SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
The NYT reports that in a unanimous vote, the Seattle City Council went where no big-city lawmakers have gone before, raising the local minimum wage to $15 an hour, more than double the federal minimum, and pushing Seattle to the forefront of urban efforts to address income inequality. "Even before the Great Recession a lot of us have started to have doubt and concern about the basic economic promise that underpins economic life in the United States," says Council Member Sally J. Clark. "Today Seattle answers that challenge." High-tech, fast-growing Seattle, population 634,535, is home to Amazon.com, Zillow, and Starbucks. It also has more than 100,000 workers whose incomes are insufficient to support their families, according to city figures and around 14% of Seattle's population lives below the poverty level. Some business owners have questioned the proposal saying that the city's booming economy is creating an illusion of permanence. "We're living in this bubble of Amazon, but that's not going to go on," says businessman Tom Douglas. "There's going to be some terrific price inflation."
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Thursday June 05 2014, @11:54AM
But iz all cool! Soon youze be buyin yoself a Hundred Dollar Big Mac.
Which is fine, assuming I'm on $1000 an hour.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 05 2014, @11:58AM
Why should anyone pay you $1000 an hour when there are a thousand Chinese, Indians, and Mexicans who are willing to work for $50 an hour?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 05 2014, @12:34PM
Have you eaten a Chinese hamburger? Like to try one after its been floating over the ocean for a few weeks on it's way to you?
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 05 2014, @12:47PM
Ancient Chinese Secret: keep frozen until ready to heat.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 05 2014, @02:54PM
I'm going to take that as a no then.
PS. have you seen many cows in China?
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Friday June 06 2014, @02:20AM
No, but I bet once the hamburgers start flowing across the ocean, there'll be fewer Chinese. ;)
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Thursday June 05 2014, @03:51PM
Same problem affects the average person right now, but it's $10 an hour vs 50c an hour, so to the average person, who gives a crap if the dollar deflates.
The big problems are
1) People with savings lose out. Big whoop, they aren't contributing to society right now, and they have left society in a mess.
2) Imports get expensive. Big whoop, means that joe sixpack finds out he actually afford a 60" OLED 3D 4K TV to replace his 3 year old 50" one.