This page has been archived and commenting is disabled.

"I Work At McDonalds, But I Can't Afford To Eat There"

Tyler Durden's picture




 

For Shawndraka Mack, a 100% pay rise from her current $7.60 "would do just fine." While some employees turn to blood plasma donation, and most are on food stamps (and other benefits), the mother of two teenagers (on Medicaid) told Bloomberg Businessweek, “I love what I do, but I don’t want to work for nothing." Between the 40 hours a week she works and the benefits, Mack explains, “I work at McDonald’s and I can’t afford to eat there. It’s crazy.” Of course, McDonalds has 'tips' for surviving on their state-subsidized wages but once again, despite Harry Reid's extrapolated charts, the reality of raising the minimum wage is lost on most who never stop to think of where the 'money' comes from; and besides employees have little to no leverage as we explained here.

Via Bloomberg Businessweek,

Mack, who is 40, has been working in the fast food business for 18 years. For the past six, she’s been at a McDonald’s in South Carolina, working 40 hours a week and making $7.60 an hour. “I love what I do, but I don’t want to work for nothing. I want to work for something,” she says.

 

...

 

Her fiancé is on disability, and the $600 he receives every month goes toward insurance for her 1990 Honda Accord, the phone bill, and some spending money for the kids. Her salary covers gas for her commute, electricity, and everything else the family needs. The kids are on Medicaid.

 

The family gets $345 a month in food stamps. Mack says she goes to the grocery store once a month, and whatever she buys has to last until the next trip. She brings her lunch to work every day. “I work at McDonald’s and I can’t afford to eat there. It’s crazy.”

 

...

 

A few weeks ago, Mack joined the effort to raise fast-food workers’ wages to at least $15 an hour. “That would do me just fine,” she says. “I expect to stay at McDonald’s. I just want to get paid more for what I know and what I do. I want to make sure my kids have a better life than I do.”

The harsh reality bottom line is if she wants to be able to afford McDonalds or anything else, she should motivate herself to be something more than a minimum wage food service worker. Because the sad reality for her and millions of other minimum wage, zero leverage workers like her is that the robots are finally coming, and they don't demand food... or a wage.

 

- advertisements -

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.
Thu, 11/28/2013 - 17:28 | 4197640 MeelionDollerBogus
MeelionDollerBogus's picture

then pay her yourself. Stupid people earn lower wages because that's the order of nature.
In the wild, stupid or slow animals become meals for smarter animals. She's got it easy.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 20:54 | 4198076 Loose Caboose
Loose Caboose's picture

Yes, except we aren't animals.  She is not a beast of burden.  She is a human being just like you.  If she is working full time, she deserves a living wage without having to compromise her dignity by needing government hand-outs to survive.

Fri, 11/29/2013 - 05:13 | 4198835 MeelionDollerBogus
MeelionDollerBogus's picture

without question EVERY front-line fast-food worker is a beast of burden and without question EVERY Human is a mammal, an ANIMAL.

The world can't provide living comforting survival to every animal or human on Earth. CAN NOT. The resources do not exist.

It can't be deserved.

By definition for her to have it another person must lose it.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 17:25 | 4197628 MeelionDollerBogus
MeelionDollerBogus's picture

don't need no ambishuns, we gots Obamamoney!

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 13:04 | 4196928 Czar of Defenes...
Czar of Defenestration's picture

I'M NOT IN THE LEAST INTERESTED IN HELPING a FAT, LAZY, BIATCH to EAT OUT (irrelevant what kind of restaurant)

IF SHE DOESN'T EARN and HAVE THE MONEY IN THE FIRST PLACE!

(all caps intended and necessary to reach you inner stupidity...err...I mean...TOTALITARIAN COLLECTIVISM)

She is CURRENTLY being subsidized by the taxpayers, you MORON!!!  As is her amoral "fiance", you pea brain!!!

GO SUFFER FOR HER PERSONALLY.  GIVE HER YOUR OWN DAMNED MONEY.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 14:16 | 4197166 negative rates
negative rates's picture

We heard you the first time.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 16:58 | 4197571 MeelionDollerBogus
MeelionDollerBogus's picture

Must  be an echo echo echo in here!

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 14:19 | 4197177 smacker
smacker's picture

 

Did someone drop you in the McDonalds deep fat frier and sizzle your brain?

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 13:07 | 4196937 Czar of Defenes...
Czar of Defenestration's picture

I'M NOT IN THE LEAST INTERESTED IN HELPING a FAT, LAZY, BIATCH to EAT OUT (irrelevant what kind of restaurant)

IF SHE DOESN'T EARN and HAVE THE MONEY IN THE FIRST PLACE!

(all caps intended and necessary to reach you inner stupidity...err...I mean...TOTALITARIAN COLLECTIVISM)

She is CURRENTLY being subsidized by the taxpayers, you MORON!!!  As is her amoral "fiance", you pea brain!!!

GO SUFFER FOR HER PERSONALLY.  GIVE HER YOUR OWN DAMNED MONEY.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 11:51 | 4196667 thesoothsayer
thesoothsayer's picture

She can become president of the United States.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:42 | 4196849 kaiserhoff
kaiserhoff's picture

Don't think so.

