TravelMed USA Blog

Needing CEU’s?

SSommers — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 21:00:56 +0000

Check out these CEU sites to update or add any new CEU’s.

http://www.therapyceu.com/

http://www.educationresourcesinc.com/

https://www.crosscountryeducation.com/

http://www.aota.org/Education-Careers/Continuing-Education.aspx

https://www.rehabedge.com/

-TravelMed USA

Ground-Breaking Productivity Analysis: Public Transportation Increases America’s Growth Potential

SSommers — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 20:25:13 +0000

Washington, DC. Public transportation investment powers significant productivity gains, based on a new study that is measuring this for the first time. The study, Economic Impact of Public Transportation Investment, demonstrates that investment in public transportation will lead to 50,700 jobs per $1 billion invested, with 28,900 jobs per $1 billion attributed to the productivity gains enjoyed by households and businesses. This ground breaking methodology goes beyond the traditional measurement of public transit operations and capital investments and calculates the economic impacts of creating more efficient local transportation systems. Overall, investment in public transportation offers an economic return of $4 for every $1 invested. The study was conducted for the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) by the Economic Development Research Group, Inc. The report was discussed today at an event on Capitol Hill in conjunction with APTA, the National League of Cities, the U.S. Travel Association and the Environment and Energy Study Institute. The event was part of Infrastructure Week 2014. “In Salt Lake City, rail transit has catalyzed vibrant development,” said Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, who serves as First Vice President of the National League of Cities. “It has been a key to achieving mobility and prosperity goals in our City.” “The data are clear: one of the strongest tools to create a vital and productive national economy and build strong communities is investment in public transportation,” said APTA President and CEO Michael Melaniphy. “This study breaks new ground in calculating the significant productivity gains of public transportation investment.” “A robust and user-friendly public transportation system is crucial to making it easy and inexpensive to get around the metro DC area, both for visitors to the city but also for those of us who call the District our home,” said Elliott L. Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination DC. “We are committed to supporting the expansion of public transportation in and around the city and therefore continuing to create jobs and strengthen our local economy.” Public transportation investment provides increased productivity in two areas, according to the study. First, the savings achieved to households, from reduced congestion and less reliance on automobile use. This changes purchasing power, by at least $18.4 billion per year. Second, savings to businesses, by improving employers’ access to the labor market with more efficient commutes for its current and potential employees, along with reducing congestion costs and logistics, results in contributing an additional $10.1 billion to the U.S. economy. In addition, this enhanced productivity and access results in $3.3 billion per year in increased tax revenue for the federal government and $1.1 billion for state and local governments the study shows. An additional $6 billion in tax revenue, annually, comes from the traditional impact of spending, with $2.2 billion going to state and local governemnts and $3.8 billion going to the federal government. Total tax receipts are estimated at $10.4 billion per year. The organizations highlighted that the current federal surface transportation authorization expires September 30, 2014. The Highway Trust Fund, which provides the federal share for both highways and public transportation, will begin running short of liquidity in August. To that end, APTA released its recommendations for funding public transportation to Congress in mid-March which calls for a $100.4 billion investment in the federal transit program over a six year period, grow the $10.7 billion annual program to $22.2 billion in 2020 and establish a dedicated Trust Fund to ensure the long-term sustainability of growing the federal public transit and highway program. “Based on this new groundbreaking research, our investment plan will generate 2.4 million jobs,” said Melaniphy. “Because of this tremendous return on investment to our local communities, we are committed to working with Congress and the Administration to invest in America and to help our communities grow.” The coalition also offered real-world examples of the economic impact of public transportation investment in Salt Lake City, Utah; Washington, DC and various other communities around the country. To read the full report go to www.apta.com.

How to Beat 5 Everyday Infection Spreaders

SSommers — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 14:41:51 +0000

How to beat 5 everyday infection spreaders

Provided by Men’s Health

We have some high-priority pathogens we’d like you to meet—and, with our help, defeat

Even if swine flu never sweeps across America, it’s already in our heads. But that’s the thing with bugs, whether they’re cutting-board bacteria or ultra-virulent viruses: They are the ultimate invisible enemy, often infecting us with anxiety before they’ve triggered a single immune response.

