Biden/Schumer/Pelosi Accountability Thread

[redwing42]

The problem is her business model. Being open only three hours a day, five days a week makes it nearly impossible to make a profit in the restaurant business regardless of the minimum wage.

She was doing fine before the pandemic. The lunch crowd was enough to pay the bills, then she made her money on corporate catering. Having to cut capacity, combined with a decided lack of large corporate events over the past year, has hurt, but they have gotten by. I would assume that if she could get back to her pre-pandemic numbers, she would be able to manage with the wage hike, but at the current level, it would be too much. But this whole conversation started from a couple minutes of a phone call, not an extensive look at her finances. It make me do a bit of a double take, because it was a different side of the issue that I hadn't really thought about. So naturally, I brought it over here to get some other opinions.

[DeaconCav06]

She was doing fine before the pandemic. The lunch crowd was enough to pay the bills, then she made her money on corporate catering. Having to cut capacity, combined with a decided lack of large corporate events over the past year, has hurt, but they have gotten by. I would assume that if she could get back to her pre-pandemic numbers, she would be able to manage with the wage hike, but at the current level, it would be too much. But this whole conversation started from a couple minutes of a phone call, not an extensive look at her finances. It make me do a bit of a double take, because it was a different side of the issue that I hadn't really thought about. So naturally, I brought it over here to get some other opinions.

Yeah, in addition to the wage hike employers are going to be on the hook for their half of the employees taxes. Will federal and state unemployment taxes stay the same? Certainly workers comp (and a number of other insurance premiums) are likely to go up.

The Fortune 500 can easily absorb that expense. The smaller businesses? Who knows.

[RJKarl]

She was doing fine before the pandemic. The lunch crowd was enough to pay the bills, then she made her money on corporate catering. Having to cut capacity, combined with a decided lack of large corporate events over the past year, has hurt, but they have gotten by. I would assume that if she could get back to her pre-pandemic numbers, she would be able to manage with the wage hike, but at the current level, it would be too much. But this whole conversation started from a couple minutes of a phone call, not an extensive look at her finances. It make me do a bit of a double take, because it was a different side of the issue that I hadn't really thought about. So naturally, I brought it over here to get some other opinions.

Her problem is not about the minimum wage. It's about Covid.

[ConnorEl]

Or really 50 who realize there’s nothing in the Constitution that requires a supermajority.

Not under the current rules, of course.

[sailordeac]

Biden, or as the lube cognoscenti like to refer to him, "the big guy," is a fellow lamentably in severe irreversible mental decline, which is pretty alarming because he has never had both oars in the water. His ambition has always far exceeded his abilities. He is a real-life version of Chance the gardener, a haunting version of life imitating art.

Pelosi, according to Bill O'Reilly, is simply evil. But if you wanted to be charitable you could at best characterize her as "the worst cynic in Washington."

Chuck Schumer is simply a clown. He is a man, who has been sufficiently shortchanged intellectually to make a great career in the modern Democrat Party. (One might note in passing that his severe intellectual limitations are still insufficient for the likes of little red lubette, the future of the Dem Party.) Nevertheless, Schumer sets the standard for what everyone considers below average. Fortunately for Chuckles, that still puts him above China Joe, unfortunately for the country that's still woefully inadequate, if not pathetic.

Congratulations lubes! This is where your dystopian delusions and Trumpophobia has led.

[Rafi]

She was doing fine before the pandemic. The lunch crowd was enough to pay the bills, then she made her money on corporate catering. Having to cut capacity, combined with a decided lack of large corporate events over the past year, has hurt, but they have gotten by. I would assume that if she could get back to her pre-pandemic numbers, she would be able to manage with the wage hike, but at the current level, it would be too much. But this whole conversation started from a couple minutes of a phone call, not an extensive look at her finances. It make me do a bit of a double take, because it was a different side of the issue that I hadn't really thought about. So naturally, I brought it over here to get some other opinions.

Does the business do over $500,000 in sales? If not, then the federal minimum wage laws do not apply.

[Rafi]

Biden, or as the lube cognoscenti like to refer to him, "the big guy," is a fellow lamentably in severe irreversible mental decline, which is pretty alarming because he has never had both oars in the water. His ambition has always far exceeded his abilities. He is a real-life version of Chance the gardener, a haunting version of life imitating art.

Pelosi, according to Bill O'Reilly, is simply evil. But if you wanted to be charitable you could at best characterize her as "the worst cynic in Washington."

Chuck Schumer is simply a clown. He is a man, who has been sufficiently shortchanged intellectually to make a great career in the modern Democrat Party. (One might note in passing that his severe intellectual limitations are still insufficient for the likes of little red lubette, the future of the Dem Party.) Nevertheless, Schumer sets the standard for what everyone considers below average. Fortunately for Chuckles, that still puts him above China Joe, unfortunately for the country that's still woefully inadequate, if not pathetic.

Congratulations lubes! This is where your dystopian delusions and Trumpophobia has led.

This brings nothing to the discussion. The dumb nicknames and baseless speculation lower the level of discourse by magnitudes. Please try to do better.

[WakeBored]

Does the business do over $500,000 in sales? If not, then the federal minimum wage laws do not apply.

Not so fast my friend. The FLSA has a number of exceptions to the $500,000 floor, including where the employee is engaged in interstate commerce, which would include sending snail mail or emails or making telephone calls across state lines. Because the definition of “interstate commerce” is so broad, this exception swallows the $500,000 rule in the large majority of situations.

