LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 Tuesday to incrementally raise the minimum wage in unincorporated areas over the next five years, reaching $15 an hour by 2020.
Supervisors Sheila Kuehl, Hilda Solis and Mark Ridley-Thomas backed the ordinance. Supervisors Michael Antonovich and Don Knabe dissented, raising concerns about the impact on businesses.
Knabe voted in favor of the hike for county employees only.
The minimum wage statewide is currently $9 an hour, but it is scheduled to increase to $10 an hour in January.
Kuehl recommended the county wage hike, which will include a series of increases over five years, beginning July 1, 2016, and reaching $15 an hour by 2020. The wage will go to $10.50 in July 2016, $12 in July 2017, $13.25 in July 2018, $14.25 in July 2019 then to $15 the following year. After 2020, the wage will be adjusted annually based on the cost of living. Small businesses with fewer than 26 employees will have until 2021 to meet the wage increase. [Read Kuehl’s motion here.]
Kuehl said she’d “never been prouder than I am today” about giving “tens of thousands of low-wage workers whose labor has been undervalued and, too often, stolen” the opportunity to enter the working class rather than living in “the poverty class.”
Antonovich countered that “a $15 minimum wage is really $21.17,” once taxes and health insurance are considered. He also warned that theme parks like Magic Mountain and retailers like Ross and Walmart might be annexed to other cities to avoid paying the higher wage, hurting the county tax roll.
“Are you going to have businesses stay here, thrive and create jobs or are you going to have another exodus?” Antonovich said.
The board discussed the proposal last month, but postponed a vote due to concerns over a Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation report on the issue.
Dozens of workers packed the county board room Tuesday in support of the wage hike, telling the board that despite working full-time, they’re unable to pay for basic necessities. They faced off against business owners, large and small, who mostly opposed the increase, warning the board that they would be forced to lay off workers, cut hours and raise prices.
The board’s action – which will also apply to county employees – leaves dozens of municipalities to decide whether they will respond in kind.
Business representatives warned that setting a higher wage in unincorporated areas would create a bureaucratic nightmare for businesses that operate within and outside of those “islands.”
Following its approval of a minimum wage increase in unincorporated areas to $15 by 2020, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to increase the “living wage” for contract workers on county jobs to $13.25 by 2016.
Additional raises approved as part of the board’s action put the living wage on pace to exceed the minimum wage. Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas recommended the increase, the first since 2007.
The living wage is the minimum that county contractors — who perform cafeteria, janitorial, landscaping and other typically low-wage functions — must pay their employees. Roughly 4,200 workers under more than 220 contracts will be affected.
They currently receive an hourly wage of either $9.64 with health insurance or $11.84 without health benefits, for an annual take-home pay of $20,051 or $24,627, respectively, for a 40-hour work week.
The board’s vote does away with the two-tiered system and sets the living wage to increase to $13.25 by 2016, $14.25 by 2017, $15 by 2018 and $15.79 by 2019, with changes thereafter based on changes in the cost of living index.
The board’s vote was 3-2, with Supervisors Michael Antonovich and Don Knabe dissenting. Knabe in particular objected to tying wage increases to the Consumer Price Index, saying it would limit the ability to manage through economic downturns.
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William says
Those of you who oppose raising the minimum wage, I pose a question.
If you’ve been working for a salary or other than minimum wage for the last 3 decades, has your salary/hourly wage increased at all?
Do you suppose that your increase, provided you had one, caused inflation to rise? Why wouldn’t it if other similar jobs as yours had salary/wage increases all along as well?
I suspect that you didn’t get any smarter or much more productive after the first few years at your job. You just learned ‘how to get by’ or better yet, took advantage of the ‘Peter Principle’. And, if not, I’m sure you’ve seen others in your line of work do that while their salaries/hourly wages increased.
I just wanted to see how honest your opposition to raising the minimum wage is and I’m guessing that most of you are hypocrites. It’s fine for your income to increase without any more effort on your part but you’d deny it to others because of some notion that it will cause inflation to rise and hurt poor you because that fast food burger will cost you a few more pennies.
Do you really think all those CEOs who’ve seen their executive compensions skyrocket since Reagan cut the top marginal tax rate and who ruined companies while getting ‘golden parachutes’ just to be rid of them deserved those high salaries? Yet, you don’t complain about their high salaries raising inflation rates.
Your silence about the above has been deafening.