The key to staying safe—and sane—in a world crawling with germs is knowing which ones are worth worrying about. Ol’ H1N1? Not unless you’re older than 50 and suffer from heart disease or diabetes. Bubonic plague? Only if you reside in New Mexico and play with prairie dogs. On the other hand, do you own a cell phone? Take a shower every day? If so, then we have some high-priority pathogens we’d like you to meet—and, with our help, defeat.

The cell phone

What’s lurking: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

Neutrophil and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococccus aureus (MRSA) Bacteria (Photo credit: NIAID)

Think of MRSA as staph on steroids—it’s resistant to most antibiotics and can be deadly if it enters the bloodstream. And even though MRSA usually hides in hospitals, at least 12 percent of the infections in 2005 occurred in the general community, often inside locker rooms.

Another hot zone: cell phones. When University of Arizona researchers tested 25 cell phones, 20 percent came up positive for MRSA. “When was the last time you cleaned your cell phone? I’m willing to bet never,” says Charles Gerba, Ph.D., the study’s lead researcher and coauthor of The Germ Freak’s Guide to Outwitting Cold and Flu. “These things are very germy, especially the keypads and mouthpieces.” Picture it: Every time you dial a number or send a text message, you’re transferring the germs on your hands to your phone and then straight to your mouth.

How to beat it: Sanitize your cell once a week with Clorox disinfecting wipes (or any of the supermarket-brand clones). “The wipes won’t get into the internal parts of the phone and damage it the way a spray might,” says Gerba. If you want more peace of mind, consider Motorola’s i870 cellphone. The i870 comes treated with AgION Antimicrobial, a very fine ceramic powder coating that contains silver ions, the same substance that’s woven into some gym apparel to help inhibit the growth of bacteria.

The shower

What’s lurking: Methylobacter and Sphingomonas

Germs thrive in warm, wet environments, which is why they like showering with you. When Norman Pace, Ph.D., a professor of molecular biology at the University of Colorado at Boulder, tested five plastic shower curtains—including his own—he discovered millions of microbes lining every square inch, with 80 percent being either Methylobacter or Sphingomonas.

What makes this finding worrisome is that studies of indoor pools show that both bugs can form an aerosol and rise into the air. “There’s no doubt the same phenomenon occurs in the shower, and thus we’re breathing in these potentially harmful bacteria,” says Pace, though exactly how harmful is unclear. “We know people get sick for reasons we can’t put our finger on. This could be one of them.”

How to beat them: You could hold your breath while you lather up, or you could simply make your shower less inviting for infectious agents. For starters, pull the curtain all the way closed after you’re finished. This will help prevent bacteria from thriving inside the plastic folds.

Or, better yet, opt for a fabric shower curtain and an all-metal showerhead. “These types of organisms feed on the organic compounds that form on plastic,” says Pace. They also like to gorge on skin cells and other organic material that sloughs off in the shower, so if you go with a cloth curtain, toss it in the washing machine once a month, using the hottest water the fabric can handle.

Airplanes

What’s lurking: Norovirus

Most cruises are all-you-can-eat . . . and all-you-can-expel, if Norovirus is on board. What most travelers don’t realize, however, is that this bug can also hijack airplanes. A recent CDC study of a flight from London to Philadelphia shows that 9 percent of the passengers and more than half of the crew were stricken with diarrhea and/or vomiting within 18 to 60 hours of the flight.

That norovirus could infect so many in so short a time doesn’t surprise Mark Gendreau, M.D., an emergency-medicine specialist who studies aircraft infectious disease for the Lahey Clinic, in Burlington, Massachusetts. “When we look at how contagious a disease is, we calculate how many microorganisms of that species are required—from less than one to 100,000—to produce an infection,” he explains. “Norovirus has a dose of 0.6, which means a single bacterium can produce a very serious outbreak.”

