the impact a $15 per hour minimum wage on the trucking industry

Actually the 30-35K estimate he made for a starting salary is spot on with the 20-40K the article you linked to states.

 

He spent a hundred grand learning the wrong trade/degree.

 

I completely agree with what you are saying. But the comparison is all wrong. Need to pick the current Cadillac that most resembles what that 71 deville was built for. The cts was built to compete with Mercedes and bmw luxury sport cars. Not Lincoln continentals.

 

Farther down that article it goes on to state that most start their career at 20k.

 

I guess my truck is shorter than most since it doesn't make me look down on people working in fast food joints, retail stores, truck stops, ect. My wife and I were making $180k in 2000. My first full year after losing everything we made $30k. I got some bad news for all of you, you're poor mofo's as well. Just keep buying the party line turning poor against poor and you're going to stay poor.

I hate hearing drivel like poor people don't create jobs. When the average household savings of the entire nation is $500 about all you create is crap poor people can afford. Do you think billionaires buy 10k iPhones each? No, they don't consume much as a percentage of income. Poor people spend every cent they can lay their hands on just to survive.

I got news for you, rich people don't build factories to pay people wages so they can buy their product. Despite all the bs you swallowed hook, line and sinker it isn't how it works. They build factories to meet current and expected demand. Nowhere in that expected demand is the workers they're going to employ.

Reality everyone is just like me and you because we're all human. Give rich people ever more money and they are just that much more driven to make more, but take their money and they lose their drive but poor people do the opposite. Why don't poor people get better jobs? Why don't you buy a truck? They're stuck on a treadmill spending what they make just to survive. They need to pay the rent and feed their children today, they can't wait four years to do that.

 

A 1971 Cadillac Fleetwood limousine had a window sticker of $12,000 while a new Escalade stretch limo costs $121,500...

 

And that's kinda what I was trying to get at. The value of the dollar is bad enough compared to 70's. Don't need to lie with statistics to make it sound worse. It just makes the whole argument harder to make.

 

Inflation is necessary for a healthy economy, but what is also necessary is increased wages which isn't happening. Inflation has far outstripped wages and it's hurting everyone that works for a living.

 

So take out inflation and bring something that's never been done. Deflation.

Curious as to why we need inflation anyways. Where is it written that prices must go up. ONLY. With no logic behind the up.

 

A good chunk of the "average household savings is $500" is because people want to look like they are doing well...even if they ain't. Instead of asking "how much", they ask " how much are the payments". They buy a bigger house, fancy cars, and rent-to-own their furniture and appliances because they can "afford" the payments. They've got $3-4K going out the door each month before they've earned their first dime, and they don't actualy own a dern thing. Then they have to pay the utilities.

I remember a few years back, I was down near Atlanta and saw a newspaper with the front page above the fold story about this "poor" family that was losing their heating bill subsidy. The picture showed a lady standing in the living room holding her bill...in the background the newest video game system and a bigger TV than I'd ever seen up to that point...and she can't afford to heat her home? Here's a thought: Perhaps you should've held off on that big screen TV and video games until you'd covered your heating bill?

Choices. Priorities. Do you save that extra $20-30/week from your paycheck or head out to the bar and pay $8/bottle for a few drinks? Do you pay your heating bill or buy that big-### TV? Why should those responsible enough to cover their own needs before splurging on their wants have to forego their wants in order to cover your needs when you've been foolish and spent all of your resources chasing your wants instead of first covering your own needs?