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[Beefy]

President-elect Donald Trump will name fast-food executive Andy Puzder to head the U.S. Department of Labor, according to a source familiar with the matter, in an appointment likely to antagonize organized labor.

Puzder, chief executive of CKE Restaurants Inc [APOLOT.UL], which operates the Carl's Jr. and Hardee's fast-food chains, has been a vociferous critic of government regulation of the workplace.

Puzder frequently publishes commentary and gives television interviews in which he argues that a higher minimum wage would hurt workers by forcing restaurants to close and praises the benefits of automation in the fast-food industry.

Fast-food workers, who are largely not unionized, are engaged in a multi-year campaign known as the "Fight for $15," which is supported by labor unions, to raise minimum wages to $15 per hour. They have garnered state-wide successes in New York and California and in cities and municipalities such as Seattle.

The selection of Puzder, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, was expected to be announced soon, the source said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-labor-idUSKBN13X1TD?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=twitter

 

[hydrophilic attack]

bernie supporters who voted for trump are so dumb

i don't give a shit if this is not a politically correct thing to say

 

[Seth Enosh]

Pudzer is right, Fight for 15 is a bad, radical, idea that will quickly lead to many jobs being replaced with machines. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/10/11/opinion/sunday/the-minimum-wage-how-much-is-too-much.html

12 at most is realistic. Although there won't be any increase under Trump of course.

 

[SlimySnake]

This is good. the fucking working class whites who voted for trump in record numbers, the blue collar democrats who voted for this guy deserve this.

these right wing cabinet appointments will hurt them the most and hopefully put some sense into them. Yes, they will suffer for the next 4 if not 8-10 years, but hey elections have consequences and i for one am glad they will be punished for their choices for once.

Sucks for the rest of the workers in the industry though. Sad times for this country.

 

[fantomena]

people who voted for trump are so dumb

i don't give a shit if this is not a politically correct thing to say

ftfy

 

[HStallion]

No surprise here honestly. I actually asked a few union guys I know who voted for Trump about this and they gave the typical,"Lets see what he does before judging" BS answer. I wanted to bring up this IS what he is doing about labor, unions and so on but whatever, they're going to have to lie in the bed of their making.

 

[Jeels]

Give him a chance guys.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

ftfy

i mean if you're a billionaire or corporate lobbyist it wasn't that dumb

 

[Amir0x]

So much pain. I hope this decimates racist white working class Trump voters so they are forced to face the consequences of their abhorrent actions and outrageous hatred for this country. I hope they lie awake in cold sweats wondering how they can support themselves now that the rug is being pulled out from their delusional ideas. I hope they learn to start listening to facts.

Maybe then they can wake up and not be hoodwinked by the worlds most idiotic, third grade speakin' cars salesman.

 

[Saganator]

Isn't that the guy who said he was going to do his best to automate his restaurants?

 

[darscot]

I haven't been following that closely but has every single person not been a serious fuck you to the position. Or is it just that the crazy ones get threads at GAF?

 

[Vicetrailia]

Pudzer is right, Fight for 15 is a bad, radical, idea that will quickly lead to many jobs being replaced with machines. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/10/11/opinion/sunday/the-minimum-wage-how-much-is-too-much.html

12 at most is realistic. Although there won't be any increase under Trump of course.

Automation is cheaper than $7.25 labor. It'll be cheaper than $2 labor. It's inevitable.

 

[robosllim]

This is good.

It's really not. Don't form your opinions around schadenfreude.

 

[Amir0x]

I haven't been following that closely but has every single person not been a serious fuck you to the position. Or is it just that the crazy ones get threads at GAF?

So far essentially every pick has been a worst case scenario short of nominating his children to every role.

 

[LiK]

Is Trump trolling us or what? He's picking everyone that is against what the dept is about.

 

[luxarific]

bernie supporters who voted for trump are so dumb

i don't give a shit if this is not a politically correct thing to say

QFT

 

[EdibleKnife]

Isn't that the guy who said he was going to do his best to automate his restaurants?

