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[OhNo-Really]

This message was self-deleted by its author (OhNo-Really) on Sat Dec 10, 2022, 09:08 PM. When the original post in a discussion thread is self-deleted, the entire discussion thread is automatically locked so new replies cannot be posted.

[guillaumeb]

1. It is a race to the bottom.

And it means that the supposed benefits of this booming economy, (as the media describes it), mainly benefit the 1%.

[Wellstone ruled]

2. Had a Customer

Business account from one of Japan's major Industrial Banking Firms. Still remember what he said to me in 1991. We will Manage the demise of the USA's Financial System. And he said,you can thank Reagan/Bush for that. Supplyside Economics does not work.

[OhNo-Really]

4. Omg! That WAS the beginning of the end

We were led to believe that the real estate scammers from Texas moved to Boston, greased loan officers for huge project loans and then went back south with the absconded loans.

I suspected hidden market manipulation. Perhaps your contact was correct

Thank you for this story.

[Wellstone ruled]

6. As Ike said in his last address.

Beware of the Military Industrial Complex and Rich Oil People from Texas bringing false hopes to the Nation.

Oh how true those words were.

[ohtransplant]

3. "The financial assault on hard-working Americans..."

continues and large numbers of them seem to support it with their votes. Reason and logic don't see to sway them... Their own self-interest be damned...

It's something that's always mystifies me.

[OhNo-Really]

5. Lots written about their psychology

Any verbose egomaniac with zero conscience and with some financial backing can hoodwink a percentage of the electorate.

The real problem is the huge number of good people who don’t vote. How much must they suffer before motivated to get out and vote FOR their interests? How can we motivate the 18-25 vote?

[BarbD]

11. Convincing people to vote is our biggest challenge.

It's not just the 18-25, it's all of those who are cynical about corrupt politicians.

[ohtransplant]

20. I agree that turnout is key...

and that way too many people didn't vote in 2016. If they did, we wouldn't be enduring what we are (to be polite). All the voter suppression efforts aggravate/amplify this affect. It's a huge issue and Dems need a firm plan to address it.

The thing that I find frustrating is that so may "workers" (union members, service industry workers, building trades) that have nothing in common with 45, other than a generalized anger at "others", that they end up as die-hard, unrepentant, unreasoned/unreasonable MAGA proponents. Almost very policy in the last 3 years goes against the financial, moral and ethical values of blue collar workers. Some that I know are otherwise sane, concerned citizens but they're dug in on this...

[mathematic]

7. You don't say what you paid them to do

Adjusted for inflation from 1993, that's a range of $17.68 to $22.11. This is similar to what amazon pays its warehouse workers.

[OhNo-Really]

8. Business 1 was commercial cleaning. Business 2 was fashion accessory invention

Please share your equation or source for scaling wages. What does $10/$12.50 for 1985 scale to 2020? Thank you.

In both instances I looked at costs and labor value added.

Commercial cleaning in 1985 paid approximately $15/hr. Starting wage was $7/hr (cost of a Perdue Chicken) & raised to $10 as soon as employee proved thorough & reliable. Supervisors earned $12.50. For each employee hour added there was $5/hr gross. Overhead very low. In short I paid 2/3 of gross to employees. By 1990 business was grossing 6 figures with the business fully delegated accept for payroll & bookkeeping.

Seamstresses in Chinatown were paid 25% of gross. They earned up to $600 a week on piece work. Very loyal tireless wonderful women! Was a huge national success until banks turned off the faucet. I had to shred the first pre-Christmas $60k test order from Nordstrom’s 😭😭😭

And then the lights went out.

[mathematic]

15. I just used an inflation calculator

I picked the first one in a google search but here's the one from the BLS that's down to the month: https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=10&year1=199301&year2=201901

I chose to adjust from 1993 rather than 1985 because you characterized the pay as "decent" throughout the period. I don't know how commercial cleaning compares to amazon warehouse work but my impression is that both jobs can be physically taxing. It seems like it's comparable to amazon pay when counting the benefits from amazon and, if I take your description at face value, the worker classification of the employment.

[OhNo-Really]

17. My employees had fun. No injuries

With few exceptions, we worked in teams. We were a really happy group. It was actually fun. We joked “paid to work out”

So sad shutting down. The good times rolled.

Not a screaming loud, repetitive, and physically demanding job overseen by quota drivers who shun workers time to pee as has been reported about Amazon factory work.

No comparison at all.

Employees are people deserving of dignity, not cogs to be ground to dust.

The Jungle is back. Great book btw

[wallyworld2]

9. That was an actual living wage

It is a scandal what people are paid today.

The cost of living alone, rent, house payment, car payment, utilities, groceries, gas, bus pass, saving for college, saving for medical emergencies and more.

At 1993 wages puts even the smallest of families under stress.

It's funny how millionaires and billionaires can't do without one thing

and

Working people, who work the butts off, can do without so much, in their wealthy mindset

[maxrandb]

10. You might like this thread. I made $12.60 an hour in 1981 at a grocery store

Yes... Reagan and his bullshit trickle down fucked over an entire generation

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212527376

[OhNo-Really]

18. I loved your article. Greed requires containment

[PoliticAverse]

12. $10 in 1985 is equivalent to $24.38 now...

(See: https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl )

[OhNo-Really]

14. Thank you! I was wondering how it scaled

It was a good time. My first employees stayed with me for the entire time.

[LittleGirl]

13. I remember those days

I could make 10 bucks an hour waiting tables and pay for car payments, insurance and maintenance. It was a living wage, sort of. I had to borrow money from Mom for my 300 dollar root canal I needed. I was in my 20s living in a studio apt working two jobs.

[OhNo-Really]

19. Thank you. I think stories like yours really helps

Studio apartments. Not many affordable ones now

[LittleGirl]

21. It was an old house converted into four apartments

I paid 200 a month for all utilities included. It had one of those white stoves for apartments where the burners (gas) were stacked right next to each other. It could not have been 24 inches wide. I lived there for three years until 1989. The old man next door kept an eye out for me and died one night. I left not long after when I got a permanent job, with benefits and a pension to boot. Those were the days.

[hunter]

16. I graduated from college without any debt.

It took me nine years to do that (with time-outs for bad behavior) but in the early 'eighties I was making at least $8-10 an hour, frequently with time-and-a-half overtime.

At one point I flunked organic chemistry because I was ditching class to work. I could go to class, or I could make $60-$100 moving furniture for a day. I enjoyed moving furniture more than I enjoyed organic chemistry.

College was less than $4,000 year and my share of the rent in a crappy apartment I shared with some other guys was $125 a month.

Gasoline was free. Well almost. I could fill the tank of my little Toyota for less than an hour's wages.

My own children didn't enjoy anything like that.

I blame Reagan and all the asshole Republicans that followed him. The Republican Party is now so corrupt it needs to die.