GCrites

Ohio's minimum wage did not rise on January 1 of this year. When they changed the law back in 2007, Ohio's minimum wage rose from $5.15 to $6.85. After that, it was to rise each year at a rate indexed to inflation. On 1/1/08 it went to $7 then increased to $7.30 on 1/1/09. Does that mean that there was no inflation in Ohio or the U.S. as a whole over the course of 2009? I now own a business, so I am curious as to why it did not change this year (though my future employees will make more than that, I still want to keep them a bit of a distance from the minimum for motivational reasons). I think there was a thread about this in the past but I could not find it. edit: "mothivational" is not a word

^ I'm only 30!

Most of them actually took it pretty easy with the drugs. The booze, on the other hand...

A small town doesn't have to be in suburbia to have a NAPA store; they're one of the essentials in rural areas. They sell a full line of quality automotive replacement parts for much less than the dealers' OEM prices, plus tools and shop supplies, and they have or can get hard-to-find parts for cars, trucks, and agricultural engines that are too old or uncommon for the dealers to stock any more. Usually they're owned and operated by franchisees who live in the communities, they're vital to independent repair shops, farmers, and do-it-yourself mechanics, and they make an important contribution to keeping retail local. :clap: Yep, N.A.P.A. rules. There's a lot of true car guys that will only spend money elsewhere when forced.

I don't think Testament and Metallica want to hear a bunch of guys tell them the pants they wore in the late '80s and early '90s were fashion don'ts!

That star is supposed to mean "country", but you see it most in the exurbs.

If I end up turning into an old bachelor, I want to retire to the house with the blue Camaro, drive the blue Camaro, drink a lot of cheap burbon, listen to Dio Sabbath, curl up by the fire and read old Car Craft magazines.

That might explain the syrupy smell, but I imagine some of those odors come from Givudan next door.

^ Religious cardnial or the bird?

Is that all inclusive? In seattle there are 2-3 malls downtown and they all seem to be working quite well. Is it possibly that downtown malls to draw people downtown don't work? Maybe if you already have people coming downtown, a mall is a nice compliment... but if nobody wants to go downtown, the mall isn't going to bring them alone? He didn't elaborate, but I imagine that they were aware of exceptions such as the situation you state.

It's so sad that you are right. Some people's minds have been so erased by suburbia/exurbia and acres of surface lots that they would choose an outdoor space that is blustery in winter, heats your interior to 200+ degrees in the summer sun and is susceptible to rain all year 'round over one in a parking garage.

Farewell surface lot next to a perfectly good parking garage.

The real Dancing Man must be doing pretty good if he's hanging out with Phil Collins.

^ They thought you were Jewish? Sheesh, they needed a geography lesson.

^ Plus, Publix is fun to mispronounce!

Well, what I said was a bit of a joke. KJP -- yes, I have been to Paris, and it sure was craaaazzy. I mean really, why NOT cram five vehicles into two lanes, right? But abroad, you kind of expect irrational driving patterns. The U.S. is intended to have a very orderly roadway system, and for the most part it turns out that way. Here, when the order is compromised the problems compound themselves very quickly.

The only problem with community college is that it distances you from the school and its culture. Not only do you usually have to drive there, but you don't make nearly as many friends as you do in the dorms. There are fewer people in your circle of friends in the same boat as you. I went nowhere academically at OU-Lancaster (bad grades, poor attendance) because all of my friends from high school were working full time and had different priorities. I did have some friends from high school at OU-L, but they were all living with their folks and weren't in my classes. As soon as I transferred to Shawnee State and lived in the dorms with people in my situation, my grades and participation went through the roof. With that said, OU-L is a strong facility. It's simply harder to stay focused at an auto-oriented school.

^Well, I shouldn't have put a number on it such as "Half". I'm simply using anecdotal information based on my experience and that of my friends and classmates. Most of them still aren't making much five years after graduation.

^ I think moms and dads, especially ones who come from the trades, would be way more into sending their kids into the trades since the jobs start at least $11 an hour plus benefits (with many more starting at $13-20). This is in contrast to the minimum wage-$9/hr jobs (with little in the way of pay raises or benefits) that half of all college graduates, and many with advanced degrees, find themselves working. If the trades had a better reputation due to 4-year degrees being available, then they wouldn't be stigmatized as much. I don't recall people looking down on the CADD/CAM machining majors at Shawnee State. In addition to the ones diaspora mentioned, also include auto mechanics, print shop guys, agriculture. In traditional female careers, you can include things such as some healthcare jobs and cosmetology. Don't forget that going to college makes it easier for these tradesmen to go into business for themselves, freeing them from unpleasant working conditions, protecting them from the boneheaded moves of their corporate overlords that get people laid off and of course, letting them keep more of the monetary value that they created with their work. Also, there must not be enough people going into these fields, or else the starting pay rate wouldn't be so elevated. I mean, all these college educated kids working at Best Buy that sell hundreds of thousands of dollars in merchandise a year are still making only around minimum wage. Yet, the tradesman may only generate the same amount of revenue but makes 3-5x as much when benefits are figured in. This shows that there is a glut of people willing and able to work at Best Buy, but a shortage of people willing and able to work in the trades, though you have to adjust for the higher danger level of the trades.

Again, the trades are hurting for people and pay well. Yet kids refuse to go into them because they won't get to have a fun, exiting college atmosphere. Right now, the trade option consists of 1. Go to vo-tech instead of regular high school, and spend your last two years away from your classmates in a school across town. After graduation, never see a member of the opposite sex again. Duck into the nearest NASCAR bar after work. Face drug tests for the rest of your life. Be mocked by college graduates who work at Starbucks for spelling errors while making seven times more money than them with your actually useful knowledge and skills. 2. Go to trade school for 0.5 to 1.5 years after high school. Never see a member of the opposite sex again. Duck into the nearest NASCAR bar after work. Face drug tests for the rest of your life. Be mocked by college graduates who work at Starbucks for spelling errors while making seven times more money than them with your actually useful knowledge and skills. If colleges would adopt trade majors and allow them to earn true 4-year baccalaureate degrees (with the same general-ed requirements that all students take) our country would be a lot better off. Kids want to develop social skills, do extracurriculars, party and meet chicks, but the trade school/apprenticeship model doesn't accommodate that. And, the quality of the average skilled laborer would be even higher.

Wow, I didn't know so many of those incorporations are that new. Statewide, new incorporations dropped off dramatically after 1920 or so, I believe.

I'm pretty sure Cincinnati has the market cornered on "Olde" and "Towne".

They should put meters at Wal-Mart and see how that goes.

Labor Dept: Available Labor Rate Increases To 10.2% December 5, 2009 | Issue 45•49 WASHINGTON—In what is being touted by the Labor Department as extremely positive news, the nation's available labor rate has reached double digits for the first time in 26 years, bringing the total number of potentially employable Americans to an impressive 15.7 million. Enlarge Image Solis Hilda Solis briefs the press corps on the unprecedented level of untapped manpower. "This is such an exciting time to be an employer in America,"... http://www.theonion.com/content/news/labor_dept_available_labor_rate

By what's stated this thread, it seems that cities in more conservative areas have less courteous drivers.