Caralho

The LA area is not a desert, it's semi-arid and yes there is a difference.

Yup like Social Security, Medicare, those really hurt low-income people. Food stamps hurt low-income people and so does subsidizing insurance. Conservatives think that if they deregulated polluting industries (mostly located in low-income areas), destroyed the safety net and allowed companies to pay whatever pittance they please would actually help low-income people. Let's examine the lack of a minimum wage combined with the very weak government that conservatives favor. Businesses would be able to screw these people without remedy because lawyer and court costs would be much higher than any potential award from a breach of contract suit. That of course doesn't mention mandatory binding arbitration, the arbitrator being paid by the company of course. Go ahead and pretend that conservatives would be better for low-income folks.

Those businesses will adjust or perish just like they do with all sorts of regulations, I'm not that concerned with them. What concerns me is that the minimum wage if it had kept up with inflation since the 60's would be 10 dollars an hour, or if it had kept up with productivity 15 dollars an hour. The race to the bottom mentality has not worked out too well in America.

Haha highly doubtful. The only way I would ever run for office is something like city council and that's only if there is a city of Bell situation.

Losing margin is not the same as losing money. You can definitely make up for it with higher volume. The minimum wage hasn't gone up for 5 years federally, in California almost 6. Prices did not stop increasing on basics because the minimum hasn't gone up. Inflation has also been muted for a long time and that's only because the Fed kept the US from entering a Japan-like deflationary spiral.

That assumes a lot. Just because you increase costs doesn't necessarily mean that demand for a particular product will increase to cover that cost which is part of the reason that you won't necessarily see a 20 percent price increase if you increase wages by 20 percent. It also ignores the fact that food and housing and clothes have gotten more expensive over the last few years without any minimum wage increases. In my view the biggest problem with the economy is the lack of demand on the lower end and the almost constant downward pressure on wages. The minimum wage increases help fight both.

There was a $15 minimum wage that passed in Seatac, WA, home of the international airport, for the areas around the airport. Since there is no fear of outsourcing there, the arguments against basically said hey higher skilled people will take you jobs. The fast food strikes are a negotiating tactic, your initial position should be a position that the other side won't accept, you want to come down from that. Smaller raises in the minimum wage are really popular when put to a vote, that's a big reason why there is such a push right now for higher wages.

Hey Strad, any chance of an in-n-out opening in Artesia or Cerritos? I'd like one closer than the ones in Norwalk, Lakewood, La palma or Long Beach town center.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/26/us/conservative-leads-effort-to-raise-minimum-wage-in-california.html

We don't know for sure what the money situation is though. If it's all about the luxury tax, this year it will be impossible to get 2 quality SP and 3 RP and stay under the tax unless Dipoto turns into a magician. The extra draft pick would have been nice in case he turned it down.

If he accepts, I'm ok with it as it's only a one yea deal. But the upside is much greater with an offer as compared to without an offer.

The Angels should have thrown Vargas a qualifying offer but for some odd reason the Angels don't believe in getting draft picks.

4 year deal is too much for Vargas. Arroyo was better than him last year but he is going to be 37 next year so I am not sure on him either.

I'm sure this is all just a coincidence.

That phrase is pretty much used as nostalgia towards an America that never existed, the 50's of Ozzie and Harriet. Those so called good times weren't so good for most people. Bullying is not about fighting, it's about a power dynamic. That's why it can happen to grown men.

GTFO out of here with that wussifying America nonsense. America was far more cowardly back in the day when blacks weren't allowed rights and you could beat your woman mercilessly and even rape her without the authorities giving a crap.

The ads are immature and should give young adults more credit but I won't be outraged over a young woman wanting to have sex, I don't care about that at all.

Read my post again, I am blaming the Republicans for pissing away a winnable race because they picked a far-right douche as their candidate.

Edwards v. Duke, some of the greatest quotes ever from a political campaign. Vote for the crook, it's important! Vote for the lizard, not the wizard! When a reporter asked Edwards what he had in common with Duke, he said they are both wizards under the sheets! Edwards just got out of prison a little while ago, he's 87 and he has a newborn with a woman in her 30's, well played Governor!

McAuliffe is a scumbag, which is like stating the sky is blue. This shows how poor a candidate the Cooch was. This would have never happened if Lt. Gov Bolling ran but because Cooch moved to get the GOP nominee selected at a convention, he felt he had no chance to win which is exactly true. Just another instance of Republicans shooting themselves in the foot with candidate selection. I'll be surprised if the Macker finishes out his term. I would have had a hard time voting for him, I might have voted for the Libertarian and I don't exactly like those guys.

Another big result is Mike Duggan winning Detroit mayor, he becomes the first white mayor of Detroit in about 40 years. But since there is a state appointed emergency manager, he won't have much power when he takes office.

Christie did what was expected, romp to victory, he's up 60 to 39. No coattails for him as he will face a Democratic legislature and voters overturned his veto of a minimum wage hike. Terry McAuliffe won by about 2 percent which is less than expected, Democrats should make small gains in the state legislature but it looks like the Republican will win Virginia Attorney General by a few thousand votes. In Alabama a congressional primary between Republicans was a preview of the Tea Party vs. Establishment war that should happen a lot next year, the establishment won this one as Brad Byrne beat Dean Young who outed himself as a birther. Colorado nixed an income tax hike while raising taxes on weed. There are local elections in California tonight, anybody got interesting races?

I miss Napoli too but I really don't want to see him win a ring with the Sox.

And here's the roll call for the House vote. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2013/roll550.xml

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/10/republicans-shut-down-the-government-for-nothing/280611/