Sunday, October 23, 2016

Brutal takedown of CEO wage myth - Re-Blog

THE MISLEADING CLAIM: These 8 CEOs get paid so much that they clearly can afford to raise their worker's wages to $15 per hour.
THE REALITY: As we'll demonstrate below, the math proves this claim is questionable, at best.
JC PENNY:
• 114,000 employees [1]
• CEO pay: $4,629 per hour per the meme.
Each employee could get a $0.04 per hour raise if the CEO's pay were entirely eliminated.
CHIPOTLE:
• 53,090 employees [2]
• CEO pay: $13,489 per hour per the meme.
Each employee could get a $0.25 per hour raise if the CEO's pay were entirely eliminated.
Note, part of why Chipotle's CEO (Steve Ells) is so highly compensated is because he holds TWO positions, rather than just one, also serving as Chipotle’s chairman. [3]
Another interesting point? Chipotle ALREADY pays its workers more than comparable fast food outlets, such as Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A, McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King. [4]
DUNKIN DONUTS:
• 260,000 employees [5]
• CEO pay: $4,889 per hour per the meme.
Each employee could get a $0.01 (technically 0.018) per hour raise if the CEO's pay were entirely eliminated.
DOMINOS:
• 11,000 employees [6]
• CEO pay: $3,571 per hour per the meme.
Each employee could get a $0.32 per hour raise if the CEO's pay were entirely eliminated.
WENDY'S:
• 31,200 employees [7]
• CEO pay: $3,465 per hour per the meme.
Each employee could get a $0.11 per hour raise if the CEO's pay were entirely eliminated.
WAL-MART:
• 2,200,000 employees [8]
• CEO pay: $2,704 per hour per the meme.
Each employee could get a $0.00 (technically 0.001) per hour raise if the CEO's pay were entirely eliminated.
STAR-BUCKS:
• 191,000 employees [9]
• CEO pay: $10,285 per hour per the meme.
Each employee could get a $0.05 per hour raise if the CEO's pay were entirely eliminated.
MACY'S:
• 166,900 employees [10]
• CEO pay: $7,904 per hour per the meme.
Each employee could get a $0.04 (technically 0.047) per hour raise if the CEO's pay were entirely eliminated.
CONCLUSION:
Considering that this meme took annual CEO pay and simply divided it up into 40 hour work weeks despite the fact that CEOs of top firms routinely work over 40 hours a week [11], it already was guilty of significantly over-inflating CEO's hourly wages. But even if one takes the meme's inaccurate estimates at face value, it's conclusion proves to be entirely false, never the less. You could literally eradicate 100% of CEO pay from each of these companies and never even come close to a 50 cent per hour raise for workers, never mind nearly doubling minimum wages to $15 per hour. This claim is demonstrably false.
----------------------
ADDENDUM:
Before one protests that our counter-argument is off because we counted ALL employees rather than focusing only on those paid under $15, understand that this point - while valid - raises only a very small discrepancy.
It wouldn't matter if one adjusted the math to apply it to half or even one-third the workforce, because one would still struggle to add a dollar to worker's pay.  For instance, take Wal-Mart for example. Their pay increase would each be a (rounded down) 0 cents per hour raise if applied to all workers, but if we adjusted the figures to distribute the CEO's pay amongst workers presently earning less than $15, as to bring it up to the hypothetical $15 minimum, it still wouldn't be more than a few cent raise.  Therefore, even though our rebuttal is a rounded off estimate, it's one that is so significantly far away from the original misleading claim that it becomes obvious Occupy Democrats was very wrong.
---------------------
Sources:
[1]
http://www.macroaxis.com/invest/ratio/JCP--Number_of_Employees
[2]
http://www.macroaxis.com/invest/ratio/CMG--Number-of-Employees
[3]
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-05-15/chipotle-investors-slam-executive-compensation-at-annual-meeting
[4]
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-fast-food-jobs-pay-2013-7#!I5stQ
[5]
http://www.bostonjobsource.com/dunkin.html
[6]
http://www.macroaxis.com/invest/ratio/DPZ--Number-of-Employees
[7]
https://www.macroaxis.com/invest/ratio/WEN--Number-of-Employees
[8]
http://news.walmart.com/walmart-facts/
[9]
http://www.macroaxis.com/invest/ratio/SBUX--Number-of-Employees
[10]
http://www.macroaxis.com/invest/ratio/M--Number-of-Employees
[11]
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/mobile/top-executives.htm


source:

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

why #NeverHillary?

