article: Millionnaires Go Missing

[Scataphagos]

Quote from Sandybestdog:

As the other guy pointed out, $25 is what the company charges. The workers are probably getting no more than $10. You know like when you go to the mechanic and they charge you $90 an hour, but it’s only one guy working on it who probably gets $12. The other $78 pays for the sales clerks, managers, and business expenses, and then whole lot is left over for the owner.

I would venture to say, and this is just my opinion, there are probably very few “independent” house cleaners around here, especially one that make $25. Anybody charging that much would have a hard time competing with all of the Hispanic run company’s in the area.

OK... let me try one more time....

Around here, the asking price for individual, independent house cleaners... Ones who don't split the fee with anyone... even the Hispanics... is $20-$25/hr.

"Services", where the customer pays the service and the service pays the worker a lesser wage, are > $25/hr.

 

[Sandybestdog]

Quote from bentedges: Now, hurry up and get back to your socialist class and let us capitalists do our thing and make the wheels turn.

How come around here when the rich are critisized or questioned, you are automatically labeled a Socialist, but when the poor get shafted by the rich, that is wonderful example of our free enterprise system at work? Aaple, Google, and unfortunately Microsoft are great examples of people bringing true value to the marketplace at an affordable price and being paid well for it. But why the hell should we stand by and let Chase lend out money that they created out of thin air that they charge 8% interest on and then when you have perfect payment history for 3 years, they change the rate to 24% just because they can?

 

[college_trad3r]

Quote from Sandybestdog:

How come around here when the rich are critisized or questioned, you are automatically labeled a Socialist, but when the poor get shafted by the rich, that is wonderful example of our free enterprise system at work? Aaple, Google, and unfortunately Microsoft are great examples of people bringing true value to the marketplace at an affordable price and being paid well for it. But why the hell should we stand by and let Chase lend out money that they created out of thin air that they charge 8% interest on and then when you have perfect payment history for 3 years, they change the rate to 24% just because they can?

Sandy, I don't know. It's just the way it is in the USA now, it's all about the money.

I watched "Sicko" today. It's opened my eyes to the clear representation where the USA is headed, moral abyss, thanks to republicans like Reagan and Bush.
How ironic, people who preach morality preach regulations that have the least positive effect on human well-being.

 

[Sandybestdog]

Quote from spinn: Sandy note I said "professional" but even most secretaries in a law firm probably make $40-70k, if not more.

Ohhh now I get it, you were just talking about “professional jobs.” Everybody else who works all of the other jobs in society, well, I guess we can just let the eat cake.

Yes an experienced, good assistant or secretery can make that much. But how many other just as qualified people do not have the position? No doubt if the law firm put an ad in the paper for one position like that, they would probably receive more than 100 responses from qualified people. What about the other 99 who don’t get the job? Some may find other good jobs, but most, I would venture to say, are making $10 an hour doing something else or worse, unemployed. So I still contend that to say the standard wage is $20 an hour, is not true.

Quote from spinn: As for your second point....I am not sure what you mean. NYC is liberal and one of the richest cities in the USA, as are San Francisco and LA. You think the wealthiest people do not tend to be liberal?

My point is, if the rich are so put off by high tax areas, how come they continue to live there? There’s got to be a reason why there are more rich people in New Jersey (the highest overall taxed state and the richest in 2006) than Wyoming (the lowest taxed state). I have my opinion on why, but I’ll bet that won’t matter to you.

 

[Sandybestdog]

Quote from dewton:

Actually Montgomery County, MD (i live here too) has a large concentration of highly educated people. I don't think its about wealth, but rather, a correlation between level of education and being liberal.

As a sidenote, most university professors tend to be liberal.

I think the wealthiest people tend to be conservative as they do not wish greater taxes upon them.

Yes wealthy people tend to be want lower taxes, but then why aren’t they all moving to Wyoming?

 

[syswizard]

Quote from TraderZones:

interesting article - summary - When Md. decide to soak the rich, perhaps up to 1/3 of the rich found ways to not be Md residents any longer

The "invisible hand" in action.
I was taught economics by a student of Hayek. Most economics taught today is Keynesian....which is flawed. Obama is going to prove that.

 

[Sandybestdog]

Quote from Scataphagos: OK... let me try one more time.... Around here, the asking price for individual, independent house cleaners... Ones who don't split the fee with anyone... even the Hispanics... is $20-$25/hr. "Services", where the customer pays the service and the service pays the worker a lesser wage, are > $25/hr.

Hmmm. Looking through the local job ads yesterday I stumbled upon this ad. 3 years experience, must have a car, be legal to work here. Wow just to make $9 an hour.
<img src=http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=2472497>
Anybody willing to pay $30 an hour for somebody to clean their house, is not going to hire some independent contractor. They are going to ask what they got paid working for a company, probably less than $10 an hour, and then maybe offer them $15. Out of that, the person still needs to pay for their travel and business expenses, so they’re making less. The only person making $25 an hour cleaning houses, is the owner of the company. But they aren’t getting $25 to clean houses, they are getting that to manage the employees, find clients, buy insurance, pay travel expenses, buy assets, handle payroll, bills, etc. and most importantly, take on risk. For all that, they deserve $25 an hour.

Somebody who works for a mechanic who charges $90 an hour, but gets paid $15, can’t just tell his friends that he’ll fix their cars in his garage for $70 an hour. Nobody would pay that much for a service that doesn’t come with the business guarantees that the mechanic offers.

 

[Kevmeister]

Quote from Sandybestdog:

But why the hell should we stand by and let Chase lend out money that they created out of thin air that they charge 8% interest on and then when you have perfect payment history for 3 years, they change the rate to 24% just because they can?

Actually, when you signed the credit card application it stated that they are allowed to do this. So you agreed they could raise the interest rate whenever they chose to.

So I don't see what the problem is.

Ah, I see what the problem is. Instead of paying off your credit card each month and not being at the mercy of the cc company, you maintain a balance and complain when they raise the interest rate on you that you agreed to when you signed on the dotted line.

Is that it?

 

[spinn]

Sandy you are too worried about the lowest paying jobs out there.

The bottom line is, cleaning a house is a $10 an hour job and nobody is going to pay any more than that.

You will only be paid the absolute minimum someone can hire you for, that is just business.

You could learn Lotus Notes programming for a few thousand dollars and get a job making $40k in six months or so .........or you could continue to obsess on why people dont pay house cleaners $75 an hour.

 

[TGregg]

Quote from nazzdack:

You don't actually think they'll ever learn, do you?

Learn? Learn what?

This isn't about more revenue. This is about "fairness". Obama himself said this during the election in a debate. The moderator pointed out a few times when the capital gains tax was raised and less money came in, then a few other times it was lowered and more money came in, then asked why in the world Obama would want to raise taxes. Obama said it wasn't about more revenue, but about "fairness".

While more money for the government is a good thing to these people, the real goal is to punish the rich. They don't care if it hurts the economy, costs jobs, runs up the federal debt and generally makes life miserable for all - as long as they get even with the rich.