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Author Topic:   Parables 101
crashfrog
Member (Idle past 1467 days)
Posts: 19762
From: Silver Spring, MD
Joined: 03-20-2003


Message 6 of 229 (148669)
10-09-2004 12:46 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Phat
10-09-2004 3:08 AM


You never told me what you think happened to the merchant the next morning when he went to the square again to look for workers.
Do you think he found anyone willing to work longer than the last two hours of the day? Why do you think that might be?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Phat, posted 10-09-2004 3:08 AM Phat has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 7 by Phat, posted 10-09-2004 2:29 PM crashfrog has replied

  
crashfrog
Member (Idle past 1467 days)
Posts: 19762
From: Silver Spring, MD
Joined: 03-20-2003


Message 8 of 229 (148686)
10-09-2004 3:48 PM
Reply to: Message 7 by Phat
10-09-2004 2:29 PM


If word got around about the pay scale, everyone would theoretically want to hook up at the end of the day, right?
Indeed. A fair pay scale benefits everybody - the workers don't feel like they're getting screwed, and the merchant is able to attract the labor force he needs.
You are suggesting that his reputation concerning fairness got around,eh?
Instantly.
The fact is, no two people work the same way.
No, of course not. But there's a difference between people slacking off a bit, like your hotel folks, and a level of inequity actually inherent in the wage scale.
People who do the same "amount" of work should get paid the same. Obviously, in the real world, that doesn't always work, but we should strive for that, don't you think?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 7 by Phat, posted 10-09-2004 2:29 PM Phat has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 64 by Phat, posted 05-06-2006 4:38 PM crashfrog has not replied
 Message 116 by Phat, posted 09-09-2007 4:40 PM crashfrog has replied

  
crashfrog
Member (Idle past 1467 days)
Posts: 19762
From: Silver Spring, MD
Joined: 03-20-2003


Message 23 of 229 (149153)
10-11-2004 4:22 PM
Reply to: Message 10 by Phat
10-09-2004 6:17 PM


Any comments?
The moral is clear, to me - stealing a little gets you fired. Stealing a whole lot gets you commended.
I find it particularly apt in the age of Enron and WorldCom. Martha Stewart would be CEO instead of cell block 1 if she'd bilked her shareholders out of millions instead of cutting a 100,000 dollar loss.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 10 by Phat, posted 10-09-2004 6:17 PM Phat has not replied

  
crashfrog
Member (Idle past 1467 days)
Posts: 19762
From: Silver Spring, MD
Joined: 03-20-2003


Message 121 of 229 (422197)
09-16-2007 12:01 PM
Reply to: Message 116 by Phat
09-09-2007 4:40 PM


No! Thats socialism, which I avoid like the plague!
How is that socialism? We're talking about a guy who pays every laborer the exact same wage, no matter how many hours they clock in.
And when it's pointed out that that's not exactly fair, he has a bitch-fit and complains "it's my money; I'll pay you as I see fit."
Never mind how self-defeating that guy is. Do you honestly think that he's ever going to find guys willing to put in a full day's work again, now that everybody knows that he'll pay the same amount for an hour's work?
At Safeway, I just got a raise to $16.35 an hour while the newbies are still hired in at $7.00.
But you're still getting paid by the hour. And if you work a whole day's work, and somebody else just fills in for an hour, you get paid for all 8 hours and he only gets paid for one.
This guy is paying by the day, and not pro-rating by the hour. That's pretty stupid, since the workers feel cheated and the employer is basically setting himself up for a labor shortage. He's going to have empty fields until the eleventh hour, when basically every worker in town is going to gather in the square, show up for an hour's work, and demand their denari.
We are smart enough to realize that not all employees should make $16.00+ an hour, but we also want to make sure that the wage is available for some of us.
There's nothing at all in the parable that suggests that he's rewarding experience and success. Instead, he's punishing hard work by cheating the men who showed up early in the morning for work, and rewarding laziness by paying the same amount to men who only worked an hour.
What do you think happens the next morning when he tries to round up the day's labor force? The square is empty until the eleventh hour, of course. Why would anybody work all day when they can work for an hour and get the exact same wage?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 116 by Phat, posted 09-09-2007 4:40 PM Phat has not replied

  
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