General Discussion

salin

(48,958 posts)

70. I could be wrong... but it is a relatively recent phenomenon

Tue Jul 22, 2014, 02:04 PM

Jul 2014

It used to be companies budgeted what they could afford to pay matching with need. If the profit wasn't big enough to support the business, it was a business plan issue. Companies did not used to factor in public assistance as a means of subsidizing payrolls. It was shocking when it became mainstream news that Walmart was doing this circa 2000.

And Walmart was doing it to increase already outsized profits. Now - it has become a relatively common practice (and obscene, imo). It isn't about businesses not being able to afford more - at least not those the size of walmart. It is about corporate greed and a corporate and civic culture that is no longer shocked and now accepts this "business model" as acceptable.

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I absolutely love this idea: The Bad Boss Tax [View all] Scuba Jul 2014 OP

K & R !!! WillyT Jul 2014 #1

Oh Hell Yeah! Erich Bloodaxe BSN Jul 2014 #2

Make it gradually hurt more. Half-Century Man Jul 2014 #10

. BlancheSplanchnik Jul 2014 #17

An Excellent Idea, Sir The Magistrate Jul 2014 #3

Great idea! truebluegreen Jul 2014 #4

I love it! Brigid Jul 2014 #5

Superb! Sherman A1 Jul 2014 #6

Please do that in CA nt abelenkpe Jul 2014 #7

My sentiments exactly. KamaAina Jul 2014 #68

This should be federal. BrotherIvan Jul 2014 #8

TOTALLY AWESOME OneAngryDemocrat Jul 2014 #9

Tax Them Big Time colsohlibgal Jul 2014 #11

Another great thread! woo me with science Jul 2014 #12

Works for me. secondvariety Jul 2014 #13

I'm pretty sure SCOTUS™ will have none of it. GeorgeGist Jul 2014 #14

And maybe make them incorporate some sort of Scarlet Letter into their logo Jackpine Radical Jul 2014 #15

YES! BlancheSplanchnik Jul 2014 #16

Great Idea... supercats Jul 2014 #18

K&R. Brilliant idea. Fair to the best bosses who pay living wages. JDPriestly Jul 2014 #19

Someone needs to fix the rec button. Phlem Jul 2014 #20

Real numbers makes income inequality harder to deny rickyhall Jul 2014 #21

While I believe this 'bad boss tax' might be helpful in taising wages Jenoch Jul 2014 #22

knr HCE SuiGeneris Jul 2014 #23

+++ ReasonableToo Jul 2014 #24

Makes sense. What do Hillary supporters say? grahamhgreen Jul 2014 #25

Kicked and recommended. Uncle Joe Jul 2014 #26

Kicked and recommended! Enthusiast Jul 2014 #27

Bad Idea possiblylogical Jul 2014 #28

Any sources to back up your claim, or is this just your opinion? Scuba Jul 2014 #29

Common sense. possiblylogical Jul 2014 #32

So it's just your opinion. Got it. Scuba Jul 2014 #33

Does anything I say seem incorrect? possiblylogical Jul 2014 #35

Yes. Scuba Jul 2014 #37

May I ask what? possiblylogical Jul 2014 #41

Do you think these corporations aren't already hiring the cheapest labor they can find? Scuba Jul 2014 #46

But the people that are more reliant on welfare are no longer the cheapest labor. possiblylogical Jul 2014 #47

The problem here is employers shifting their costs to the taxpayers. There needs to be a penalty .. Scuba Jul 2014 #50

Why are you so concerned about penalizing companies? possiblylogical Jul 2014 #53

Perhaps "penalizing" is a poor choice of words on my part. What the law really does ... Scuba Jul 2014 #57

I'm not sure why it's the company's "cost" Abq_Sarah Jul 2014 #67

Presumably the law would take into account things like different sized families. Scuba Jul 2014 #69

How would you make that work? Lee-Lee Jul 2014 #76

I wouldn't. Please re-read my post. Scuba Jul 2014 #77

So then why not use a minimum wage? possiblylogical Jul 2014 #88

This is how intellectual discussions work joeglow3 Jul 2014 #45

Taking steps to avoiding discrimination would be a mess. possiblylogical Jul 2014 #48

We'd better repeal all laws then, if people are just going to work around them. Scuba Jul 2014 #49

No. When designing rules and regulations, we should make sure to consider incentives. possiblylogical Jul 2014 #51

Your argument seems to be .... Scuba Jul 2014 #56

In the real world... Lee-Lee Jul 2014 #78

In the real world, employers are shifting billions in costs to the taxpayers. Want to fix it? Scuba Jul 2014 #79

Sure I want to fix it Lee-Lee Jul 2014 #80

This could work brilliantly IF you also make it illegal to ask Lyric Jul 2014 #84

When people apply for jobs they reveal information about themselves through the application process. possiblylogical Jul 2014 #86

My argument is that there is really no reason to use this method as a solution to the problem.. possiblylogical Jul 2014 #87

The unintended consequence- if you get assistance don't apply Lee-Lee Jul 2014 #30

Please see my post #56, particularly the part on hiring discrimination. Scuba Jul 2014 #59

I like this idea. Once in a while, we agree on an issue. badtoworse Jul 2014 #31

I don't care how we re-distribute it - TBF Jul 2014 #34

Be better if they gave the money to the workers, though. n/t DirkGently Jul 2014 #36

Chicken or the egg? Indydem Jul 2014 #38

I think this one's obvious. The corporations don't care if the workers get taxpayer help .... Scuba Jul 2014 #39

I'm not entirely sure about that. Indydem Jul 2014 #40

If you look at developing countries, possiblylogical Jul 2014 #43

I could be wrong... but it is a relatively recent phenomenon salin Jul 2014 #70

Sweetness! nt MrScorpio Jul 2014 #42

Why didn't democrats fix the minimum wage when they controlled the whole government? joeglow3 Jul 2014 #44

When did Democrats control the whole government well enough to do that? jmowreader Jul 2014 #62

That is a cop out and you know it joeglow3 Jul 2014 #72

Facts are a cop out? Where am I? JaneyVee Jul 2014 #73

The idea of a bullshit Bad Boss Tax? jmowreader Jul 2014 #75

I sooo love this idea. MoonchildCA Jul 2014 #52

kicking because I love the idea nt navarth Jul 2014 #54

This thread was just promoted on the Thomas Hartmann radio show GusBob Jul 2014 #55

K&R n/t myrna minx Jul 2014 #58

Where would the demarcation line of low wage/fair wage be drawn...and who would decide that ?nt clarice Jul 2014 #60

From what I can gather it would be based on a wage that still leave the employee ... Scuba Jul 2014 #61

Just seems like there is a lot of grey area. nt clarice Jul 2014 #63

So would the fine equal the subsidies or be something like .0005% of the subsidies? valerief Jul 2014 #64

This. Is. Brilliant. n/t TygrBright Jul 2014 #65

The real welfare cheats... annabanana Jul 2014 #66

K & R They_Live Jul 2014 #71

This is a GREAT idea! PatrickforO Jul 2014 #74

Why Not... delphi72 Jul 2014 #81

How awesome an idea is that! K&R Jefferson23 Jul 2014 #82

Walmart will be history in Minnesota! redstatebluegirl Jul 2014 #83

The pay outs for CEO's, top management and stock dividends are the reason... L0oniX Jul 2014 #85

Me Too! RiffRandell Jul 2014 #89