How to beat it: Assume that the flight attendants are infected. Because they interact with everyone on the plane—and on any other flights they’ve been on that day—the attendants are the most likely people to contract and transmit norovirus. So if they hand you a beverage, drink it with a straw. And if they serve you a prepackaged meal, sanitize your hands after opening it. Not packing Purell? Soap and water is fine, but avoid whichever restroom the flight attendants are using.

Of course, you could escape norovirus only to catch a cold, especially if someone’s hacking in your airspace. Dr. Gendreau’s defense: “Typically, I’ll turn the gasper [the overhead air vent] on at the lowest setting possible and aim it straight down so I don’t feel the current,” he says. “This circulates clean air without drawing germs toward you.”

Golf courses

What’s lurking: West Nile virus

The water hazard at your golf course is also a West Nile hazard; it’s where mosquitoes that carry the virus buzz around and breed. And while West Nile fever typically affects older, immune-compromised individuals, a newly identified condition called West Nile poliomyelitis can hit healthy adults in their 30s and 40s.

“It’s a very serious neuroinvasive disease that attacks the cells in the spinal cord that are responsible for motor strength and activity,” says Taylor Harrison, M.D., a professor of neurology at Emory University. “Some people regain movement of their limbs; others don’t recover as well.”

How to beat it: Simple: Steer clear of the drink. Also, “if the course is wet, it’s a good idea to stay off the golf-cart path,” says Gilbert Waldbauer, Ph.D., a professor emeritus of entomology at the University of Illinois and the author of A Walk around the Pond: Insects in and over the Water. “The puddles that form in the tracks are filled with stagnant water where larvae develop.”

He also suggests a midmorning tee time: “They’re out in full force at dusk and dawn.” To further shield yourself from skeeters, wear Buzz Off pants and shirts, apparel that’s been treated with an EPA-approved insect repellent called permethrin.

The bedroom

What’s lurking: Chlamydia trachomatis

Chlamydia is the stealth STD—a woman can carry the bacteria without symptoms for several years, which means your partner could pass it on to you, even if you’re currently monogamous. And once a guy gets chlamydia, he’s at risk of developing nongonococcal urethritis (NGU), a bacterial infection of the urethra, says H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D., a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Washington Center for AIDS and STD.

NGU is one of the most common reasons men find themselves sitting in an STD clinic. Or standing, since NGU may cause dull testicular pain as well as cloudy discharge and frequent, painful urination. Left untreated, it can lead to infertility.

How to beat it: Either commit to wearing condoms or ask that your wife or girlfriend be tested for chlamydia. If you opt for the latter, tell her you’ll be tested, too; it’s possible for someone who’s been cured of chlamydia to be reinfected by their partner.

Think you may already have NGU? See your doctor—and take this article along. “Although NGU is very common, not all doctors are as insightful about it as they could be,” says Dr. Handsfield, explaining that you’ll often get faster results at an STD clinic. “Most men with NGU will be diagnosed and given a prescription on the spot.” Antibiotics such as azithromycin and tetracycline have been shown to be effective 90 percent of the time.

Texas Law Safeguards Christmas Cheer in Schools

SSommers — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 14:22:32 +0000

Texas law safeguards Christmas cheer in schools

AP Photo: Eric Gay

Bill French, right, dressed as Santa Claus, talks with Reagan Bohac, 8, right, son of State Representative Dwayne Bohac, R-Houston, second from left, on the house floor following a news conference at the state capitol, Monday, Dec. 9, 2013, in Austin, Texas.

<:section> <:time data-always-show=”true” datetime=”2013-12-09T23:45:00.000Z”>14 hr ago By Jim Forsyth of Reuters

The so-called “Merry Christmas Law” is backed by social conservatives who feel that seasonal religious festivities have come under attack because of political correctness.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Texas lawmakers sent notices to schools on Monday informing them that new legislation allows students and teachers to dress in festive garb and say “Merry Christmas” all they want without fear of punishment.