REMEMBER WHEN BILL CLINTON WAS PRESIDENT?
(January 20, 1993 to January 20, 2001—two terms)

When Bill Clinton was president, he allowed Hillary to assume authority over an attempt to reform health care.

Her proposed plan was so bad that many Democrats came up with competing plans of their own in protest, and in spite of threats and intimidation, on September 26, 1994, the “Hillarycare” bill was declared dead.

This fiasco cost the American taxpayers about $13 million for studies, promotion, and other efforts.

Then, President Clinton gave Hillary authority over selecting a female attorney general. Her first two selections were Zoe Baird and Kimba Wood—both were forced to withdraw their names from consideration.

Next, she chose Janet Reno, which husband Bill described as "my worst mistake."

(Some may not remember that Reno made the decision to gas David Koresh and the Branch Davidian religious sect in Waco, Texas resulting in dozens of deaths of women and children.)

Husband Bill also allowed Hillary to make recommendations for the head of the Civil Rights Commission—Lani Guanier was her selection.

After considerable backlash from prominent Democratic senators concerning Ms. Guanier's radical views, Bill Clinton withdrew her name from nomination, stating that she did not represents the civil rights views that he had championed during his campaign.

However, apparently a slow learner, husband Bill continued to allow Hillary to make more recommendations.

She chose former law partners, Web Hubbel for the Justice Department, Vince Foster for the White House staff, and William Kennedy for the Treasury Department.

Her selections went well: Hubbel went to prison, Foster (presumably) committed suicide, and Kennedy was forced to resign.

(Is anyone wondering yet what her Supreme Court Justice appointments would be like?)

Many younger voters will have no knowledge of "Travelgate," the first major ethics controversy during Bill’s presidency.

Hillary wanted to award unfettered travel contracts to Clinton friend, Harry Thompson—but the White House Travel Office refused to comply.

She trumped up allegations of financial mismanagement and reported seven long-time White House employees to the FBI. This ruined their reputations, got them fired, and caused a thirty-six month investigation.

Eventually, most of the employees were reinstated and Clinton associates were forced out of the travel office. Only one White House employee, Billy Dale, was charged with a crime—the enormous crime of mixing personal and White House funds; a jury acquitted him in less than two hours.

Still not convinced of her ineptness, Hillary was allowed to recommend a close Clinton friend, Craig Livingstone, for the position of Director of White House Security.

When Livingstone was investigated for the improper access of about 900 FBI files of Clinton enemies (Filegate) and the widespread use of drugs by White House staff, suddenly Hillary and the President denied even knowing Livingstone, and of course, denied knowledge of drug use in the White House.

Following this debacle, the FBI closed its White House Liaison Office after more than thirty years of service to seven presidents.

Next, when women started coming forward with allegations of sexual harassment and rape by Bill Clinton, Hillary was put in charge of the "bimbo eruption" and scandal defense.

Let’s look at some of her more notable decisions in this regard . . .

She urged her husband not to settle the Paula Jones lawsuit. After the Starr investigation, they settled with Ms. Jones.

She refused to release the Whitewater documents, which led to the appointment of Ken Starr as Special Prosecutor.

After $80 million dollars of taxpayer money was spent, Starr's investigation led to Monica Lewinsky, which led to Bill lying about and later admitting his affairs.

Hillary's devious game plan resulted in Bill losing his license to practice law for 'lying under oath' to a grand jury, followed by his subsequent impeachment by the House of Representatives.

Hillary avoided indictment for perjury and obstruction of justice during the Starr investigation by repeating, "I do not recall," "I have no recollection," and "I don't know" a total of 56 times while under oath. (Sound familiar?)

After leaving the White House, Hillary was forced to return an estimated $200,000 in White House furniture, china, and artwork that she had "mistakenly thought was hers."