He praise and showed favoritism for automation, yes. Working class who voted Trump is about to get a swift and callous punch in the throat for voting for a historically consistent con artist

Is Trump trolling us or what? He's picking everyone that is against what the dept is about.

He's not trolling anyone. He's doing the exact thing he's spent his whole life doing: focusing on lining his pockets and earning favorites. His freaking charity is soaked in controversy. This kind of thing is not a surprise. He doesn't care about the mission statement of these departments because filling them with the worst people, makes things better for him.

 

[Quixzlizx]

So far essentially every pick has been a worst case scenario short of nominating his children to every role.

His DHS pick at least sounds competent to do his job. He's the only one I can think of.

 

[Velocity:Design:Comfort]

Pudzer is right, Fight for 15 is a bad, radical, idea that will quickly lead to many jobs being replaced with machines. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/10/11/opinion/sunday/the-minimum-wage-how-much-is-too-much.html

12 at most is realistic. Although there won't be any increase under Trump of course.

Companies that have record profits since the recovery needing to be subsidized by welfare and transfer payments and have a business model based off putting people into working poverty is a much more "Radical" business model. Except it is radically upwards redistribution of money.

In states that will not raise the minimum wage from 7.25 or 7.75 any time soon, there is already automation being put into place. This also ignores the myriad evidence that raising the minimum wage actually increases employment and business growth.

 

[Brawly Likes to Brawl]

i mean if you're a billionaire or corporate lobbyist it wasn't that dumb

yep they're pretty much the only ones that will get a boon from this administration

 

[Protein]

The Rust Belt about to become the Opium Belt.

 

[gutter_trash]

Fast-Food exec? uh man, LOL. not sure to laugh or to cry

 

[+Aliken+]

Automation is cheaper than $7.25 labor. It'll be cheaper than $2 labor. It's inevitable.

Not unless of government intervention that's the point. Governments need to consider other things like keeping the country going and avoid civil unrest. You don't want your unemployment too high or it will be an issue.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

Not unless of government intervention that's the point. Governments need to consider other things like keeping the country going and avoid civil unrest. You don't want your unemployment too high or it will be an issue.

just give the police more weapons

#problemsolved

 

[Nibiru]

I always thought $15 was too high BUT I guess in places like NY and other large urban centers with very high costs of living it might make sense. I'm not sure it makes much sense nationally though. Even in Ontario it's not even close to that. It's actually different in all the Provinces with only Alberta moving to $15.

If they were trying to do a national minimum wage in the U.S. maybe $10-11 would be a reasonable middle ground?

 

[Ryzaki009]

The Rust Belt about to become the Opium Belt.

Heh would they even be able to afford it? Might have to go cheaper.

 

[freethought]

Trump's _____ Department appointment sends early warning sign to _____

 

[BassForever]

I mean he's not wrong when he says a $15 minimum would expidite positions being run by machines. As we said in the other thread these positions will be replaced by machines its more a matter of when not if.

 

[Rebel Leader]

Trump's _____ Department appointment sends early warning sign to _____

Trump as president elect sends early warning to _________

 

[SpecX]

I always thought $15 was too high BUT I guess in places like NY and other large urban centers with very high costs of living it might make sense. I'm not sure it makes much sense nationally though. Even in Ontario it's not even close to that. It's actually different in all the Provinces with only Alberta moving to $15.

If they were trying to do a national minimum wage in the U.S. maybe $10-11 would be a reasonable middle ground?

I'm with you, $15/hour for flipping burgers in the middle of the country side where cost of living is dirt cheap would be overkill and I get why companies are moving to automation in those areas. It is acceptable in high cost of living areas such as Beverly Hills or places where there's a ton of wealth and expensive as fuck to make a living.

