SteaminWillieBeamin

Perhaps - but we all can find ways to reduce costs when we are at a comfortable level. For instance, I would just stop ordering overpriced beer with my dinner. My kids would not get a kid sized drink and would drink water instead. Which is healthier anyhow. As far as studies, I know what you are saying, but I do tend to trust studies from academics and not private industry consultants. Since they are peer reviewed and welcome to feedback. But to your point - you have to belief something from someone. You can't spit ball everything. There are some markets that do not adjust properly for this single life we have to live on this round blue ball. A living wage is not moving... it's been 11 years since the last increase and definitely does not adjust for cost of living (locally or nationally).

They won't really have a choice though. That is the point. If the prices increase - it will be across the board for all four fast food places on the four corners in that town. But again - the studies that followed the cities who raised the minimum wage did not find that to be the case. Since you are talking restaurants - let's say that instead of price increases, we see portion decreases? That is a win-win situation. In the United States alone, 40% of food gets tossed every year—and that amounts to $162 billion in waste annually. Maybe it can chip away at the obesity problem in our country too. If you've ever travelled to the EU (outside tourist areas that cater to Americans) - you will find that food prices are lower or maybe the same, but with smaller portions. I've never once been hungry after a meal overseas .... and I've never been asked for a "doggy bag." What a crazy concept - doggy bag. They focus on costs and waste - instead of bulk and perceived value. My international friends who moved here for work are amazed how how expensive it is to live here. We focus on how pricey gas is over there, but ignore how almost everything else is more expensive (outside the super-cities obviously). Of course the incredible wealthy will be able to amass huge chunks of wealth, but we can work on the bottom side to bring that population up - and give them a chance to pass on the generational wealth. BTW: I am cool with down votes. When I get them on the most even keeled and reasoned response - I know that my four valued fans have read my post.

This is that same high school from yesterday: https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/paulding-county/day-before-metro-atlanta-high-school-is-set-open-principal-reports-covid-19-cases/LDTCPDA7LNBKHA7BX5FT2NIKLE/

First day of school in GA - in one of the nation's hottest COVID counties.

I highly doubt you consider yourself a dumb guy. I think you are you looking at the variables incorrectly and drawing the wrong conclusion. I don't know why any interest from a $10 million dollar account affects the person at minimum wage - it doesn't. In the current minimum wage at a full time week the yearly income in $15k. After an increase to $21.75 - they make $45k. There is no way to argue that a $30k more a year will hurt them financially and they are better off at $15k. Perhaps they can afford insurance, school, retirement and save for a rainy day fund. Not likely all - but they can prioritize based on their needs. Will this now $45k yearly income person be able to get $10M ... no. Of course not. But - if they start to save $2000 year in a simple IRA form the age of 18? There is a reasonable chance at saving 2k a year with $45k a year. There is NO chance at that savings with $15k. Given my best case scenario and a Traditional pre-tax IRA - they can have over $360k for retirement. The average retirement account RIGHT NOW for a person in their 60's is $172k! Appalling. A living wage allows for the person to be able to make the right choices and living a life where they are not eating dogfood from a can when they are 70 years old. Also, there are dozens of studies on Seattle's raising the minimum wage on the cost of living - and overall it doesn't show much of an impact. Seattle still has a thriving economy. Daycare cost increased (but different topic - maybe this should be a benefit of work). Cost of food did not increase. And the cost of housing was not attributed to the raise in minimum wage.

I don't think this is true. If we got back to a living wage instead of a minimum wage, made higher education actually affordable so students aren't drowning in debt right out of college and made health care something that won't bankrupt you -- that goes a long way.

These are students, still learning, give them a break. I am sure the quality of the paper would *not* be different if we pulled up the microfiche from your time at NTSU.

It's especially rich considering how Trump himself can't be bothered to be consistent on what he is calling a 'hoax.' It's mostly stuff he doesn't agree with is lumped into either "fake" or "hoax." Which is completely insane. Like... global warming is a hoax invented by China to hurt the US. His gut tells him what is fake or a hoax - 100% reliable.

Um... huh? I didn't mention Trump. I suppose I need to write a paragraph to explain what "this" means? In this case, "this" refers to the reaction to COVID.

White House's pet Corona project shied away from a national strategy, believing that the virus was hitting Democratic states hardest and that they could blame governors. This is completely morally bankrupt. https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/07/how-jared-kushners-secret-testing-plan-went-poof-into-thin-air

Man. You posted and old article that had already been corrected the next day. But you still were trying to use it as proof of something that didn't happen. That's not on me.

I've been in a Tripel kick lately. Trying to ease off hops and back to nuanced flavors. 😂 BTW - I've never done a gmg charity game. Though we are roughly the same age and likely stood side by side at Lou's back in the day.