Greg says
Then there is the counter argument from those on City, County, State pay scales.
Minimum wage is going from about $9 to about $15 in a few years time. That is about a double digit percentage increase. Meanwhile our cost of living increases from the State, COunty, City are usually in the low single digit to partial digit if at all. Year to year raises often stop at 5 years, and do not get another raise until 10 years, it is not a double digit percentage.
What does that all mean? It means those employees are hit with a spending gap as their earned wages are now worth less due to heavy inflation from minimum wage increases. We have to cut back further, try to get the unions to get us more before we go under as our wages quickly near the poverty line (which is a moving line that goes up with minimum wage).
Tim Scott says
Traditionally, the benefits and job security have been seen as an offset against the (perceived) lower pay of public sector jobs. My experience in a public sector job told me that I and everyone I worked with was grossly overpaid in relation to the jobs we had, especially with those considerations taken into account.
William says
@Greg
You either deliberately or unintentionally omitted that the minimum wage has been kept nearly the same for many years while other wages and salaries have increased.
Just how do you think the increased wages of other workers has impacted the minimum wage workers’ purchasing power?
I’m on a fixed income as a retiree and although I’m living comfortably, any increase in the minimum wage, if it does increase inflation, will affect me and yet I’m for it.
For a long time, I didn’t know that servers in restaurants that receive tips weren’t being paid minimum wages plus their tips, so I’ve increased my tipping quite a lot for a burger and fries in a sit-down restaurant. The food even tastes better when I do.
Quit being so stingy with your fellow citizens. You want to be able to buy things cheaply while expecting others to make poverty wages in order for you to do that. Nothing to be proud of.
And, where is this heavy inflation due to huge increases in the minimum wage that haven’t yet happened? The minimum wage hasn’t kept up with inflation for decades.
So much for your counter-argument.
Raquel says
William, I’ve been a sever for 25 years and I have always been paid minimum wage plus I get tips. Every time the wages goes up our tips go down because our menu prices get raised to offset.
William says
And, how does that work for you during a couple of very slow hours during your shift with few if any tips at all?
Without knowing what type of restaurant you have worked at, it’s hard to assess what you are saying.
Don’t some restaurants that have created teams have the tips shared among everyone and other practices that the patrons aren’t aware of and may not be fair to the best workers?
I was basing on news reports that some restaurants pay very small hourly wages to servers, less than miniimum wages. I’m all for $15 an hour phased in and having servers less dependent on the generosity of patrons who sometimes don’t tip at all. That’s a lousy was to plan a budget when the income varies.
I’m guessing that the same folks that oppose raising the minimum wage are also lousy tippers to begin with.
Many people want others to make little money so they can buy stuff cheaper while their wages have grown over the years and the minimum wage is less adjusted for inflation than it was decades ago.
Plus, those same tightwads likely want their taxes cut too even though they are the lowest they’ve been in a long time and they want excellent service on top of that and complain bitterly when they don’t get it from people making the current low minimum wages.
Raquel says
I have lived in California all my life. Working in sit down restaurants from dinner houses to chain types. Servers have always received the full minimum wage what ever that is at the time. I’ve never shared or pooled tips. For years you weren’t taxed on tips but now you are taxed on a very small preventive, it’s about 8%. As a sever I’ve made a decent living but I have felt the effect of wage increases every time. Not for the better. People who work at fast food places use to be younger people before they went off to college. But now in California most fast food is made up of non speaking or little English Hispanics. Raising the minimum wage to 15$ is not needed. It would be better if the cost of living went down.
Coopertone says
Why not raise the minimum wage to $200 an hour and cure poverty forever? Smdh
Not an idiot says
Palmdale just voted to do away with the E-File system. So now any Illegal can apply for work without having to prove anything.
Tim Scott says
Are you talking about e-verify? And how exactly is Palmdale proposing to “do away with” it?
Not an idiot says
Yes, I meant E Verify. They said today that Palmdale will no longer use or mandate the use of it in the city. I’m not sure on how or why they are doing it.
Tim Scott says
Not using it is as easy as just not using it, as far as city jobs go. I wasn’t aware that they ever WERE mandating it, and can’t guess how they were enforcing such a mandate. Not having any practical way to enforce it would be one good reason to drop any such mandate they may have had.
