Because There Aren’t Enough Unemployed Blacks, Latinos And Immigrants In Minneapolis

Minneapolis is now talking about following Seattle’s “lead” in raising the minimum wage to $15/hour.

Council member Alondra Cano tells us she’s working with the U.S. Department of Labor to get a sense of the legal challenges the city could face if officials try to follow Seattle’s lead and raise the minimum wage within its borders.

What do you call three people without a single honest clue about economics between them? I dunno, but this pic says a thousand words. Jacob Frey (Annoying DFL Hipster, South Mpls), Ryan “Uncle Tom” Winkler (Smug Volvocrat, Saint Louis Park) and Alondra Cano (union puppet, Minneapols) grinning at the thought of more unemployed black, Latino and immigrant youth to demigogue.

 

“My office and myself and my constituents are very supportive of the efforts of fast food workers,” Cano tells us. “We’re very happy that a handful of council members are very interested in this topic. There’s a lot of political interest in this, I think people feel that it’s the morally right thing to do, and the right time to do it.”

The most annoying part?  They know it’s a dumb idea. Well, not in as many words – but read this next bit and tell me there isn’t  an “and then a Miracle happens” tucked away here:

But Cano acknowledges that the context in Minneapolis is different than it is in Seattle, where earlier this summer the city council voted to gradually increase the minimum wage in the city to $15 an hour. “Minneapolis is a very competitive and connected environment where if we make any moves that would discourage companies from doing business here, they could move to St. Louis Park, Bloomington, or St. Paul,” Cano says. “Seattle is a hub of the local economy, a lot of companies are locked in and anchored there, so the real question is how do we ensure that people in Minneapolis benefit from this move? If we do this, how many of these jobs would stay in Minneapolis and benefit residents? At this point we’re doing a lot of research.”

They’re doing a “lot of research”.  All of it political.  None of it economical. It’s a payback to the public employee unions, perched on the backs of black, latino and immigrant Minneapolitans.  Who the DFL just knows aren ‘t voting for anyone else…

26 thoughts on “Because There Aren’t Enough Unemployed Blacks, Latinos And Immigrants In Minneapolis

  1. You know how the left is always refusing to hear criticism or commentary from someone unless unless that someone belongs to the constituent group in question (its a black thing; you’re a man, etc)?

    Well, I am embarrassed to say I have the street cred here, because unfortunately I have been forced to seek work at a temp labor agency, where we usually make minimum wage.

    And I am here to tell you during July and August have been at roughly 25% of the usual amount available work. I am fortunate that I rent a room from a friend, because I am behind on my rent. And have been forced to seek some charity food as well. All in all I’m lucky, but it has been difficult to say the least.

    Oh, what was my point again? Guess what went into effect July 1st of this year? Minimum wage increase in Cally.

    Yeah.

  2. There are 4 or 5 things that can or will go wrong when you do this. The one “right” thing is based on demand economics which is complete bullshit. Look around.

    The ONLY solution to MOST of our problems is a generalized improvement in the national economy. http://bit.ly/1lTcQOS * http://bit.ly/1oYXwjf

  3. Are you one of those single variable economic equation folks Emery? You know, the “we’ll just raise demand and nothing but our desired output will change” type?

  4. Oh, come on Emery, what we need is PRODUCTIVITY. Debt has been rising faster than GDP since 1971 because we have been goosing the crap out of the economy with debt, government, underfunded actuarial systems and easy money. The party is OVER.

    Listen to this. http://bit.ly/1ui2Srs There is a transcript, too.

  5. HEY EMERY:

    Why can’t we legislate the cost of living at the point of a gun? Just asking.

    Signed

    The Fed Sucks

  6. I’m not convinced the American consumer which comprises roughly 70% of the US economy, is prepared to go on a debt-induced (heloc’s and credit cards) spending spree again.

  7. The issue is, is the debt productive or helping with consumption timing (working capital?) or is it CONSUMED?

    So much of debt is government debt or private debt that is consumed, or buying a speculate-to-survive inflationism shelter, otherwise known as a house.

  8. What it comes down to it the economy is very delicately dependent on EITHER productive or UNPRODUCTIVE credit growth at this point.

    We are in a hell of a spot.

    Romney / Ryan was the last chance to undo a 100 years of central planning.

    We are doomed.

  9. Another deflection.

    Just wait until people stop believing in the “omniscience” of central banks; all hell will break loose.

  10. Was visiting family in Wisconsin last week and noted the Democrats are running the exact same ads against Governor Walker that they are running against Johnson in Minnesota. They must have done focus groups to see what phrases work.
    “He voted to cut $500 million from education (sic) so he can give tax breaks to his friends (sic)”.

