On Feb 22, 8:26*pm, "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote:
> "blake murphy" > wrote
>
> > i find that unpersuasive. *the $42,000 cited above is for children's
> > health
> > care and ... low-income housing assistance. *how about costs for
> > infrastructure, police and fire coverage, etc.? *and should working people
> > be paid so little (or with such poor benefits) that they need assistance
> > with their children's health care and housing?
>
> This goes back to the chicken and egg theory. Which came first, low wages or
> low prices? We all want to make big wages, but we don't want to pay big
> prices. *How many here are willing to buy a US made computer or TV made in
> the USA with a minimum labor rate of $18 an hour? * *Could you afford it?
>
> I used the example of Whole Foods. * They pay better than most, but I've
> often heard complaints here about their high prices. *How about all
> supermarkets follow that same wage-price plan? *Would you mind the extra
> $50+ a week for groceries so your neighbor can get healthcare or take a
> vacation?

Strangely, most of the grocery stores in my area have the same
contract and wages. But they do have very different prices. So, it
isn't all based on wages.

Yes, Walmart is a lot cheaper with lower wages and benefits, but here,
Safeway, QFC, Fred Meyer, and similar stores all have the same basic
wages. We are all in the same union, so our wage system is the same.