As to why to not use it…in its current state (well, state as of a few years ago and I haven’t heard that it has improved) it doesn’t work worth a hill of snot. When you sign up you are agreeing to follow the rules in applying it. That includes that if someone comes up bad on e-verify they have a right to challenge the report, and the process takes a substantial chunk of time. You can’t legally use the challenged findings, so effectively you are stuck with an employee that you don’t want to invest any training in because you have to expect that once the appeal process runs its long slow course they may well be leaving…and basically anything you do during that time, like fire them, that can be construed as “because they failed e-verify” is a huge liability.
So the whole intent of “this way you can see right away you are hiring someone legal” turns into exactly the uncertainty that it is intended to avoid…while if you just don’t sign up you can do the standard checking of ID and make a decision on the spot and no one can second guess you even if it turns out their ID was fake.
Not an Idiot R U Sure says
they will apply for work just like they would in Lancaster if there were any jobs or anywhere else.
gregory says
You are creating a permanent under class and making it very hard to start a work history.
I employee 42 people who will soon be competing with more skilled and better workers. I will not lay off anyone, but in the hiring process the house wife, that speaks no english and wanted to work 3 hours a night had a chance to get a job.
I had entry positions. Once the wage hits $10.00 and over, I will have no positions for those who use to gain valuable work experience and make some extra money for their families. How sad.
Oscar Mejia says
Now what?
Will my property taxes go up since minimum will be $15?
Will local unions demand increases?
If I make $20 now and everyone makes $15, should I get $35?
What will happen to food costs?
What will happen to my clothing costs?
How much will a movie cost?
What about attending a Dodger game, how much more?
So none of us will qualify for reduced lunch program at schools?
Should I work less to keep my public assistance?
What will be the price of gasoline?
Can I afford a Pizza?
Why not make big corporations share their profits with employees through profit sharing program instead?
Can the $15 be rolled back to $10 if it does not work?
Oscar Mejia
William says
Of course, Oscar.
You’ll complain, complain, complain while others make some more money to live on.
And, then you’ll die.
Your problems will be solved.
Oscar Mejia says
William,
LOL. You made me laugh. Sad but true!!
Oscar Mejia
Looking forward to 2016 elections
William says
Me either. I’m also looking forward to the first GOP debate tomorrow night.
With Jon Stewart leaving and Stephen Colbert already gone temporarily, the GOP has filled in the comedy in their absence. Unfortunately, there are no comedians on the right, just the right wing politicians.
I love how delicate the republicans are if the President says the most benign comment such as telling former fox ‘news’ reporter, Major Garrett, “You know better than that.” to a silly and offensive question meant to be provacative.
But, the same folks who were outraged by stuff like that eat up the trash talking that Donald Trump, Chris Christie and the rest do constantly. They can never go too far for the nutty GOP base that is so thin-skinned if the President says anything.
Same with some folks here who say outrageous stuff about the ‘libruls’ but are so delicate if I call them out, the poor dears.
It’s sort of a mental illness type thing. They can dish it out but cry when served the same meals. They know who they are. They are gnashing their teeth as they read this.
Tony says
Oscar,
unfourtunatley every thing goes up, not only the minimum wage.
When I first got a job I was making $3.25 an hour and the gas prices was $.85 cents a gallon, look where we are now!
Just wait and see; a combo from any fast food restaurant will be increased to almost $10.00 and lets forget about gas prices, I just hope the electricity doesnt get an increase because I own an electric car.
Tim Scott says
You have accidentally hit the nail on the head in this post, where you open with the claim that “everything goes up” and close with the countering hope that some specific thing won’t.
It is an economic reality of our Keynesian modified capitalism that everything does indeed go up, always…at varying rates. That’s just reality, not a result of rising labor cost (wages). Variation in rates of increase is how speculators “get ahead”…best seen during the 1990s when the overheated economy produced one rapidly rising “bubble” after another and people who guessed correctly and timed their jumps well became millionaires. The current economy is not overheated, so the “bubbles” don’t rise as fast relative to the other commodities making speculation less rewarding.
The whole “increasing wages causes inflation” scare tactic is used specifically to ensure that those who are “riding the bubbles” rather than working for a living continue to get further ahead. Effectively, mandating increased wages creates a broad based bubble that lifts the working man by temporarily putting labor among the faster rising value commodities in the marketplace. The reality is that the “labor bubble” has lagged behind all others for so long that the economy is badly out of balance, and that should be a concern for everyone as that failure to balance has bad consequences.