The so-called “Merry Christmas Law” is backed by social conservatives who feel that seasonal religious festivities have come under attack because of political correctness. It also covers the Jewish celebration of Hanukah, which ended earlier this month.

“We hope to see fewer school districts being naughty and more districts being nice,” said conservative activist Jonathan Saenz, president of a group called Texas Values.

The measure, passed nearly unanimously by the Texas legislature this year, allows students and district staff to “offer traditional greetings regarding celebrations, including ‘Merry Christmas,’ ‘Happy Hanukkah’ and ‘Happy Holidays’.”

It also allows teachers and students to sing Christmas songs, erect Christmas trees, holiday decorations and nativity scenes, as long as they do not include a “message that encourages adherence to a particular religion’s belief.”

Supporters said some schools have dropped Christmas celebrations in favor of things such as non-religious winter festivities out of regard for the feeling of students who are not Christian.

Saenz said the law does not specifically cover the festivities of other major religions such as Islam or Buddhism, but students of other faiths who find their traditions being censored can seek support under the law.

“It is Christmas activities that are being attacked over and over again,” Saenz said.

1 in 10 US Children Now Has ADHD, CDC says…

SSommers — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 21:57:30 +0000

1 in 10 US children now has ADHD, CDC says

Good news is that the rate of increase is slowing, researchers add

By — E.J. Mundell

Brainscan of brains with and without ADHD (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(HealthDay News) — One in every 10 U.S. children has been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD ), but the steady rise in cases has started to slow, a new government survey shows.

The 2011 poll of more than 95,000 parents showed that about 11 percent — or about 6.4 million — of children aged 4 to 17 had been diagnosed with ADHD. That’s up from a 2007 survey that found that 9.5 percent of youngsters in that age group had an ADHD diagnoses.

Nearly one in every five high-school age boys, and about one in every 11 high school age girls, was reported by their parents as being diagnosed with having ADHD, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found.

Numbers also varied widely between states, as well, with 15 percent of children in Arkansas and Kentucky reporting a history of ADHD treatment, compared to just 4 percent of those in Nevada.

The number of children placed on ADHD medications — which include stimulants such as Ritalin or Concerta — also rose by about 1 million between 2003-04 and 2011-12, the CDC said. That means that more than 3.5 million youngsters between the ages of 4 and 17 are now taking an ADHD drug.

The survey was published Nov. 22 in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

According to the survey, half of children with ADHD are diagnosed with the disorder by the age of 6.

“This finding suggests that there are a large number of young children who could benefit from the early initiation of behavioral therapy, which is recommended as the first-line treatment for preschool children with ADHD,” study author and CDC researcher Susanna Visser said in a journal news release.

Not every child with ADHD is getting proper treatment, the study found. According to the survey, 18 percent of kids with ADHD had not received either psychiatric counseling or drug therapy during 2011-2012.

“This finding raises concerns about whether these children and their families are receiving needed services,” Dr. Michael Lu, senior administrator at the U.S. Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA), said in the journal news release.

There was some good news from the survey, however. The CDC noted that ADHD diagnoses among American children were rising at a rate of about 6 percent a year in the mid-2000s, but that rate slowed to 4 percent a year from 2007 to 2011.

Visser told the Associated Press that this slower rate of diagnoses might reflect that doctors are closer to identifying most of the youngsters with the disorder.

ADHD makes it difficult for kids to pay attention and control impulsive behaviors. Treatments can include drugs, behavioral therapy or both.

More information

Find out more about ADHD at the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.

SOURCES: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, news release, Nov. 22, 2013; Associated Press

Twins Mimic Life in the Womb in Amazing Baby Bath Video

SSommers — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 20:04:17 +0000

They’re already born, but they might not know it yet. A video of a unique bath is offering an amazing look at what life must like for twins in the womb, with the babies cuddling and embracing as if they were still in their mom’s belly.

