Living wages in an unskilled economy

Over the last six years, budget-conscious Americans' demand for inexpensive services has increased. In an uncertain economy, an inexpensive meal at McDonald's, for example, was preferred by many to a more pricey meal at an upscale restaurant. Often, it was preferred even to eating food prepared at home.

The traditional narrative of fast food being a job market for teenagers looking for some spending money is no longer true. Most fast food workers are adults, and by at least one study, their median age is 28. By some estimates, 52% of fast food workers require welfare.

It is understandable, then, that some fast food workers are protesting what they feel is an unfair and unrealistic wage. Several labor campaigns across the country are demanding that fast food workers be compensated with a living wage of approximately 15 dollars per hour.

According to the Heritage Foundation, increasing fast food workers' wages to 15 dollars per hour would force fast food restaurants to raise prices on food served by 38 percent simply to cover that additional cost. Many studies have shown that fast food customers are very price sensitive, and large price increases would significantly drive down consumer demand for those goods and services. Fast food companies would have to look to technology to streamline processes and reduce costs, which would eliminate jobs for some workers.

It is impossible to ignore the human element to this story. The people that work these jobs are real people, with real problems, doing what they feel is their very best to provide for themselves and their families. Many of these people must work multiple jobs just to make ends meet.

In one sense, a living wage is already available to these workers, in the form of government welfare. With so many fast food workers already living on welfare, this is an important piece of this puzzle. The economics of fast food may very well make it impossible for companies to provide a living wage to their employees, but as it is, the government is already subsidizing this particular industry, as it does with others.

But is this right? I argue that it is not. The reason that wages are low for fast food workers is that demand for this industry is high, but supply for these unskilled workers is also high. These companies would prefer to retain their talented employees, but when they leave, they rarely have problems filling their positions.

The problem is that America has too many unskilled laborers. If it were not so easy for fast food companies to hire new workers, these companies would have to provide a higher wage to attract qualified workers. Maybe not yet a living wage, but a better wage.

America needs more skilled laborers. Many, many industries are booming in this country: technology, computer programming, web development, human resources, senior care, child care, health care, pet care, engineering, architecture, financial services, education, research, and accounting are just a few examples. But all of these fields require skills that must be acquired through training and education.

Living wages are important, but the unintended consequences of forcing artificial wage increases on industries will end up hurting those that they intend to help. Rather than subsidize unskilled labor, as our government welfare system does now, America should apply greater resources to actual skills development to give those that would like a living wage a way to realistically achieve those goals.

The sport of politics

This year's coverage of the 2012 GOP presidential nomination process has indicated to me that for all these pundits’ seeming affection for the excitement of an intense contest, they could really stand to learn a few things from sports. Here are a few suggestions:

1) A win is a win is a win. On Super Tuesday, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney won six of the ten states holding contests. This was double the spoils of his nearest opponent, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, but most commentators, pundits, editorialists and bloggers were quick to downplay these victories. They glossed over or ignored Romney’s blowout wins in Massachusetts and Idaho, while posing such questions as “Why can’t Romney win big?”

Sports commentators like to talk about style points, but at the end of the day what all sports fans realize is that a win is a win and a loss is a loss. Period. You won’t earn a bid to the postseason by losing 70-90% of the games you play. Mitt knows this, and this is why he continues to win.

2) You can’t move the goalposts. Few things are more frustrating for sports fans than a referee that inserts himself into the game, distracting from the athletic competition on the field and drawing attention to his own weaknesses and biases. Transpose this analogy to the rhetoric we hear from pundits today. With each new primary and caucus the multitudinous talking heads clamor to be the first to raise the stakes for Romney. Michigan was a must-win. Mitt won it, but not by enough to impress the critics. So Ohio became the next must-win, which Mitt also won by a solid, yet narrow, margin. The critics were once again nonplused. Almost entirely absent in discussion of these contests was any mention that in winning each of these states, Romney had managed, in a matter of only a few days, to come from well behind the primary opponent Rick Santorum for the win. Like a skilled quarterback, Romney continues to move the ball and his team down the field, but each time he picks up ten yards, the pundits spot him short of the first down.

