Accounting lessons

Jesse Jackson Jr. is proposing that the minimum wage be raised to $10 an hour to adjust for inflation and give poor, working folks a leg up in this difficult economy. Before taxing rich people became THE issue in this difficult economy, raising the minimum wage was a semi-regular affront to the fiscal sensibilities of republicans everywhere.

As business persons, republicans know that raising wages, any time, anywhere, absolutely KILLS business. It forces them to find foreign countries with no oppressive laws to restrict their freedoms to employ people who, while not Americans, are Americans at heart in that they don't believe in punishing job creators who are kind enough to give them just enough to subsist on. Plus, it cuts into profits.

Mitt Romney is a businessperson. He wants to use his businessperson acumen to lead the United States as president. He thinks taxing our most successful citizens is a burden. He only pays at a 15% rate, not the 28% rate he could be paying at if not for loopholes and good accountants, and not the 32% rate he could be paying at if not for loopholes, good accountants AND GW Bush.

Huge corporations like Exxon and GE pay ZERO taxes for the same reasons. I think in the 50's the rate was something ridiculous like 90%. So, 28% or 32% or whatever per cent seems like great markdown, all things considered. I mean, did we not have rich people in the 50's? Were there no accountants and loopholes? It seems to this Ferrerman that, regardless of the percentage, rich people are still rich and most don't pay anywhere near whatever the percentage is at the time. So, what the fuck is the big deal?

Is it the thought that counts? Or do rich people simply hate having to pay accountants to work their mojo? Is this really a republican plan to divest accountants from the workforce? I wonder....

I think too that Jesse is fighting an uphill battle and at the wrong time. The so-called *job creators* (FKA "rich people") and their republican spokespeople, are busting unions as we speak in a pretty blatant attempt to divest Amercia (sic) of ALL wage laws. You might have noticed. So, trying to raise wages now seems like odd timing. Without Unions as the benchmark for wages, we are subject to the alleged free-market. This free market means that, if the powers that be are willing to pay $5 an hour for a skilled trade, you are free to take it or leave it. That's AMERCIA! Love it or leave it.

As a Ferrerman, I'm a huge fan of irony. The irony here that deserves my fandom is that, our republican friends, neighbors and internet idiots have NO FUCKING IDEA that this effects them too! If they think it's about fucking those smug, Union workers, it's really about fucking them AND the rest of the 99% that works for a living. Just because you don't work for minimum wage doesn't mean that the loss of those laws AND Unions won't affect your job. One of the by-products of the recession has been unemployment affecting nearly every profession. Young folks are graduating college with little prospects of work in their field. Let's face it- that $60k job that you have could be done by a kid out of college for one third of your pay. He or she will take it too. They have hefty student loans to pay and food intake requirements too. Of course, your employer could simply ask you to take a 2/3rds cut in pay to retain your job but, that would be illegal, right?

Oops! Be careful what you wish for....