Working for Minimum Wage

I know the news is all a buzz with the idea of raising minimum wage. I feel it is time for me to give a brief economics lesson on the dangers of raising minimum wage. It will actually not be a devastating disaster, but it will certainly not raise the quality of life for anyone. Let us begin.

Right now the national minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. If you work full time on this wage with no overtime, you will earn $15,080 annually. The cost of living comfortably I the US is much higher than this I know. Especially in certain areas such as California, New York, and Florida. But for arguments sake, let's say any normal person could reasonably get by (get by, not get ahead) on $35,000 annually. I could research a more accurate number but this rough estimate will serve the purpose of my argument. 

Now we raise the minimum wage to $10 an hour. Your annual salary goes up to $20,800. This brings you much closer to that average cost of living. Or so you think. What you do not realize is that the cost of living is now $45,000 annually. So you are not any closer to that cost of living, even though the government promised you would be. 

You are now asking yourself how this could be. How could the cost of living go up so much? A liberal would say it's because big businesses now see an opportunity to make more money because consumers are earning more money. This is not true. Cost of living rose simply because it now cost companies more to provide you with the services and products you desire. Before minimum wage was raised, companies were able to provide their goods and services at one set cost; this cost included the labor and supplies needed to perform the function. When minimum wage was raised, this cost to produce your goods rose with it. The cost I labor increased, along with the cost of supplies because a conpanies supplier's labor costs also went up. Companies still have to make a profit in order to make their owners (the people who's retirement is invested in their stocks) happy. The higher minimum wage goes, the higher the cost of living will go. This is why raising minimum wage will have no benefit or damage to the economy. It is simply a tool used by politicians to buy votes. 

I hope now you realize that minimum wage shoul not be considered when you are choosing who to vote for. I recommend looking at candidates that have real ideas to fix our economy. Vote for people who have real business experience, not lawyers. Lawyers belong in court rooms, not congress. 

New NBA Team

I haven't blogged in forever. My life has been one hectic race this past year. My wife and I are expecting a baby next month and we may both be starting graduate school this fall. However a recent major story has forced me back to the blog to complain.

I am not much of a basketball fan. I do enjoy watching some NBA and college hoops, but it's just not my favorite sport. However I try to have a favorite team in every sport. I chose my favorite team many years ago. When Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O'Neal won their NBA Championship together I became a Miami Heat fan. I didn't like Lebron James or Kobe Bryant. I could in fact say I hated Lebron James. All the media and almost everyone I came across kept pushing him as the greatest ever. I was and still am a firm believer that no one will ever dethrone the true king of the hardwood, Michael Jordan. But something happened that forced me to rethink my hatred of James. He signed with my team. No longer did everyone love him, nor did the media paint him as the savior of basketball. Of course the media's destain for James only lasted for one season, it was enough for me to at least like him as a player. He is still not my favorite (that was still Wade), but I did root for him. I cheered them on through their four finals appearances. But this last Finals against the San Antonio Spurs was a shocker to me. I saw these supposedly great players, one some consider will be the greatest of all time, give up. They didn't even try to win this series. Coach Spoelstra pulled his three superstars with five minutes remaining in an elimination game five, and they let him! I do not care how bad you are loosing, when you are in the finals and facing elimination, you fight to the final buzzer! When I saw this, I lost all respect for not only James but Wade as well (who had been my favorite player because he always fought so hard). As it stands I will never root for the Miami Heat again until both of those players are no longer on the roster.

So to all the other NBA teams out there, I am currently looking for a new team to root for in the NBA. If your interested, have players that show true character and the fight to win, and I will become your fan. I know the Oklahoma City Thunder would be a good choice but I'm afraid I do not like Kendrick Perkins.