[DistrictDeacon]

Well, this is kind of a pointless little sidebar you keep questioning, but yeah, it’s highly debated amongst economists. Here are the results of 200 US economists surveyed https://epionline.org/studies/survey...inimum-wage-2/

EPI? Lol.

Next you’ll argue that climate change is highly debated by scientists based on a survey of Exxon’s mailing list.

[BeachBumDeac]

Not so fast my friend. The FLSA has a number of exceptions to the $500,000 floor, including where the employee is engaged in interstate commerce, which would include sending snail mail or emails or making telephone calls across state lines. Because the definition of “interstate commerce” is so broad, this exception swallows the $500,000 rule in the large majority of situations.

Did you miss the part where it’s a sandwich shop he is talking about?

[mako1331]

I always break down my hourly wage for coaching every season, not including offseason workouts and scheduling responsibilities. This year it was around 3.42 per hour.

[WakeBored]

Did you miss the part where it’s a sandwich shop he is talking about?

It's not hard to imagine how an employee of sandwich shop could engage in interstate commerce. If the employee regularly orders supplies (like paper plates, napkins, cups, etc.) from an online supplier, performs catering services across state lines, or processes credit card charges they are probably covered by the FLSA. It is certainly possible that an employee of a sandwich shop does none of those things, but, as an employer, you better make damn sure before you conclude the FLSA doesn't apply. FLSA lawsuits are typically not covered by insurance, are easily classable, and subject the employer to double damages and attorneys fees.

[JuiceCrewAllStar]

The problem is her business model. Being open only three hours a day, five days a week makes it nearly impossible to make a profit in the restaurant business regardless of the minimum wage.

redwing, you need to connect your mom to rj stat -- he is pretty good with business models, which can be confirmed with some light googling


I realize those hours don't count the catering, which may be the bulk of her business, but putting in 80 hours a week for a restaurant that is open 15 hours a week seems like something is amiss

[BiffTannen]

The problem is her business model. Being open only three hours a day, five days a week makes it nearly impossible to make a profit in the restaurant business regardless of the minimum wage.

She's not operating a sushi bar in Beverly Hills. Her rent is probably $6.50 per square foot and she's got a bunch of sliced bread and chicken salad.

[redwing42]

redwing, you need to connect your mom to rj stat -- he is pretty good with business models, which can be confirmed with some light googling


I realize those hours don't count the catering, which may be the bulk of her business, but putting in 80 hours a week for a restaurant that is open 15 hours a week seems like something is amiss

Yeah, the 80 hours was also more of a pre-pandemic thing... just not really used to thinking about her business in depth, so the old normal was still in my head about it.

I understand the related argument about her wage is not really valid, but aside from her building itself, which she has a mortgage on, the equity of the shop itself is questionable. There is only value if someone else will buy it, and there isn't much activity in that market.

She does have some major chain suppliers for what she doesn't make in house, (breads, lunchmeat, placesettings, etc.) so I'm not sure if those count as interstate contracts or not. And she does take credit card payments, of course, so that could factor in as well. I certainly don't have sales of $500k in a year now, though I'm not sure how close they got in the before times.

[RJKarl]

Manchin is now for an $11 base with indexing. If it's $11 in WV indexing for NY could be $20. I wonder whether he understands the depth of this.

[TownieDeac]

Obama didn't create massive cuts. He had to extend some of Bush's to also extend EITC, unemployment and cut Social Security taxes. It didn't cut any individual taxes but kept millions from having their taxes increased.

In no way is it comparable to W or Trump.

Extending the Bush tax cuts was a mistake, and not one he had to make. Just part of his big right turn he took from the campaign trail to office.

[mako1331]

Biden, or as the lube cognoscenti like to refer to him, "the big guy," is a fellow lamentably in severe irreversible mental decline, which is pretty alarming because he has never had both oars in the water. His ambition has always far exceeded his abilities. He is a real-life version of Chance the gardener, a haunting version of life imitating art.

Pelosi, according to Bill O'Reilly, is simply evil. But if you wanted to be charitable you could at best characterize her as "the worst cynic in Washington."

Chuck Schumer is simply a clown. He is a man, who has been sufficiently shortchanged intellectually to make a great career in the modern Democrat Party. (One might note in passing that his severe intellectual limitations are still insufficient for the likes of little red lubette, the future of the Dem Party.) Nevertheless, Schumer sets the standard for what everyone considers below average. Fortunately for Chuckles, that still puts him above China Joe, unfortunately for the country that's still woefully inadequate, if not pathetic.

Congratulations lubes! This is where your dystopian delusions and Trumpophobia has led.

We all just letting the irony of this post ride?

[sailordeac]

it may be worthwhile to consider the EPI survey results:

To better understand how US economists view the likely impact of raising the federal minimum
wage to $15, an online survey of 197 US economists was conducted January 31, 2019 and February 19,
2019 by Dr. Lloyd Corder of CorCom Inc. A total of 916 individuals were invited to participate based primarily on a contact list maintained by the Institute for the Study of Labor. This survey has a response rate of 22 percent.

The survey's key findings include:

74 percent oppose raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour;
84 percent believe a $15 minimum wage will have negative effects on youth employment;
Two-thirds of economists (66 percent) believe that an appropriate federal minimum wage is $10 an hour or less;
Just six percent believe a $15 minimum wage is a very efficient means to target individuals in poverty, while 64 percent said the same thing about the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

[redwing42]

We all just letting the irony of this post ride?

I think most people are trying to ignore him at this point.