be a doctor should be at the same pay scale as a Walmart greeter. I am just saying why can't they be more than one pay cheque away from living in a cardboard box?

The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. If the average person or poor person had more money in his pocket would it not be more likely that he would spend it? And if he spent it would he not be buying a product or service. If more products and services were being sold would that not increase production? If production was increased would that not stimulate our economy?

I am very tired as I have just finished another midnight shift. I always seem to write these when I am tired. Hence why my spelling and grammar are not up to snuff. But I really don't care. I write these more for me than for you anyways. If you read this then really it is just a bonus.

Must be off to sleep. Gotta think of a new rant for another day.

Lead, Follow, or get out of the way.... I personally obstruct. Yes my next rant... jargon and the use of stupid and meaningless words .... perhaps.