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Walmart says it will kill plans to build 3 new stores if DC wage bill passes

iacardsfan said:
ok...? Why does one want to get a higher education when you can get the same exact low wage job without one?
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Exactly. Why borrow masive funds to "invest" in qualifying for a fantasy job that does not exist. While it may, indeed, be fun to go to college, continue to "party" for 4 to 5 years and study underwater basketweaving it is not very likely to create any demand for that specialized "skill". One can get a far better return on their investment by borrowing to get a decent used work truck and some basic tools for a trade, say carpentry. What you can learn on the job, while still being able to feed yourself and repay the much smaller loan, will more quickly advance your skills and thus your income potential.

Taking occasional classes at a community college to better hone your business management skills and broaden your skills in other basic areas can also be done while you are still able to work at a trade and support yourself. The idea that education alone will leave you magically set for life, and you can immediately enter the middle class, is a sales pitch best investigated before you commit to that liberal arts program "investment" at your college of choice.
 
AlabamaPaul said:
What do you consider good degrees where there is difficulty finding employment at an appropriate wage level?
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Furthermore, the reason why professions such as engineering isn't hiring just American engineers in the country is because they demand higher wages than say someone from India who could make half the wage. We are undercutting our professional workforce too not just McDonald and Walmart workers.
 
rabbitcaebannog said:
Oops, it appears Paul is wrong: Is President Obama Right About Engineers? | Center for Immigration Studies

During a recent video chat session, President Obama told a woman that he could not understand why her engineer husband was unemployed because “industry tells me that they don’t have enough highly skilled engineers.” However, data from the American Community Survey collected by the Census Bureau show that there are a total of 1.8 million U.S.-born individuals with engineering degrees who are either unemployed, out of the labor market, or not working as engineers. This is true for those with many different types of engineering degrees.

The 2010 American Community Survey shows:

There are 101,000 U.S.-born individuals with an engineering degree who are unemployed.

There are an additional 244,000 U.S.-born individuals under age 65 who have a degree in engineering but who are not in the labor market. This means they are not working nor are they looking for work, and are therefore not counted as unemployed.

In addition to those unemployed and out of the labor force, there are an additional 1.47 million U.S.-born individuals who report they have an engineering degree and have a job, but do not work as engineers.

President Obama specifically used the words “highly skilled.” In 2010, there were 25,000 unemployed U.S.-born individuals with engineering degrees who have a Master’s or PhD and another 68,000 with advanced degrees not in the labor force. There were also 489,000 U.S.-born individuals with graduate degrees who were working, but not as engineers.

Relatively low pay and perhaps a strong bias on the part of some employers to hire foreign workers seems to have pushed many American engineers out their profession.

There are many different types of engineering degrees. But unemployment, non-work, or working outside of your field is common for Americans with many different types of engineering degrees. (Detailed employment figures for specific types of engineers are provided below.)

The key policy question for the United States is how many foreign engineers should be admitted in the future. Contrary to President Obama’s statement, the latest data from the Census Bureau indicate there is a very large supply of American-born engineers in the country. It would be better for the president to seek more diverse sources of information than simply relying on “industry” to determine what is going on in the U.S. labor market.
Data Source: Figures for the above analysis come from a Center for Immigration Studies analysis of the public-use file of the 2010 American Community Survey (ACS) collected by the U.S. Census Bureau. Figures on degrees and employment are based on self-reporting in the survey and have been rounded to their nearest thousand. The survey asks about undergraduate degrees, so some of the individuals who have a Master’s or PhD may not have their graduate degree in engineering. Also, those who indicated that they have a “professional degree” are not included in the discussion of those with Master’s and PhDs because a large share have law degrees. The 2010 data is the most recent ACS available.
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Nice opinion piece, but it doesn't alter or conflict with what was previously posted...
 
rabbitcaebannog said:
Furthermore, the reason why professions such as engineering isn't hiring just American engineers in the country is because they demand higher wages than say someone from India who could make half the wage. We are undercutting our professional workforce too not just McDonald and Walmart workers.
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You need to make up your mind. Either there are no jobs and subsequently they are underemployed or engineers would rather work for minimum wage than compete in the market... Possibly you just believe everything you read on the internet...
 
every profession has unemployed people period. Some are higher than others, I don't exactly know how it got to this, I agree that people can do more to get ahead, but I also believe at points people just get robbed.
 
I love the market but I love seeing Wal Mart squirm.
 
rabbitcaebannog said:
:doh Nice try Paul but it is not an opinion piece. There is data to support its claim. If you click on the link you will find more info.
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I'm in accounting/finance. Would you like to know how easily figures can be manipulated even when the source of the figures is trusted? It's all in how the data is presented and what the end objective might be. When I see the words "The key policy question for the United States", it has the strong odor of opinion...
 
iacardsfan said:
Not every person can just pick up and move
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That's not the point. We are never-ever-EVER going to have 100% employment. Much less 100% employment in the career of one's choice. If the only job a college graduate can find is a minimum wage job? He's got to find a way to move. Or just figure he's one of the few who can't and bloom where he's planted.

