'The ideal minimum wage is $0.00.' Leading candidate to replace Newsom wants no requirement

[TomCADem]

Source: Sacramento Bee

California workers currently earn a minimum of $13 or $14 an hour, but Larry Elder says he’d get rid of a legal baseline altogether.

“For somebody who’s never run a business to tell business people... ‘I’m going to jack up your price of labor, and you’re going to deal with it,’ to me, it’s offensive,” said Elder, a longtime conservative talk radio host and leading candidate to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom in the recall election this fall. “The ideal minimum wage is $0.00,” he added.

During a wide-spanning interview with McClatchy’s California editorial boards on Tuesday, Elder expounded on his plans for governing California, which he argues are based on “common sense” principals that “Joe and Joan Sixpack” can agree with.

He said minimum wages are burdensome on businesses and cut down on jobs. Current California law requires a $14 minimum wage for employers with 26 or more employees and $13 for employers with less than 26 employees.

Read more: https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article253231758.html

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It seems like a strange anti-Newsom movement has suddenly arisen as of late with "progressives" yelling "Oh my god! What about the emails," I mean, "what about the French Laundry!" Also, "how dare Newsom send his kids to private school!," which brings to mind the type of Fox News talking points directed toward President Barack Obama.

The leading candidates to replace Newsom are not only anti-Labor, but they are also virulent climate change denialists. For example, even as wild fires and droughts become increasingly common place in the West, here is Larry Elder complaining about climate change alarmism:

The last governor who had no experience governing was Arnold Schwarzenegger. How do you think he did as governor?

I thought he was lousy, a disaster. I felt that if he had put the hammer down when he got elected, he could have done something. He could have reined in some of these expenses. And then he shifted left, became a “green guy," became an environmental climate change alarmist. I don't know what the hell happened to him, but I was very disappointed in him and I was disappointed that I encouraged people to vote for him. Looking back at it. I wish I supported somebody like Tom McClintock. He was a disaster. He didn’t have to be.

You used the phrase “climate change alarmist.” I mean, if you were governor, what changes would you make to California's policies around lowering carbon emissions and that kind of thing?

Well, I don't want bad air, I don't want to drink bad water. And I’m OK with reasonable environmental standards, but everything has a trade-off. California is just one state. Meanwhile, India and China are still putting out all sorts of bad stuff. I don't understand why Californians are the canary in the coal mine on the issue of climate change, when no matter what we do, it's not going to have any real measurable effect on the climate in the country and the climate in the world. It’s ridiculous.

[PortTack]

1. Any further questions as to anyone worried about whether the recall will fail?

[bucolic_frolic]

2. When wages are $0.00, workers won't be able to buy anything, and won't be motivated to work

This idiot really doesn't understand fundamental economics and personal finance.

[padah513]

3. Lol

[Warpy]

46. Libertarians (large :L") were obviously behind the door when the brains were handed out

Sure, he'd love to think the captains of industry would pay a fair wage to the people who keep that industry going, sure they will. We have a long history in this country of relying on the largesse of the captains of industry. It does not work.

Libertarians need to be made to think of the minimum wage is a disincentive to unions and a subsidy to the economy that isn't on Wall Street. Maybe that will bring some of them around.

I don't think his "ban the wage floor for the peasants" approach is going to work. California has too many people with "good" and secure jobs at places like Disneyland who are living in their cars because those wages aren't far enough above the stingy minimum to allow them to rent apartments and eat.

Mr "Let's trust industry to set a fair wage" is not going to be fooling anybody. I don't think the hate the GQP has ginned up against Newsom is going to get them that far.

[sakabatou]

4. WTAF?!

[no_hypocrisy]

5. This guy reminds me of the Duke Brothers in "Trading Places."

Randolph Duke:
Mother always said you were greedy.

Mortimer Duke:
She meant it as a compliment.

==============

Louis:
Randolph. Mortimer.

Mortimer Duke:
Winthorpe, my boy, what have you got for us?

Louis:
Well, it's that time of the month again. Payroll checks for our employees, which require your signatures. And no forgetting to sign the big ones!

Mortimer Duke:
We seem to be paying some of our employees an awful lot of money.

Louis:
[laughs] Can't get around the old minimum wage, Mortimer.

[appalachiablue]

12. +1 Good film

[SarcasticSatyr]

20. Very funny film, great cast ...

and one of Eddie Murphy's few funny films ... IMHO

[Bernardo de La Paz]

7. Sure, bring in zero minimum wage. Bring it on, if you are okay with the way Ds will fund it

You see, values have value. Ensuring that citizens have a base level of income, health care, and housing is a value that has value. It either is funded by employers paying living wages (significantly above current minimum wage) or by a corporate-tax-paid guaranteed basic income.