Sounds like she was born here.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 14:00 | 4197115 therearetoomany...
therearetoomanyidiots's picture

I disagree, sounds like she has a better work ethic than our current president and seems at least a bit more intelligent.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 16:12 | 4197461 DaveyJones
DaveyJones's picture

and she doesn't golf

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 18:33 | 4197820 lotsoffun
lotsoffun's picture

yet

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 11:54 | 4196679 Wyatt Junker
Wyatt Junker's picture

Out here in Norcal, most fastfood is staffed with undocumented fencehoppers.  Unless you're In&Out Burger, then its clean shaven white kids but they pay more.  Seems the only ones who pay shit wages are the big public names.  In&Out is private.  

So, I guess they think they can pay those wages since the illegals won't complain due to ICE.  So, beware gringos, you have been warned.  They will pass their amnesty bill and guess what?  You will now have to compete with dreamers for low wage earnings for the rest of your wonderful life on the democrat plantation.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:59 | 4196915 Liquid Courage
Liquid Courage's picture

In&Out is private.

Pretty much says it all right there.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 11:56 | 4196687 One And Only
One And Only's picture

“I love what I do, but I don’t want to work for nothing."

Get a better job bitch.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 11:56 | 4196688 Dan The Man
Dan The Man's picture

IMO - Achieving the "lowest" wage possible brings the sudden loss of product quality...

Walmart is shit now cuz they have the lowest paid labor force. Honda is going to shit cuz they cycle like mad through the massive # of temp workers. I think McSalty's will just pound the morale right out of their ppl

You get what you pay for. 

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 11:56 | 4196689 davhay
davhay's picture

She doesn't pay income tax. She gets child tax credits. She gets food stamps She gets medicaid which is FULL medical and dental. Probably an Obamy phone and free service. So where is she really at? Maybe $35,000.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 13:09 | 4196944 Czar of Defenes...
Czar of Defenestration's picture

EXACTLY.  Yet, she STILL whines that she can't afford to go eat out!

More of OUR MONEY is NOT the solution.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 13:23 | 4196996 darteaus
darteaus's picture

Of course she whines-it's been working so far, right?

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:01 | 4196705 Oldwood
Oldwood's picture

At $7.60/hr and 40 years old, it sounds like she is really applying herself.

A world full of people who only want fast food service jobs...or nothing at all, will go a long way towards slowly collapsing our economy. The social safety nets will ultimately end up as fish seines.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:08 | 4196706 One And Only
One And Only's picture

If anyone wants to get mad on Thanksgiving check this out. If you want to see evidence of the fall of America here it is:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f3d_1357774198

"It's the systems fault" if you can believe she said that.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:20 | 4196769 beercandad
beercandad's picture

Yea, someone (the system) forgot to teach her about blow jobs --instead of just spreading her legs !

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:21 | 4196773 Oldwood
Oldwood's picture

Well it is the system's fault. The system created an environment of entitlement over the years so people like this actually believe what they are saying. As with the rest of our financial system, the longer this departure of reality persists, the worse it will become. The only cure is reality and its going to hurt...a lot.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:24 | 4196782 FredFlintstone
FredFlintstone's picture

"Somebody needs to be heald accountable", WTF?

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:27 | 4196795 One And Only
One And Only's picture

"Someone needs to be held accountable AND pay"

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 13:22 | 4196992 darteaus
darteaus's picture

PUT DOWN THE DICK!

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 16:29 | 4197497 Czar of Defenes...
Czar of Defenestration's picture

Well...on the DOWN side: that just made me barf.

On the UP side: now there's more space for Thanksgiving goodies!

heh

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:02 | 4196711 dunce
dunce's picture

If just one of her teenage sons got a 20 hour per week part time job the family income would increase 50%. Somebody making the minumum wage with two children will get a "earned income tax refund" at the end of every year. Produce more work, get more pay, a novel idea.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:19 | 4196766 FredFlintstone
FredFlintstone's picture

How do you know she has sons? I think if she had daughters that were old enough that they could work as well. 

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 16:31 | 4197504 Czar of Defenes...
Czar of Defenestration's picture

Their pimps would take too much of a cut.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:02 | 4196713 whatthecurtains
whatthecurtains's picture

McDonald's is doing her a big favor by not giving her enough money to eat THEIR food.   

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:09 | 4196730 FredFlintstone
FredFlintstone's picture

Part of the issue in this case may be the S. California location and the high cost of living. It is hard to believe that someone working in the business for 18 years is only getting $7.60/hr. There must be a lot of competition for jobs at the low end of the scale. That wage works out to $15,800/yr. The food stamps and disability bring the annual total to a little over $27,000. The dollar benefit of having 2 teens on Medicaid is harder to quantify. Iam not an expert, but would think that they could qualify for some type of housing assisance also. They are above the US poverty level for a family of 4.

I am sure they love the kids, but I think the fact they give their two teens some "spending money" is hard for me to reconcile. Growing up, just about every kid I knew worked some kind of job. Very few got any spending money. Maybe they are too young to work yet.

Another big cost is a car. A lot of people these days, a couple of my children included, are forgoing this especially in urban areas. Bike, bus, moped, walking.

It is a sad predicament. As the head of a family, I lived below the poveerty line for 2 years. I was happier then. When I started to accumulate things, I started to worry more.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:17 | 4196760 FredFlintstone
FredFlintstone's picture

Misread. It is South Carolina. That is actually pretty good for that part of the country, but public transportation may be very lmited so a car might be important.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:40 | 4196814 PT
PT's picture

FF:  So did you put yourself back under the poverty line again so you could worry less and be happier?

