missouri passes state law forcing cities to lower their minimum wage

[prideandfall]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...4b0da2c7324d725?2oi&ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

After St. Louis leaders raised the wage floor for workers within city limits, the state GOP recently passed what’s known as a statewide “preemption” law, forbidding localities from taking such matters into their own hands. On Friday, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) said he would let the law go into effect, thereby barring cities and counties from setting a minimum wage higher than the state level.

For low-wage earners in St. Louis itself, the new law will have a startling consequence: It will actually push the minimum wage back down, from the city-approved $10 per hour to the state-approved $7.70. The downgrade is slated to take effect on Aug. 28.

my two thoughts on this:
firstly while the liberal empathetic side of me recognizes this is pretty shitty for the people living in missouri, the cynical humanity-hating side of me thinks "well that's what you get for living in fucking missouri" and also it's interesting to me on a social experiment level to get to see moments like this where GOP ideology is put into practice and watching the entire thing implode on itself (the way kansas did, for example).

secondly, i'm waiting with bated breath for the resident regressive brigade to show up on this one, because it gives me the chuckles to watch their cognitive dissonance trying to figure out how to reconcile their need to pretend to be holier than thou about how much they hate big government intervention, with the erection it gives them to see government mandates fuck over the poor and minorities.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...4b0da2c7324d725?2oi&ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

After St. Louis leaders raised the wage floor for workers within city limits, the state GOP recently passed what’s known as a statewide “preemption” law, forbidding localities from taking such matters into their own hands. On Friday, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) said he would let the law go into effect, thereby barring cities and counties from setting a minimum wage higher than the state level.

For low-wage earners in St. Louis itself, the new law will have a startling consequence: It will actually push the minimum wage back down, from the city-approved $10 per hour to the state-approved $7.70. The downgrade is slated to take effect on Aug. 28.

my two thoughts on this:
firstly while the liberal empathetic side of me recognizes this is pretty shitty for the people living in missouri, the cynical humanity-hating side of me thinks "well that's what you get for living in fucking missouri" and also it's interesting to me on a social experiment level to get to see moments like this where GOP ideology is put into practice and watching the entire thing implode on itself (the way kansas did, for example).

secondly, i'm waiting with bated breath for the resident regressive brigade to show up on this one, because it gives me the chuckles to watch their cognitive dissonance trying to figure out how to reconcile their need to pretend to be holier than thou about how much they hate big government intervention, with the erection it gives them to see government mandates fuck over the poor and minorities.

Actually lowering their wage is going to be very hard to do. I rather suspect a lot of places that are currently paying $10/hr will fail and be replaced by other places that pay the $7.70.

 

[bleubird]

If some one starts a business and can not pay a living wage,they should never start a business.Restaurants are hardest business to start and pay the lest.

 

[KeepTalking]

Missouri noticed that Kansas was beginning to gain quite a lead in the race to the bottom, and decided to up their game. The "Show Me State" will show everyone that they can't be beat in any race.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Republicans believe in local control, unless that control isn't what they had in mind, then State or Federal control will be fine with them.

 

[ElectEngr]

Is this just for City positions or does this cover private companies?

The City of St Louis has a 10% city earnings tax on everyone who either works or lives within the city limits.

Later,
ElectEngr

 

[KeepTalking]

Is this just for City positions or does this cover private companies?

The City of St Louis has a 10% city earnings tax on everyone who either works or lives within the city limits.

Later,
ElectEngr

The St. Louis minimum wage law was for all workers in the city of St. Louis, not just city employees. This is actually a rather small area, as St. Louis has an archaic government structure with many small municipalities within what most people would consider the city of St. Louis. Most large metropolitan areas have consolidated the small municipalities into the larger city, which streamlines governance and reduces expenses, and St. Louis has been trying to do this for decades, but the municipalities have managed to fight it thus far.

 

[ElectEngr]

I use to live in (and work for) the city. Grew up in St Louis County

Later,
ElectEngr

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...4b0da2c7324d725?2oi&ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

After St. Louis leaders raised the wage floor for workers within city limits, the state GOP recently passed what’s known as a statewide “preemption” law, forbidding localities from taking such matters into their own hands. On Friday, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) said he would let the law go into effect, thereby barring cities and counties from setting a minimum wage higher than the state level.

For low-wage earners in St. Louis itself, the new law will have a startling consequence: It will actually push the minimum wage back down, from the city-approved $10 per hour to the state-approved $7.70. The downgrade is slated to take effect on Aug. 28.

my two thoughts on this:
firstly while the liberal empathetic side of me recognizes this is pretty shitty for the people living in missouri, the cynical humanity-hating side of me thinks "well that's what you get for living in fucking missouri" and also it's interesting to me on a social experiment level to get to see moments like this where GOP ideology is put into practice and watching the entire thing implode on itself (the way kansas did, for example).

secondly, i'm waiting with bated breath for the resident regressive brigade to show up on this one, because it gives me the chuckles to watch their cognitive dissonance trying to figure out how to reconcile their need to pretend to be holier than thou about how much they hate big government intervention, with the erection it gives them to see government mandates fuck over the poor and minorities.

