We often hear Lefties talk about “wealth distribution”....I don’t even know what that is...Do Dems believe ALL Americans are due some sort of distribution of wealth simply for being in America?
This is the kind of stuff I’ve read....
“In the USA, the top 20% get 80% of the wealth. This is the most lopsided distribution of wealth in the first world. The American middle class get's 11% of the nation's wealth, but pays more than half the taxes? How is that fair.”
“You clowns keep talking about what percentage of taxes the wealthy pay, without ever mentioning what percentage of the nation's income and wealth they receive in the first place. Republicans go to great lengths to obscure the income disparity in the USA and the real effects of their tax cuts.”
These people actually believe “THE NATION” owns the income and wealth...hahaha
Since you asked, politely, I'll give you a quick answer. It's 3:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving day, and I'm about to shower, change and head out to tonight's turkey feast and celebration.
You talk about the income, as if it's the wealthy who create the income. They don't. The executives and the shareholders at McDonalds, aren't generating the income they receive. The kids making, flipping and selling the burgers, and serving the customers are the ones generating the income. The shareholders are providing the capital to build the store, and the executives are managing the advertizing and the corporate strategies, but the money coming in the front door of the business comes fromo the sales of hamburgers and french frieds and soft drinks, and that's the work done by the low wage workers.
The franchise agreement dictates the distribution of that money. Posters here have said franchise fees are only 4%, so head office isn't getting that much. Law clerks, unlike legal secretaries, don't work for one lawyer. We work for Departments, and we work with all of the lawyers in those department, and we're more specialized. One of "my lawyers" was a franchise lawyer, so I've worked on the McDonald's franchise agreement, and my comment was "No wonder the store owners make no money".
Franchise fee - 4% of gross sales. Not that much really, but we're just getting started. Advertizing fee - 4%. There is also a printing fee - menus, placemats, napkins, burger wrappers, anything with the Logo. I don't remember the rest of the percentages because it was 20 years ago, and there was more. In, in all, more than 10% of gross sales was going to head office in fees and costs. All of these fees and costs being paid from the sales of the burgers and fries being produced by minimum wage workers.
The store owner is also required to purchase all inventory and food from Corporate. They can't shop around for the best deals from local suppliers. And if corporate decides your store needs to be reburished, they will order you to redecorate. All furniture and fixtures in this redecoration must be purchased through corporate to maintain the signature McDonald's look. Again everything is paid paid for from the sale of the burgers and fries.
Bear in mind that net profits - after expenses, before taxes, ranges between 5 and 15%, in the restaurant business. Even with a 15% profit margin, if you have to send 10% of your gross sales to head office, there's not much left over for the store owner. And they also sell you all of your food and supplies to operate. Very little of money coming into your store stays in your pockets or your community. Communities benefit when workers are well paid, and have disposable income to spend in the stores. Or the restaurant patronizes local suppliers for food, supplies or services. Corporate doesn't allow any of that.
McDonald's offers store owners a "turn key operation". They build the store, hand them a check, and open tomorrow. Every week a truck pulls up from head office to with every you need for your store. No sourcing, purchasing or thought goes into it. It's ideal for someone who goes in knowing nothing about the restaurant business, but they own your ass.
But all of the money earned by McDonald's corporation, comes from the sale of burgers paid by minimum wage workers. If corporate stopped bleeding the stores white, and stopped taking all of the money they can out of the stores, both the staff and the store owners would get a better shake.
Of course the President of McDonalds wouldn't be making more than $20 million per year, and the shareholders wouldn't be getting record dividends. You have to feel for the shareholder class - they get 50% of the income, even though fewer than 40% of them actually work or have jobs. Sitting on their asses, collecting dividend checks, living off the income generated by the kids.
80% of the people in the bottom 20% work full time - and they have to get government subsidies to keep body and soul together. Republicans call these workers "takers". But 60% of the wealthy, sit on their asses, living off their income generated by these people, and you say they're entitled to everything they get, because they create jobs.
Demand creates jobs. If you cease to have product to sell because you have no workers, you'll have to go out business in a heart beat. If the American workers are creating all of this wealth for people sitting on their asses at home, shouldn't they get a fairer share of that money?
Shouldn't the kids who are making all of these people so very rich be paid at least enough money to keep a roof over their heads?
