San Diego Minimum Wage Petition Battle
Petition Drive Drama Shows Voters Already Intense about 2014
Professor Jacobson just noted that voter intensity is likely to be a critical factor in the 2014 elections this November.
However, I assert that a petition drive being held in San Diego, focused on revoking the City Council’s minimum wage mandate, shows that voters are quite intense right now. Given the complete collapse of effective national policy on either foreign or domestic matters, I believe the drama that is occurring shows that citizens are desperate for some control over the increasing chaos in their lives.
Following the questionable lead of progressive cities like Los Angeles, earlier this summer the City Council voted to increase the minimum wage to $9.75 in January, $10.50 in January 2016 and $11.50 in January 2017. Our newly elected mayor, Kevin Faulconer, vetoed it; however, this veto was over-ridden on August 18.
At that point, fresh from the success of the petition drives organized to remove our previous mayor, Bob Filner (facing numerous sexual harassment charges), members of the San Diego community organized.
A group of small businesses kicked off a campaign to trump the city of San Diego’s minimum wage increase ordinance.
They’re trying to gather enough signatures to put the issue on the ballot and let voters decide.
“I can’t magically increase the number of books that I sell or the number of charts that I sell just because Todd Gloria and his associates think I should be paying people more money,” said Ann Kinner, who’s owned Seabreeze Books and Charts store in Point Loma for over 10 years.
She’s one of several businesses men and women upset over the city of San Diego’s recently approved ordinance to raise the minimum wage.
“It’s coming out my pocket, it’s going to come out of your pocket,” she added.
However, the original community organizers are pushing back on the petition gathering process. There are reports that petition gatherers are being harassed, verbal and physical intimidation has been used to coerce people into not signing, license plate numbers of petition supporters have been taken, and petition documents stolen.
Videos provided by [Jason Roe of the San Diego Small Business Coalition] show what they say is signature gatherers being intimidated and, in one case, chased by supporters of raising the minimum wage.
One signature gatherer said four of his clipboards containing more than 120 signatures were stolen. Roe said a police report was filed but that the signature gatherer was told he won’t receive a copy for a few days.
My husband was appalled by a robo-call from Democratic Councilman Todd Gloria, who specifically asked people not to sign the petition and report the petitioners’ locations. Upset that a duly elected representative would try and prevent a vote on a subject of such importance, and the poltical targeting of people engaged in legal civic activities, Ben called Gloria’s office to complain — one of the rare instances of him being a “citizen activist”. He usually leaves such activism to me.
Ann Kinner, owner of the local Seabreeze Nautical Books & Charts, makes a great case for simply getting the measure on the ballot:
So the bottom line — my bottom line — is that this is simply another expense I cannot afford. I want to hire people — young people included — to work at my business. I want to pay my employees a fair wage for the work they do. But the increasingly hostile business climate is making that nearly impossible.
That is why I support putting the 44 percent increase on the ballot.
Yesterday, Glenn Reynolds made some great observations about young adults being adrift because of the nature of today’s college education. I would simply like to add that a contributing factor to the lack of young adult engagement is the fact they can’t get an entry level job, due to the escalating minimum wage requirements. Subsequently, they fail to learn the basics about how to work and how to function economically.
So, to those opponents of the petition, I say: “We’re doing it for the children.”
This video, from Libertarian pundit Skyler Lehto, fisks the favored “raise the minimum wage” arguments (including several by Sen. Elizabeth Warren).
If voters are this passionate about a petition in September, I can only imagine the level of intensity in November.
[Featured Image: From YouTube].
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Comments
Change land use laws to allow less expensive housing. Point out to people that “property value” means nothing until property is sold. Dissolve/outlaw HMO’s. Figure out why gas prices are so high. Get rid of rent controls.
Let capitalistic competition free, and people can afford to work for less.
The minimum wage is $0/hr and it has never changed.
Exactly
It is always good to see how deeply Collectivists HATE democracy, and how quickly they will resort to the tactics of the Brown Shirt to try to squash the expression of freedom.
Along those lines, you might find this reading insteresting.
“The wrong people will be encouraged; people will draw the wrong conclusions By Michael Bates on August 28, 2014 2:46 AM
The Left has a tendency to suppress facts either because they believe it will embolden their ideological enemies, or they are concerned that the facts will lead people to unauthorized conclusions.
Here are a couple of recent examples. I will add more as I come across them.
The National Post reported recently on a study by neuroscientists that shows rote memorization lays an important foundation for higher-order reasoning in children:
In effect, as young math students memorize the basics, their brains reorganize to accommodate the greater demands of more complex math. It is a gradual process, like “overlapping waves,” the researchers write, but it clearly shows that, for the growing child’s brain, rote memorization is a key step along the way to efficient mathematical reasoning.