Poverty sucks.  Money does buy happiness.  It also eliminates a lot of stress. 

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:55 | 4196905 Oldwood
Oldwood's picture

Everyone needs to eat but poverty and stress are not necessarily the same thing. There are people that make tons of cash but are stressed to the max and people just scraping by that are fairly content. There are plenty of the "poor" who are quite content, but everyone wants more, especially if they don't have to work for it. Will someone please double my income? I'm really stressed right now.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 13:48 | 4197069 PT
PT's picture

The times when I didn't know where my next meal was coming from, I got stressed.  I never got stressed from being able to pay my bills.  I never got stressed from being able to buy food.  I never got stressed from high wages, in fact the high wages did me the world of good.  Some people are happy with nothing?  Good on 'em.  They can have it.  Some people can only make a high income by being stressed?  Ask them what they want less of - income? or stress?  BTW, where does their stress come from?  Narrow margins?

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 17:04 | 4197582 Oldwood
Oldwood's picture

My stress comes from fear of failure. I would imagine that in America today, few are in fear of not having their next meal with the amount of charities available, much less the food stamps and other "benefits" available. I believe there are many people willing to earn considerably less in order to have greatly reduced responsibility and work load. As an employer I have worked with these people for forty years.

Fri, 11/29/2013 - 01:53 | 4198544 PT
PT's picture

Ha ha.  I'll 'fess if you do.  I've met plenty of supervisors and ex-supervisors, and in their words:  "The extra 2 dollars per hour isn't worth it."

I admit I have turned down a job as supervisor and my reason was simple -  I did not believe that I knew enough about that particular job to be a good supervisor.  I'm not interested in making promises that I can't keep.  Maybe I was wrong.  Maybe I would have had good staff and superiors that would answer all my questions.  But judging by the way the rest of the job was going, perhaps I would have been the easy patsy onto which everyone else could dump all their failings.  I've seen that game get played before.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:09 | 4196731 A. Buttle
A. Buttle's picture

Shaniqua need to write a sob story article, post it viral on huffpo, and start a crowdfund account so she can score 50K in demtard bucks fo some spinner rims an a flat screen an one a dem smartfones. Dats da way ya doos it.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:10 | 4196735 dunce
dunce's picture

Fiance, baby daddy, stud service, role model for her two boys.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:46 | 4196868 kaiserhoff
kaiserhoff's picture

You always catch hell from left and right for pointing this out, but a conscious, sane decision about when and with whom to have children solves many problems.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 16:34 | 4197508 Czar of Defenes...
Czar of Defenestration's picture

I think you'd find many, many more on the Right praising you, in that it requires a degree of personal responsibility, personal restraint, and acceptance of consequences for your own choices.  Not saying establishment Republicans...but rather Conservatives (as a rule...though there may be exceptions).

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:13 | 4196747 therearetoomany...
therearetoomanyidiots's picture

"The harsh reality bottom line is if she wants to be able to afford McDonalds or anything else, she should motivate herself to be something more than a minimum wage food service worker."

This USED to be possible.   The fact of the matter is ALL corporations and large businesses are either outsourcing OR hiring people as 'part time temporary" help even though they work full time and in alot of cases are doing the work of managers.   It's absolutely disgusting.

Sadly, Obama has been the greatest success.   We all bad mouth him and say what a bad job he's doing but he's successful at what he intended to do.   With the help of lunatics, people that in normal times would be in institutions, McCain, Pelosi, Reid, Boehner in the Ford Clinic, thanks to the Bush family, whom Perot worked hard and sacrificed personal treasure to try to defeat, our country has been destroyed.  

All we can do is pray to God that our families are kept safe and warm and fed and work hard to eventually defeat these people and take back which was given us through divine providence.  

Happy Thanksgiving ZHers.  Death to tyranny.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:16 | 4196757 Scalaris
Scalaris's picture

Can't she simply topslice from her S&P earnings?

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:33 | 4196810 IridiumRebel
IridiumRebel's picture

I know! Have her buy 3-4 shares of SPY or 6-7 QQQ and she should have an extra 50-100 bucks a month for liquor!

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:48 | 4196875 kaiserhoff
kaiserhoff's picture

Winner!

The poor Dahlink doesn't know about Herbalife?

 

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:19 | 4196762 moneybots
moneybots's picture

"The harsh reality bottom line is if she wants to be able to afford McDonalds or anything else, she should motivate herself to be something more than a minimum wage food service worker."

 

The harsh reality is that if she went to some other employer, they would probably find her unqualified to work for them.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:37 | 4196835 therearetoomany...
therearetoomanyidiots's picture

Probably qualified enough to work for the TSA or head up the Obamacare rollout.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:22 | 4196768 Kreditanstalt
Kreditanstalt's picture

This woman still has an actual JOB and can't afford to eat out?  LOL...I can live on $600/month all in...but I can't afford to eat out.  If McDonald's prices double (to pay her $15/hour) lots more people won't be able to afford it either.

Maybe, just maybe, lower living standards are baked in the cake for Americans.

 

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:36 | 4196824 therearetoomany...
therearetoomanyidiots's picture

"Maybe, just maybe, lower living standards are baked in the cake for Americans."

This is exactly why NAFTA was the beginning of the end.  This is exactly what was intended.  Corporations were never going to be able to 'globalize' if one part of the world was living at a higher living standard than the rest.