You think there are people who say "this measure will fuck over the poor, therefore I support it"?

 

[prideandfall]

You think there are people who say "this measure will fuck over the poor, therefore I support it"?

no, but every single post that a bunch of other people that forum policy won't let me name (we all know who they are) make here obviously demonstrates that fucking over the poor and minorities are the primary values that prop up their political positions.

which in a way is the saddest part: they won't even just cop to it.
it's like how jerry falwell recently put out a statement that an attempt by new york legislators to ease restrictions on the statute of limitations for prosecuting child sexual abuse was "a blatant attempt by the left to bankrupt the catholic church" - that is flat out admitting the church are child fuckers, without admitting it. same thing with the posters here.

 

[Alcoholic Actuary]

Full employment in St Louis is imminent!! (everyone know that when you lower the price of something you get more of it)

aa

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

You think there are people who say "this measure will fuck over the poor, therefore I support it"?

no, but every single post that a bunch of other people that forum policy won't let me name (we all know who they are) make here obviously demonstrates that fucking over the poor and minorities are the primary values that prop up their political political positions.

So what you are saying isn't "they support that because it hurts the poor" but "they support that and I believe that will hurt the poor."

Quite a change from the sentiment expressed in your OP.

Instead of having people maliciously chuckling while rubbing their hands together, rejoicing at the harm their measures will cause, what you have is well intentioned but wrong people supporting something they mistakenly think is good.

Do you really think the way you expressed yourself in your OP, by assigning malicious intent, is the best way to reach out to them?

which in a way is the saddest part: they won't even just cop to it.
it's like how jerry falwell recently put out a statement that an attempt by new york legislators to ease restrictions on the statute of limitations for prosecuting child sexual abuse was "a blatant attempt by the left to bankrupt the catholic church" - that is flat out admitting the church are child fuckers, without admitting it. same thing with the posters here.

Wait, you ARE saying they are doing things they deliberately know are wrong?

 

[starwater]

So that's about $16K a year. If you work 2 jobs and can manage to get 80 hours a week, thats $32K - so there you go. You just have to work more hours than the rest of us. What's the problem? <sarcasm>

 

[prideandfall]

Wait, you ARE saying they are doing things they deliberately know are wrong?

no, i'm saying that they are doing things deliberately that *I* feel are wrong, but that they do not.
and that they are doing it for reasons that *I* feel are wrong, but that they do not.

from a macro perspective, minimizing suffering and maximizing comfort and stability is the entire point of animals herding, and the way i see things it's ultimately the entire point of human civilization.
so to me the 'right' thing to do in a society is whatever is necessary to ensure all members of the herd are contributing to the herd and benefiting from the herd.
allowing a situation to exist wherein a member of the herd is capable (regardless of why, whether it's a complex system of socio-economic factors or simply being lazy) of working more or less full time but not making enough money to survive in a nominally comfortable first world lifestyle is unacceptable to me.

now, that's MY value system, and as a moral relativist i don't think that system is inherently better or more "right" than anyone else's value system.
likewise, the fact that other people here have a value system predicated on "fuck you, i got mine" and a need to spite others for not being them... well, fine, whatever... but the fact those people won't just admit it is kind of pathetic to me.

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

Wait, you ARE saying they are doing things they deliberately know are wrong?

no, i'm saying that they are things deliberately that *I* feel are wrong, but that they do not.

Okay ... that makes the Falwell comparison rather confusing. But you don't think they go out saying "this will hurt the poor, ha ha ha!"

likewise, the fact that other people here have a value system predicated on "fuck you, i got mine" and a need to spite others for not being them... well, fine, whatever... but the fact those people won't just admit it is kind of pathetic to me.

Going back the other way again. Do you actually think their moral value system is "fuck you, I got mine"?

You keep saying "I don't believe X, I believe X instead."

 

[prideandfall]

Okay ... that makes the Falwell comparison rather confusing. But you don't think they go out saying "this will hurt the poor, ha ha ha!"

no, it's more "this will hurt the poor, and doing that is the goal of my value system"

Going back the other way again. Do you actually think their moral value system is "fuck you, I got mine"?

it clearly and demonstrably is, so i don't find it a matter of "thinking" so much as "observing"

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

Ah, you do ascribe malicious intent to those who disagree with you. Fascinating.

 

[prideandfall]

Ah, you do ascribe malicious intent to those who disagree with you. Fascinating.

sure, if it makes you happy to think that, do whatever makes it easier for you.

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

Ah, you do ascribe malicious intent to those who disagree with you. Fascinating.

sure, if it makes you happy to think that, do whatever makes it easier for you.

How else is there to put it? You say that the basis of their values is "fuck you, I've got mine", and you expect people to see that as something other than malicious intent. You state that as a premise, you say "this is where they start from." Since you say you aren't ascribing malicious intent, I challenge you to try to find some way to put a positive spin on it.

Anyone else I'd say "is it possible they come from some other premise" but I'm pretty sure that would be a wasted effort on you.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

If some one starts a business and can not pay a living wage,they should never start a business.Restaurants are hardest business to start and pay the lest.

Once again, trading poor jobs for unemployment.