The Left Wing - World Wide

[The4thEstate]

We don't have tipping here but we also often have to suffer really bad service. There's pros and cons both ways.

ADDENDUM: And let's not forget that the cost of living in the US is way way cheaper than here. Unless you live in huge Democrat cities like LA, SF or NY.

Geez you can buy whole chickens for 99 cents and a kg of pork chops for $1.50.

And you can currently buy a gallon of gasoline for $1.37. Cheapest I've seen in maybe 15 years.

[Black Orchid]

We don't have tipping here but we also often have to suffer really bad service. There's pros and cons both ways.

ADDENDUM: And let's not forget that the cost of living in the US is way way cheaper than here. Unless you live in huge Democrat cities like LA, SF or NY.

Geez you can buy whole chickens for 99 cents and a kg of pork chops for $1.50.

And you can currently buy a gallon of gasoline for $1.37. Cheapest I've seen in maybe 15 years.

We were paying almost $1.70 litre ($6.80 per gallon) just a few weeks ago. It's down a bit now around $1.50 ($6.00 per gallon). People who have never been to the US just have no idea how much cheaper things are there than they are here.

$1.37 gallon is about 34 cents per litre. I can't recall ever seeing that here.

[billy the kid]

$1.02 per litre on GC a few days ago...

[The4thEstate]

People shouldn't have to live on tips alone, with no wages....that's just exploitation...
I understand this happens in the US....tips only....exploitation..well…...we peasants have
been exploited by the oligarchs for centuries.....

I started earning a minimum wage of $3.35/hr in 1983. It's not meant to be a living wage. The wage is for our kids to learn to work and anybody who is making minimum wage after 2 years of working probably doesn't deserve minimum wage. I've worked in clothing stores, did carpentry, worked in a grocery store, unloaded trucks, dug ditches for sprinkler systems, fixed jets in the military to pay for my college, and been a field engineer on critical power systems for 26 years working with the same people. My pay has steadily increased with my experience and work ethic and I couldn't imagine living on just $15/hr. I've worked my butt off to get what I earn and I expect that of everyone else. If they don't like the indignity of working for tips, then they can suck it up and get a harder job or get the training to get a more profitable job.

My parents started in 1964 with nothing. My mom raised us boys and then went to college after we left home. My brother and I tutored her through many of her classes. My dad, who never graduated high school, started and ran his own company and paid for mom's college. Mom retired from a local school district after running the construction services department of a large public school system. Her boss had to spend $500k/year for 3 years to replace her when she retired. She was sorely missed. They are now doing well in their retirement.

I get tired of reading your posts telling us in your usual self righteous manner how you've done this and you've done that...
Some people just don't get opportunities in life...some people may not have the skills to do much more than wait on
tables...they should be paid a wage and not have to rely on tips to get by...some people might even be studying or seeking
better jobs....
You tell us how your religious upbringing is the reason for all your success.....yawn fkn yawn....
Maybe the waitresses aren't praying enough....

I honestly don't think Texan is trying to be self-righteous. He's simply expressing the opinion that too many young Americans think they deserve a certain wage even though they've done little to better themselves.

Maybe I can relate to Texan because I did many a menial job, from weeding a ginseng garden for $1.50 an hour to mopping floors at the local college, to earn money to live on after my parents divorced. There's nothing like getting heat exhaustion in the 95-degree sun (while weeding) to inspire you to improve yourself and your marketability.

College for me was similar. I got a scholarship from the local college because of my high school grades and SAT scores, but I had to maintain a certain grade level to retain the scholarship. So I couldn't afford to fail any test, let alone class, for fear of losing the only money that was keeping me in college. Living on campus was out of the question -- I lived at home and commuted to and from classes every day.

I sympathize in a way with people who work low-paying jobs, but on the other hand, I knew many of these same people when I was in high school. When you cut school, blow off homework assignments and crack jokes in class, it's tough to claim 20 years later that you were denied the opportunity to succeed. And for those who weren't, shall we say, scholarly, there was vocational school that taught things like automobile repair.

Anyway, if it helps to know this, a good waitress can make more per hour from tips alone than many white-collar workers do. As for jobs like fast-food fry cook ... they were never intended to be a career. If you don't like the smell of grease, then buckle down and sign up for some courses that allow you to study from home. Or learn a trade. But in a free society, you can't depend on politicians to make your life better.

[The4thEstate]

We don't have tipping here but we also often have to suffer really bad service. There's pros and cons both ways.

ADDENDUM: And let's not forget that the cost of living in the US is way way cheaper than here. Unless you live in huge Democrat cities like LA, SF or NY.

Geez you can buy whole chickens for 99 cents and a kg of pork chops for $1.50.

And you can currently buy a gallon of gasoline for $1.37. Cheapest I've seen in maybe 15 years.

We were paying almost $1.70 litre ($6.80 per gallon) just a few weeks ago. It's down a bit now around $1.50 ($6.00 per gallon). People who have never been to the US just have no idea how much cheaper things are there than they are here.

$1.37 gallon is about 34 cents per litre. I can't recall ever seeing that here.

I can actually remember when gasoline was, like, 25 cents a gallon. But that was before OPEC decided to put the screws to the West.

Now the tables are turning.

[Black Orchid]

I remember putting $1 of petrol in the car once when I was a teenager to get me from A to B. Now it would be more like $15 or more.

[The4thEstate]

$1.02 per litre on GC a few days ago...

That's still more than $4 a gallon though, which would be considered pretty expensive in the U.S.

We were generally paying around $2.30 to $2.50 a gallon before the big price plummet.

[The4thEstate]

I remember putting $1 of petrol in the car once when I was a teenager to get me from A to B. Now it would be more like $15 or more.

Yeah, I have similar memories -- you could ride around with your friends all evening for $2.

[Black Orchid]

I remember putting $1 of petrol in the car once when I was a teenager to get me from A to B. Now it would be more like $15 or more.

Yeah, I have similar memories -- you could ride around with your friends all evening for $2.

My first little car was called Noddy lol. It was given to me for my 17th birthday and already named. The wheel brace doubled as a crank and you shoved it in the front grill and started it if there was a problem. Memories

[The4thEstate]

I remember putting $1 of petrol in the car once when I was a teenager to get me from A to B. Now it would be more like $15 or more.

Yeah, I have similar memories -- you could ride around with your friends all evening for $2.

My first little car was called Noddy lol. It was given to me for my 17th birthday and already named. The wheel brace doubled as a crank and you shoved it in the front grill and started it if there was a problem. Memories

I once drove a car that cost less than a premium tire nowadays.

Fortunately, I didn't have to drive it for long.