If employers are going to reap profits from making the minimum wage lower or ridiculously lower, then they can afford to pay higher taxes.

Oh, and by the way, these values that Democrats place value on? They are true christian values.

[Bristlecone]

8. Companies will just self-regulate! That always works.

[kimbutgar]

9. Run those ads in red areas of elder saying no minimum wage.

And I would bet he is also against unions.

[Demovictory9]

39. He is.against.everything including fair housing laws. Believes prop owner

Should be allowed to discriminate on race gender everything

[kimbutgar]

42. Well that'll go over big with California's minority population !

[Demovictory9]

43. All dems need to do is run snippets from elders talk shows

Hours and hours of crazy exist

[Bernardo de La Paz]

10. Last para: Solution to other countries putting bad stuff in air & water is to put more bad stuff in

In the last paragraph: His solution to other countries putting bad stuff into the air and water is to put more bad stuff into California air and water.

RepubliQon logic is not logical. It's a race to the bottom.

[Grokenstein]

28. "But the other guy's doing it!" is not leadership. It's not...anything.

He says he wants clean air and water, but we know that's bullshit. He may want it for himself, but screw the rest of us.

I guess it is something, after all. It's Republicanism.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. His solution to "you can't pay them enough to work" is to pay them less

Currently employers are having difficulty hiring workers.

The Qon candidate says "Okay, pay them less money."

[CaliforniaPeggy]

13. Larry Elder needs to keep talking. He's the catalyst that this recall needs to make...

...the California Democrats turn out in huge numbers to defeat him, and to keep Newsom our governor!

[SunSeeker]

18. Right?

[machoneman]

40. Yep, he needs to keep it up!

[Mr.Bill]

14. He seems to be unaware of federal

minimum wage laws. While they are lower than California's, they are not zero.

[Aristus]

15. Goddamned lazy workers just don't want to work for nothing anymore!

[TexasTowelie]

29. As someone who has searched for a job recently

I can swear that those jobs were at the top of my list for submitting my resume/application.

[William Seger]

49. Why pay slave wages if you can have actual slaves?

That would be "ideal" -- business owners are "offended" by being forced to pay them.

[malthaussen]

54. You're wrong.

Slaves require a minimal output of money to keep them alive. Employees have to look after themselves. Economically, slavery is less efficient than wages. And if you can herd all the employees into company towns buying everything from the company store, then you have the ideal situation: workers who are, actually, in eternal debt to the Company, in essence paying for the privilege to work.

It's a terrible conundrum for employers. As you say, they resent having to shell out for workers, but damn people need food, water, and shelter, all of which comes off the bottom line on way or another. If only robotics and automation were more advanced...

-- Mal

[malthaussen]

52. Well, yeah. Monty Python's Yorkshireman had to pay for the privilege of working down mine. n/t

[JohnSJ]

16. Schwarzenegger Left the state a financial mess, and it took Jerry Brown to clean things up

[The Mouth]

25. Funny how that works, isn't it?

Republicans preach fiscal probity, but it's always a Democrat who had to come in and clean up the mess.

[JohnSJ]

27. There is a definite pattern

[SunSeeker]

17. Larry Elder is an asshole, like most Republicans. nt

[WHITT]

19. Oh No Not Another One

Send in the clowns.

[Evolve Dammit]

21. Brain dead. Just fucking brain dead. nt

[royable]

22. So what Elder is saying is that if he wins, he'll forego any salary--or grift income.

Cause you know those repukes always gotta have a grift going on.

I guess he'll also be just fine with his three homes burning down due to climate-change-exacerbated wildfires, and forgoing any insurance money, since everything has a trade-off.

[Demnation]

23. So Larry Elder, you're advocating slavery?

[The Mouth]

24. Of course I will vote against the recall

That said, we had several better candidates in 2018, but we went for the billionaire with good hair.

Gavin did fuck State workers royally, ten percent pay cut during a major surplus; that should be restored retroactively.


thankfully, we have a supermajority in the statehouse, limiting the damage a nut like Elder could do.

[TomCADem]

33. Newsome Proposed and Passed a Restoration of Paycut, Which Was Due to Shutdown

In June 2020, the state faced what was estimated to be a general fund shortfall of more than $54 billion due to the overnight revenue drop that occurred and was expected to continue due to COVID-19. States can't run a deficit and you can't raise taxes without voter approval in CA.

Newsom then proposed to restore the paycuts and raises based on the federal relief and the fact that CA was not hit as bad as estimated.

Blaming Governor Newsom for the fall in projected revenues due to COVID makes no sense when it is due to his handling of the pandemic that CA ended up being relatively unscathed financially.

Do you really think that a Republican governor, particulary Mr. No Minimum Wage would have treated workers better?

This is sort of like union members who supported Trump because of opposition to TPP, only to have Trump appoint anti-union justices and members of the NLRB while also trying to repeal the ACA. There is a reason why State employees are supporting Newsom.