I think rural areas often fall into that category. A little town called Manchester, KY. If you go to college and don't move? You're probably going to be working a minimum wage job or slightly above...unless you're a doctor, lawyer or Indian chief. Or stand in line to get a job at the Federal prison. A whole area called Door County, Wisconsin. You're probably going to be working a minimum wage job or slightly above unless you wait in the long line for teacher positions or start your own business. The country's full of pockets like that. Even a robust economy isn't going to change that.
 
AlabamaPaul said:
You need to make up your mind. Either there are no jobs and subsequently they are underemployed or engineers would rather work for minimum wage than compete in the market... Possibly you just believe everything you read on the internet...
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Oh, I never said there were no engineer jobs. On the contrary, but there are many an engineer that is unemployed in the US. Not because he is lazy, stupid, a moocher and all those other short sighted myopic views some people take but because they demand higher salary than say someone from India. In the meantime many people are getting special work Visas to do those jobs on much lower wages and then some of those jobs are then shipped to that country once the Visa runs out. It saves CEOs money. Undercutting a workforce saves money which brings in bigger profits. It's a pretty easy concept and professionals with degrees are not necessarily protected from this cut throat need to undercut workers pay.
 
AlabamaPaul said:
I'm in accounting/finance. Would you like to know how easily figures can be manipulated even when the source of the figures is trusted? It's all in how the data is presented and what the end objective might be. When I see the words "The key policy question for the United States", it has the strong odor of opinion...
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Feel free to deny facts if it doesn't fit your reality of how the world should work but facts are facts.
 
rabbitcaebannog said:
Oh, I never said there were no engineer jobs. On the contrary, but there are many an engineer that is unemployed in the US. Not because he is lazy, stupid, a moocher and all those other short sighted myopic views some people take but because they demand higher salary than say someone from India. In the meantime many people are getting special work Visas to do those jobs on much lower wages and then some of those jobs are then shipped to that country once the Visa runs out. It saves CEOs money. Undercutting a workforce saves money which brings in bigger profits. It's a pretty easy concept and professionals with degrees are not necessarily protected from this cut throat need to undercut workers pay.
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Let me say this as nicely as possible. You're full of ****...

Those who come to this country on work Visas expect competitive compensation as they are subject to the same cost of living as anyone else. Do you have the same hard on for illegal immigrants as you do for those that arrived here and reside here legally?
 
Wal-Mart has destroyed the American Village: the family pharmacy, hardware store, clothing store all the while suppressing wages for desperate American workers. As cheap as the prices are, the Walt-Mart workers shop at the 99-Cent Store...after new employee orientation which teaches new hires how to get food-stamps and qualify for welfare. Times are bad for many American Families and Wal-Mart is the first resort for the needy...at the expense of the worker. 60% of America shops at Wal-Mart daily. Anyone of the few remaining middle class who shops at Wal-mart is self-destructive. The "profit" made by Wal-Mart is nothing more nor less that the income made as labor brokers...the products they sell are made by slave labor abroad to be bought by people who, by patronizing, are helping destroy the middle Class.
 
rabbitcaebannog said:
Feel free to deny facts if it doesn't fit your reality of how the world should work but facts are facts.
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When you show me raw data, I'll evaluate it, but I won't take data that has been massaged and give it much consideration at all...
 
rabbitcaebannog said:
Oh, I never said there were no engineer jobs. On the contrary, but there are many an engineer that is unemployed in the US. Not because he is lazy, stupid, a moocher and all those other short sighted myopic views some people take but because they demand higher salary than say someone from India. In the meantime many people are getting special work Visas to do those jobs on much lower wages and then some of those jobs are then shipped to that country once the Visa runs out. It saves CEOs money. Undercutting a workforce saves money which brings in bigger profits. It's a pretty easy concept and professionals with degrees are not necessarily protected from this cut throat need to undercut workers pay.
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That is simply insane. Do you honestly assert that a highly educated and skilled engineer would rather wait tables than work for 4x as much simply because they are too proud to bow to a CEO unwilling to pay them 5x as much?
 
Mangas said:
Wal-Mart has destroyed the American Village: the family pharmacy, hardware store, clothing store all the while suppressing wages for desperate American workers. As cheap as the prices are, the Walt-Mart workers shop at the 99-Cent Store...after new employee orientation which teaches new hires how to get food-stamps and qualify for welfare. Times are bad for many American Families and Wal-Mart is the first resort for the needy...at the expense of the worker. 60% of America shops at Wal-Mart daily. Anyone of the few remaining middle class who shops at Wal-mart is self-destructive. The "profit" made by Wal-Mart is nothing more nor less that the income made as labor brokers...the products they sell are made by slave labor abroad to be bought by people who, by patronizing, are helping destroy the middle Class.
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Oh good grief. Did Walmart spring from nothing or was it built by its customer base which is a mixture of all socioeconomic makeups. I don't shop there too often, but its because the business model has changed dramatically from its original premise of Made in the USA. This doesn't appear to matter much at all to the vast majority of its current customer base as now, price trumps everything else...
 