3) It’s about matchups. In pro football, my favorite team is the Washington Redskins. I’ve been a fan of the Skins since I was a kid growing up in the DC area in the 80s. The Skins have fallen from favor in recent years, struggling to win games in their Division, to say nothing of advancing to the playoffs. We finished with a 5-11 record this year. We did, however, manage to beat the Giants twice. That’s right, those Giants: the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. Somehow both times that they played us this year the Giants lost, but they still managed to win the league title. That’s because in sports, as in politics, it’s about matchups.

How many times have commentators chided Romney for his inability to beat the guy that lost to Obama? How many times have they criticized him for failing to receive as many votes this time around in the same states that he won convincingly in 2008? What these so-called “analysts” ignore is that 2012 isn’t 2008, and Romney isn’t campaigning against John McCain. It’s a completely different time, and he’s competing in a completely different field. The matchups are different. The results will differ as well. It is possible to lose to the guy who lost to Obama, and still be the guy to beat Obama. Just ask the Giants.

4) Don’t hate the player, hate the game. Life isn’t fair. Sports isn’t either. Many international soccer leagues, notably England’s Premiership and Spain’s La Liga feature Goliaths like Manchester United and Real Madrid who do battle with a consortium of Davids whose real opponent each year is the threat of relegation to a lower league. New York’s Giants were recently valued as the 4th most valuable team in the NFL, behind the Cowboys, Redskins and Patriots. New York is also home to the 3rd most valuable sports club on the planet, Major League Baseball’s Yankees.

One of my favorite moments from watching the Super Tuesday returns last night was listening to the CNN commentators talk about how despite vastly outspending his opponents, in early returns it was clear that money was not buying victories for Mitt. Then, as the picture became more clear, these eggheads were forced to revise their earlier statements to account for the fact that yes, money had in fact been a positive factor for Romney in winning key states. Of course, then the line of criticism switched to the morality of it all, and the seeming ineffectuality of a candidate so dependent upon money to prop up his campaign. Sports fans often complain about the Goliaths in their sports, particularly if, like our own Utah Jazz, our team hails from a small market. But you truly cannot fault a candidate for playing by the rules, and maximizing those rules for their campaign’s benefit. Romney has proven to be light years ahead of his peers in terms of fund-raising and campaign organization. That is a strength for Republicans, not a weakness, and regardless of that fact, the reality is that he’s doing it all by the rules. Complain all you want about this, but don’t hate the player: hate the game.

* * *

This has been an exciting campaign, but the media’s non-stop attempts to downplay Romney’s achievements as front-runner do little more than damage those critics' own credibility. Give credit where credit is due. Romney is not just winning: he is dominating the field. Stop pretending otherwise.

Contingency Operations

A friend of mine recently shared the above video with me. What follows is our ensuing conversation:

ME: Obviously what we need to do is sue Arizona for bringing all this trouble upon themselves. Then we need to do some soul searching and find out just why those drug traffickers hate us so much. Is it because of our prosperity? Maybe if we were a little less prosperous and even submitted a little to their demands they might like us more? We should probably negotiate with the cartels, and maybe even give them some financial aid while we're at it. It really is all our fault after all. It's the least we could do.

Just some ideas...

FRIEND: If it is a "war on drugs", why are we the only ones dragging a dump truck load of ROE's and they are the only ones shooting people and chopping off heads? Sounds familiar.

ME: I don't think it's a war on drugs anymore. It's a domestic contingency operation against undocumented pharmaceutical providers.

From SLC to Seattle in 26 and 40

Another belated post, and a return to a lighter subject: soccer. I've written about soccer in this space several times before (here, here, here, here, here, here and here).

I've been following my team since before it was born. Since before it even had a name. I even voted in an online poll to have my say on what I thought the name should be (I didn't win). I've kept every ticket stub I've ever used, as well as various news clippings and game day programs. I've still got my tiny towel from the Western Conference Championship game in 2008.

I don't really consider myself a die-hard. I'm not a season ticket holder. I've never been to any of the special events that the team has held. Never greeted the players at the airport following a big win. Never attended a practice session. Never traveled to Park City for a reserve match (back when we used to have those). Never traveled to an away match.

But I've remained loyal to this club through the years, attending matches as often as I am able, following all of the other blogs, writing here, posting comments to news articles, reading and writing in the forums.