The newborns cling to each other as they float in a basin full of water, with adult hands gently cradling and supporting their tiny bodies. At one point, water is carefully poured over their foreheads and eyes, while their noses and mouths stay above the surface so they can breathe comfortably.

The bathing technique, called the Thalasso Baby Bath, was invented by Sonia Rochel, a maternity nurse in Paris, France. The twins in the video, a boy and a girl, were just a few days old when they experienced the bath, she told TODAY Moms. Their mother declined to release their names.

The video, which has had more than 3 million views on YouTube, was shot in the last month at the maternity clinic where Rochel works.

In an interview posted online last year, Rochel – a grandmother of six — said she came up with the unique bathing method after taking a shower and realizing it felt great to have the water running on her face. So she decided to try the technique with the newborns and noticed it made them move, just as they do in the womb. She believes babies need to still have a recollection of their life before birth.

Rochel has bathed twins together once or twice before and said she was not surprised by the infants’ reaction in the video. The babies’ amazing response to the water is always beautiful to see, she added.

The Thalasso Bath is only for babies younger than two months old and Rochel cautioned that parents should not try to duplicate it at home.

Annabel Roberts is a correspondent for NBC News, London

Watch video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY-d46-gPMI&feature=player_embedded

Newborn Twins Taking a Bath Don’t Realize They Are Out of the Womb

FOTA Conference 2013 – Daytona Beach (Shores Resort & Spa)

SSommers — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 14:37:54 +0000

FOTA Conference 2013 – Daytona Beach (Shores Resort & Spa)

TravelMed USA is pleased to announce that we are a scheduled exhibitor at this year’s FOTA Conference. The annual conference will be held this week, November 8^th and 9^thin Daytona Beach. Members of the TravelMedUSA team will be attendance on the 8^th at the Shores Resort & Spa.

The calendar of events include various workshops, short courses, round table discussions, and a keynote speech by new AOTA President, Ginny Stoffel. For more additional info on this year’s conference and schedule, visit the Florida Occupational Therapy Association website – http://www.flota.org/2013-conference-home

Please stop by the TravelMed USA booth located in the Richard Petty Ballroom. Take part in our FREE Raffle for you chance at some exciting prizes.

We look forward to seeing you there!!!

Thanks,

TravelMed USA

Phone: (800) 796-0923

www.travelmedusa.com

Veteran & Family Owned Since 1995

Diet to Prevent & Treat Arthritis

SSommers — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 17:02:41 +0000

Diet to Prevent & Treat Arthritis

At least one out of five Americans, 46 million, suffer from arthritis, a painful disease that

Rheumatoid arthritis joint (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

cripples and inflames the joints.

According to a “Today Show” article by nutrition expert Joy Bauer, adopting a proper diet for arthritis can treat and even prevent some symptoms. Besides helping to maintain a healthy weight, Bauer says a nutritious diet may decrease the inflammation of joints:

Because arthritis is a disease of inflammation, the most effective and logical treatment is anything that fights inflammation When it comes to specific foods you should eat, an anti-inflammatory diet involves avoiding foods that make inflammation worse (saturated fat, trans fat and simple refined carbohydrate) and eating plenty of foods that reduce inflammation.

Bauer lists a variety of anti-inflammatory foods, including those rich in omega-3 fatty acids, monounsaturated fats, and most importantly, antioxidants such as vitamin C and carotenes, which may even prevent arthritis by protecting the body from free radicals:

Inflammation produces free radicals, those cell-damaging molecules that are formed in response to toxins or natural body processes. The synovium is just as prone to this kind of damage as the skin, eyes, or any other body tissue. Antioxidants protect the body from the effects of free radicals, and are a critical part of an anti-inflammation diet. Research has demonstrated that certain antioxidants may help prevent arthritis, slow its progression and relieve pain.

Certain spices, such as ginger and turmeric, are also an easy and effective way to adopt an anti-inflammatory diet.

