Target, Which Cut Workers' Hours and Doubled Workloads, Shows the Folly in

  • Thread starter Thread starter Theo520
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
There’s an old book called Labor and Monopoly Capital which argues people have been systematically deprived of skills so as to make them better generic employees who can follow orders. I haven’t read it but I plan to. Sounds interesting.
 
Last edited:
My surmise is that very few people on this thread - as in life - have ever run a business or possess detailed knowledge of how, and how much work and risk it takes to, run a business.

If Marx had had my employees he’d have been a capitalist.

Some other random musings:
  1. The categories of costs that a McDonald’s needs to pay were sobering and staggering - yet one or more wasn’t even said: namely, the actual franchise fee payable to McDonald’s, i.e. The cost just to brand your restaurant “McDonald’s” and use the Golden Arches logo among others.
  2. Along the same lines, it’s real easy for non-business owners to just say, “linen costs won’t rise much!” Or similar things. The problem with these sorts of statements is that for many businesses and franchises in particular, you MUST buy certain goods and services from 1 supplier (often the corporate parent). That’s what ensures that, for example, every McDonalds you walk into is the same and sells the same product regardless of location. Thus it’s not so easy to just “find a cheaper supplier,” because you can’t legally do so.
 
Last edited:
And one more reason automation beats humans: machines don’t call out sick or just not show up.

As anyone who has run a small business - and particularly one reliant on relatively young employees - will tell you, hourly nonsalaried employees are often notoriously unreliable: they call out, or just don’t show, for a million reasons (missed bus; had exam; hung over; can’t find child care; had to care for nana; whatever) or just don’t give a reason. For every employee who had their wages cut; had to work overtime; etc., there’s some employer who had an employee not show up for undisclosed reasons.
 
VonDerTann said:
My surmise is that very few people on this thread - as in life - have ever run a business or possess detailed knowledge of how, and how much work and risk it takes to, run a business.

If Marx had had my employees he’d have been a capitalist.
Click to expand...
Yes, but at the same time elementary economic logic is quite easy to grasp if one tries. For instance, automation puts people out of work which lowers consumption which hurts the economy. Keynes had a term for things like welfare, social security etc which were meant to boost the economy and keep capitalism afloat but I can’t remember what it was.

Edited to add: Proudhon once wrote, competition destroys competition.
 
Last edited:
StudentMI said:
How do we square all this with providing a just wage as Catholic social teaching says is morally just? 🤔
Click to expand...
From the CCC…emphasis mine:
2434 A just wage is the legitimate fruit of work. To refuse or withhold it can be a grave injustice. In determining fair pay both the needs and the contributions of each person must be taken into account. “Remuneration for work should guarantee man the opportunity to provide a dignified livelihood for himself and his family on the material, social, cultural and spiritual level, taking into account the role and the productivity of each, the state of the business, and the common good.” Agreement between the parties is not sufficient to justify morally the amount to be received in wages.
Click to expand...
 
It doesn’t matter whether you ask for a raise or not. They will automate anyway. Productivity, the catchword of the past few decades just means employers want more work for the same money, and if they find out people are willing to do more, they will just expect more and hire fewer people, then spit them out when they burn out.
 
No, absolutely not.

First, everyone thinks they’re logical. No one says, “I’m not logical.”

More importantly, your position can be distilled or paraphrased to “i can just learn how to do anything by reading about it in a book.” In my experience - which obviously includes running a business - there is absolutely no activity I have ever come across where you can just do it by reading about it.
 
Productivity is more about finding more efficient ways of doing things.
 
Keynes had a term for something but you can’t remember it?

Sorta like “Keene wrote something but I forget what?” From like 3 days ago?

Do you realize the number of times you are basically giving like half a cite and thus nothing you write can really be verified?
 
Yes. At least I’m citing people and books and not just claiming things without it.

Your thing about running a business is nice. It’s also an ad hominem. Make sure to never cite most economists even if they agree with you. 🙂
 
The problem with that is let’s say I was to say “at my place of employment we are unionized. Therefore let me tell you about employment” and then disregard all arguments regarding unions on the basis of the person making the argument not being union. It wouldn’t make much sense, no?
 
Last edited:
Yes, you are wrong.

It’s also relatively routine that when 2 people are having a disagreement and person A doesn’t like what person B says but really has no response, person A says “ad hominem!”, “racism!” or some other argument-ender.
 
Correct me if I’m wrong but throughout this thread I think you developed a belief that I have malicious intent. I don’t. I’m trying to have a conversation. It’s obvious I offended you. However I don’t apologize for what I’ve said. Hopefully in the future our discussions can be more productive. God bless.
 
F_Marturana said:
How did they procede from “Teaching visas” to full citizenship without becoming permanent residents first? Before applying for citizenship one has to be a permanent resident. It’s normally not an easy process to obtain permanent residency.
Click to expand...
I’m probably using the wrong term to label the type of Visa that they were granted.

And it took several years for them to become citizens. It certainly didn’t happen quickly.

The point of my post is to demonstrate that my husband and I don’t just talk the walk, but walk the walk. I think that many Trumpers do the same thing.
 
VanitasVanitatum said:
School doesn’t actually teach anyone how to function in the real world so it isn’t that useful.
Click to expand...
I don’t entirely agree with this, although I do think that since so many children come from broken and/or dysfunctional homes that it would be good if schools could start offering classes in “home economics,” “personal finances,” “basic home maintenance,” “basic auto care,” “the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizens,” “Staying Safe in all Neighborhoods,” “Responsible Gun Use,” “Staying Healthy,” “Conquering Addictions,” “How To Select A Job/Career Path that will make you happy AND earn you a living wage!”, “Racism and How to Eliminate It,” etc.

But the point is, whether you learn any thing about real life or not, without that high school diploma, you won’t ever land a job that pays anything near a living wage.

And I personally think that’s fair and right–when someone puts in the time to finish the 12 years of school required in the U.S. to earn a high school diploma, they deserve more than someone who flunks out or quits.

Just sticking with it, even if you are a “D” student (barely passing, for those who don’t use a “letter system” of grades in their schools) is a lesson in how to function in the real world. How many times in our lives do we face situations that we just want to quit–a hostile work environment, a painful medical procedure or frightening health crisis, a baby who doesn’t seem to ever want to sleep through the night, an elderly parent who is becoming more difficult to care for, an addiction that we keep trying to conquer, a debt that seems like it will never be paid.

The lesson we learned about sticking with school, even if we hate it, to get the diploma is going to help us to know that we CAN stick with something until it is finished.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top