Meanwhile, the naysayers keep responding to the evidence of the success and doability of a living wage with “Sure it works in reality. But will it work in theory?”
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The year my mother completed high school (1948), mean compensation per worker amounted to about $20,000 per annum in today’s currency units (a figure which includes fringe benefits). That would be about 30% lower than the Seattle city council’s idea of a ‘living wage’ and 70% lower than Mark Shea’s idea of a living wage. I wonder what Mark Shea fancies their actual condition was at that time.

I’m sure if he acknowledged it at all, Shea will claim that it would all work out if just those other people would behave. Perhaps they would after working in some kind of gulag…

Mark-who wrote: “Sure it works in reality. But will it work in theory?” If that isn’t the stupidest juxtaposition of reality/theory I haven’t lived long enough (almost 65 years) to see it. Plus, there needs to be a comma after “Sure.” :

You can bad mouth Ayn Rand all you like , but once again she has been proved to be correct, Also check out the Amtrak mess. Atlas is shrugging his heart out.LOL LOL LOL
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Rand is notable for her normative arguments, which are seldom subject to proof through citing isolated examples. And there is no Amtrak mess. A passably experienced engineer ran the train 50 mph over standard speeds on a given stretch of track. No one quite knows as of yet just why he did so; the one thing that is known is that he was not on the phone at the time. If you fancy private enterprise is immune to mechanical failure or employee inattention, I’m in the bridge-vending business.

I’m sure if he acknowledged it at all, Shea will claim that it would all work out if just those other people would behave.
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I wonder of he’s been confused by those passages in the social encyclicals where the pope speaks of wages as if they were stipends one might receive from one’s order.

see $10 loaves of bread and the doubling of rents on lower-end apartments?
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It would not see $10 loaves of bread. Anyone attempting to sell standard-issue baked goods at that price would be quickly undercut. The law of one price is not strictly true, but the price of foodstuffs only varies within narrow bands across the country. Not so the price of real estate.

That company will not remain in business and when it fails, Mark Shea will not talk about it. For what it’s worth, my employer, whom I have worked for for more than 20 years, does not pay me that much in salary. I’m not even at the midpoint of my pay grade and will never reach the maximum.

I’m not sure how “Economics 101” is proved by a company having trouble due more to fallout from the publicity than to the wages themselves. Ideally the experiment would’ve been such that Gravity raised the employee pay without trying to get credit for it, as unlikely as that might be.

Liberal ideas meet reality = NOT pretty

We also find this in Matthew:

[14] “It will be as when a man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. [15] To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately [16] the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. [17] Likewise, the one who received two made another two. [18] But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money. [19] After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. [20] The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ [21] His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ [22] [Then] the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’ [23] His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ [24] Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; [25] so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’ [26] His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? [27]Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest[!] on my return? [28]Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. [29]For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. [30] And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’

With a parellel in Luke:

[12] “A nobleman went off to a distant country to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return. [13] He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins and told them, ‘Engage in trade with these until I return.’ [14] His fellow citizens, however, despised him and sent a delegation after him to announce, ‘We do not want this man to be our king.’ [15] But when he returned after obtaining the kingship, he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money, to learn what they had gained by trading. [16] The first came forward and said, ‘Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.’ [17] He replied, ‘Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities.’ [18] Then the second came and reported, ‘Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.’ [19] And to this servant too he said, ‘You, take charge of five cities.’ [20] Then the other servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your gold coin; I kept it stored away in a handkerchief, [21] for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding person; you take up what you did not lay down and you harvest what you did not plant.’ [22] He said to him, ‘With your own words I shall condemn you, you wicked servant. You knew I was a demanding person, taking up what I did not lay down and harvesting what I did not plant; [23] why did you not put my money in a bank? Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.’ [24] And to those standing by he said, ‘Take the gold coin from him and give it to the servant who has ten.’ [25] But they said to him, ‘Sir, he has ten gold coins.’ [26] ‘I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

Naturally, Donald’s earlier remark about Christ teaching something besides economics also applies here.