William says
@Tony
Why would gas prices increase from raising the minimum wage when nearly all gas stations are self-serve?
Tim Scott says
More money in circulation increases demand.
The entire premise of “higher wages just make the company raise prices” is false. If the company could just raise prices at will they already would have. Price is determined by the market, not established by enterprises picking some desired profit out of the air. Higher wages shift income from profit (income for owners/stockholders) to income for workers. This increases the market for things workers buy (including gasoline) and cuts into the market for things owners/stockholders buy.
An across the board wage increase will initially (not instantly) cause some price increases in gasoline and other basic commodities, and lower prices in the more “luxury” and “investment” markets. Eventually the rising prices in commodities will restore profits and prices will rise in those markets as well and equilibrium will be reestablished (of course in reality there are many other shifting factors and genuine equilibrium never occurs).
There is nothing in this process that is bad for the economy as a whole, and it at least briefly slows down the trend towards wealth concentration, which is a trend that is in fact a huge danger to the economy as a whole.
Frank Rizzo says
Minimum wage job were never meant to be a career choice. Get a real job!
dAVID says
I have made phone calls, e-mails, and letters via U.S.Postal Service, to numerous city / county / state / federal people that we call our government with one two simple questions, and I have received the same reply / answer from all of them, which is: “Thank you Mr. David (my last name I am leaving blank) for you interest…. (then a couple of paragraphs of totally useless information and some crap..)” Then the last line reads “you letter has been forwarded to the proper person(s) and/or departments for further review.” Now here is the two simple questions that nobody seems to know, #1 “assuming that minimum wage is at $8.00 p/h today and starting tomorrow minimum wage is $15.00 p/h, and today my social security is $960.00 per month (sadly is equal to $6.00 p/h), starting tomorrow how much will my social security be. (retired currant age 67) Will it go up at all, what about people on EDD unemployment and people on Disability?” #2 “How is a homeless person going to be able to eat and get back on there feet and off the street? Is the city / state going to give the homeless more MTA bus tokens, raise the EBT food stamps they receive, etc.? (no offense to the homeless but lets assume that this homeless guy is totally drug / alcohol / crime free),
Mike says
It won’t work. Never has. For all the doubters go back and read Adam Smith “Wealth of Nations”. He figured it all out in the 1700s and has been proven correct ever since. Our leaders know that but vote the way they do for their own personal political gain.
DEFINITION of ‘Invisible Hand’
A term coined by economist Adam Smith in his 1776 book “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations”. In his book he states:
“Every individual necessarily labours to render the annual revenue of the society as great as he can. He generally neither intends to promote the public interest, nor knows how much he is promoting it … He intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention. Nor is it always the worse for society that it was no part of his intention. By pursuing his own interest he frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it. I have never known much good done by those who affected to trade for the public good.”
Thus, the invisible hand is essentially a natural phenomenon that guides free markets and capitalism through competition for scarce resources
Smith assumed that individuals try to maximize their own good (and become wealthier), and by doing so, through trade and entrepreneurship, society as a whole is better off. Furthermore, any government intervention in the economy isn’t needed because the invisible hand is the best guide for the economy.
Tim Scott says
For those considering an education in economics I would recommend a school with some more current stuff in their curriculum than Adam Smith. Smith is a good starting point, but if that’s all you have you need to go find the mythical pin factory, not try to deal with the modern world.
Anarchy is a Facade says
Do tell professor Scott, what works would you recommend for the up and coming economist? You seem like the leading intellectual authority on police matters, what modern contemporary mind would you recommend? Capitalism has always been about getting away with as much as you can along with as much money as you can grab. If this invisible hand is interpreted into the underlying issue of the irs in the modern workplace, those who abuse the “hand up” system the federal government supports,as well as the involuntary removal of my pay to support said system, then wouldn’t this article of knowledge be a perfect example of today’s economy?
Tim Scott says
I would say Keynes and Galbraith are good for bridging the gap from Smith to something close to present day realities. Modern monetary economics has a lot of different people that seem to be on interesting tracks, so pick freely.
And it doesn’t take a professor to point out that limiting yourself to texts that are more than two centuries old would leave you out of touch.
William says
I want to live in a community (Los Angeles County, in this case) where working people at businesses that I patronize are making decent incomes even if they are minimum wage jobs.
It will benefit all of us.
It has been reported that raising the minimum wage for fast food workers will raise the cost of a burger a few cents. If that cuts into business, then maybe the profits and CEO compensations can be trimmed just a little.
