tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post2491663515066451273..comments2024-03-29T09:53:45.879-05:00Comments on Bayou Renaissance Man: Immigrants, jobs - and machinesPeterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10595089829300831372noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-6779426453271581722015-06-29T14:38:06.957-05:002015-06-29T14:38:06.957-05:00@Bruce, it depends what part of the country you ar...@Bruce, it depends what part of the country you are in.<br /><br />I really dislike increases in the minimum wage, and I have done so every since it was increased to $3.25/hour. This was because I had just gotten a promotion, more work and responsibilities and a pay hike to $3.30/hour. When the minimum wage was increased, most of my increased pay effectively disappeared, but the added work didn't.<br /><br />You should not be buying a house or raising a family on minimum wage, at minimum wage you should be a student or just starting out, renting a room. It's as you go up from there that you should be able to live on your own and think about a family. Increasing the minimum wage doesn't increase the pay of the jobs above that level, it just eats into their purchasing power.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12084309137541367977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-40843320064663166292015-06-29T07:42:58.993-05:002015-06-29T07:42:58.993-05:00I work in what might be considered a luxury retail...I work in what might be considered a luxury retail store (high-quality, mostly US made, bird feeders/supplies). Feeding the wild birds is definitely a luxury, so presumably the people coming into the store have a fair bit of cash (I know they do, since I often have their addresses). <br />A small bird feeder runs 30-50 dollars: good quality construction, lifetime warranty, repairable, lasts 20 years easily. The number of people who balk at that price is astonishing. Yet, not infrequently, they are carrying a coffee from the Starbucks down the street. So, the bird feeder is equal to the price of what 10 coffees maybe? Something doesn't add up. And what it is, I think, is that people don't understand, and certainly don't accept, all the costs of a product. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-28764145974607645502015-06-28T21:00:46.649-05:002015-06-28T21:00:46.649-05:00at the risk of rehashing old thoughts... When I we...at the risk of rehashing old thoughts... When I went into construction in the early seventies, it did not take long before I was able to buy a house, and take care of myself. I realize housing costs were before land use policies skewed things, but still try doing that today. Two years after starting as a laborer at minimum wage, think about buying a house.brucehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06911036379896402069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-56728689405655617792015-06-28T13:49:29.869-05:002015-06-28T13:49:29.869-05:00BTW, I'm an automation and control system engi...BTW, I'm an automation and control system engineer. I design, program, and integrate PLC-based control systems for a variety of applications. I use all makes of PLC's (Omron, A-B, Seimens) and various SCADA/HMI's (Wonderware, Seimens, Inductive) as well as drives, motion control, and temperature control. <br /><br />I actually said in a job interview several years ago that all of this talk and news coverage about the coming robotics and automation revolution convinced me that being the guy who does the automation was the perfect career choice. They had a laugh over that.kurt9https://www.blogger.com/profile/02101147267959016924noreply@blogger.com