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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Heinz -- The minimum wage here in the States, as of
24 Jul 2007, will be $5.85 per hour. Add to that FICA and Medicare taxes
(6.20% & 1.45% respectively) and the actual minimum wage is more like
$6.30. It's true some people are earning minimum wage, but not most like I
said. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Occupations here that depend on gratuities are
exempt from minimum wage requirements unlike Germany. It's customary
now to tip anywhere from 15% to 20%, at least in this area of Florida. It
is not unknown for waiters/waitresses to earn from $200 - $400 a night in tips
during the prime tourist season. </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>Here in
northwest Florida, between Pensacola and Panama City, the unemployment rate is
about 2.5% so even burger-flippers at Mickey-D's and Wendy's start out making
between $7.50 - $8.50 per hour.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Bill Van Hoesen</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=htrost@gmx.de href="mailto:htrost@gmx.de">Heinz D. Trost</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=squaredancing@rbnsn.com
href="mailto:squaredancing@rbnsn.com">This list for discussing all aspect of
MWSD</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, July 13, 2007 10:08
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Squaredancing] Discussion
on the National in Charlotte</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Bill, </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>> Heinz -- Perhaps its been awhile since you were in the States but
the </DIV>
<DIV>> only ones still earning only $3.00 - $5.00 an hour are, perhaps, the
</DIV>
<DIV>> illegal aliens. I can think of nowhere in the USA now where most
people </DIV>
<DIV>> are earning less than $15.00 - $20.00 an hour. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>really? Wow! Last time I stayed in the USA was from Jun 26, 2007 till
</DIV>
<DIV>July 1st, 2007... </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Here we are told that a lot of American citizens will just earn minimum
</DIV>
<DIV>wage of $ 5-6, including the whole staff at fast food stores, </DIV>
<DIV>restaurants and so on, and the ilegal aliens will get less. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>> However, I agree with you, it's a ridiculous price to pay for a cup
of </DIV>
<DIV>> coffee. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>for a short time I worked in a pub and there I was told that coffee is
</DIV>
<DIV>that product with which a restaurant, pub or so can make the most </DIV>
<DIV>profit. And now here at the school I attend together with 16 other </DIV>
<DIV>jobless former managers in the age of 45 and older we just closed our
</DIV>
<DIV>coffee cash box because it's flooded with to much money which came from
</DIV>
<DIV>our coffee drinkers who pay 030 EUR (ar. $ 0,40) per cup (nevertheless
</DIV>
<DIV>our teachers do get their coffee for free from us)... </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Well, tomorrow we will have Susie and Gert-Jan Rotscheid as special
</DIV>
<DIV>guests of "Susies Summer ball" here in Stuttgart, Germany, cueing rounds
</DIV>
<DIV>phase II-VI. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Unfortunately this year no German caller attended the 56th Nationals.
</DIV>
<DIV>Ok, Don Caspar (American caller&cuer who lives in Germany) was there,
</DIV>
<DIV>but he was there as a cuer. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Heinz </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>_______________________________________________ </DIV>
<DIV>Squaredancing mailing list </DIV>
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