Big business doesn’t want to pay taxes and doesn’t want to pay living wages. How ’bout that?
Companies that do pay decent wages like COSTCO have better reputations than, say, Walmart. Walmart can afford to pay very good wages but they have to be nudged quite a bit.
Hopefully, this will cut back on the amount of government benefits low wage workers need to survive.
A Patriot says
Seattle Washington raised the minimum wage around three years ago. Business raised their prices and cut their work force down. About half of the minimum wage earners have requested fewer hours of work because with the raise it takes away most of their government (welfare) benefits. They don’t want to lose them so they are working less to keep receiving their freebies! This was revealed in a recent study done on the benefits of raising the minimum wage.
William says
So, apparently, the wage still isn’t high enough that people still need food stamps and other benefits.
What would you do in their shoes?
There should be adjustments in the benefits to not provide the incentive to work fewer hours.
voice of reason says
William,
Do you remember from economics in high school the basis for the Cost of goods sold? Use basic math and you will realize that emotion does not enter into a math equation. Wage inflation directly impacts retail prices of goods. No matter how much dishonest propaganda is spewed by sneaky politicians and unscrupulous Unions leaders.
William says
@voice of reason(????)
You’re too funny. You speak of this thing called ’emotion’ and then write the following>
” No matter how much dishonest propaganda is spewed by sneaky politicians and unscrupulous Unions leaders.”
Sounds like you’re really, really full of……..emotion.
Claire says
You need to read the comment again, William. “voice of reason”, said “emotion does not enter into a math equation.” You’re attacking this person, and didn’t even comprehend the comment.
William says
Look up ‘secular liberalism’, Claire before you mouth off.
secular
: not spiritual : of or relating to the physical world and not the spiritual world
: not religious
: of, relating to, or controlled by the government rather than by the church
liberalism
1
: the quality or state of being liberal
2
a often capitalized : a movement in modern Protestantism emphasizing intellectual liberty and the spiritual and ethical content of Christianity
b : a theory in economics emphasizing individual freedom from restraint and usually based on free competition, the self-regulating market, and the gold standard
c : a political philosophy based on belief in progress, the essential goodness of the human race, and the autonomy of the individual and standing for the protection of political and civil liberties; specifically : such a philosophy that considers government as a crucial instrument for amelioration of social inequities (as those involving race, gender, or class)
Any questions?
William says
And, what pray tell, Claire did emotion have to do with the comment voice of reason was replying to?
You’re really on a tear today, aren’t you?
Mark says
What will happen when it hits 15 bucks an hour? well they will want to cut their own hours as to not make to much money and lose the section 8 and other government subsidies. no win situation on this one.
Mike C says
So this means all the illegal Mexicans will be making at least 15.00 an hour while the legal American whites still remain unemployed. Right on California. Not to mention all the extra unemployment the legal Americans in California will have to pay when a person is laid off.
Jason says
Whites?…mmkay youre not racist at all
"Mexican" says
1. Illegal mexicans, any person in the united states here illegaly for that matter, can not work these jobs that by the looks of it you’re trying to imply that they are taking from legal Americans. 2. In reference to your assertion that UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS (“illegal Mexicans” in your infinitely impressive vocabulary), will NOT be earning 15.00/hour because the fact remains that they are UNDOCUMENTED and are not, by law, allowed to work in the United States. Because of this, Undocumented workers take jobs that both you an i would not even dare to take. These jobs require extensive work for little pay, so i am more then positive that they will not earn those 15 dollars that you are so concerned about. 3. This being said, you would be wise to remember that next time you bite into a piece of fruit grown in California, it most likely would have cost at least 5 times what it presently does and that is because the great majority of PEOPLE growing and picking produce in California are Hispanic people who have the mental and physical stamina to do this in blistering heat. Not sure I know any “White” folks who could pull off even one day of this type of labor. So, you may want to google the depth to which your “Illegal Mexicans” positively effect the U.S. economy and your own wallet as well.
Raquel says
The illegal aliens are working the minimum wage jobs. They provide false social security numbers and other false identification. I know several who do this. They are called illegals because they came in to this country illegally. Enough with the politically correct nonsense. I’m not a racist as I have many legal Hispanic relatives. I’m just tired of illegals draining our system. They need to do it the right legal way, no exceptions.
Tim Scott says
Draining our system?