So you see, the email scandal and all of her malfeasance regarding the handling of Top Secret information, not to mention the "pay to play" schemes of the Clinton Foundation, are nothing new.

Hillary’s entire political career has been nothing but a web of lies, corruption and destruction in her quest for power.

Is anyone else ready to say, “Enough is enough!”?

But unfortunately, I’m sure her loyal fans will say, "What difference does it make?"
(links added to original)
source: various versions online

Monday, October 17, 2016

Hannibal ad portas

Listening to Dr. Patrick Wyman's "The Fall of Rome" podcast (Ep2). In describing the 'barbarians', he reminds us that the homogenization of this diverse group is foolish and often leads to horribly wrong conclusions.

This reminds me of conversations recently about illegal immigration in this country. Is it wrong to group all illegal immigrants into one category? Of course it is. Each individual cannot represent the whole, nor the whole the individual.

Similarly, the same could be said for the European colonization of the Americas. No individual's act caused the death of thousands of native indians. Just as you cannot place blame at the feet of a single band of barbarians for the destruction of the Roman Empire, you cannot blame any one group for the decimation of the american indians.

So it is equally wrong to blame all illegal immigrants for the despicable actions of some.

But in saying that, it was still the barbarians who sacked Rome.


The Fall of Rome Podcast By Patrick Wyman

Friday, October 14, 2016

Bill Clinton and Donald Trump - a tale of two reactions

Bill Clinton (x22)
Person - Allegation
Date of event - Date of allegation - Waited (years)
Proof / Hearsay

Eileen Wellston - Sexual assault in Oxford
1969 - 1969 - 0
Hearsay of accuser, of Clinton claiming consensual, and of State Department employee who investigated

Unnamed woman at Yale - Sexual assault
1972 - Never - n/a
Hearsay of campus policeman and of the accuser

Unamed student at Univeristy of Arkansas - Sexual assault
1974 - 1974 - 0
Hearsay of accuser and of Clinton claiming consensual

Juanita Broaddrick - Raped her in her hotel room
1970 - 1999 - 29
Hearsay of accuser

Dolly Kyle Browning - 17 year affair
1975 - 1998 - 23
Written declaration to Paula Jones's lawyers

"Troopergate" - Multiple sexual affairs or assaults*
1978 - 1994 - 16
Hearsay of an article written by two Arkansas state troopers

*Regina Blakely Hopper
~1978 - 1997 - 19
Hearsay of former Arkansas state trooper L.D. Brown

*Robyn Dickey
~1978 - 1997 -  19
Hearsay of former Arkansas state trooper L.D. Brown

*Lencola Sullivan
~1978 - 1997 -  19
Hearsay of former Arkansas state trooper L.D. Brown

Carolyn Moffet - Sexual assault at his hotel
1979 - ? - ?
Hearsay

Leslie Milwee - Three sexual assaults
1980 - 2011 - 31
Hearsay;

Elizabeth Ward Gracen - One-night stand
1982 - 1992 - 10
Recanted

Sally Miller-Perdue - Affair
1983 - 1994 - 9
Hearsay

Connie Hamzy - Attempted one night stand
1984 - 1991 - 7
Hearsay; alternate story told by George Stephanopoulos

*Becky Brown - Sexual harassment
1985 - 1997 - 12
Hearsay of former Arkansas state trooper and husband L.D. Brown

Helen Dowdy - Groped at a wedding
1986 - 2000 - 14
Hearsay

Paula Jones - Propositioned and exposed himself to her in his hotel room
1991 - 1994 - 3
Lawsuit settled; Bill Clinton stripped of law license

Sandra Allen James - Sexual assault in his hotel room
1991 - 1999 - 8
Hearsay

Gennifer Flowers - 12 year affair
1992 - 1977 - 15
Bill's admission under oath

Christy Zercher - Sexual assault on plan
1992 - 1998 - 6
Hearsay

Kathleen Willey - Groped her in the Oval Office
1993 - 1998 - 5
Hearsay of accuser and of Linda Tripp

