I fail to see what they expect to accomplish

Minimum wage is going up. At a time when companies are laying people off and slashing hours... now they are going to have to pay people more? What, exactly, do they think this is going to do?

I have never understood why people think raising the minimum wage (besides at a pace equal to inflation, which is fair - I mean talking big jumps, like this one (10.7%)) will do anyone any good. Sure, maybe for a few months until the inflation of prices trickles down, but in the end it's a zero-gain proposition... and maybe even a losing one.

I decided to look up what it would now cost me to live in my old college apartment. Back in the mid-90s I was working a charming minimum wage job and shared an apartment with two roommates. My share of the rent was $180/mo, and at my awesome $4.25/hr job that meant my rent cost me 42.35 hours of work (gross wages).

But now the minimum wage worker makes a lot more - $6.55/hr. They're much better off, right? Except that same apartment would now cost me $293 for a third of it. That's 44.73 hours of work. A full 2+ hours more than I had to work for the exact same thing.

And it's not just rent. The price of everything goes up. I remember when (oh, I feel old!) movie tickets were $5 at full price. I remember when ice cream came in half-gallon containers (just because the price hasn't gone up doesn't mean it's not costing you more - more and more products are coming in smaller sizes so they don't have to raise their prices).

How does this help? The only way to really help is for people raising families to have above minimum wage jobs and leave the crappy, low-paying jobs for the people they're intended for - teenagers and college students. The former have parents (hopefully) to pay for things like housing and food, and the latter are traditionally supposed to be poor and miserable. It reminds them why they're going to school.

And, in the long run, I think huge hikes in the minimum wage hurt a lot of people. Prices go up, and people who weren't at the bottom of the pay scale are now much closer. People who have worked hard to get above the minimum wage find themselves squashed back into it (believe me, if you'd worked your way up to $7.25/hr you're not getting a 10% pay increase - you'll now be making the same as the new guy, and that sucks). I truly fail to see how this is a remotely good idea.

The good, the bad, and the platypus

Good news! I got a super-special package from Down Under! There was all sorts of good stuff, including an Official Aussie Platypus and three awesome postcard stories. One included the idea of zombie emus, which is funny but also terrifying. People don't often think past people as zombies. Probably because, against people, we stand a fighting chance. But what hope do we have against a zombie mosquito spreading the disease? That's right, none. And can you even imagine a hoard of zombie cockroaches? Nothing kills cockroaches. So, thanks for the nightmares, Pen! ;) You're awesome. Wrapped in awesome. With nougat-y awesome filling.

Other good news: I got to officially say goodbye to the last of my credit-card debt today. This news is somewhat tempered by the continued existence of the HELOC and a shiny new car payment, but it's good steps, and this means the windows and everything we had to buy when we moved into the house (lawnmower, refrigerator, all that good stuff) is ours now! On the down side, the credit card did have a lower interest rate than than the HELOC... or the car payment. But whatever, one less bill to worry about every month. YAY!

Finally, the bad news: I am MI-5-ed out. I have two more episodes to watch in season 5, and I'm 18 on the holds list for season 6 (so at least I get a break). But for a show where England gets saved every episode, it sure is depressing. Sure, MI-5 triumphs (temporarily) over evil, but the poor characters... Let's see, we've had on agent get their face shoved in a vat of cooking oil (and them quickly, mercifully, shot), two agents shot, one agent hanged, one agent stabbed, three agents disgraced and exiled (only one of which was shown to have a happy(ish) ending, one a serious case on unrequited love), tons of civilian casualties, and a whole rash of really terrifyingly plausible scenarios. It really is too much to take in in such a short amount of time. And there's really not even any humor to offset it.

I so need mindless humor, and I need it now.

Speaking of fluff - anyone else watching the new Siffy show Warehouse 13? I can't say I love the characters, and the plot is just a wee bit to close the The Librarian movies for me to like it. I'm undecided. On the other hand, I'm warming to Royal Pains, and not just because it's on after Burn Notice. Also: OMG NEW EUREKA! (*squee*)

Well, back in for the last two episodes - the DVDs are due back tomorrow. *sigh* I also need to find the four postcard stories that seem to have gone AWOL so I can get those sent off. Also, I need to rip out the snake I started knitting because it's crap. Stupid pattern.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!