Correctomundo re Goolsbee

That was quick.  Apparently my references to Mrs. Goolsbee in my prior post were off the mark.  I am informed that her correct name is Robin Winters.

My apologies to Ms. Winters.

Ms. Winters & Dr. Goolsbee

That Stupid Minimum Wage

Good Jobs at Market Wages

King of the Gypsies Republican Presidential Candy Date Mitt Romani Romney keeps putting his foot in his mouth.  Just when he seemed to have pulled it all together, we get this from (who else) Yahoo! News:
"Romney said last week that he supports regular increases in the minimum wage to keep pace with inflation."
OMG.  The next time that man feels his mouth opening he just needs to put a sock in it.  Who knows what crazy idea he'll come out with next, maybe to let all those Mexican grandmothers stay here.

Grandma

Having a minimum wage is very controversial.  As Yahoo! News reports, "Some experts argue that raising the wage costs jobs, but others disagree."  Natch Yahoo doesn't quote any actual experts, but lots of politicians were willing to fill the gap. Especially our Republican friends, who were quick to set Mitt straight.

South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint

"Senator DeMint opposes the minimum wage because it hurts the poor and destroys desperately needed jobs," DeMint's spokesman, Wesley Denton, told Yahoo News. "Wage mandates prevent people from getting jobs and the skills they need to climb the economic ladder."

How much?

Michele Bachmann, who quit the presidential race last month, has said that scrapping the minimum wage could "potentially virtually wipe out unemployment completely, because we would be able to offer jobs at whatever level."
Well, of course.  The thing to remember, and please keep this in mind, is that the problem for people who are unemployed is not that they don't have a job, it's that they don't have any money.  MONEY.  So giving them a job that doesn't pay enough money isn't going to help unemployed workers.  It's not.
Why don't all these Republicans get this?  They seem smart enough.  What's the problem?

There is no problem.  They are simply lying.  We should all know this by now.  The press goes along for the ride because it's easier to write or talk about a fake issue like whether or not the minimum wage helps workers than to have to do actual research and analysis, not to mention put your access and credentials at risk, and report on what is really happening.  What's that?  Well, let's ask ourselves who would benefit from tanking the minimum wage.  How about employers?  How about investors who invest in employers?  McDonalds spends a lot on minimum wages.  If they could whack a third of that off the P&L, the C-suite would probably get to pay themselves a nice round of bonuses for a job well done.  Remember, a corporation's duty is to its shareholders, not its employees.  And of course, all of that wealth will trickle down to the rest of America.  Just more slowly.
So, where are the Democrats on this issue?  Can't they round up someone with a few brains who can squash this nonsense? What ever happened to Obama's economic council? 
Personally, I miss that Austan Goolsbee fellow.  He was smart and funny and good at explaining this stuff.  We need a new generation of honest dismal scientists like him who can make sense of things like this and blaze a path forward that doesn't have half of the country mowing lawns for $3.00 an hour.  But Austan and his smokin' hot wife Robin have gone.  So where do we go now? Where is the leadership?

Austan & Robin Goolsbee

Out of Service

Romney in Trumps Casino and His $10,000 Bet

Gambling - What Mormons Preach

Gambling is found everywhere in society; poker, horse and dog races, at the grocery store, slot machines, and even in the home. Gambling is a game of chance that takes without giving value in return. Gambling puts money or other things of value into a pool and then redistributes it on the basis of a roll of the dice, a spin of the wheel, or a drawing of a number. Nothing of value is produced in the process.'1

The Mormon Church has always opposed gambling in every form, including government-sponsored lotteries.
           
Mormon prophets and leaders have counseled the members over time, to avoid gambling of any type. Doing so, leads one away from righteousness and into the hands of Satan. The Mormon belief is that it is an addictive behavior and leads only to destructive habits and practices. It undermines the value of work and motivates one to think that they can get something for nothing. In time, the gambler will deny themselves, as well as their family the basic needs of life. They will oft times steal from others to finance their addiction, which in turn leads to stealing, robbery, etc.
           
Government-sponsored lotteries have intensified the gambling issue. The National Foundation on the Study and Treatment of Pathological Gambling says that, 'lotteries may serve to introduce gambling to those who otherwise would shun it. People who have never bet before, seeing a state-run lottery with the [imprint] of government upon it, might buy a ticket; buying the first lottery ticket might be compared to a future drug addict taking his first puff on a cigarette. It's a starting point.'2 

And in 1985, then Governor of Florida Bob Graham, stated that, 'what the lottery says about success is the wrong message…' Catholic priest, Monsignor Joseph Dunne expressed his opinion in that, 'why should [children] get an education when with a little bit of luck they can win a bundle of money for life? That's what lotteries are doing to our youth.'3

Mormons do believe that they shouldn't participate or encourage others to gamble. When local and federal government legislations are considering passing laws dealing with gambling, Church leadership has encouraged members to put a voice in opposing such issues. Current Mormon Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley has urged the members of theMormon Church to do the following: "We urge members of the Church to join with others with similar concerns in opposing the legalization and government sponsorship of lotteries."4

For more information on the Mormon Church or Gambling, please see the following websites:
Gambling
What do Mormons Believe

1 "Ensign", LDS magazine, "Gambling – Morally Wrong and Politically Unwise", Oaks, Jan 1987

2 "Christian Science Monitor", Custer, 1985

3 "Gambling and Lotteries", 1986

4 "Letter from the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints", 1986