Inflation is an insipid form of theft and I get why people are pissed off.
But these minimum wage ideas are terrible.
Wrote this today:
A Small Business Owner’s Perspective on Michigan’s Minimum Wage Increase
As a pizza shop owner in Michigan with multiple stores, I’ve been dealing with the realities of the new minimum wage law firsthand. Starting January 1, 2026, Michigan’s minimum wage rose from $12.48 to $13.73 per hour—a $1.25 increase—with another jump to $15 scheduled for 2027.
For employers like me, that $1.25 hourly bump doesn’t just mean the base pay. Add in the employer’s share of FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare), and the true cost per hour is closer to $1.35. In my stores, we sell around 400 items a week and typically schedule 100–170 hours per week, averaging about 150 hours. With wage compression—where raises for entry-level workers (often teens starting out) ripple up to more experienced staff—that translates to roughly $200 extra per week in labor costs per store.
On top of direct payroll, indirect costs are rising too. Suppliers will pass on their own higher labor expenses, driving up the price of ingredients and everything else we buy.
To offset this, I raised prices a bit.
$1 on several sizes of pizzas, subs, and salads—which could help us break even, especially since pizza remains relatively affordable (a large pizza and 2-liter soda can still feed a family of four for about $35).
But for bars and restaurants, it’s much tougher. A family outing for burgers and drinks can already hit $60 even with just water, leaving little room to raise prices without losing customers. Many marginal operations will have to absorb the costs, cut elsewhere, or risk closing.
So what does this mean for low-wage workers? In my experience, many part-time employees (25–35 hours/week) prefer flexibility over full-time hours, even when overtime is available. A full-time (40 hour) worker might see an extra $50 gross per week from the raise, netting perhaps $35–40 after taxes.
But low-wage workers will not see a real increase in their purchasing power. That entire net gain will be eaten up—and more—by higher prices on the everyday things they buy.
Their pizza is going to cost more. Their hamburgers are going to cost more. The laundromat, which many lower income use all the time, is going to cost more. Car repairs—especially on the older, higher-maintenance vehicles that lower-income folks often drive—are going to cost more. Groceries, bus fares, childcare: everything touched by labor costs (which is everything) will go up.
Thousands of hours will be trimmed across businesses, and automation like kiosks and robotics will accelerate even faster, costing jobs in the process.
Nationwide, these 2026 state increases are projected to add about $5 billion in total wages for over 8.3 million workers. Yet workers themselves will see no net benefit— in fact, many will lose ground as costs rise faster than their take-home pay.
Governments (federal, state, and local) stand to collect an estimated $1.5–2.5 billion more in taxes annually from the higher payrolls—money that, as usual, will largely be wasted.
In the end, the biggest winners will be policymakers who can claim they’re “helping” workers—gaining political support—while the economic spiral continues downward for small businesses and the very people these laws are supposed to assist.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
The Magic Capital Bitcoin group is excited to announce our first meetup of 2026, coming up right after the holidays!
Please join us:
Saturday, January 10th, 2026
1:00 PM
Colon, Michigan – the Magic Capital of the World!
Schedule:
• 1:00 PM – Meet at the Grand Magic Theatre A fun Bitcoin presentation followed by a short Q&A
• ~2:30 PM – Short walk one block west to Five Star Pizza Pizza and pop
• After pizza – Continue the conversation and hang out at the Colon American Legion (social hour / open end)
Whether you’re a Bitcoin veteran or just curious, everyone is welcome! Bring friends, questions, and your holiday cheer.
We’d love to see a big turnout—hope to see you there!
Warm regards,
Carl
Magic Capital Bitcoin
Please Share Far and Wide. Ty
I’m the oldest of 5. I care about my siblings. I’ve helped a couple of them a bit when they’ve needed it.
But I can’t ever imagine tying my finances, my housing, the rules of their houses - to mine. I can’t imagine someone - that none of the 5 of us really chose - being the arbiter of an arrangement like this.
Why would one ever get into a “partnership” like that?
Why in the hell did the EU ever exist in the first place? What am I missing?
I haven’t read a fiction book in years. But I decided to purchase and read “The Blood of the Bourgeoisie” by a young Bitcoiner named Michael Sullivan.
Yes - I’m a sucker for any book about bitcoin. But - seriously - it was pretty darn good. Quick easy read.
I would say it’s quite difficult to sprinkle bitcoin into a “normal” book and make it read “normal” (for now) and think it may be tough for the foreseeable future. But I’m
Glad to see it and I hope works like this picks up speed.
Also - It was Kind of a nice break from Econ, history, money.
(Admittedly, I’m not techie and tried - and failed - “Mastering Bitcoin”)
I’ve said this for a few years now - I’m here because of the F ing tyranny of 2020. The techies were here much before 2020. And I’d say those that are pissed off hard ass freedom lovers - enraged and engaged from the scam-demic - like me - are all already here.
The next wave comes from story tellers - we need to appeal to emotion. We need to promote the great works of the likes of
@HRF and
@gladstein .
We need to show the villages of Africa becoming electrified by the likes of great companies like Gridless.
@Erik Hersman
Anyway - it’s great to see young Bitcoiners trying to change the world for the better. I thank you all.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
The Magic Capital Bitcoin group is excited to announce our first meetup of 2026, coming up right after the holidays!
Please join us:
Saturday, January 10th, 2026
1:00 PM
Colon, Michigan – the Magic Capital of the World!
Schedule:
• 1:00 PM – Meet at the Grand Magic Theatre
A fun Bitcoin presentation followed by a short Q&A
• ~2:30 PM – Short walk one block west to Five Star Pizza
Pizza and pop
• After pizza – Continue the conversation and hang out at the Colon American Legion (social hour / open end)
Whether you’re a Bitcoin veteran or just curious, everyone is welcome! Bring friends, questions, and your holiday cheer.
We’d love to see a big turnout—hope to see you there!
Warm regards,
Carl
Magic Capital Bitcoin
In Florida at our Airbnb. Enjoying life. Reflecting a bit.
I can bitch about the state of the world better than most.
But I do - very seriously - make efforts to positively affect change as well.
To me, if u r gonna bitch - realize that there are 2 sides to the ledger.
Complain all you want - Then Add real value on the other side.
#bitcoin #balance #life is short
