Bare minimum

This was originally from about a year ago...

            I think the minimum wage needs to disappear. 

            Before you all jump down my throat, I considered the many arguments recently about how one can't really live on the minimum wage, and I realized several things, not the least of which is this: if there was no minimum wage, everyone could actually be paid what they were worth.  See, having to pay the abysmally moronic the same $8.25 for an hour of his labor that you pay the hard worker means that you as an employer can't pay the good man more for doing a better job. 

            I offer this example of the abysmally moronic.  This is an exact copy of a text message I sent to my landlord today regarding his maintenance personnel and their recent foray into the apparently difficult world of spraying for roaches...  

Mr. Smith, this is Rachel Lynch in 103 Park Ave. B. I'd like to thank you for having your guys set the little cardboard traps after they sprayed on Wednesday. However, I thought you should know that after preheating my oven today (the first time I have used it since Wednesday), I opened it to find one of the cardboard traps inside it. I don't generally inspect my own oven for flammable materials before using it as you provide enough cupboards and the oven isn't necessary for storage. If the trap and its chemical strip had caught fire (quite possible since it was preheating to 475 and paper ignites at 451), the fumes alone could've killed me, not to mention the building would've caught fire. I wasn't home when these were placed, but I left a note as to extra places I wanted them to spray and I wish they would've at least written me a note on the back about the traps. If you could please have a word with them; I'd hate for this to happen to anyone here. It was thorough but dangerously out of place. Thanks.

            Yes, this really happened.  My ex-husband is probably rolling with laughter reading this because he recognizes that this isn't the first note like this I've have to send to the landlord regarding his employees and their less than stellar logic.  Sadly, these are the same men who I had to supervise as they fixed my drain problems last week, causing me to miss two days work time.  I shudder to think what would've happened if I wasn't home. 

            Imagine if these men were paid only what they were worth.  They might do better work.  Smarter men might get hired.  Or, if he continued to use the same epic dunderheads, our rent might be lower as his overhead would decrease considerably.  

            Yes, people have trouble surviving on minimum wages because every time it goes up, the cost of goods and services goes up proportionally.  Someone remarked once that it would be good for CEOs to have the wage go up to $15 an hour as well.  I doubt it.  If Walmart (and those that know me know I'm not a fan of them but it's a good example) had the freedom to hire some guy for $5 an hour part time just to push a broom or break down empty boxes, they'd have extra money to pay the people who activate the cell phones and process photos what they are worth.  

            Distribution of wealth based on actual skill level... what a concept.