Random Thoughts – Basic Economics, Liberal Logic, Silence of the sub-Standard and More
January 7, 2018
1. As small business owners struggle to cope with the massive minimum wage hike and keep their heads above water, calls for a Tim Hortons boycott have become all the rage among those with no understanding of basic economics. Faced with a sudden 20% increase in labor costs, Tim Hortons franchise owners garnered headlines as they, like many other small businesses, were forced to cut back on benefits for those employees they could still afford to keep on the payroll. Yet there seems to be a prevailing belief that these small business owners are just sitting on big piles of cash and getting rich off the backs of their workers. Nothing could be farther from the truth, of course, but that doesn’t stop the unionists who can’t see beyond the tips of their noses from pointing the finger at the “greedy” employers. It’s at times like this that I wonder if our collective IQ is falling faster than NFL ratings.
1a. If you really believe that Tim Hortons franchise owners are the bad guys, I hope you are also prepared to boycott every small business as well as every municipality in the province, including the City of St. Catharines. As I heard from Councillor Mike Britton at a budget meeting, as a direct result of the minimum wage hike, the city will not be able to hire as many summer students this year as they normally would.
2. This might surprise you, but workers in Switzerland, a country without a minimum wage, on average, earn the highest wages in the world. Something to ponder.
3. This past week, my ultra-obnoxious MP called those of us who disagree with the crime minister’s desire to “reintegrate” returning ISIS fighters into Canada “white supremacists.” According to his twisted logic, racism is at the heart of a desire to protect ourselves against enemy soldiers who want to do us harm. Meanwhile, as my MP made a fool of himself on a national stage, the silence of the Liberal-friendly sub-Standard was palpable. What should have been front-page news was instead completely ignored. No doubt they were too busy celebrating that their favorite whipping boy, regional councillor Andy Petrowski, would not be seeking re-election. And people like that wonder why they get called “fake news.”
4. Said Liberal-friendly sub-Standard did, however, have the time to promote A Better Niagara, a citizen group promoting left-wing ideals and encouraging their own kind to run for public office. Of course, this group swears they’re completely nonpartisan. Right. And I’m Sheena. Queen of the jungle.
5. When the next round of layoffs and/or closures inevitably comes, don’t expect much sympathy in this corner for displaced sub-Standard “journalists.”
6. Was it any wonder that when Mayor Sendzik asked for a show of hands at the Older Adults Forum, only two or three in the crowd of around 80 said they took the Standard?
7. It’s likely not too many people in this part of the world noticed, but the sports shop in Fairview Mall that opened on the first of December had gone out of business before the end of the month. A word of advice to would-be entrepreneurs – this might not be the best time to start a business trying to sell mainly NFL merchandise. There are a lot of us narrow-minded people, as Councillor Mat Siscoe called me, who want nothing more to do with that wretched league.
8. In the event your riding won’t have a true conservative candidate running for the Ontario PCs in the upcoming provincial election, as I fear will be the case here in St. Catharines, consider parking your vote with the Ontario Libertarian Party. Regrettably, they don’t stand much of a chance, but the lost votes might help pull the party back to the right. After all, there’s not much point in having a conservative party if they’re not conservative.
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