These illegal aliens with fake documents of which you speak pay all the payroll taxes in and can’t draw anything out. How is that draining the system? An actual minimum wage worker with proper documents can file for the earned income credit and get some of that back. An illegal immigrant working for minimum wage lives below the poverty line with no recourse at all.
pirruris says
Raquel, no mames! Pinch nopaluda! You already forgot how you and your relatives crossed the border? And now you are trying to close the door behind you? I am willing to bet that you probably have a cushy job working for Edwards AFB or the city, and here you are complaining about other hard working people getting pay an accepatable wage. I am itching to know were you work at and how much you are making. I bet you also have the best health insurance but complain about other people getting healthcare coverage. Por eso estamos como estamos pinche nopaluda.
Raquel says
Pirruris and LOL, please respond to me in English. I’m third generation of legal immigrants. I don’t speak Spanish and this is America where English is the language. I’m a server and was never provided insurance by my employer. I know what it is to live pay check to pay check. A lot of jobs out there are being held by illegals even if you won’t admit it. I just say come here legally.
pirruris says
Raquel, what i find ironic is a nopaluda like you, that attended freeublic schools, got free lunches, freecollegetuotipn, now is complaining about freebies. LoL. El burro Hablando de orejas. Your problem, like the rest of your racist republican party, is greed. It is okay for you and your kids to suck on the government tit, but OMG…if other pele are doing it, they are takers, free loaders, No mames pinche nopaluda.
Arcadio says
Raquel, if you lose your job to an undocumented human beign, you deserve it, for being an idiot. Also, the jobs that you claim that are beign taken by the undocuments, are the jobs that you nor your kids want to do. I’ll start believing you whe you go out to the fields, and start picking my tomatoes and start doing my yard. Please do us a favor and choke yourself. Por eso estamos como estamos. Pinche nopaluda.
Raquel says
Arcadia, I hit a nerve you must be here illegally. That’s a bunch of propaganda that illegals do the jobs Americans won’t. The ones working in the fields should get work visa’s not sneak across the border. I never said I lost a job to an illegal. I said they take jobs away from legal Americans. The illegal population is growing at a pace of 4 times larger than legal Americans. Some of the illegals help the economy a little but the cost to the federal government is much, much more. Do it right. Come here legally and you won’t have to live in the shadows. As long as you are illegal you have no rights so stop complaining.
pirruris says
Raquel, i appreciate having fought for your right to be an idiot. I honorably served 21 years in the military so please don’t try to lecture me on citizenship or patriotism. Also, go aheand and keep thinking with “your english only” mentality. Me, i am making sure that my kids learn more than one language so that your english only kids, work for my kids in the future. Por eso estamos como estamos. Por pinche nopaludas como tu que ya se les olvido como cruzaron la frontera, y ahora quieten cerrar la puerta detras. No mames.
Raquel says
Pirruris, it’s nice you have served along with a lot of other people here in America. Why does it upset you that I don’t want to speak Spanish? After all this is the United States of America and our official language is English. I’m sure your kids are being taught English in our schools. So of course they speak Spanish at home, hence two languages.
Arcadio says
By the way raquel, here you are repeating the talking points from FOX news, the mouthpiece of the republican party, by saying that undocumented are costing us money. I have a question for you, why are you not colaining about corporate welfare? Where the hell where you when we wasted billions in Iraq? Miss concern about spending. I think it is time for you to have a nice cup of STFU.
Raquel says
Arcadio, I don’t watch or quote Fox News. There are plenty of other sources. The illegals of all nationalities are costing billions of dollars. Like it or not that’s the truth. You are obviously a liberal wanting all the freebies this county offers. Wealth redistribution is your idea of fair,wrong. I believe if you make money no matter how much it’s yours to keep. Both republicans and democrats voted to invade Iraq so stop blaming one party.
wb says
tother day,when i,a legal citizen,was working outside,thats right outside.it was 75 degrees where i was.across the street,where the illegals were building that house,or mowing the lawn,or driving the delivery truck,it was blistering hot 100 degrees,ONLY WHERE THEY WERE.thats for clearing that up.
voice of reason says
They are here illegally. They broke the law to enter our Country. It does not matter the skin color or ethnic background. They are illegal aliens to be exact. The problem is groups like La Raza and the Democratic party are illegally courting new voters. the “Undocumented worker” concept is such a load of cow manure. Sickening.