AlabamaPaul said:
Let me say this as nicely as possible. You're full of ****...

Those who come to this country on work Visas expect competitive compensation as they are subject to the same cost of living as anyone else. Do you have the same hard on for illegal immigrants as you do for those that arrived here and reside here legally?
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Sorry Paul, you're the only one here who can get a hard on. Now back to my point- Previous research on CS/EE estimates the underpayment at 15–20 percent (Matloff 2003); a study of earlier data calculated the pay gap for engineering to be 33 percent (Ong and Blumenthal 1997). Hunt, analyzing all college graduates, with no restriction on field, found that the group of interest here—those who first arrived as foreign graduate students—were making significantly less than comparable natives (Hunt 2009).4 Are foreign students the ‘best and brightest’?: Data and implications for immigration policy | Economic Policy Institute
 
ttwtt78640 said:
That is simply insane. Do you honestly assert that a highly educated and skilled engineer would rather wait tables than work for 4x as much simply because they are too proud to bow to a CEO unwilling to pay them 5x as much?
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God can have any more of a red herring or do you really not understand what I've posted? Hint: It has nothing to do with engineers being wait staff. It has everything to do with many are also finding themselves unemployed in this country. They are not immune to the undercutting of our work force.
 
rabbitcaebannog said:
Sorry Paul, you're the only one here who can get a hard on. Now back to my point- Previous research on CS/EE estimates the underpayment at 15–20 percent (Matloff 2003); a study of earlier data calculated the pay gap for engineering to be 33 percent (Ong and Blumenthal 1997). Hunt, analyzing all college graduates, with no restriction on field, found that the group of interest here—those who first arrived as foreign graduate students—were making significantly less than comparable natives (Hunt 2009).4 Are foreign students the ‘best and brightest’?: Data and implications for immigration policy | Economic Policy Institute
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Again, provide the raw data, not the synthesized "results" where bias has been applied and I might review it. I trust no studies other than those I do myself, and even I apply somewhat of a bias as it's a part of human nature. Surely even you can understand this as your link is from a group promoting their agenda...
 
AlabamaPaul said:
Again, provide the raw data, not the synthesized "results" where bias has been applied and I might review it. I trust no studies other than those I do myself, and even I apply somewhat of a bias as it's a part of human nature. Surely even you can understand this as your link is from a group promoting their agenda...
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Data is data. However, if you only trust your own studies what can I say?
 
rabbitcaebannog said:
God can have any more of a red herring or do you really not understand what I've posted? Hint: It has nothing to do with engineers being wait staff. It has everything to do with many are also finding themselves unemployed in this country. They are not immune to the undercutting of our work force.
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But that is (or should be) under control of our gov't. Surely even you can see that. Walmart is doing exactly what it should do, and what every business does, paying only what it takes to attract and retain the labor force that it needs. The fact that aliens, legal or not, are willing to work for what is offered while others are not is not going to make CEOs (or our congress critters) blink an eye. If you seriously believe that U.S. immigration policy is not correct then take that up with your congress critter, but bear in mind that Obama, our telepromter in chief, seeks to bring even more cheap foreign labor into the mix in his dreamy sort of way.

So long as the gov't is willing to supplement the lower wages of U.S. workers with its goofy income redistribution programs, then nobody is going to care what the private portion of their income is. If I can work a McJob and have General Welfare, or Uncle Sucker, make up the cost of living difference to allow me to live comfortably then the McCEO has not a care in the world about increasing the level of pay offered.
 
NIMBY said:
If speaking of shapes, I'd prefer the economy have a 38-26-36 to what we have now. It astounds me people complain of a 40% tax rate at the top, or any taxes at all, when the top paid 90% during IKE's time. I enjoy the _________ of this Great Nation and don't mind paying for it.
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So are you a liar or simply uniformed?

Do you know what the difference between a top marginal rate and an effective rate? Are you hoping none of us know?
 
Mangas said:
Wal-Mart has destroyed the American Village: the family pharmacy, hardware store, clothing store all the while suppressing wages for desperate American workers. As cheap as the prices are, the Walt-Mart workers shop at the 99-Cent Store...after new employee orientation which teaches new hires how to get food-stamps and qualify for welfare. Times are bad for many American Families and Wal-Mart is the first resort for the needy...at the expense of the worker. 60% of America shops at Wal-Mart daily. Anyone of the few remaining middle class who shops at Wal-mart is self-destructive. The "profit" made by Wal-Mart is nothing more nor less that the income made as labor brokers...the products they sell are made by slave labor abroad to be bought by people who, by patronizing, are helping destroy the middle Class.
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Linc here--LincolnSaveThisUnion--I should have left NIMBY for Nimbus--SLAVES in China--The real bottom line. Whether from China, North Korea, Vietnam and more--SLAVES who are used to harvest kidneys and livers--American corps giving up state secrets
 
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