Let's not kid ourselves, if we push up minimum wages, everything will just increase in price resulting in things staying the same. We need to focus on solving education cost and retirement plans. If these elderly people never retire, young people cannot get these high paying jobs. If a person can get by working McDonald's at a great wage, what's to drive them to pursue higher education?

 

[Trail Guide]

Welcome to America's second Gilded Age. I hope after the oncoming market crash with the implosion of America's middle class and global depression we'll bring about we can then rebuild a better society.

Or in a decade America will basically become Cormac McCarthy's "The Road". Either way, for the foreseeable future we're fucked.

 

[RPGCrazied]

All his picks have been awful save a few picks. I'm really scared who he is going to pick for SoS now.

 

[HStallion]

All his picks have been awful save a few picks. I'm really scared who he is going to be for SoS now.

He wanted to pick Hitler to turn America around like he did Germany but everyone kept telling Trump that he's been dead for decades.

 

[deadman69]

Heh would they even be able to afford it? Might have to go cheaper.

im sure russia can supply some krokodil

 

[Blader]

Is Trump trolling us or what? He's picking everyone that is against what the dept is about.

This is not trolling. This is a Republican White House.

 

[edible_candle]

I always thought $15 was too high BUT I guess in places like NY and other large urban centers with very high costs of living it might make sense. I'm not sure it makes much sense nationally though. Even in Ontario it's not even close to that. It's actually different in all the Provinces with only Alberta moving to $15.

If they were trying to do a national minimum wage in the U.S. maybe $10-11 would be a reasonable middle ground?

I wonder how feasible a national minimum wage based on local cost-of-living would be, and if it would be better than a one-size-fits-all solution. Would it hasten the movement of the population to cities? Or promote commuting to high-wage areas? We're seeing the piecemeal beginnings on it now, with states, cities, and counties passing their own minimum wages.

 

[Electric Eye]

I haven't been following that closely but has every single person not been a serious fuck you to the position. Or is it just that the crazy ones get threads at GAF?

This is every republican administration. Take a look at the W. administration. The GOP is in it to destroy every position in government or make it as useless as possible so they can continue to point to government being the problem. Everyone forgets this every damn election.

 

[Otakumegane]

So much pain. I hope this decimates racist white working class Trump voters so they are forced to face the consequences of their abhorrent actions and outrageous hatred for this country. I hope they lie awake in cold sweats wondering how they can support themselves now that the rug is being pulled out from their delusional ideas. I hope they learn to start listening to facts.

Maybe then they can wake up and not be hoodwinked by the worlds most idiotic, third grade speakin' cars salesman.

Yup. I hope that these anti-intellectual mindsets can die off. Maybe as they watch their children increasingly turn to drugs and crime maybe they'll realize their mistakes. I have no sympathy for them at this point.

 

[Amir0x]

At this point we basically just need to have the Hurricane/Tornado warning siren blaring for the next four straight years.

 

[Iksenpets]

A fast food executive as secretary of labor is some serious satire-becoming-reality shit.

 

[theechrisfox]

Guess he offered Trump free Hardee's for life. You know rich people are cheapskates.

 

[Aaronology]

So much pain. I hope this decimates racist white working class Trump voters so they are forced to face the consequences of their abhorrent actions and outrageous hatred for this country. I hope they lie awake in cold sweats wondering how they can support themselves now that the rug is being pulled out from their delusional ideas. I hope they learn to start listening to facts.

Maybe then they can wake up and not be hoodwinked by the worlds most idiotic, third grade speakin' cars salesman.

You know, I am not concerned about what happens to the people who voted for Trump. Honestly I am not even that angry at them. The vast majority will vote R regardless of what name is besides the letter, and did so this cycle. It might be consoling to think of scenarios where Trump painfully snaps some of them out of the Matrix, but I don't feel the Left desperately needs this to happen (and it's wishful thinking to boot).