The news story’s writer framed this as a finding that was “sure to inflame the math wars” between “fundamentalists” and their “popular and progressive” opponents…
http://www.batesline.com/archives/2014/08/the-wrong-people-will-be-encoura.html
Want to live better?
Self improvement is the answer. Go to school. Learn a trade or profession. Work harder. Start your own business.
Strong arm extortion of your employer to get more money out of your lack of skills will, one way or the other, end up making people lose their jobs.
It’s Capitalism, stupid.
I’d be hesitant to suggest that anyone start their own business in today’s climate. In the last couple of years, I’ve felt I am allowed to exist only to give employees a job, send money to the fed, pay gross receipts taxes and hear whining about how I need to do more of all of the above because it’s a “privilege” to be allowed to own a business.
oh yeah… and be reminded that “I didn’t build that”.
IN CA, those wanting to start a business are looking for where they are relocating outside CA.
And we are more than pleased about that in Texas, being the beneficiary of California’s stupidity. As they drive businesses out, we are welcoming them with open arms.
Come to Texas: No Income Tax, plenty of land, self-defense friendly culture, Largely “Conservative” values, even in the El Paso Democrat Machine (just don’t settle in Travis County), lots of growth potential, just about any climate you could want, easy access to international markets for goods, plenty of “energy” resources (oil, wind, solar). Sometimes we’re a little light on water, but if somebody enterprising can figure out how to purify / refine / acquire more, we’ll be all set.
Right! And everywhere but in the People’s Republic of Austin, we can take away our purchases in plastic bags.
30 years ago, I was in my boss’ office talking shop with him. The door was open, and it was the day annual reviews were implemented and raises first showed up on paychecks.
One young lower-level manager, upset with the size of his increase, stormed into the office, ignoring me, slapped his paycheck down on the boss’ desk, and exclaimed, “This is an insult! When are you going to pay me what I’m worth?”
Without batting an eye, the boss slid his check back over towards the young chap and said, “I’d love to, son, but there is the minimum wage law to consider.”
if they raise the minimum wage high enough here in #Failifornia, maybe companies will start hiring Americans again, instead of illegals.
The opposite will happen. Illegals work off the books.
Ahhhh, but once amnesty is passed (assuming the worst, of course) they will no longer have a reason to settle for being paid less and can go on strike for more, plus bennies, etc.
Biz that supports illegals getting amnesty… Self defeating.
Sort of like supporting a Democrat. And a surprising number of management types do just that.
Here in Texas, I hire every Latino who knocks on my door looking for work. Of course, I NEVER ask for papers.
You can’t get a spoiled Amerikan teenager to do a damn thing anymore. They’re too busy sexting and being taken to soccer games in their parents’ SUV.
As bad as any forced minimum wage laws is it is much better to be at the local level than at the federal level. The citizens of the locale can do exactly what they are now doing and the voters will decide the issue. It’s when the DC crowd gets involved that it becomes hopeless. Also, any minimum wage should be based on local costs and benefits not on the same things in DC or NYC.
Totally agree; there really is no case for a Federal Min wage. Actually, there is no case for a min wage to begin with. At any level. It is price fixing–which has a uniform record of failure.
However this is CA. I live in SD (County, not City); there actually are some sensible people in the County. City–less so. It isn’t as nutty as, say, SFO, but they are working on it.
I think the chances are about 4:1 they prevent it from going on the ballot; if it gets on the ballot, being a City ordinance, goo chance it fails (min wage hikes happen). Provide those of us outside city limits some marginal advantage.
First, it’s not going to happen! Even if you raise the hourly wage by a quarter, retailers cut their work force.
Way back when wages were “increased” to a dollar an hour … jobs were lost. The boss found it cheaper to sweep out the store, himself.
Let alone that most of the fast food joints are owned by people who buy the franchise. (Usually not Americans. But middle class people from other nations who realize they don’t have the language skills for the American jobs markets.)
As to how these stories get made? Journalism! You call a media outlet who comes by with their cameras. (Rarely do you get a Ferguson.) Moatly you get “organizers” … Professional communists. They’re earning more than minimum wage. And, they throw into the bargain the know-how of making Molotiv “cocktails.”
Now, these jobs are also part time. There are “waves” at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Interposed with slow-times. And? If wages go up these franchisees will introduce robotics.
You assume rationality.
Don’t bother.
Raising minimum wage treats symptoms. It does not address policies which promote progressive inflation. At worst, it creates an illusion of reform which is counterproductive to ever resolving causes. The issue is a progressive devaluation of capital and labor, especially through the federal government’s liberal fiscal, regulatory, welfare, immigrant, etc. policies. Still, the high from a hit, while unsustainable, will feel good, for a while. It’s similar to the “choice”, which rationalizes treating a symptom (aka “burden”), rather than personal moderation and responsibility.