It's been a blast.

Well, I finally got my chance to travel for a match: the MLS Cup in Seattle. My wife, a Seattleite by heart and formerly by residence, almost forced me into the situation. A friend (who sometimes posts online with the alias Xenofred) arranged for the tickets. He traveled up with two other friends, and my wife and I traveled separately. It was to be my wife's first time attending an MLS match.

A sleepless Friday night's drive, a check engine light, a breakfast at Denney's, a stop at a Fruit and Antiques store, and a quick nap in our hotel room later and we were ready to enjoy a Saturday evening in the Emerald City.

We met up with my wife's friend who lives in the Fremont district, who baked an assortment of tiny pizzas for dinner. Afterwards we all ventured out into the rain in search of dessert. I began to wonder where our seats were, and whether we might get rained on during the match. After some conversation back at the house, we retired to our hotel for the night.

The next day began at the McDonald's next door to our hotel (the 6th Avenue Inn, downtown) for a quick breakfast (so exotic!). That's when it began. At that restaurant alone, I probably saw a dozen or more RSL fans. Afterwards we made our way to Pike for some shopping. Pike, despite being a bit of a tourist trap, is always a fun place to visit, and incredibly easy to find. I don't know how many times I've been to Seattle - and I've really spent lots of time all over the city - but I don't think I've ever passed up a trip to Pike. This time was unique as RSL fans were all over the market! Everywhere we looked we saw the familiar claret-and-cobalt, and the corresponding Xango branding. We even saw a dog, tied up outside of a nearby cafe, with an RSL scarf around its neck! It was great fun to see all of the RSL fans, as well as to watch the supporters of various other clubs (there were a few LA fans wandering around as well).

It wasn't until we finally arrived at the stadium that I really began to see many supporters of other teams (and by "other" I really mean "Seattle"). By a dumb mistake, my wife and I missed the March to the Match, and only arrived to the stadium 20 minutes before first kick. But we were far from the only RSL fans mixed among the swarms of Sounders fans filing into Qwest Field. Our Seattleite friend met us at the gate, where we presented her with an RSL scarf. We quickly entered the stadium, and made our way to the now legendary section 338 where Xenofred and the rest of our group were already waiting. We emerged from the tunnel entrance to find hundreds (thousands?) of Real fans and supporters, standing, singing, cheering and beating their thunder sticks. I'll not soon forget that feeling - we had arrived at the MLS Cup!

I lost my voice that night. It didn't return for a week. Our local friend was surprised by the, um, tenacity of the Salt Lake fans - and paid close attention, texting her Seattle friends that were elsewhere in the stadium, so they could join in the chants. My wife was finally able to witness the inner hooligan that I keep safely away from public view most of the time. She finally understood why it is I always come home from these things almost unable to speak, although I'm usually a bit more reserved than I was that night (just a bit... but this was for the Championship!).

Robbie Russell found the back of the net for the first and only time of his MLS career, and brought the 2009 season to an end. We had done it! Real Salt Lake were league champions! We were actually #1!

We stuck around for the Cup presentation ceremony, and as we were finally leaving the stadium, we managed to get several of the 14 foot long "MLS CUP 2009" banners that the stadium crew were taking down. Somehow I'd lost my jacket in the celebration, so I wrapped myself in my banner, and we headed over to FX McRory's to enjoy the moment while it lasted.

It was an incredible weekend. A whirlwind tour of one of this country's most beautiful cities. 26 hours by car and only 40 hours on the ground. That's a long time to spend in a car, and my wife and I spent most of it listening to music. One song in particular caught my ear - "The Underdogs" from Weezer's latest album. You can understand how it fit the mood, with lines like "This is our destiny/Nothing's too good to be/We know the score/We're gonna break down the door..." Here it is.

Long live Real Salt Lake!

"Now We See the Violence Inherent in the System"

Another belated post for my oft-neglected blog...

As many will recall, Monty Python is responsible for this entry's titular quote. I have written several times over the past year about the dangers of Islamism. On December 11th, the Deseret News published this op-ed regarding a recent "spike in extremism." Perhaps a quote from a classic comedy is too crude, and perhaps it is offensive; but as it relates to the jihadist attack at Ft. Hood, it is accurate. And as the investigations and reports have shown, this was a tragedy that was wholly preventable. May we never again be so blind to the threat of jihadism.