For the complete list of anti-inflammatory foods and the rest of the article, click here.

Watch the video below as Joy Bauer shows you how to adopt an anti-inflammatory diet.

At least one out of five Americans, 46 million, suffer from arthritis, a painful disease that cripples and inflames the joints.

Certain spices, such as ginger and turmeric, are also an easy and effective way to adopt an anti-inflammatory diet.

For the complete list of anti-inflammatory foods and the rest of the article, click here.

Watch the video below as Joy Bauer shows you how to adopt an anti-inflammatory diet.

http://www.thirdage.com/arthritis/effective-diet-arthritis

Ellis Island Museum Reopens Monday

SSommers — Fri, 25 Oct 2013 18:37:28 +0000

Ellis Island museum reopens Monday, a year after Superstorm Sandy, but without artifacts.

By Associated Press, Published: October 24

<:article>

NEW YORK — The National Park Service says the Ellis Island Immigration Museum will reopen to the public on Monday, a year after it was closed by Superstorm Sandy.

English: Ellis island Immigration Museum hall, Guastavino tile vaulted ceiling, 2009 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Visitors will be able to walk through the main immigration building, the baggage area and the Great Hall where inspections took place for many of the 12 million immigrants who passed through Ellis Island. But they will not be able to see most of the artifacts that had previously been on display at the museum: Those were moved before the storm and will remain in storage for the time being will repair work continues.

Sumo training, U.S. spying controversy, cliff diving, British graffiti artist in New York and more.

<:article>

The Oct. 29 storm destroyed boilers and electrical systems. Ellis Island was without power for months after the storm swamped parts of New York City.

The neighboring Statue of Liberty reopened on July 4, only to be briefly shuttered again during the federal government shutdown.

Embarrassingly Low Minimum Wages vs. Obnoxiously High Demands

SSommers — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 17:08:37 +0000

Embarrassingly Low Minimum Wages vs. Obnoxiously High Demands

11 Sep 2013

by : Igor Derysh

As the strikes and protests continue to call for a higher minimum wage, absolutely nothing has been done on the political level to push forth actual legislation that would make that happen. Another movement intent on fighting for the working man against the money-grubbing corporate machine, another failure like Wal-Mart Unionization and Occupy Wall Street before them.

Let’s be honest here. The minimum wage is staggeringly low, by all measures. Asking for $15 per hour, an increase of more than 100%, however, is why many of these people are working minimum wage jobs.

It’s true that at $7.25 per hour, current minimum wage employees are among the lowest paid since the inception of the federal minimum wage. Let’s take a look at this nifty chart I made of historic minimum wage increases when adjusted for inflation.

Year	Minimum Wage	Min. Wage in 2013 $	Percent Increase
1956	$1.00	$8.59
1961	$1.15	$8.98	15%
1963	$1.25	$9.54	8.5%
1967	$1.40	$9.79	12%
1968	$1.60	$10.74	14%
1974	$2.00	$9.48	25%
1975	$2.10	$9.12	5%
1976	$2.30	$9.44	9.5%
1978	$2.65	$9.49	15%

*Inflation data based on US Department of Labor Inflation Calculator

As you can see, all of those wages are well above the $7.25 that it is today. More importantly, you see that the minimum wage was increased often and by a significant amount. Within 22 years, the minimum wage rose by 165%. It should also alarm you how much the value of the dollar has plummeted consistently but that’s another story for another article.

So how did our minimum wage get this low? First, Carter came and inflated the economy. Then, Reagan came and got rid of federal minimum wage increases altogether. Between 1981 and 1990, the minimum wage did not go up a penny above $3.35. Since then, the minimum wage has increased marginally just six times over 23 years.

