Aspiring Actresses and Actors to Starve

We had to sort through an inordinate number of comments in the "Economic Disaster Coming" post where we pointed out that most elected officials have no idea how the real world works and opined that they might benefit from a few Econ 101/102 type courses. The ignorance on display was makes us think that the entire City Council showed up in our comment section just to prove exactly how smart they aren't. If they hadn't spent so much time swearing at us, slandering our parentage and displaying their libtard tendencies, we might have published more of them.

In any event, we stand by our previous statements that if city government jacks up the minimum wage to $15/hour, hiring will stop, unemployment will skyrocket and the death spiral will tighten. If costs go up businesses are left with few options:

• raise prices, leading to a decline in sales;
• reduce profit margins, leading to a decline in share prices;
• reduce workforce

There may be another option of two, but the basic drive is to cut costs and increase sales, thereby increasing profits. How to cut costs? Automate!

• Applebee's, the nation's largest casual dining chain, on Tuesday will announce plans to place tablets at every table in every one of its U.S. restaurants by the end of 2014. Folks can use the tablets to pay whenever they want -- and to order things like appetizers, desserts or even play video games.
  
  The action follows a similar move by rival Chili's, which already has begun the process of placing tablets at its company-owned locations. IHOP, also owned by Applebee's parent, DineEquity, is looking into tablets, too.
  
  The way Americans pay for and order food when eating out is about to be turned on its head. If these high-tech moves — already common at eateries in parts of Europe and Asia — are a hit domestically, much of the $70 billion full-service and casual dining industry is expected to follow.

No more out-of-work Liberal Art majors struggling to make ends meet on less than minimum wage and tips.They'll be living in boxes on Lower Wacker looking for the next Salvation Army truck to come by.

Of course, we'll save money eating out since we won't have to tip anyone, and our DineEquity stock will being headed up. So it's a win-win we suppose. Thanks Chicago Aldercreatures!