Quik Trip in Ferguson won’t be re-opening this store! Because? When the white neighborhood receded, sales plummeted. And, this store was marginal, at best.
There was a picture on the Internet showing the company had sent in a tanker truck to DRAIN OUT the gasoline! And, that’s where I read buh-bye. Lots of small businesses, today, look around, to see what the communities push into their businesses. Nobody stays in business so they can feel their safety gets threatened.
Ferguson, ahead, will be the new Watts. The Watts riots goes back to 1965. To this day, those stores that were burnt down and out have never re-opened. As soon as the riots were over, however, little old ladies had to climb on buses just to get to a supermarket 3 miles (or more) away. They’d return by bus. Get off at their stop, only to be beset by teenagers who stole their groceries.
Now? These are the people you’re lining up to demand $15 an hour in wages? Before you see “$15 an hour wages,” you’ll see closed (and boarded up) stores.
FYI: “Jim Hoft reports “A QuikTrip official told TGP the company has no plans on rebuilding in Ferguson and that the looted store was barely breaking even.”
http://www.batesline.com/archives/2014/08/quiktrip-ferguson-and-store-thef.html
And get a load of this. “On August 10, 2014, the Ferguson, Missouri, local QuikTrip was looted and torched during riots over the shooting death of 18 YEAR-OLD MICHAEL BROWN. Ferguson protesters later warned local business owners to rebuild:
“Or it’s gonna be hell to pay”
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/08/quiktrip-has-no-plans-to-rebuild-in-ferguson-despite-threats/
Very observant comment on the St. Louis Biz Journal.
mstromboli1 stated: “Exactly. It was my belief that QT would never reopen the burned out one, but it also seems that they’re pulling out of the area. Thanks to the professional thugs and self-proclaimed do-gooders, and of course the annoying media, the recent rioting (Michael who?) will have destroyed the community. It’s already nearly there. Look for more and more closings. Despite the chanting and ranting, there’s no “justice” in ruining one’s own community”
http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2014/08/19/near-the-ferguson-quiktrip-that-burned-another.html
Orchestrated and coordinated. Remember how all the occupy groups showed up everywhere simultaneously, almost all at once. Even Granny Piven had a classroom ready for her to elaborate on the ways for her students to collapse American society.
The journolist, the 400 member listserv of writers and editors in 2008 who called themselves “The Unofficial Campaign To Elect Barack Obama” aren’t the only puppeteers in Barack Obama’s stable. Barack Obama and the Democrats have taken the art of community organizing to a whole ‘nother level.
Sometimes a wild card gets loose in the best laid of plans, Foley, Sotloff. And when the Narcissist In Chief dons the lightest of tan suits to demonstrate, by contrast, how nicely his skin had darkened after nine rounds of golf on MVY, expecting to hear the usual round of oohs and ahhs by the fawning DC Press corps, but makes a verbal faux pas… Exactly what is the big deal about not having a strategy to defeat ISIS? I have strategies, maybe not that one…
“Exactly what is the big deal about not having a strategy to defeat ISIS?”
It is generally a bad idea to announce to an enemy that has declared war on you and is murdering your citizens wherever they can find them that you have no plans to stop them.
I doubt very seriously that being the “strong, silent type” has ever entered that man’s head. For quite a number of reasons…
Gloria is afraid the vote will revoke his edict. He originally wanted a public vote and internal polls must’ve told him it wouldn’t pass, so the Dem majority rammed it through and then is actively working to inhibit an oppositional vote. Disgusting
There have been some radio ads getting play in the last few days with Gloria (and another with, surprisingly, Irwin Jacobs) about how the petitioners are nothing but a scam! That it’s a group trying to undo their noble and just increase.
The legalese at the end is pretty long, starting with a name like “Group for a fair wage and sick days off” or something, ending with “major funding by..” and it’s the UCFW, and a few other unions mixed in.
The first thing young people should learn about economics is “there is no such thing as a free lunch,” everything must be paid for by someone. Hiking the minimum wage must be paid for. Who will pay? Entry level workers with their jobs, customers buying product, business owners and their families, even local sales tax collectors who find higher prices mean reduced number of sales in the municipality as people buy elsewhere. My suggestion is that business owners faced with potentially higher minimum wages post the future prices of the items if the minimum wage goes up and they retain their staffs. Perhaps most disturbing is the interference by liberals with petition collection. What is it about democracy (small d) that so turns off liberals and “Democrats” (capital D)?
Democrats: the party of politically targeting citizens for legal activities.