1980	3.10	8.79
1981	3.35	8.61	5%
1990	3.80	6.79	13.5%
1991	4.25	7.29	12%
1996	4.75	7.07	12%
1997	5.15	7.50	8.5%
2007	5.85	6.59	13.5%
2008	6.55	7.11	10%
2009	7.25	7.89	10.5%

*Inflation data based on US Department of Labor Inflation Calculator

As you can see, the 2007 minimum wage increase was long overdue and we’re rather overdue for an increase now. The $7.25 per hour doesn’t buy you as much as it used to and it’s far lower than wages were in the 1956-1978.

Not only has the dollar lost value, the purchasing power differs greatly from city to city. According to a report by the New York Comptroller’s Office, the $7.25 minimum wage is only about a $4 effective minimum wage when adjusted for cost of living – the lowest effective minimum wage in the nation. Certainly the minimum wage needs to be increased and in municipalities like New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago the minimum wage needs to be increased even more to account for a higher cost of living.

The question is how much more. $15? No. Although an increase is necessary, maintaining a balance between the cost of living and what’s reasonable to keep businesses from flocking elsewhere is delicate.

Increase the minimum wage too much and business dries up. It’s not whether they can afford it or not but whether they can pay less a city over. Businesses can afford Obamacare too. They can also slash employee hours to 29 and save a ton of money. Which one do you think Joe CEO is going to pick? As Ben Franklin once said, most businesses are run by greedy turds. Or something like that. It’s a fact of life that you need to account for in your campaign.

We’ve already seen business dry up and thensome with manufacturing. You don’t want to lose the services sector too.

It’s not an impossible question. Washington DC is currently looking to raise its minimum wage to $12.50. This has already sent businesses like Wal-Mart looking at property in Virginia and Maryland where they can pay employees the same lousy wage they always have. Say what you will about Wal-Mart but they employ 1.4 million people, roughly one full percent of the entire US labor force. Drive out businesses and you raise your unemployment rate significantly. All those good intentions go down the drain with so many more people making an effective minimum wage of $0.

On the other hand, there’s Washington. The state. Washington hasn’t waited around for the federal government to act, they currently have the highest minimum wage in the country at $9.19 per hour, nearly $2 higher than the federal and a lot closer to the historic wages we looked at. Rather than drive businesses out, the state now has an unemployment rate of 6.8% (compared to 7.6% nationally) and Seattle has an unemployment rate of just 4%.

The Washington model if what people in other states should be looking at. Forget about the federal government, they’re not going to help anyone anytime soon. Non-unionized minimum wage employees need to realize that they need to treat this issue like a union would. Go into a negotiation with too high a starting point and you’ll never get anywhere. Work on a set of reasonable demands and people might actually consider what you have to say. Nothing turns off ears faster than “I want $15 to do something a 15-year-old who doesn’t speak English can do.”

The minimum wage strikes, the Wal-Mart strikes, the Occupy Wall Street movement. What do they all have in common? A lack of accepting the realities that they were working within. The Occupy Wall Street movement, despite some good ideas, was stopped in its tracks by its own lack of a realistic framework. While the Tea Party debates their choice for presidential candidate, OWS has become a punchline among even liberals. Ever wonder why we don’t get anything done except anti-abortion laws and Shariah law bans? Maybe it’s not the ineffective politicians. Maybe it’s the people and the lack of reasonable demands. Get your shit together, liberals.

TravelMed USA Blog

Needing CEU’s?

Ground-Breaking Productivity Analysis: Public Transportation Increases America’s Growth Potential

How to Beat 5 Everyday Infection Spreaders

The cell phone

The shower

Airplanes

Golf courses

The bedroom

Texas Law Safeguards Christmas Cheer in Schools

1 in 10 US Children Now Has ADHD, CDC says…

Twins Mimic Life in the Womb in Amazing Baby Bath Video

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Ellis Island Museum Reopens Monday

Ellis Island museum reopens Monday, a year after Superstorm Sandy, but without artifacts.

Embarrassingly Low Minimum Wages vs. Obnoxiously High Demands

Embarrassingly Low Minimum Wages vs. Obnoxiously High Demands