Holy War in the USA Update

I try not to think about this stuff too much. No more than I absolutely have to. This stuff really depresses me. Fills me with anxiety and fear. Unfortunately, the flow of this activity lately is just too much to ignore. So here I go again, ranting in an attempt to exorcise my demons.

From Purple Mountains Majesty to the Big Apple

The most high profile case of jihad to come forth recently is the “alleged NYC terror plot” involving two men from Colorado, and one from New York. Najibullah Zazi, an Afghanistan-born naturalized US citizen, is accused of receiving explosives training from Al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan. His first criminal charge was of making false statements to authorities. When questioned about the existence of bomb-making instructions on his laptop, he explained that he must have inadvertently downloaded the instructions while downloading a religious text. He also explained that he immediately deleted the text when he discovered its contents discussed jihad. Now he has been charged with conspiring to detonate a Weapon of Mass Destruction. Surely this has nothing to do with jihad, and surely if bomb-making instructions were in fact found to be bundled with a religious text, they must have been planted there by Islamophobic FBI agents bent on defaming the Religion of Peace.

Others also arrested include Zazi’s father, Mohammed Wali Zazi, and a Queens “religious leader,” Ahmad Wais Afzali. Afzali, an Imam, is now accused of acting as a double-agent -- working with federal agents and warning Zazi of their activities and inquiries. When will the FBI cease molesting Islamic Centers and mosques throughout this country? Don’t these scumbags realize that in America we have freedom of religion?

Virginia and North Carolina

Last month, seven North Carolina men were charged with “conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and for conspiracy to murder, kidnap, maim and injure people overseas.” On Thursday, two of these men received additional charges of conspiring to murder US military personnel, specifically Marines at Quantico, Virginia. Daniel Patrick Boyd is the alleged leader of the group, and a US citizen. Hysen Sherifi is a legal US resident, but a citizen of Kosovo. The group was originally denied bail when prosecutors presented evidence of the suspects discussing “jihad” as part of their plans to attack foreign lands.

Clearly the prosecutors fail to grasp the true meaning of the word “jihad” -- the internal struggle within a pious Muslim. Moreover, is there any reason to believe that either of these men are in fact Muslim? “Boyd” is hardly an Islamic surname and as we all know, while Kosovo has been ravaged by conflict for the last few decades, this is purely an ethnic conflict. The Muslim Albanian Kosovars should find themselves equally at odds with the Serbian Kosovac Muslim minority as they do the Kosovac Christian majority. The Kosovar majority is nominally Muslim, having had their religious identity repressed under decades of socialist rule. They are Muslims by name only, and therefore harmless. Better than harmless, actually: allies!

Illinois

On Wednesday an Illinois man was charged in a plot to bomb federal offices. Talib Islam, who converted to Islam while serving a prison sentence, parked a van that he believed carried a ton of explosives at a federal building in Springfield, Illinois. FBI agents began following the man after, upon returning from a trip to Saudi Arabia, he told an FBI source of plans to fight against Israel in the Gaza Strip. It is evident that these agents failed to distinguish between the conflict in Gaza and the larger jihad, and that this man is simply a victim of religious profiling. Islamic PR organizations would do well to distribute more educational pamphlets to the feds in order to educate officers on the true influence of Islam.

Dallas

A 19-year old Jordanian male, Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, was arrested on Wednesday in Dallas after placing an inactive bomb at a 60-story building. Smadi said, “We shall attack them in their very own homes. Brother, by God, we shall attack them in a manner that hurts, an attack that shakes the world.” (Full text here.)

Dallas Mayor Tom Leppart, acknowledging the incidents in New York, Springfield, Denver and his own city said, “It’s a comment on the world we live in. All of us need to be vigilant.”

But Mr. Mayor, let’s not jump to conclusions! Just because it looks like a jihadi, smells like a jihadi, acts like a jihadi, shops like a jihadi, talks like a jihadi, is named like a jihadi, builds bombs like a jihadi, has friends that are jihadis, worships like a jihadi, travels like a jihadi, and studies like a jihadi… that doesn’t necessarily mean anything!