1589 : THE PAPER BOY : Part XIII
• Speaking Spanish and Reading English
I forged some great relationships with a number of poorer Mexican boys that stood out from the rest in work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit. These kids were bilingual to boot and I practiced my Spanish with them since it wasn’t my first language. That was cool because they would teach me the basics of Spanish and I would take them out for ice cream. We had quite a little crew going and once in a while I would take them out to nearby communities to canvas for new customers where Spanish was more common than in the city.
I remember one summer we had a special promotion and we were out canvasing in town. The boys wanting to do more convinced me to take them out to the smaller communities to canvass. Under the proviso that they could expand the circulation of the paper to Spanish speaking families where the parents were learning English reading the paper. I thought it was a little crazy at first but we went out and those boys showed me how to sell. They were tireless and relentless. I remember thinking no way this is going to work but those boys were out to prove me wrong so I empowered them to give it a try. We were very successful and those boys inspired me.
They Were Tireless and Relentless
We Were Very Successful & Those Boys Inspired Me
I was astonished to see how many takers we got. We spent a better part of the summer hitting the surrounding communities growing the paper and making a few extra bucks. Most of all we really had fun doing something that seemed crazy at first and turned out to be very successful.
I will never forget those kids teaching me what hard work was all about. Learning more Spanish along the way they taught me that with persistence and determination anything was possible. The kids were learning English in school but many of the parents were trying to learn English at home. This is when I met my brother from another mother Brian Jetton. He had the outer rural routes and we talked about the canvassing in his area. The bilingual kids from the city were helping to grow the rural routes and we all helped each other to grow the circulation.
No doubt Paul Kerrigan and Mr. Kelly loved us going out there and expanding the paper in the smaller communities in the surrounding areas. Minimum wage was fun when you were enjoying what you did. I remember the Super Deluxe Burrito at El Tapatio was only 3.95 back then about the same as minimum wage. You can peg the price of a super deluxe burrito on the minimum wage.
I had a Super Deluxe the other day and it’s exactly the same as it was 40 years earlier. It’s still the same burrito it was back in the 1980’s. Same size, same taste, maybe the same cook and definitely right at minimum wage. El Tapatio is one of our great local family businesses. It was a learning experience for me. This is a window into SIX SIGMA through local eyes. SERVICE
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This is the best example of economics for dummies and we can all relate.
This is the best example of economics for dummies and we can all relate. The price of a nice lunch is about the price of the minimum wage. The people that don’t know how math works support minimum wage hikes as a solution when in fact all it does is mask the problem of inflation. If the dollar had more value we would not be militating for minimum wage increases. Furthermore artificially adjusting the minimum wage screws up the entry level jobs that are mostly training grounds for young people.
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Minimum wage jobs were never supposed to be a career.
Minimum wage jobs were never supposed to be a career. Removing the incentives to move up through ranks of the business hurts small business. This forces business to spend all of its resources providing minimum service so they can make the payroll for the month.
We have seen the cost of goods go up steadily because of the government spending more money than it has in order to gain political favor. The net result is rent and cost of living goes up faster than wages and the increase in minimum wages can never keep up with the profligate spending. Spending is borrowed money from future generations making the dollar less valuable and keeping people stuck in entry level jobs. Being stuck on lower rungs of a ladder unable to climb the ladder is socialism and is un-American.
Merit based systems have the most equity but ironically the activists clamoring for equity shout and militate for things that destroy real equity. Socialism is the model that destroys real equity because the merit is removed and traded for arbitrary, shallow and short sighted scarcity policy. Merit is based on abundance and for some reason we have chosen scarcity over abundance and it is leading to misery. We all see it. Just like that commercial where the older guy is commenting on the girl with the blue hair.
A POLITICAL ECONOMY DESTROYS THE REAL ECONOMY
Socialism Destroys The Merit Based System
Employing Overseers & Slave Masters Detached From The Real Economy
Short term gain for long term pain. POLITICAL ECONOMY destroying the REAL ECONOMY. Socialism destroys the merit based system employing overseers and slave masters detached from the real economy. Arbitrary decisions about minimum wage actually destroy equity and small business as they grow debt and dependence. We need to focus on local economy and local business where real people and real families can thrive with fewer regulatory burdens and costs. Socialism kills the geese that lay the golden eggs in a merit based economy.
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Socialism kills the geese that lay the golden eggs in a merit based economy
At the end of the day when you check your bank account the price of a Super Deluxe at El Tapatio is about the same as it was 40 years ago in terms of the value of the dollar. When I used to go to El Tap as a teenager the Super Deluxe was around 4 bucks and my wages at the paper were just over 3 bucks per hour. Fast forward to today that same Super Deluxe burrito is pegged at about minimum wage and so we have not gained ground at all. Moving a bucket of water from the deep end to the shallow end of the pool keeps water at the same level minus the wasted energy of redistribution.
The one thing I can tell you is the Super Deluxe is still one of my favorite items on the El Tapatio menu and it’s still about the same size and still the best quality and best tasting El Tapatio item. The sustained performance and predictability of the Super Deluxe Burrito is a testament to how a great organization with good leadership can reproduce a great product over and over again.
In the business world that is called six sigma which is quality, consistency and reproducibility.
The small business leaders in our communities have to strive for this level of quality, consistency and continuity to serve their customers as a matter of survival. Business has to balance the merit and the profit with the best value while they serve customers. That is the Value Proposition that is being rejected by the woke socialist supremacy today pushing equity. Woke is really just supporting special interest and discrimination through indiscriminateness. Woke trades freedom for force (tyranny).
Woke Trades Freedom For Force
Woke is really just supporting special interest & discrimination through indiscriminateness
Small business has to struggle against the regulations that continue to challenge the free market operations so they can serve customers with great products and great service. Any mistakes are amplified and when regulations like lockdowns and such happen it really hurts our small business. Businesses operate on very thin margins and cannot afford to sacrifice quality and service in their products.
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The Balancing Act Looks Easy To The Uninitiated
The balancing act looks easy to the uninitiated but for the experienced simply creating and providing a Super Deluxe burrito at about the same price as minimum wage with the great taste quality and size it has not changed is a testament to a well-run organization.
This is America 101 where an entrepreneur can make a good living employing great people. Serving the greater good is the fabric of our community and the very definition of community spirit. All of this is threatened by people that don’t know how to do math supporting woke policies and lockdowns. Inflation is just another TAX that tears at an essential parts of the fabric of our city and our country.
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Government does not have to make a payroll they just raise taxes
Government does not have to make a payroll they just raise taxes. The same taxes that hurt all those who have to make a payroll. It’s a vicious cycle and when the government tries to pick winners and losers it destroys real equity and hurts entrepreneurs that have to make a payroll.
Don’t get me started on basic services like water and power that’s another great economic discussion. The point is government never has to reform itself but the free market must constantly. Government that makes itself essential and keeps paying the paychecks while they deem others non-essential is a travesty.
The Most Essential Were Deemed
Non-essential ~ Arbitrarily
The most essential were deemed non-essential arbitrarily. The Non Essential designation foisted on businesses that rely completely on revenue from sales and service destroyed the spirit of our community. The lockdowns destroyed local churches and business. Business cannot raise taxes they just get the pleasure of paying them no matter what.
In the free market if you can’t make ends meet you go out of business. Bad government policy that makes the non-essential pay the payroll of their own business and the business of the essential needs a reality check. This is the establishment at its worst.