Notice how right after NAFTA, all the other steps were taken....especially the H1-B visa program.  The unlikely Y2K disaster (never waste a good crisis) was used as a way to begin laying off hordes of workers and replacing them with slave labor from countries whose socialistic, communistic and totalitarian governance had held them back for decades if not centuries.    At this time, the layoffs destroyed many lives but the full effect of the 'slow sucking sound' that Perot warned us of was not fully in place.   People could still get jobs elsewhere, well above minimum wage.   That, however, is now gone.  

Of course, the idea of raising the standard of living elsewhere, which would 'definitely" reduce corporate bottom line (not really but don't let reality get in the way), is not possible.    Instead, our way of life and standard of living had to be lowered.   In that, Obama has been an unmitigated success.  

 

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 13:10 | 4196946 Oldwood
Oldwood's picture

The only way any business can make excessive profits is if they have no competition, either through possession of technology unavailable to others or through government protection. While I agree that much of what we have today was "baked in" I still think we are victims of ourselves. Beyond simple electorial foolishness, Americans have given our jobs away by insisting on buying the cheap import stuff over those goods our neighbors have produced. Further I resist this notion of those who actually work as being "slaves". I perceive a slave one who labors at no choice of his own. Those who take low wage jobs are doing so as it represents an opportunity they may have not otherwise had. I do accept the notion of debt slavery as many have indebted themselves generally through acts of free will, but once in debt, they are truly owned and work to its service regardless of if they want to or not.

Until Americans are willing to suffer delayed gratification and some level of austerity, they will NEVER have a future. Keep borrowing to buy crap and keep buying cheap imports as though American jobs, like Obama bucks, come from heaven. We bitch about taking our governmnet back but until we take our own lives back from our compulsions and insecurities, we will all be slaves of our own weaknesses.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 14:42 | 4197255 FeralSerf
FeralSerf's picture

There is no such thing as free will.  It is only an illusion.  This can be and has been proven.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 16:26 | 4197490 MeelionDollerBogus
MeelionDollerBogus's picture

if there's no free will, all things are predictable.
But not all things are predictable, there's always choice & randomness.
So your supposition is wrong.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 18:38 | 4197815 FeralSerf
FeralSerf's picture

It's clear you don't know much about nonlinear differential equations.

Just because there is only one possible outcome does not mean that you are able to compute what that outcome is.

Cause and effect and free will are logically mutually exclusive. You can believe in one or the other, or if you're really stupid (like you in effect claim to be), you can believe that both exist at the same time.

It wasn't a supposition. It was a statement of fact.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 20:28 | 4198018 MeelionDollerBogus
MeelionDollerBogus's picture

No, they are mutually inclusive.
No matter how complex the equations they are predictable & computable because the universe itself IS the computer.
A computer is nothing more than an arrangement of particles for the transmission of information-carrying states of waves and/or particles.
If it's incomputable the universe itself can't create that future therefore it's not a choice.

What you have is a statement OPPOSITE of fact, not just a supposition but a poorly supported opinion opposite of reality's structure.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 17:32 | 4197651 Oldwood
Oldwood's picture

People of free will elected Obama. They sold out their jobs and economy by buying cheap imports. They undercut their own wages by hiring illegals to do the work they were too good for. We are drowning in free will but it is all based upon a lie. Transparency and consequence for poorly interpreting reality are the only thing to prevent our society of free will from morphing into full blown tyranny. By the time most figure this out it will be too late and they will have to choose between death and tyranny. We already know how that turns out as most made that choice years ago with much less imposing ramifications.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 18:34 | 4197818 FeralSerf
FeralSerf's picture

You're misinformed. It's amazing how poor the American school system is.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 21:05 | 4198091 Oldwood
Oldwood's picture

At 60 years old it is getting increasingly difficult to blame my education. You will just have to blame my ignorant life's experiences. We are all so fortunate that you are available to set us straight by applying your exceptional intelligence.

Fri, 11/29/2013 - 15:24 | 4200210 FeralSerf
FeralSerf's picture

You haven't been educated. You've been trained. Your statement, "People of free will elected Obama", is evidence of this.

"At 60 years old . . ."

You can't teach an old dog new tricks, eh? Some can be retrained, some cannot.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 15:54 | 4197410 plane jain
plane jain's picture

I love buying local products.  Those votes count for more than the ones at the ballot box.  

 

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 16:14 | 4197466 MeelionDollerBogus
MeelionDollerBogus's picture

if immigration controls were less strict many of these poor people could run & make a living elsewhere in the world.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 13:27 | 4197008 Kreditanstalt
Kreditanstalt's picture

So what's your alternative?   Closed borders?  Dictating to free people what they can and cannot import?  Higher tariffs?

Sounds kind of authoritarian.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 13:58 | 4197103 therearetoomany...
therearetoomanyidiots's picture

How about orderly immigration?

How about lower corporate taxes?

How about less regulation?

How about no lobbying in congress?

How about holding congress, senate, president, cabinet accountable to the same laws as the rest of us?

How about fully prosecuting for insider trading instead of allowing it for congress and senate?

How about reducing the size of government back to, oh, I don't know, maybe pre-W levels? 

How about eliminating, DHS, TSA, NSA and put all that under the auspices of CIA/FBI?

How about totally eliminating the DEA, ATFB, DOE?

