Quote:I would argue that the above quotes certainly claim to refute that businesses don't raise prices due to the higher cost of doing business. Those two quotes are just from looking at page one of this thread.


One of the typical liberal keywords is "profit(s)". Making a profit is considered "obscene" to them.


I can understand you wanting to support the "mom and pops" that make up the vast majority of small businesses. I actually try to do the same. However, I do have a "mental" line in my head that I draw when choosing where I do business. As a simple example, I had to replace some plumbing in my kitchen recently. I can go to Home Depot or Lowes and get the parts that I need for say $10, and I would have a choice as to which brand I could choose. If I go to a local hardware store, I don't have much choice, and the cost is going to be $20. I'm going to go with the $10 option.


Now why is there such a price difference? It's all about the cost of doing business. Part of it is the brand name of a product, but another part of it is the cost to run a business. The small hardware store hypothetically needs to hire a couple of people to work there, and they pay minimum wage. Their plumbing parts used to cost around $13, something that I would pay. However, they are forced to raise their minimum wage that they pay their employees, so now they either must lay at least one employee off, or raise their prices. The alternative is to make less profit. It's likely that the business owner is pretty much middle class and pays himself out of the profit that he makes selling plumbing parts so if he doesn't reduce his cost by laying an employee off or raising prices, then it cuts into his income.


One other thing that is un-related to this thread is taxes. That business owner not only reports his personal income (what he pays himself), he reports his profit on his personal tax return. Thus he is in a higher tax bracket.

I have no issue with profits. They certainly are not obscene to me. Why else would I pay more for local goods and services? They only succeed if they .are profits. The problem is with obscene profits where employers don't make a living wage. Your walmarts etc. Of when they use those opportunities to destroy competition. I also have problem with obscene profits in the case of wall street. Make billions while tanking the economy and getting off Scott free. Or when obscene profits are used to buy elections and pay for policy corruption.


Profits and profitable business most people have no problem with. Lots of liberals are wealthy. It's over generalising and simplifying what liberals perceive as the problem.

---