Of course, when he says that, he means they are living too close to where we want to put up luxury housing and hotels and stuff. In order to keep the economic growth from crimping, though, we still need to pay them next to nothing to staff those hotels.
Yet, gasoline costs have risen; flood insurance rates rise, some at 15 percent per annum; gas and electric utility rates increase, sewerage and water rates increase, property taxes rise — yet the minimum wage rate in America, after taking inflation into account, is just about where it was in 1968. For 45 years real hourly minimum wages have either stagnated or declined. Had the federal minimum wage been adjusted upward at 4 percent per annum from its 1968 level of $1.60, it would be $9.34 per hour in 2013. Nonetheless, I am sure that there are some hardline business owners among us who may say that $7.25 per hour is sufficient. I am not one. Seventy-five thousand workers in the hospitality industry in New Orleans deserve better.But if the rent is too damn high in New Orleans, they'll just have to move out of the way. And then Pres will have more stuff to "revitalize."
Entrepreneurs should pay a “just” wage. Given the rise in fixed costs in America, the current federal minimum wage does not allow a person receiving that level of pay to “break even.” Shouldn’t workers break even too? A worker earning $7.25 per hour cannot afford to pay both rent and utilities on a decent home; and certainly, cannot afford to purchase a car and a home and upkeep both, or pay tuition at a public college or university.
From he WSJ article:
ReplyDelete...which had 821 public-housing units the plan calls for 880 new mixed-income apartments, of which 304 will be
public-housing replacement units, with the balance to be a combination
of market-rate rentals and affordable workforce rentals.
Were those 821 units all occupied? If so and they are replaced with only 304 public housing units, where do the 500+ folks go? If they are working poor dependent on public transit, if they are moved out of nola proper to the suburbs they're screwed if they depend on the transit system.
Had minimum wage kept up with inflation it would be something like $11.00; if it had kept pace with inflation and worker productivity increases it would be $20.00 +; and, get ready, if it had pace with inflation, worker productivity, and the exploding growth in CEO compensation it would be a meager $70.00 an hour. Minimum workers would probably be good to stay in New Orleans at that rate. Thanks for your fucking concern anyway, Pres.
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