When California recently passed its $20 minimum wage law right on cue alarmist business press instantly blared forth the dire warnings of franchise owners and presented small adjustment cutbacks as the foretelling of mighty doom, god help us all the hippies have wiped out capitalism and Big Macs at the same time!
As reported by Ashlie Stevens in Salon yesterday the California fast food industry made necessary adjustments–mostly in the form of slightly higher prices–and is stable and money-making as ever, surprising franchise owners now discovering the benefits of actual retention, you mean you get better workers with experience and commitment?
You mean that workers who aren’t exploited for honest labor have more money to inject to the local economy? That the stability of employment will ripple out to society in further consistency of societal progression? That workers might feel happier, possess some hope, you know, in the land of milk and honey, experience…dare we say…freedom?
Lordy help us all the hippies did it and now look at the place! Societal progression, happiness, freedom, those other people get to be Americans and the place is better off, way better off!
One can fervently hope the facts and plain reality of a California $20 minimum wage spread to the American business press and especially Congress, but even stark reality has a way of evading American journalism, yeah we’ve noticed, and Congress, oy vey, just try dreaming of $20 minimum wage for the little people there, we’re still stuck at $7 nationally.
It’s long been a holy crusade of Republicans to keep wages down and they’ve succeeded very well, very credible wealth gap analysis has come to the conclusion the best, most effective tool in the box to counter it is in fact a $20 national minimum wage, every Republican in Congress will go to their grave before they vote for that, no doubt.
Vice President Harris and Governor Walz know the truth about what the little people so desperately need, but they can’t precisely promise something like a national $20 minimum wage without a unified Democratic Party Congress behind them. We all know there’s absolutely nothing certain about that, so one hopes for the best and trusts Vice President Harris and Governor Walz to follow California should they get the chance.
The serious climate activist organizations are in the same spot, waiting for Congressional results and trusting leadership to come through for them when it matters–if it can matter–in 2025.
Vice President Harris and Governor Walz have totally earned out trust with stellar public records and history, when Vice President Harris says she’s on the side of the middle class she totally means it and will do it when given the chance.
They’re also very smart, savvy politicians, of course they see the crucial importance of downballot races and will do everything they can when given the opportunity.
But for now uncork the champagne, fire up the bong and get out the boogie music, goddamnit, the little people scored a really big win in California! The place hums along like it always does, franchise owners pocket profits and blessed be all the stars in the universe, Americans feel free.
