Subject: Re: [LPNY DISCUSS] I need help with my problem in economics
Date: Sat, 3 Apr 2004 15:53:34 -0500
To:        <lpny_discuss@yahoogroups.com>
From:     Bob Armstrong <bob@cosy.com>

 I would point out that what he can afford and must pay given=
 the
 nature of his business may not be true of the bodega owner in
 Bed-Stuy  who may not be making a hell of a lot himself , and
 can pay a couple of his sister's kids $50 a day plus some food=
 ,
 but $150 for the 2 , one's got to go .

On Sat, 03 Apr 2004 13:42:58 -0500, Gary Popkin wrote:
>=A0I plan to send a letter to the editor of the paper that=
 reported on the
>=A0minimum-wage issue, and I need help with it. =A0My current draft,=
 below, is no
>=A0good because it accuses the businessman too directly of=
 ulterior motive.
>
>
>=A0"To the letters editor:
>
>=A0"I think it's great that businessman Greg Ahl starts his=
 employees at almost
>=A0twice New York State's minimum wage (=93Advocates Urge Increase=
 in Minimum
>=A0Wage,=94 Flatbush Life, April 5). =A0Does he pay those high=
 salaries out of
>=A0kindness? =A0Perhaps, but maybe he finds he must pay certain=
 wages in order to
>=A0get and keep the quality and quantity of employees he needs.=
 =A0Perhaps some
>=A0of his competitors manage to run their businesses at lower=
 wages by offering
>=A0better working conditions than he does, or better benefits, or=
 by arranging
>=A0the work so that persons with lower skills can be successful at=
 what they
>=A0do, or something. =A0Now I guess Mr. Ahl wants to use the force=
 of government
>=A0to hobble his competitors by forcing them to pay higher wages,=
 possibly even
>=A0driving them out of business. =A0Whenever a businessman urges an=
 increase in
>=A0wages, it's time to look for an ulterior motive.
>
>=A0"You never see minimum-wage workers themselves agitating for an=
 increase in
>=A0the minimum wage, for they know it means their jobs might=
 disappear. =A0I
>=A0applaud Senator Golden's reluctance to plunge headlong into=
 foolishly
>=A0raising New York's minimum wage, and still hope he votes=
 against the
>=A0proposal if it comes to the senate floor."
>
>
>
>=A0Should I rewrite this and substitute a fictional=
 businessperson, named Hal
>=A0Gregory? =A0Or should I use the first couple of sentences that I=
 have and then
>=A0shift the discussion to a hypothetical impersonal=
 businessperson, not Greg
>=A0Ahl? =A0Or something else? =A0Ha, I can even contrast the=
 benevolent Mr. Ahl
>=A0with an evil hypothetical businessperson who would use this=
 minimum-wage
>=A0scheme to drive his competitors out of business, something Mr.=
 Ahl would
>=A0never, never do.
>
>=A0(State Senator Marty Golden is the only Republican state=
 legislator from
>=A0Brooklyn.)

--=A0
=A0Bob Armstrong -- http://CoSy.com -- 212-285-1864
Libertarian Presidential Candidates =A0:=
 http://CoSy.com/Liberty.htm