How about limiting the pay of congress, senate and not allowing them to vote their own benefits?

How about making them live with the same health and pension benefits as we do?

How about eliminating all the staff?  The offices? The benefits?

How about charging corporations full (but lower as noted above) taxes rather than giving political cronies relief from all taxes such as companies like Microsoft, Google, Facebook, GE?

There's a start that doesn't require closing borders or increasing tarrifs.  

 

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 15:01 | 4197311 Kreditanstalt
Kreditanstalt's picture

This system is one of "crony socialism"...all the little tweaks you ask for - limiting pay of congress, prosecuting, no lobbying etc. - are great and needed but won't change much.

Government has to shrink.  Taxes and regulation have to shrink.  No one should be taxed MORE.  The average American has to consume less, produce more, use less in government "services" and SAVE.

What's REALLY, ultimately, needed is an end to central banking, fiat currency and fractional reserve fraud.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 15:22 | 4197353 stopthejunk1
stopthejunk1's picture

Half right.  It is global capitalism that is making us poor.  Obama and his predecessors for 60+ years are just pawns and lackeys.

Every single person that votes to protect the rich, under any guise, votes against his own self-interest, and votes to perpetuate a system that is enslaving him.  Frankly, any person that votes at all, for any candidate, does exactly the same.  Our problems are not amenable to iterative, political fixes.  

The problem with voters on the political right, which (ironically) consists largely of poor people (or, what amounts to the same thing, the "middle class") is that they continue to believe that the rent-seeking rich are somehow "earning" their money; and that one day they too will be able to engage in rent-seeking behavior instead of doing actual "work."

 

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:37 | 4196837 PT
PT's picture

And good riddance.  There comes a point where a product is so cheap and so shitty that it does not deserve to exist.  Imaginary jobs to make the employment figures look better.  Imaginary production to pretend the GDP is better than it actually is.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:21 | 4196775 Last of the Mid...
Last of the Middle Class's picture

This just in from Wal Mart: Spokesperson says they are receiving "really good feedback" about their employees having to work the holiday. Proof positive that "beatings will continue until morale improves" really does work. There is only one thing more constant than the printing of fiat: Perpetual Bullshit propaganda attempting to support this total trainwreck of an economy we have.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:21 | 4196777 Payne
Payne's picture

When I worked for McDonalds in the 70s we ate for free and there were only 3 employees over the age of 21 working there.  2 were managers.  I was 16 at the time,  I was barely worthless at the time but McDonalds was able to make use of me and make some money.

Fast food or restaurants work has never been a great career track.  Even managers get fired often enough.  

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 13:27 | 4197016 Itch
Itch's picture

Talk about skirting the issue - if the company can't exist without the taxpayer critically supporting its workforce, its should not exist. The age or the intelligence of the workforce has bugger all to do with the price of cheese. Jesus Christ where did all the idiots come from?

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:38 | 4196840 Frostfan1
Frostfan1's picture

Is there anyone on this thread that actually lives in the USA???? Because here in america we have the dollar menu. I've gotten full meals for $3 easily between burgers fries and chicken nuggets.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 14:23 | 4197191 AGAU
AGAU's picture

Man..!!....Please.........Don't eat that stuff.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:41 | 4196846 Itch
Itch's picture

The staff get ~$1.2 billion in tax payer subsidies, while the corporation made $1.5 billion. Forget about raising the minimum wage, no one said anything about raising the minimum wage nationwide - just pay the workers enough of the profits so they are not a burden on the state. There is no confusion here.  

Small and medium sized companies with tight margins should be using the minimum wage, not global corporations. It cant continue - stop blaming the feckless and weak for the rape of the taxpayer, any fool can see where the injustice lies. Why do you keep making excuses for these Fat fingered greedy fucks Tyler? 

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:44 | 4196856 Jam
Jam's picture

Somebody touched on this recently, there are way to many immigrants being turned loose in this country, legal and illegal.These folks will work for peanuts and are willing to live like communal rats. It is still better than where they came from. Having an idiot like Obama in there is just exacerbating the ruin of the middle class.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:44 | 4196862 sunnyside
sunnyside's picture

To quote a famous comedian......Minimum wage means that if we could pay you less, we would.  My guess is this young lady is probably not worth the +$10 an hour that she is actually costing her employer.  Could you imagine her in a gov't job?  I will bet that withiin 5 years, if we still exist as a country then this lady will be on disability.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:48 | 4196874 all-priced-in
all-priced-in's picture

The truth is - in many cases if you raise the compensation level of a no skilled job up to $20 (pay + benefits) it makes it profitable to replace the person with a machine. 

 

 

 

 

 

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:54 | 4196881 Czar of Defenes...
Czar of Defenestration's picture

And, THAT'S why Shawndraka-Shaniqua-LaShaundra works at McDonalds!

THE NITWIT DOESN'T GET IT: Don't spend the money eating out - be it a five-star restaurant or a Taco Bell - if you don't have the money.

Oh.  Did I mention she's an imbecile?!  And most likely an Obama voter zombie, as well.

She's 100% a societal parasite, in any case.

 

AND ANOTHER THING (rant rant rant): She wants a $15/hr minimum wage?

FINE!

Then Shawndraka-Shaniqua-LaShaundra doesn't work at McDonalds any longer, 'cause then they can only afford to hire the productive employees!

To paraphrase Rodney Dangerfield: "Give her enough rope, PLEASE!"

