Kshama says: You're rank and you're vile

Seattle Socialist City Councilmember (and alleged Phd in economics) looks down her nose at those she claims to be helping, and the counter-revolution is swift;

When I heard Sawant say that tips are a "sexist and classist" way to make money, I was totally offended. That's an insult to my industry and my customers. Tips are a discretionary part of a free market system that rewards good service. And I have never felt uncomfortable being a woman who works for tips. From a sociological perspective, my work allows me to engage with folks from all walks of life—families, single folks, gay folks, transgender folks, children, people asking for a "senior discount," famous people (everyone from Ozzy to Desmond Tutu), and so on. It's a gift to me when someone sits in my section and spends their meal with me. People go to restaurants and bars not just for basic needs of food and water, but for human kindness and interaction. To make the assumption, as Sawant does, that the majority of people view servers in terms of a "sexist and classist" interaction is to diminish the basic decency of most people.

Not to mention that the lady doesn't want to take a pay cut in the name of socialist solidarity;

[If Kshama's proposal becomes law] Tips will be replaced by higher prices, and the restaurant owners will keep that money—either for operational costs or profit.

My base wage will go up to $15, sure, but I make far more than $15 per hour now. Even if the restaurant owner raises wages for servers to $25 per hour, most servers, bartenders, busers, and even kitchen staff in Seattle will take a large cut to their income. As someone who has worked for several restaurants, I'm acutely aware of the slim profit margins in restaurants, and the price sensitivity of patrons. Do we really want to create a system of dining that can be enjoyed only by those who can afford the increased cost of restaurant food? Why would we want to create a restaurant infrastructure that can be enjoyed by only a small segment of the population? That is classist. Restaurants need a tip credit to (1) close the wage gap demanded by Sawant, (2) keep staffing levels up so restaurants can still provide good service even as costs rise, and (3) maintain affordability for all people regardless of income status.

Private restaurant owners aren't exaggerating when they say they might close if the minimum wage rises too fast and doesn't account for tips. Please listen to them. Doing away with solid middle-class jobs created by restaurants is not the way to fix the issue of low-wage workers in places like McDonald's—a job I had in high school, by the way. And doing away with my great paying, flexible job is something this mom can't imagine facing.

Nor, in a free society, should she have to be subject to the rampaging presumptions of her betters.