Yes, U B Moron, shamman. Wages go up, and prices follow, shamman. Anytime there is an increase in the cost of delivering a commodity or service to the market, that cost is passed on to the consumer, shamman. For example, in 1955 the first Federal minimum wage was set at 75ȼ per hour, and a six ounce bottle of Coca Cola -- a non-essential commodity -- costs 5ȼ. Today, the Federal minimum wage is set at $7.25, and a twenty ounce Coca Cola costs $1.60. The increase in minimum wage is approximately ten fold, and the increase in the cost of a Coca Cola is also approximately ten fold. So, despite the mandatory minimum wage increases, that you stupidly claim are the end-all solution, there has been little real change in purchasing power since 1955 shamman.
Originally Posted by I B Hankering
Let me give you an example. By god, I made this as simple as I could, so if you still don't get it you are seriously dumber than a bucket of shit.
Let's keep Coca-cola in this one. They make $10 million/year in this hypothetical situation selling only coca cola bottles priced at $10/bottle. The 10 million is distributed like this: $9 million to corporate and $1 million to a 100,000 workers making a $10/hour minimum wage.
Now let's say the minimum wage rises to $20 an hour. Now the workers are collectively being paid $2 million at minimum wage. To keep the payments to corporate EXACTLY the same ($9 Million) AND pay the workers $2 million, coca cola has to increase their price to only $11/bottle to make $11 million. This is of course, considering that demand for coca-cola won't go down at $11/bottle. Even if it does, there is a certain leeway that will be made by reducing corporate payments and meeting in the middle (try going down to demand 950,000).The people making a higher minimum wage will also be spending, not only on Coca-Cola, but on other products that will stimulate the economy to produce more and grow more. So tell me again how an increase in minimum wage will cause an exactly proportionate increase in "commodity prices"? The point to be taken here is: since min-wage workers account for less (much much less) than 100% of the cost of a commodity, an increase in their costs
DOES NOT result in a
simultaneous and equal increase in the price of the product.
In your example, you are confusing regular inflation and tying it directly to an increase in minimum wage, which, honestly is hilarious beyond belief. If I put you in front of a bunch of economists right now they would piss their pants laughing at you. That's nothing new to you though, is it?