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:50 | 4196883 Moe Howard
Moe Howard's picture

She should investigate why she is so stupid as to work fast food for 18 years and not move up. No potential? Too stupid?

 

Can't even get a TSA job?

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:53 | 4196896 Jam
Jam's picture

If that is Ms. Shawndraka behind the counter, she looks like she is eating quite well. Maybe she should try Weight Watchers instead.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 12:55 | 4196902 Walt D.
Walt D.'s picture

... when I worked for Rolls Royce, I could not afford a Rolls Royce! (OK, I was making jet engines, but I couldn't afford one of them either.)

I have a friend who works in Tiffany's - she can not afford a 5 carat diamond ring.

(Oh - I forgot, this was just another raise the minimum wage propaganda piece).

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 13:10 | 4196950 smartstrike
smartstrike's picture

I know it's Thanksgiving but where do they find posters like you? A Rolls Royce engine is equivalent to a 'burger', is that what you're saying? I can't wait for push back. Do you not realize that in the next two elections cycles, the likes of you are going to be toast.

You need to move out of USA because you are going to be treated the same way as you treated those who were less fortunate than you. The perception of most is that you didn't buid anything, you just harvested the wealth and work of others.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 14:24 | 4197186 negative rates
negative rates's picture

I knew many a good mechanic, who made good money compared to me, they could not afford to drive the same cars they worked on. As a matter of fact, they barely had the time to fix their 10 year old vw rabbit. I on the other hand drove to the moon and half way back in a diesel delivering pizza's and never broke down, that, a liitle painting side work, and some dice in a casino and I was a happy camper.

If not for the corrupt law man, I would'nt have even had to do that much work. 

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 15:48 | 4197399 Walt D.
Walt D.'s picture

Lets forget that this is a Marxist BS "Raise the Minimum Wage" propaganda article.

What do you think will happen if they raise the minimum wage? People whose marginal value is less than the minimum wage will lose their jobs. McDonalds will raise their prices, as will all the other fast food chains.

There is no free lunch - even at McDonalds. In fact the food at McDonalds is expensive - like buying popcorn and coke at a movie - most restaurants mark up the price of the food by 400% - in other words, you can get 4 times the amout of food if you buy it and cook it yourself.

(Incidentally, you can't buy fast food with food stamps - you can't even buy a cooked chicken in the supermarket).

If you are actually interested in learning about the unintended consequences of the minimum wage, Google "Charlie the Tuna and the Minimum Wage".

"The perception of most is that you didn't buid anything, you just harvested the wealth and work of others".

Not a perception, but a fact -for me to have electricity, someone, somewhere is working down a coal mine. 

 

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 16:03 | 4197434 plane jain
plane jain's picture

Okay, don't raise the wage.  How about a dollar for dollar claw back on the taxpayer funded benes instead?

Sure, maybe there will be fewer jobs, fewer businesses.  Got to be a bottom down there somewhere.

Could be this would just pull back the curtain and shine a light on what we have left as far as a real economy vs. busywork propped up by unpayable debt.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 16:37 | 4197512 Czar of Defenes...
Czar of Defenestration's picture

His analogy is perfectly reasonable.

That YOU choose NOT to understand it speaks VOLUMES to your addiction to Leftist statism and blindness to its atrocities.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 13:03 | 4196924 tongue.stan
tongue.stan's picture

If you like your shit job, you can keep your shit job.

You didn't build that fucked up life, somebody else built that for you.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 14:26 | 4197200 negative rates
negative rates's picture

Yea, they are called politicians, they make fucked up laws so they can maintain their fucked up jones's.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 16:16 | 4197470 ToNYC
ToNYC's picture

Maybe they didn't lock you in that there, and there is only a brain between you and the door. The key is in your pocket, if you got up to check it out.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 21:27 | 4198123 tongue.stan
tongue.stan's picture

yo tone, lay off da sausage pies, dat belly a youse looks like youse havin a baby or sumpin

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 13:18 | 4196982 darteaus
darteaus's picture

Then, GET A BETTER JOB!

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 14:11 | 4197146 TPTB_r_TBTF
TPTB_r_TBTF's picture

where is this thing

which you call a "better job"?

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 16:40 | 4197522 Czar of Defenes...
Czar of Defenestration's picture

After Obama's PPACA (AKA ObamaCare), YOU AIN'T GONNA FIND IT NO MORE.   BLAME OBAMA.  28 hours/week is the New Normal in the USA now. 

AND: YOU SHOULD BE *THANKING* HIM for that...according to Obama himself!!!

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 13:20 | 4196987 savedbyfreethought
savedbyfreethought's picture

It's regrettable that those people have to go through something like this but it's even more regrettable that they as those who are so punitively enslaved and plundered by the system do not see the system as the source of the problem but still fantasize that a solution can somehow come out of it.

