Originally Posted By: eljefino
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Why don't these workers get an education or learn a skill that will allow them to make a better living ?
Maybe they have kids and working a 5a-2p shift available in foodservice lets them meet the bus in the afternoon, keeping said kids out of daycare, and having quality time with them.
Maybe they like people and working in an office isn't their thing.
Maybe they like the smell of hash browns.
Maybe they don't drive and McD's is down the block from their apartment.
Maybe they believe McD's will actually offer opportunities for advancement like they success stories they've read about, or even seen first hand.
Who am I to judge? It's honest work, more honest than an insurance adjuster denying a claim for specious reasons or a banker rigging rates-- both "decent paying" jobs many worship.
On the macro- vs- micro economic level, slowly bringing up the floor to a living wage helps that locality as they money stays there. When NJ paid more than PA there wasn't any difference in employment levels:
http://davidcard.berkeley.edu/papers/njmin-aer.pdf
Exactly.