Monica Lewinsky - 2 year affair
1995 - 1998 - 3
Blue dress

Bonus - "Lolita Express and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein"


Reaction to Bill Clinton's accusations:
“Censure President Clinton and Move On to Pressing Issues Facing the Nation” - moveon.org


Donald Trump (x13)

Jessica Leeds - Sexually assaulted on a plane
1980's - 2016 - 36
Hearsay

Kristin Anderson - Groped at The China Club
1990's - 2016 - 26
Hearsay

Jill Harth - Attempted rape at Mar-a-lago
1993 - 1997 - 4
Lawsuit dropped by Harth

"Jane Doe" - Statutory rape at party of Jeffrey Epstein (see Bill Clinton and "Lolita Express", above)
1994 - 2016 - 22
Hearsay of accuser and two unnamed persons

Temple Taggart McDowell - Sexual assault
1997 - 2016 - 19
Hearsay

Karena Virginia - Sexual assault ("grabbed my right arm, then his hand touched the right inside of my breast")
1998 - 2016 - 18
Hearsay

Mindy McGillivray - Groped at Mar-a-lago
2003 - 2016 - 13
Hearsay

Rachel Crooks - Elevator at Trump Tower
2005 - 2016 - 11
Hearsay

Natasha Stoynoff - Sexual assault at Mar-a-lago
2005 - 2016 - 11
Hearsay

Summer Zervos - Sexual assault
2005 - 2016 - 11
Hearsay

Jessica Drake - Sexual assault
2006 - 2016 - 10
Hearsay

Unnamed friend of Erin Burnett - Sexual assault
2010 - 2016 - 6
Hearsay by Erin Burnett

Cassandra Searles - Sexual assault
2013 - 2016 - 3
Hearsay

Reaction to Donald Trump's accusations:
"He is the worst person ever!"

Monday, October 10, 2016

everyone they don't like is Hitler


Positions actually held by Adolf Hitler
  1. Was a socialist, as in the National Socialist German Workers' Party, a.k.a. Nazis.
  2. Expressly targeted those with wealth, such as bankers.
  3. Increased government funded programs, such as infrastructure, to spur economic growth.
  4. Created job programs.
  5. Made a national healthcare and unemployment insurance program. This ran huge deficits.
  6. Enacted sweeping gun control. Used gun registry to identify and remove dissidents.
  7. Pro-abortion, primarily for eugenics.
  8. Believed that the raising of children was a social responsibility of the state, and not the individual.
  9. Turned the populace against the 1%.
  10. Stoked the flames of racial animosity.
  11. Wanted universal participation in "service".
  12. Controlled media.

Positions held by Donald Trump
  1. Pure capitalist.
  2. Is wealthy, himself. He wants to lower taxes on the wealthy to spur growth.
  3. Believes companies spur economic growth, independent from government.
  4. Independent companies are job programs, themselves. Allowing them to grow unfettered provides jobs.
  5. Wants to reduce the size of national healthcare while expanding the markets of private insurers, such as allowing them to compete across state boundaries.
  6. Ambivalent on gun control.
  7. Pro-abortion.
  8. Raising children is the responsibility of the parents.
  9. Is part of the 1%.
  10. Also stoked the flames of racial animosity.
  11. No interest in service programs.
  12. Media has been doing everything it can to defeat him. Zero major news outlets have endorsed him.

Positions held by Hillary Clinton
  1. Is a socialist by her party platform, her political positions, and her social values. She even has owned the mantle of a "Progressive", which is another name for socialist.
  2. Expressly targets those with wealth, such as corporations.
  3. Wants to increase government funded programs, such as infrastructure, to spur economic growth.
  4. Wants to create job programs.
  5. Will increase the coverage of the current national healthcare program, which is already running deficits.
  6. Praises gun confiscation policies of other nations, and wants more gun restrictions in the US. Wants a complete gun registry.
  7. Pro-abortion. Admires Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, who was a firm proponent of eugenics.
  8. "It takes a village."
  9. Turns the populace against the 1%.
  10. Also stokes the flames of racial animosity.
  11. Pushes for national service.
  12. Majority of media are Democrats. All major news outlets have endorsed her.