Bottom line is it doesn't matter what job you do, those who work for the others (commonly known as employees) will always get the raw end of the deal because they choose to work for the others but not themselves. Not to say it's easy but at the end of the day only self-employment can offer one a life truly worth living.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 13:24 | 4196998 AU5K
AU5K's picture

Low or no skill, entry level jobs are not meant to be permanent.  Maybe she should look at how to gain more skills than employers would pay her for.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 13:52 | 4197086 PT
PT's picture

Are there any ways to gain extra skills for free?  All the courses I did cost money.  Sometimes I had to travel far to get to the courses too.  At this point in time, not all the courses I have done have paid for themselves.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 14:45 | 4197263 Winston of Oceania
Winston of Oceania's picture

There are hundreds of free job training programs throughout the country especially for those who are within the poverty count. Don't try and be cute, if she is as bad off as they would have us believe then she gets a free bus pass too. Most of the time the programs are full for the first few days and then people just stop showing up so that at graduation there is something like 25 to 50% attrition.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 15:10 | 4197330 MeelionDollerBogus
MeelionDollerBogus's picture

in this new economy low-level jobs are meant to be permanent, as is poverty.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 13:44 | 4197064 1stepcloser
1stepcloser's picture

can't afford to eat there?  Don't look a gift horse in the mouth!

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 16:43 | 4197528 Czar of Defenes...
Czar of Defenestration's picture

Beg your pardon, sir...but I believe you mean:

DON'T EAT A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 13:50 | 4197078 govtsucks
govtsucks's picture

"Her fiancé is on disability, and the $600 he receives every month goes toward insurance for her 1990 Honda Accord, the phone bill, and some spending money for the kids. "

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is this statement for real? A 1990 Accord could be insured for $50 a month or less. So she's blowing $550 a month of taxpayer money on cell phones and Nikes for her kids. Does anyone else have a problem with this? Cell phones are a luxury, not a necessity. And why do her kids need spending money? When you're a poor kid, you either do without, or you go out and earn your own money. I have to foot the bill so some kid can text his friends all day and listen to Pandora? This country is fucked up beyond belief.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 14:29 | 4197215 negative rates
negative rates's picture

The crack perfume is expensive and needs to be paid for some how, so we have kids to circumvent the difficulties of financing ourselves. It's never failed cause the rich always need someone to work for them so they subsidize the youth which actually goes to the parents. It not that hard to figure out people, you have a brain, now just use it.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 16:46 | 4197534 Czar of Defenes...
Czar of Defenestration's picture

YOU GET IT.

This welfare junkie thinks she can inflate the prices of such stuff and NO ONE WILL NOTICE.

FRAUD.

Her, and the MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS LIKE HER.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 16:54 | 4197561 TPTB_r_TBTF
TPTB_r_TBTF's picture

Her fiancé (he promised to marry her, he really did! but not before that other guy's kids are outta the house) is on disability for alcoholism.  Therefore his driver's insurance premium would be higher than yours.

 

Imagine how disturbed those children would be if they had to grow up without cell phones and Nike!

Think of it as an investment in the future.

Obama-Phones and Obama-Wear!

Just need to set up a website for applications.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 14:10 | 4197143 boeing747
boeing747's picture

Then work for 'In and Out' which provides 'free meals', $12.5/hour plus 'other benefits'.

 

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 14:21 | 4197180 MeelionDollerBogus
MeelionDollerBogus's picture

"sad reality for her and millions of other minimum wage, zero leverage workers like her is that the robots are finally coming, and they don't demand food... or a wage."

They do, however, demand constant upgrading & repairs and people can heal from their own injuries with medicine & food often at a cheaper cost than machines can be repaired, upgraded or diagnostics can be applied by tech-staff / contractors. Large machines are even more of a hassle if you need to move them off-site for repair, upgrade or replacing with huge heavy things shipped in & out. Machines don't evolve, people do. Then again, the fast-food industry doesn't NEED much evolving except the constant attempt to drive down cost, drive up profit margin & drive down safety in the name of profit (which is a mistake).

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 14:53 | 4197286 Intoxicologist
Intoxicologist's picture

And then you have to wonder just how "disabled" her fiance really is.

 

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 15:10 | 4197294 stopthejunk1
stopthejunk1's picture

The truth is that as the cybernetic automated economy arrives, we are going to have to seriously reevaluate the status-quo relationship between labor and wages that has existed for the last few thousand years.  

There simply isn't going to be any "work" for many people to do, when the machines are doing most or all of it.  When that point arrives, the right-wing ideologies about "you must work in order to eat" are going to fail on an even more massive level than they already are (in the face of globalism, corporate privilege, etc.)

Capitalism and "free markets" (a misnomer, to be sure) have never distributed rewards in a way that is even remotely related to the actual social worth of a person (which is separate from their ability to "earn" a "wage.")  As the economy continues to advance technologically, this will become even more obvious, until finally even the political right will be forced to acknowledge that we only need about 1% of people to "work" in order to feed, clothe, and house everybody on the planet, even when there are 20 billion of us.

This economic paradigm shift will lead directly to a serious reevaluation of relatively recent, and disruptive, socio-economic constructs like "private property" and "nuclear family," which have been a net negative for humanity, because of their tendency to promote egoism rather than altruism.  Altruism, not egoism, is humanity's true nature and the source of our sense of justice.  It is altruism that prevails in the absence of perverting forces like the ones that have dominated recently.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 15:16 | 4197346 SimMaker
SimMaker's picture

How about we stop paying the poor to breed?

If we don't need a "working class" anymore, why they fuck are we paying them to breed through welfare?

You dip shit socialists just don't get it do you. It does not work, it will never work. If you come and force me to hand over "for the greater good" I'll just stop producing and you cann go fuck yourself.

Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot and all the other Socialist douche bags should have prooven to you brain dead morons that it does not work.....but nope, you are too stupid to see it, and so spend you life with your hand our asking your superiors to feed you. Grow the fuck up.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 16:11 | 4197460 plane jain
plane jain's picture

You've got the wrong end of that stick.  Refusing support to innocent children is cruel.

Pay them to get sterilized instead.  A "no baby" bonus.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 16:49 | 4197543 swedish etrade baby
swedish etrade baby's picture

its people like you that has me considering converting to catholicism

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 17:47 | 4197693 Oldwood
Oldwood's picture

The cruelty of nature is what Darwinists love to hang their hat on. It made us what we are today, but our exceptionalist attitudes have convinced us we can now abandon all of that. We can subsidize and effectively incentivize bad choices and somehow it will all work out ok. I contend that most of this hand rigging about "the children" is about ourselves. About how we feel about ourselves. And about our fear of being the victim of our own bad choices. Most people wouldn't cross the street to help their fellow man but they will surely insist that "somebody" does something. People used to be embarrassed of poverty but today it is no reflection on themselves but of society and bear no responsibility at all for their circumstances

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 16:46 | 4197537 Czar of Defenes...
Czar of Defenestration's picture

PAY them?!?

Why not TAX them not to breed?  It "worked" [sic] with ObamaCare.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 16:07 | 4197450 plane jain
plane jain's picture

My spouse just brought this up this morning.  Looks like a little over half of jobs can be done by computers.  So then what?

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 15:10 | 4197322 GovernmentMule
GovernmentMule's picture

At the end of the day the world needs ditch diggers. If you don't want to be a ditch digger, educate yourself improve your skill sets and move up the food chain. Minimum wage jobs are for the minimally skilled and educated, and are by their very nature stepping stones not a way of life, or a means to obtain financial security. If you don't take responsibility and make the effort to improve yourself it is not my fault nor will I feel morally or financially obligated for your plight.

Obviously a social safety net for those that are truly incapable of taking care of themselves is needed, however, many of the able use social assistance programs as a carer path and a way of life, and game the system, as do the political class that use them to advance their power bases and carers as "servants of the people".  

There is nothing wrong with the common man, other than he is so damn common...

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 15:08 | 4197323 GovernmentMule
GovernmentMule's picture

At the end of the day the world needs ditch diggers. If you don't want to be a ditch digger, educate yourself improve your skill sets and move up the food chain. Minimum wage jobs are for the minimally skilled and educated, and are by their very nature stepping stones not a way of life, or a means to obtain financial security. If you don't take responsibility and make the effort to improve yourself it is not my fault nor will I feel morally or financially obligated for your plight.

Obviously a social safety net for those that are truly incapable of taking care of themselves is needed, however, many of the able use social assistance programs a a carer path and a way of life, and game the system, as do the political class that use them to advance their power bases and carers as "servants of the people".  

There is nothing wrong with the common man, other than he is so damn common...

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 17:09 | 4197333 ToNYC
ToNYC's picture

Life-affirming decision already made for the unable to eat there. A baked potato covered with plain whole yogurt sprinkled with dried mild pepper flakes for breakfast every day of the week costs one 1 hour min wage pay and each russet-plus will keep you going all day. Your stupid body that hasn't learned about shelf-life enhancers will appreciate you with better health. Thanks and for giving.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 15:12 | 4197337 robertocarlos
robertocarlos's picture

In Detroit, Lions feed you.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 15:56 | 4197414 besnook
besnook's picture

a lot of you need to be born in kolkata as a budding street urchin on your next go around.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 16:32 | 4197500 wisehiney
wisehiney's picture

Been there, done that.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 17:29 | 4197643 edifice
edifice's picture

Happy Turkey Day, from O'Hare Airport!  6-hour layover, so I'm here, watching lard-ass TSA waddle around, checking their iPhones in one hand, and a Big Mac in the other.  She should work for TSA; she'd then be able to afford McDonalds!

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 19:38 | 4197926 bilejones
bilejones's picture

MacDonalds sell fast food not cheap food, for that you have to go to the grocery store.

Thu, 11/28/2013 - 23:00 | 4198277 Promethus
Promethus's picture

I wonder if Shawndraka voted for Romney or Obama? We'll never know.

Fri, 11/29/2013 - 06:16 | 4198893 dreadnaught
dreadnaught's picture

yeah people walking around in a trance on their Windows or Android cell phones are in for a a rude awakening

Fri, 11/29/2013 - 08:25 | 4198967 justsayin2u
justsayin2u's picture

So shandraka needs to think-1) why do i give my kids spending money, 2) should i really have a car, 3) what if i get another job, 4) what if mr disabled finds something withing his range of abilities - is that more than 600/mo?, 4) not being able to eat at mcdonalds is a good thing for her health and potatoes are still cheap' 5) should i really be having more kids if my life is so constrained, 6) get rid of  cable, cell phone, manicures, etc....  Once she does that I have more sympathy for her.

Fri, 11/29/2013 - 11:03 | 4199385 auntiesocial
auntiesocial's picture

No one can afford to eat at McDonalds. Not because of the cost, per se, but the awesome health benefits. But we all have Obamacare now so I guess it is a wash...

Fri, 11/29/2013 - 14:03 | 4199964 novictim
novictim's picture

Wages will drop to the minimum wage (what ever that rate is set to) when the supply of willin workers exceeds job openings. So if you want more immigration then you are saying you want lower wages.

 

Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!