a home reduces mobility. If a person finds there are higher wages or a better job in another city, it’s so much harder to sell a house than to get out of a rental agreement.”
She seemed to think about that for several moments as she formed an answer. “I’ve never owned a home, just grown up on the property that has been in a my family for a very long time, so I can’t really comment on that,” she told him after several moments. “But I did work for McDonald’s when I was a kid and I hated it. I knew I wasn’t going to do that my entire life,” she admitted. “Not that I make much money trying to save the world, but my writing puts enough in my bank account so I can focus on what I truly love and maybe get some coffee once in a while.”
“If they make those starter jobs too appealing, what’s the incentive for people to move on?” he asked.
“Maybe there are some who really like to work at McDonald’s,” she said. “Shouldn’t they be paid better?”
“I don’t think I’ve met a living soul who’d say they love working at a fast food place,” Hudson said with a laugh. “But if they do, then yes, they can earn more. They can become managers, earn promotions, and rise within the company. They can do that without a degree. Did you know Walmart hires from within their stores? You can start as a floor associate and move up to a store manager. Some of those store managers in the bigger cities make a couple hundred thousand a year. A person can do that without a college degree. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
“I guess I need to look into that more, because I honestly don’t know much about it,” she admitted.
“Another thing is that if small businesses, such as the coffee shop we just went to, were forced to pay their employees midlevel wages, they’d go out of business. They make just enough profit to pay their bills and have a little left over. If small companies can’t afford to hire staff, that won’t help anyone.”
“I’ve heard that argument before. I don’t know if I believe it,” she said.
“There’s also some evidence that raising minimum wages too high can be discriminatory — that minorities and those with disabilities are more likely to be the ones laid off if a business can’t afford to keep all of their workers. A business owner will tend to keep on family or close acquaintances if times get rough. So, raising that minimum wage too high can ultimately hurt the population of a small community.”
“I really need to look more into this,” Daisy said. “I truly haven’t thought of all of this. I’ve never owned my own business, though,” she told him.
“As a business owner who does pay my skilled workers a good salary, I can tell you there were times in the beginning I wasn’t sure I was going to make it. I had to work with smaller crews, and I had to live in a studio apartment for two years. I ate a lot of ramen noodles and hotdogs. It took a while to earn a reputation as a good company. I knew a few other companies that didn’t make it. It’s not as easy as you think to own a business, and a lot of times you’re one month away from closing your doors for good. Without small businesses this country wouldn’t be what it is today.”
Daisy found herself seriously intrigued by what he was saying. “You used to be poor?”
He laughed heartily as they made their way down another trail. “My mother worked her tail end off, but she wasn’t educated, and she had five sons. As soon as each one of us was old enough to hold a job, we did, and we contributed to the household, but that meant we didn’t have much when we went off into the real world. Yes, I was very poor. I’m not complaining. That only made me work that much harder to have a better life for myself and for my mother. She, at least, got to live long enough for her five sons to thank her properly for a great childhood and to let her have some luxuries in life.”
Daisy hadn’t thought Hudson could teach her anything. She’d been wrong. She was learning a lot in a very short amount of time with this guy. She