I like Sam. Sure, he has no sight towards the middle but I swing towards the right and follow the basic philosophies.
It's hard to judge Aldi for me since I am only exposed to the USA market. What they do and how their business is set up outside of here I just don't know. Never been to one outside of here. Don't know the market or competition or shopping habits of anyone not on my land. It may be the same or very different. From what they are doing here, they offer far less selection and conveniences for their customers vs the competition. That's not a bad thing since what they do carry in their stores is always a better value in the cart. Aldi is not a one stop shopping place. We here are accustomed to making only one trip to the market for everything. Shopping at local bakeries and butchers, and produce markets is a pain in the ass because it's making extra trips. For me and my lifestyle, I love the locals because I like to shop. Pick out the good stuff and come back next week to see what's new. Tell you the truth? If I could start a business right now, it would be a butcher-sandwich shop in my town. Where I live is pretty populated but to find a butcher you have to drive 10 miles. Aldi does have their share of stores in my market area. They have no impact on the competition yet still do business.
Aldi describes it's product range as broad, but not unnessecarily deep (why do you need a choice of 180 different brands of toothpaste, 140 of which are mint flavoured?)
Aldi runs much more efficiently than competitors; at my local Aldi I often see the boss out on the floor working hard.
I know a guy who worked for Marks and Spencer's who got fired for having tonsilitis (illegally, that is. Fired because he couldn't speak to customers, because of his tonsilitis). The assistant manager was suspended around the same time for leaving work to bet on horses when he should have been working. This guy is a hard worker, but only the assistant manager got re-hired.
Aldi is good and cheap and sometimes their stuff is good quality, but for the best, you should always see a specialist.
It only takes 11 employees to run an Aldi. They all do everything from ringing to cleaning bathrooms to unloading trucks to stocking shelves. Those people deserve any extra they get paid. The managers get good but not spectacular pay. There isn't a lot of office stuff. They don't hire, fire, or promote employees. Very little burden other than putting the key in the door and making sure the place is stocked and clean. Much, much more burden and responsibilities at the competitors.
Really? 'cos the way I hear and see it from someone I know who's worked in both, the managers at competitors are lazy and simply used to saying "do this" to a minion, whereas Aldi managers lead by example AND do all the extra work of a manager.
Yes, the government bailed out the banks and auto industry. That money was paid back with interest. If those restaurants goes under in 2 years will the government be paid back? Give them all another half million dollars and prey for the best? People that know how to make money are the best to know how to make more. Not government bureaucrats. When I go to the track I get a program. Amongst the statistics are lists of professionals with their selections. There is also the consensus of all money wagered setting the final odds. If you only bet the favorites or pro selections you are guaranteed to be a loser. The winner in the long run is the guy that takes those choices into consideration but uses his own knowledge to take the risks. Most times the best bets are the ones you never make. You don't have to bet every race. There will always be another chance on the next page.
That money hasn't been paid back here and I wasn't aware that it has been paid back in the usa, so source please?
The way I see it the banks were bailed out in the '80s and then again recently. The guys who do the immediate work know best how to do the work, but with a large corporation you get some guy who sits in an office making all the decisions and making a mess of things. A good example of profit-focussed business failing to do the job as well as a results-orientated organisation is the British olympics G4S/army fiasco.
If, by people who know how to make money, you're referring to the bankers, then I have to point out that they lost all their money.
I propose funding the guys who know how to do the job right because that way they make more money.
2 cases I consider parralell:
A restaurant opens.
It becomes a chain.
Quality goes down in order to drive up profits.
Customers desert the restaurant in favour of a new one that has opned that focuses more on quality than footfall.
Repeat.
Ford opens.
They sell many cars.
Quality goes down in order to drive up profits.
Customers desert Ford in favour of Toyota.
Repeat.
Money that pools at the top is ready to invest and it does happen. Build their own business or buy one that they can improve. Money makes money. From the big conglomerates to you and I in a 401k.
I don't have a 401K.
Most people don't.
Trickle down theory is disproven.
Sure as hell I'd pump gas to get all of the basics you think the collective citizens deserve under your model. Describe that living that your wage should support. What do we deserve to have? Lump me into your boat and tell us what we all get.
People who do basic jobs should be able to afford acceptable living with services such as police, fire protection and healthcare (after all, it's in the interests of the rich to keep the poor healthy because disease spreads) and basic education for their children.
Capitalism isn't working and never will long term but I think this may be a step in the right direction; maybe rather than attempt to fix attempting models which are broken, we should lay the foundations for what right looks like. In effect, lets draft a new constitution: I'll lay some things down and you do the same. Lets see if we can agree:
1: People should be able to live an acceptable life without working themselves into an early grave (an honest days pay for an honest days work). To accomplish this I'm open to suggestions, including any, all or none of the folowing. Whatever works)
A: Linking top rate of income to bottom rate of income - you may not earn more than 10X as much as anyone else.
B: Income dependant tax bands: 0-10% income =pay no tax. 10%+ pay 10%. 20% = pay 20%, 30 = pay 30% and so on up to 90%+ where you'd pay 90% tax.
So for example if the maximum permissable income was £100,00 per annum then the minimum would be £10,000 P/A and the bottom layer would pay no tax while the top layer would pay 90% tax. Remember that this is just an idea and I'm happy to play about with the ratios as long as we don't end up with a situation like we have now; some people having more money than God while others work hard and have nothing.
2: Everybody should pay tax. EVERYBODY.
3: Politians' incomes should be published from the moment they take office until their deaths. Any conflict of interest must be identified and eliminated.
4: A business should be able to open no more than 1 large and 1 small location in any 1 city (for example a large walmart and a ctreet corner mini walmart (this should stop one business or a cartel of businesses from dominating the market and keep business competitive, encouraging value, choice and innovation. Here in the UK 1 pound in every 7 spent goes to the big four; Asda, Tesco, Morrisons or Sainsburies. As a result they have the power to avoid paying tax, fuck over employees and label horsemeat as beef and sell it to the customer).
5: Prostitution must be legal (you can't stop the world's oldest business, so why not control it for the greater good?).
6: Everybody must at a certain age go through something like a citizen service program.
Eg; at 16 you get a choice; be an army conscript for a year or pioneer or hospital assistant for 2 years. I make the two year penalty because otherwise you'll have people spending an equal amount of time in the pioneers & hospitals without having all the risk an army conscript would face. Not fair.
So why would I make this happen? Because society is fractured; we have little to no societal cohesion and we're seeing the fallout from that. If the rich boys have to serve alongside the poor then they will recognise the poor as people rather than merely being a resource. The poor in turn will see that the rich are also sometimes forced to sufer, lessening resentment leading to unrest and possible revolution.
As all the corporations buying politicians are run by people with children who may well choose to go into the army, we will be less reluctant to commit the army to extract other countries wealth reserves and instead it will be more likely that the army will be used for the correct reasons; defending the country.
7: People who do basic jobs should be able to afford acceptable living with services such as police, fire protection and healthcare (after all, it's in the interests of the rich to keep the poor healthy because disease spreads) and basic education for their children.
8: Everybody who can prove that they are of sound mind and marksman ship skills should have the right to carry a weapon for self defense. Otherwise only the criminals are armed. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that governments are always much more scared of fucking over heavily armed people than unarmed people.
9: A law of instant recall must be extant; should the people wish, they can vote and if the vote passes, they may recall (in effect fire) their politicians from office at any time.
Get caught with your hands in the till? Fired. Get caught fucking your secretary? Fired. Only people of the highest moral character should be permitted to lead a country.