William says
Why do you call yourself ‘voice of reason’ when your comments sound too much influenced by EMOTION such as anger?
Oh, well. But, that’s you.
Carry on……….and on.
pirruris says
Voice of an idiot, please don’t try to disguise your patratism with racism. From now on, i will start calling your eurean ancestors, illegal aliens too. Bailo tango, masco chiquele, tengo viejas de amonton….tururu.
pirruris says
Voice of an idiot, the next thing you are going to tells is that you are a God loving christian.
Not an idiot says
Pirruris, just because people don’t like illegal immigration doesn’t make you a racist. You can also be a Christian and not agree with illegal immigration. It just means you care about your countries economic future. It has been proven that illegals are a drain on the USA. This country doesn’t owe any illegals anything.
Definition: illegal- contrary to or forbidden by law. Not authorized by law.
pirruris says
An idiot, i ask you the same qiestion….where the hell were you when we wasted billions in iraq? You are concern about this country’s economy…we arent you bitching about corporate welfare? Why are you not complaining about companies shipping jobs overseas? Instead, here you are blaming the undocuments and using them as scapegoats.
Not an idiot says
Pirruris, jobs being shipped overseas is because of the taxes put on business by the liberal democrats. The liberal idea of wealth distribution has hurt this country. The invasion of Iraq was supported by both parties and it did cost a lot of money. It did stabilize the Middle East but when Obama pulled out to soon it collapsed. Now it is a terrorist strong hold. Sorry you don’t like the fact but it’s true, illegals cost us billions. 400,000 anchor babies born here every year. I’m not referring to only Hispanics, Asians come here to just to delivery an American born baby as do many other nationalities. By the way if you are here illegally you really can’t bitch about anything because you don’t have the right to.
pirruris says
Voice of an idiot, i am not a bible thumper, but i can almost assure you, that if God was with us, he would be for healthcare for all, helping the poor, and he would not be for deporting the undocumented human beigns. I woul like to know what church is teaching you that it is okay to be a racist and still shield yourself with bible. Please tell me.
Not an idiot says
Pirruris, there are several Bible verses that say obey the laws of government and don’t break the law. Romans 2:13 also Romans 13: 1-7. That means don’t sneak into the country illegally that’s breaking the law. Stop with the your a racist and a Bible thumper, that’s just stupid. What ever happened to the idea of working for what you need. Working for your own health care not a freebie from the government. Working on coming into the country legally. No matter how many excuses you give its wrong to come here illegally. God loves everyone and he wants you to live your live right as a tribute to him.
William says
Hey, not an idiot (but y’are one)
What about all those Americans who couldn’t buy health insurance because they had pre-existing conditions? Or children?
Your representatives in government want to repeal Obamacare and cause needless suffering and early deaths for millions of Americans while thumping their bibles.
There is no way you can talk you way out of that nonsense you write from the bible. This country isn’t based on your bible. You need to understand that.
But, I’m afraid you can’t or won’t.
Not an idiot says
@william
America was indeed founded by bible-believing Christians and based on Christian principles. When they founded this country, the Founding Fathers envisioned a government that would promote and encourage Christianity. In 1777 the Continental Congress voted to spend $300,000 to purchase Bibles to distribute throughout the 13 colonies. In 1782 Congress approved that the Holy Bible be used in all schools. The Pilgrams were followed to New England by the Puritans who created bible-based commonwealths. Also before obamacare anyone who needed medical could get it for free. Clinics go by your income with 90% of all services provided free. Emergency rooms at hospitals are not allowed to turn anyone away regardless of income. They have charity budgets set aside for this. You can get treatment for free based on income. You can try to spin it anyway you want to but you are wrong.
William says
@idiot who says he’s not an idiot.
Read the Treaty of Tripoli signed by President Adams which says this is in no way a Christian nation.
It’s hopeless talking to people like you.
Religious people are always trying to sneak their religion under the door or over the transom and we have to be vigilant to keep them from doing that which is what you are attempting to do.
Not an idiot says
John Adams said that he rejected any notion that America was less than a Christian nation.
George Washington quote “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and Bible.
Thomas Jefferson ” God who gave us life gave us liberty”
James Madison “We have staked the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of government, far from it. We’ve staked the future of all our political institutions upon our capacity to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.
John Hancock and John Adams ” We Recognize No Sovereign but God, and No King but Jesus.
There are many more proving that our Founding Fathers were Christians. Our country was founded on Christian principles.