What we need are all the apathetic motherfuckers who stayed home to wake up. Too many people were lulled into a false sense of security and didn't feel the need to safeguard themselves against Trump. We need the Colin Kaepernicks who have never voted in any election and the Susan Sarandons shouting "Clinton is the Real Danger!" to get their heads out of their asses in two or four years. We need the millions who had a similar mindset and suppressed their own vote to recognize how disastrous this was, and to regret that decision enough to turn out next time. It isn't Conservative voters being asleep that is the problem for Liberals; It's our own base.

If there is any silver lining with a Trump presidency it will be in him showing a generation of Americans the dire consequences of ignoring the importance of voting. And I hope he does a great job. The best.

 

[RDreamer]

A fast food executive as secretary of labor is some serious satire-becoming-reality shit.

That's been everything about the entire election season through now. Wouldn't expect it to stop anytime soon!

Seriously, I'm not sure what The Onion can even do anymore. Reality reads like their headlines every day.

 

[Baron von Loathsome]

Guess he offered Trump free Hardee's for life. You know rich people are cheapskates.

Given Trumps age and health, Puzder got a way better deal.

 

[Man Called Aerodynamics]

Really shaking up the establishment elites with underdog, outsider picks like this.

NOT.

 

[Psychoward]

This is good. the fucking working class whites who voted for trump in record numbers, the blue collar democrats who voted for this guy deserve this.

these right wing cabinet appointments will hurt them the most and hopefully put some sense into them. Yes, they will suffer for the next 4 if not 8-10 years, but hey elections have consequences and i for one am glad they will be punished for their choices for once.

Sucks for the rest of the workers in the industry though. Sad times for this country.

You overestimate the American electorate.

 

[besada]

It's like when Reagan appointed James Watt to the Secretary of the Interior, a man who thought the environment wasn't important because God had given us dominion over the animals and plants, and anyway, Jesus was coming back soon enough that we didn't need to worry about it.

Been having a vicious case of Deja Vu every since Trump strolled onstage.

 

[Steve Youngblood]

bernie supporters who voted for trump are so dumb

i don't give a shit if this is not a politically correct thing to say

ftfy

So much pain. I hope this decimates racist white working class Trump voters so they are forced to face the consequences of their abhorrent actions and outrageous hatred for this country. I hope they lie awake in cold sweats wondering how they can support themselves now that the rug is being pulled out from their delusional ideas. I hope they learn to start listening to facts.

Maybe then they can wake up and not be hoodwinked by the worlds most idiotic, third grade speakin' cars salesman.

These posts are so unnecessary. They do nothing to help political discourse. It's possible to discuss why Andy Puzder is a bad pick without retreading arguments expressing disappointment in the American voter for the umpteenth time. I understand the need for catharsis in the immediate wake of the results, but it's time to move on.

 

[Einhander]

Welcome to America's second Gilded Age. I hope after the oncoming market crash with the implosion of America's middle class and global depression we'll bring about we can then rebuild a better society.

Or in a decade America will basically become Cormac McCarthy's "The Road". Either way, for the foreseeable future we're fucked.

As catastrophic as that would be, I feel that it's the only choice moving forward, as no one wants to put forward any actual plans to strengthen the poor/middle class. $12/hour is still too little of a minimum wage to afford a basic standard of living, and I agree that raising it to $15/hour will result in speeding up automation. Alright, so then what? Universal income is the alternative, and one wants to entertain that idea because "evil socialism." A market crash is what this country needs. Suffering on all levels. No one wants to do anything about fundamentally dire issues, so fuck it.

 

[Lubricus]

It's like when Reagan appointed James Watt to the Secretary of the Interior, a man who thought the environment wasn't important because God had given us dominion over the animals and plants, and anyway, Jesus was coming back soon enough that we didn't need to worry about it.

Been having a vicious case of Deja Vu every since Trump strolled onstage.

Which means Saint Trump is being made as we watch. Reagan was a mediocre president but you couldn't tell from the right wing media anointing of him the last 20 years.
Trump must be feeling he won the biggest lottery prize of all time right now. A Time magazine cover and an increase in his Twitter following.