Finally, repeating Fox News talking points about Newsome's hair? Seriously? Are we really going to minimize the damage that a right wing executive could cause, again?

[The Mouth]

50. It didn't face a shortfall and it took forever for the paycuts to be restored

when they are restored retroactively I'll stop thinking of him as something other than another corrupt billionaire albeit one with a few good political ideas and the sane letter after his name.

Some people are as oblivious to the fails of *their* idolized politicians as the MAGATs are.

as far as 'unscathed', yeah, I'll tell that to the people who lost their businesses due to forced closure.

Your argument is utter BS because we had much better Democratic candidates, any of whom could have easily beaten cox.

[AllaN01Bear]

26. they want us out of the way, dead no wages , no taxes . there should be no one running on this

except to say shall gov newsome be recalled , yes or no. if the rs win , they they pay for the special election. period . no other candidates or measures . also their buddy ron raygun gutted the state and it took us 30 years to recover , just like he tried to make screan actors guild into an elitest club and not represent all. that fiasco took ed asner a long time to recover .

[catchnrelease]

38. RR's legacy

I used to work at a facility run by the city of LA, and at one time they had a volunteer program. People worked with us to learn the ropes of the job, so to speak. Once I had a volunteer that was a son of the actor who played the Professor on Gilligan's Island (Russell Johnson). During the day it came up in conversation how Reagan had screwed up the SAG, and had really made it difficult for early tv show actors. He said that in their home the RR name was not allowed to be spoken, as it was like a profanity. That was many decades ago and I've never forgotten it.

[Mr. Evil]

30. Let's see,

Republican employer A is offering several positions to apply for. Starting wage is a whopping $4 per hour. No one applies. Decent person Democrat employer B has a similar business and is also offering several positions starting at a respectable $15 per hour. Where do you think the applicants are going to apply for a job?

Republicans are just warped, plain and simple.

[kimbutgar]

31. Switched over to Fox and he was on with Hannity with Steven Jewish Nazi

And he is a crazy man. He is so unhinged! Really angry and defensive. California is more laid back he doesn’t stand a chance beating Newsom.

[Bobstandard]

36. Sorry but you're dreaming

Remember when conventional wisdom here was that the recall would fail? They’re really organized on owning the CA libs. I think they win. One nut job or another

[LymphocyteLover]

53. it's not guaranteed either way, but Dems need to wake up and get angry about this

On the bright, everyone will get a ballot mailed to them, Dems just need to freaking mail in their ballots.

[Farmer-Rick]

32. What idiot Republicans and their economist don't understand.

Is that every worker in the world is already getting paid $0.00 per hour. Why should they take your crappy job and still only get $0.00 per hour? Zero plus zero still equals zero.

[lonely bird]

34. Just another conservative asshole...

Who is pissed that labor has risen up and said “Fuck You!” to capital.

[Bobstandard]

35. Trumpers are really organized on this

They hold anti Newsom rallies and impromptu parades and events every weekend in reddish CA districts. They pulled off the recall when our side said they wouldn’t. Now they’re on track to get some nut job elected in Newsom’s place. Mock them. It’s fun. But it’s whistling past the graveyard.

I’m currently out of state so can’t campaign but I’ve donated a hundred bucks that I definitely can’t afford because the one thing wose than a couple weeks of cheese sandwiches is a Republican governor.

[Demovictory9]

37. Larry elder is crazy. He has been on talk radio in so cal.for decades

He is against all worker protections

All civil rights

[aggiesal]

41. You would think a message like this would kill his campaign ...

Ads just writes themselves.

[TomCADem]

48. Wrong. It does not matter in a recall. You just smear the elected...

...then by being extreme, you can win a plurality with extremist support.

You would be write in a normal election, but in a recall election, the calculus changes.

This is why Republicans in California have increasingly relied on recalls. Just skip the general election, pay signature gatherers, then win in an off schedule special election where the only people who vote are those who are disgruntled.

For most people, they are going to wonder why bother voting when the Gubernatorial primary is just a few months away? The reason is that for Republicans this is the only way win office in California and try to do as much damage as possible before they are voted out.

[cstanleytech]

44. I think the minimum wage concept has failed.

Why? Because any increase is reliant on elected officials to increase it and many of those have vested interests in not increasing it.

[maxsolomon]

45. This is pretty standard Free Market Libertarian idealism

They believe the market should establish blah blah...

His approach to climate change is essentially "why do I have to eat my vegetables when Timmy won't?"

Childish. He's about 3 steps away from being a Sovereign Citizen.

[C Moon]

47. He'll change his tune, billionaires will demand he lie so he can get elected.

[LymphocyteLover]

51. Sounds like a real winning campaign message!