Tim Scott says
And yet they set their beliefs aside and guaranteed that the state would not interfere with religious expression in the bill of rights. Clearly they understood how critically important that guarantee is.
LOL says
@raquel- ah que pinche nopaluda eres. Apuesto que estas mas prieta que yo. Ridiculous Raquel, get well educated and no one can take your job or drain the system you mention- SMH!
Jim Ross says
This just lowered the standard of living for retired people. Inflation has been bad enough, and now this will raise the price of everything and if you are on a fixed income your life style will drop. Thanks again to the politicians and all the rest.
Jim
William says
What’s this inflation that you speak of?
Inflation has been fairly low for years now.
If you’re on a fixed income and a few cents more for a burger will break the bank, DON’T EAT AT FAST FOOD JOINTS THEN.
You want others to scrape by on a minimum wage that hasn’t kept up with inflation for decades while you are complaining about inflation that has been kept under control for the last few years now.
Meanwhile Social Security benefits have kept up with inflation more than the minimum wage has.
Don’t worry, Jim Ross. If you are retired and on a fixed income, it won’t be for much longer while minimum wage workers have many more years ahead of them.
TSparky says
Have you bought any beef lately? Sirloin which used to cost $4-5/lb is now going for $7. Similar for ground beef. Packaged food and other goods have either gone up or there is less in each box. How about new cars? For example, a Mustang GT that went for 28k in 05 is now 42k. Other non-essentials like internet, cable/Sat, & cell have all keep going up.
Tim Scott says
First off, citing prices of non-essentials somewhat steers away from what is traditionally considered as “inflation.” Secondly, you are buying your meat in the wrong store. I suggest that you shop.
wb says
please tim,tell us something that hasn’t gone up in price,since your prez took office.
Tim Scott says
Which “my prez” do you mean? Reagan?
I’m not saying that things aren’t going up in price. I am saying that inflation has not been problematic since the 1970s. Inflation is a piece of the economic landscape. It can’t be removed. It doesn’t dominate the scene by any stretch of imagination. The growing disparity in the distribution of wealth is the flaw in the current economy that could kill it, and distracting ourselves moaning about perfectly ordinary inflation won’t help.
William says
@TSparky
Are you not paying attention? The severe drought has helped raise the price of beef or is President Obama responsible for the lack of rain?
Eat pork, the ‘other’ white meat. It is surprisingly cheap nowadays.
You talk of non-essentials. Have you priced a 60″ flat screen tv lately? I saw one on sale at Walmart for around $700 when I paid $2500 for a rear-projection Mitsubishi back in the 90s and close to 2 grand for a 60″ flat screen a couple years ago.
Did the 2005 Mustang GT have a 435-hp V-8 with a 6-speed manual, a rear camera and independent rear suspension among other improvements?
Overall, inflation has been relatively low. Mortgage rates are extremely low.
You are simply looking through the wrong end of the telescope and thinking you know everything. If you can’t afford the things you want, get a second job and a third.
beef says
The growing export of beef is driving up prices, not the drought.
William says
@beef
I wroted ‘helped’. ‘Beefs’ gotta eat. When what they eat needs water and water is in short supply……
Wasn’t there a big early slaughter in Texas a year or two ago because of the drought there?
The point is that higher beef prices aren’t directly related to the country’s economic policies that some people think causes inflation so they can’t afford a new Mustang or a rib eye steak.
The topic of inflation was a reply to a reply about raising the minimum wage and someone started complaining about beef prices which are unlikely related to an increased minimum wage that hasn’t worked its way through the economy yet.
But, that’s the level of discourse in the country today despite all of our advanced information technology.
pirruris says
Jim, please stop with your nonsense. Fact of the matter is, cost of living has been going up for the past ten years,, but wages have remained the same. About freaking time they raised the minimum wage.
Mr fed up says
All the businesses in unincorporated l.a. county/ antelope valley are all small business, this going to hurt the small business owners, stupid liberal, l.a. county, California. If you apply for a job for 8.00dollars an hour dont complain and protest for a raise, go find a job that pays a living wage, minimum wage, for minimum job skills
pirruris says
Mr. Fed up, please tell us what you do for a living? I bet you are the same one that complains about people on welfare, and is also complaining about people getting a raise. Damn if you do, damn if you don’t. Please tell us what makes you so ecial that you deserve to get pay more than the minimum wage. Stop with the freaking greed.