Lies and consequences
Three weeks ago the ICEstapo raided several chicken processing plants in Mississippi, arresting hundreds of undocumented workers. The gratuitous cruelty of the Fourth Reich required that this coincide with the first day of school, so children would come home to empty houses and have no idea what had happened to their parents. Needless to say, the owners and management were untouched, though hiring the undocumented is illegal.
The rationale for this kind of thing is always that these people are taking jobs away from Americans. Yet hundreds of Americans did not rush forward to apply for chicken work, possibly because it is low-paid, unpleasant and dangerous. The result has been a shortage of chicken parts at fast-food restaurants, apparently at the worst possible time. The Popeye's chain had introduced a new "crispy chicken sandwich" which proved popular with people who like that kind of thing, and many restaurants ran out. What happened next was no surprise in a country both litigious and gun-mad.
A man in Tennessee who was denied a sandwich is suing Popeye's for deceptive business practices and false advertising, seeking $5,000 for his suffering. In Houston, another man who evidently doesn't like lawyers drew a gun to reinforce his demand for lunch. No fatalities have been reported, but if those chicken plants don't re-staff by the end of the week, there could well be another Odessa (the latest outburst of mindless violence).
That's what makes economics so complicated. You tariff China to look tough, and not only do Americans pay more for Chinese-made goods but farmers find themselves with tons of soybeans that nobody wants. Pulling one loose thread will unravel the whole tapestry. You can't make sensible policy on the toilet. This is why Wall Street types are grabbing for the Xanax and regular folks are afraid to check their 401(k)s.
Nobody who has to stand behind a counter smelling grease all day, wearing a demeaning uniform and a paper hat, should have to face death for telling Bubba he can't have a crispy chicken sandwich. Not for $5.15 an hour. Just saying.
The rationale for this kind of thing is always that these people are taking jobs away from Americans. Yet hundreds of Americans did not rush forward to apply for chicken work, possibly because it is low-paid, unpleasant and dangerous. The result has been a shortage of chicken parts at fast-food restaurants, apparently at the worst possible time. The Popeye's chain had introduced a new "crispy chicken sandwich" which proved popular with people who like that kind of thing, and many restaurants ran out. What happened next was no surprise in a country both litigious and gun-mad.
A man in Tennessee who was denied a sandwich is suing Popeye's for deceptive business practices and false advertising, seeking $5,000 for his suffering. In Houston, another man who evidently doesn't like lawyers drew a gun to reinforce his demand for lunch. No fatalities have been reported, but if those chicken plants don't re-staff by the end of the week, there could well be another Odessa (the latest outburst of mindless violence).
That's what makes economics so complicated. You tariff China to look tough, and not only do Americans pay more for Chinese-made goods but farmers find themselves with tons of soybeans that nobody wants. Pulling one loose thread will unravel the whole tapestry. You can't make sensible policy on the toilet. This is why Wall Street types are grabbing for the Xanax and regular folks are afraid to check their 401(k)s.
Nobody who has to stand behind a counter smelling grease all day, wearing a demeaning uniform and a paper hat, should have to face death for telling Bubba he can't have a crispy chicken sandwich. Not for $5.15 an hour. Just saying.
posted by Buttermilk Sky at 2:33 PM
3 Comments:
Utter raving lunacy. Anyone who pulls a gun because a fast-food joint is out of one kind of sandwich is not even a functional adult. I hope they catch him before he blows somebody away because it rained at an inconvenient time or something.
At least the farmers with their unsellable soybeans seem to be doing a better job of realizing who's really at fault for their problems. Hopefully they'll have fully digested the implications by next November.
There is a non-negligible subset of gun owners who feel that gun ownership immunizes them from any negative outcomes,thus the FL psa warning folks not to shoot at hurricanes.The belief that such people can be reasoned with is structurally similar.
And if "law enforcement" did not go after "law" breakers, people would be whining about corrupt law enforcers. People who think that "lawmakers" are good enough to rule over them, get what they deserve.
“When law and morality contradict each other the citizen has the cruel alternative of either losing his sense of morality or losing his respect of the law.” — Frederic Bastiat
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