I am not aware that small stores had to close. But the lack of business and restrictions on capacity made it not worth it to be open. Big box did things like require masks, limit capacity, make isles directional, tape mark spacing on the floors.. Salons are questionable - there have been community spread. My opinion (and studies show) that masks help in salons. Night and day difference.. but at that time Abbot shot down Dallas's mask mandate. He said it was illegal and unenforceable. So that salon lady used it for publicity and the new deniers ate it up...and dipshit Ted Cruz is out getting a haircut in violation of a court order for the cameras. I haven't been to my barber in 6 months. I check his online booking though and he is still booked up.. When I didn't let my cleaning lady come, I still paid her. When my nanny was sitting at home for 5 months... I still paid her. When my kids swim lessons shut down (note - we still don't go) we still have them autobill. My favorite local restaurants, we buy gift cards, though we don't go eat there. My kids soccer coach does online lessons via zoom.. I definitely over pay for them. My wife and I try to do our part to keep the economy around us rolling. I think we all have some part in keeping this going (including responsible covid precautions). I can't believe the govt sent out $1200 to everyone ... Regardless if they were impacted. That was a big waste. Help the businesses that have proven impact. I really like how EU nations provided 90% salary for workers that would have been let go. It kept their job, kept them productive and directly helped .. Not a mass mailing of money to everyone. Well not everyone.. there was an upper limit. If I got that money, I would have donated it to charity immediately. That's a different topic I guess.

Bars, strip clubs, dance clubs, concert venues and those types of places are hot spots. I think they needed closed down.. but really, unless we had an-in response, it will be drawn out and hurt the whole nation's economy. We never had an all-in response from the top down. Economists have researched the slow down and estimate that mandatory shutdown only added 7% to the overall decline. Sweden had a stay open policy and their economy suffered exactly like all other EU nations... But they had a way higher death toll and their leaders now regret it Frontman Behind Sweden's Coronavirus Strategy Regrets High Death Toll https://www.livescience.com/results-of-sweden-covid19-response.html So it isn't a clear cut open/close answer here. The pandemic is real, even in Sweden that stayed open but warned people to take caution.. it wasn't the answer. Norway shut down and tested a ton and covid traced a ton.. They are in the clear now. Whose response is better? Sweden thinks Norway. Obviously we are not in the same category because of our size. So.. I don't know. Truly. But some things have to be shutdown because they cannot be done safely in an outbreak (like we have now locally)

BECAUSE THEY HAVE CONTROLLED THE SPREAD ALREADY. God Lord. Why is this so hard to understand? When there are flare ups - they respond with masks and be shutdown. We've had more death in this one day in Texas (322) than Norway has had the whole time (255). Our positive rate has come down to 12%. Big improvement really. Norway's is 1% right now. https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/norway?country=~NOR

Oh, I do blame them.. Abbot's orders from the beginning were just enough to get good press for doing something, but gray enough to but change much. I'm happy he finally mandated masks. Remember Gobert joking and touching all the reporters microphones - mocking what the NBA has just met with them in imploring them to take it seriously and it spreads via aerosol.. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/jazz/2020/03/11/rudy-gobert-nba-jazz-joked-coronavirus-touched-reporters-recorders-interview/5028089002/ He felt terrible afterwards! Made amends, apologized and be changed his tune. He caught it... Gave it to a teammate.. felt terrible. He should have taken it seriously and led by example. I expect that type of response from the elected leaders. But they are not young adults like Gobert, they should know better.

Obviously this is me. "I think this is filed under the 'win stupid prizes' or 'Darwin Awards' section. That is chuckle worthy. " I didn't mention the rally. I am referring to his whole non-mask picture at the rally and his tweet saying American are fed up and he's not wearing a mask. But as you say, common sense says he was more likely to catch it at a Rally than a gas station... And we know he was at a rally and I have no idea if he ever pumped his own gas. So using your common sense, it is plausible and not too far of a fetch. Right? That's not unreasonable thinking. But trying to blame Trump? I blame him for being late to the common sense party and still daily pandering to conspiracies.

Literally no one is saying that. No one.

Both graphs are not the same. One is a greater than 99% chance, the other is a 2.41% chance. I absolutely do not think he deserved it. He was asking for it though. I do not have tolerance for his espousing dangerous behaviors. That is the story to me. One that people should take notice of... It isn't about the rally. We already knew that was a dangerous decision by the president. That is already well covered.

He was not in that group of people doing it 100% correctly.

Here is Georgia Tech's dynamic risk calculator: https://covid19risk.biosci.gatech.edu/ I went ahead and calculated the risk of the Rally of 19k in OK and a gas station with 5 people.

My bad, you were just getting bothered that people are implying he got it at the rally. But there is a science to exposure - there literally is a whole field dedicated to it. So I bet they could walk his history from rally to hospital and come up with an accurate guess of where his likely picked it up. But that doesn't matter - BECAUSE we do know he didn't believe in masks and made poor choices about distancing. I don't care if he got it at the rally or not. He was bound to get it with being a covid jackass - looking right into the mouth of the pandemic and using his audience to spread fake information. That is the story. And as they say - that leopard ate his face. I never claimed he got it at the rally...

Again, it's a strawman argument. No one is asking you to stay home and live in fear. People are being asked to be careful and practice the behaviors that will help curb this pandemic. That is what people need to wake up to. Going to a large gathering in a town with a rising covid count and explicitly not wearing a mask to show how much this is a hoax... That is reckless. It puts other people at risk. It's very easy to be not go out and be preacher of ignorance. That is what Herman did (his family deleted his tweet he made prior to the Tulsa rally btw). That's what our president does by repping medicine that does not work, can be dangerous and shares videos from a lady who is dangerously crazy. Demon sex? Alien DNA? For the love of God. It's not true to say that "no one knows shit" and this isn't a "science." When clearly those are both are both incorrect, but *you* keep trying to spread that doubt.. Masks work. Distancing works. Washing hands works. WHO does not advise to go maskless. Vaccines do save lives. Do not go to large gatherings.

Did you forget the sarcasm tag? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