  11. Saying that the problem with the economy is lack of demand is like saying that the problem with a sick person is a lack of health. A good economy produces demand, not the other way round.
    Before invoking keynesian orthodoxy, keynes must be understood.
    Keynes believed that modern economies — meaning 1920s-1930s economies — could get “stuck” in a recession because the prices for labor and goods would not drop and their markets would not clear. The reason that this was a problem unique to modern economies (again, 1920s-1930s economies) was the rise of trade unionism and the complexity of the supply chains required to produce modern manufactured goods.
    Neither unionism nor complex supply chains are a problem any more. The prices for labor and for goods aren’t dropping and their markets aren’t clearing, but this is a result of government action, not a result of government inaction.
    Emery misses a very important point. At $15/hr, fewer people will be employed at minimum wage, and the money to pay them the new higher wage will come from the pocket books of consumers. Two nights out each month at a restaurant will become one night out each month, etc.
    Dana Milbank wrote a typically clueless column on the topic of Seattle’s new, higher minimum wage:
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-no-calamity-yet-as-seatac-wash-adjusts-to-15-minimum-wage/2014/09/05/d12ba922-3503-11e4-9e92-0899b306bbea_story.html

  12. Emery’s comment reminds me of a proverb I learned a while back: “Ifs and buts, if they were candy and nuts, boy what a party we’d have.”

    Seriously, Emery, while it is theoretically possible that demand could rise to the point where we’d be paying $15/burger and could afford $15/hour wages, I’m not quite sure that this would be an economic benefit to those flipping burgers–they’d get a bigger paycheck simply to watch it go flying out the door in higher food, rent, and such costs. Just ask corn farmers how much of the price hike in corn is absorbed by the price of land.

    At some point, we’ve got to design economic policy around the world we live in, and that must recognize the 30% or so unemployment rate among young urban minorities. In short, the risk/reward ratio is simply too bad to justify hiring people in the cities.

  13. Related to what Mitch says above…..we have what? 25 million illegal uneducated unskilled people from third world countries. Who is going to pay them $15 an hour when you can get a college graduate to work for that.
    Obama’s open borders are creating a perminent underclass.

  14. “Obama’s open borders are creating a perminent underclass.”
    As far as Obama is concerned, that is a feature, not a bug, Chuck.
    But they will be of limited use to the Dems until they can vote. The Dems lost the white working class vote in the 80s. They now wish to replace it with the votes of uneducated, low skilled immigrants. That is all this is about, not “immigrant rights”, or helping the US economy.

  15. Mitch:

    I realize that this council member isn’t a member of the school board, but I might be more alarmed if minorities have over a 50% drop out from the schools.

    I might be alarm that this council member isn’t wondering how come we have given the school board every tax increase they wanted for more than 20 years to crank out great well qualified job applicants and they aren’t.

    And just maybe because they are a high school dropout and maybe because the school system did such a poor job that might be why the person doesn’t qualify for a $15/hour job.

    Walter Hanson
    Minneapolis, MN

  16. “Obama’s open borders are creating a perminent demonrat voting underclass.”

    There. Fixed it for you. You are welcome.

  17. Why are they making it easier the short the stock for Minneapolis commercial real estate owners, developers & managers? It’s like a conspiracy to screw everyone who is not a union member or works for the government (ptr).

  18. I think this is a wonderful idea. And then, to be sure those minimum wage people can afford to live in converted warehouse loft condominiums, the Council should impose Rent Controls. Also, the cost of a Starbucks is ridiculous: we demand Price Controls.

    Soon, Minneapolis will be as nice a place to live as New York City or San Francisco, for those who can afford to live there. A city full of rich White government union employees: Democrat Utopia!

  19. Mitch:

    Another question that should be asked of this lady (hint maybe invite her to be on the show) and keep in mind I’m a Minneapolis resident so I can back this up.

    If it so easy to open and operate a business in Minneapolis right now with the lower wage level how come I drive by some many empty lots in Minneapolis where there used to be businesses located? Won’t raising the minimum wage thus cause more of the current businesses to close and to have more empty lots?

    Walter Hanson
    Minneapolis, MN

  20. I would love to see the $15/hr minimum wage people justify their actions to an economist. Usually they just talk to dimwitted journalists. Believing that a higher minimum wage does not negatively affect employment is like believing in the tooth fairy.
    “Of course there is a tooth fairy! Did you find a quarter under your pillow or not? Did you put it there? The money just materializes, it’s tooth fairy magic!”
    If you make the minimum wage $15/hr, you can’t just point to all the minimum wage workers who are now making $15/hr, you need to account for all the workers who wold have been employed at $7.50/hr and now either work somewhere else for $7.50/hr or who aren’t able to find work at all.

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