[Leaplist] My "Ethic" and how much BS does a BS work? -- I liken da'Homer "math"

[Chris]

Bryan J. Smith wrote:

>
> In Florida, it's impossible for me to break $50/hour, and many don't
> like to pay more than $20-30/hour max.  But in the mid-west, I can
> easily get $60+.  Texas, which costs no more to live than Florida, is
> also close to that.
>
> In the north-east, I don't come for anything less than $75/hour
> because hotels are $100+/night!
>

The last time I was in a Northeast motel, the chick who
knocked on my door wouldn't come for anything less
than $75 an hour either. Hmmmm...


>
> Chris wrote:
>
>> Damn - I've been charging $20 per hour - I thought something
>> wasn't right ;-) It's that darn invoicing software.
>
>
> You're low-balling yourself.  For on-site, 24+ hours/week, you should
> be charging more like $30/hour for Florida, at least.  For on-call,
> double it.


My tongue was, as usual, in my cheek there - the joke of the
admin betrayed by his own support software - of course, even
$20 may not be low-balling - you haven't payed for my dubious
services ;-)

>
>> Give it a break guys - the IRS reads this stuff too! (at least,
>> in my paranoid world, they do)
>
>
> The IRS loves my butt.  My tax returns have been $10,500, $4,500 and
> $6,500 the last 3 years.  I overpay.  I take a standard deduction and
> Schedule C.
>

The IRS loves being essentially free of constitutional checks
and balances, and your butt is not the only pound of flesh they
want. Follow the history of most of the really evil secret
police, KGB or whatever back, and they often had their roots in
revenue collection. Or, there's always FairTax.org ...

>> As far as what we're worth? Almost exactly what someone is willing to 
>> pay,
>> in a free market.
>
>
> Cost-of-living is a factor as well.  Just renting a single bed-room
> here is over $1,000/month.  I've already spent over $10,000 living in
> a hotel for 4 months.  Connecticut is damn expensive!
>
Cost-of-living has never been a factor in what consumers
are willing to pay - which establishes worth. Whether it
costs me, as a consultant, $200 per diem in expenses to live
does not enter into my worth to a client. It doesn't matter if
it costs Pepsi $4.00 per liter to bottle, advertise, ship, etc.
their product. Ultimately their worth is determined by whether
folks will buy Pepsi for $5.00 per liter - which seems unlikely,
as long as Coke can sell their product for $0.75 per liter. The
consumer doesn't care about the overhead - that's the problem
of the provider. In other words, if I'm picking oranges for
$3.00 per hour, my employer doesn't give a flip about my
living expenses, whether I have fourteen kids, or grandma
needs an operation. If I claim that the job is worth more than
$3.00 per hour, but I can be replaced in an hour by someone
else willing to do the work for the same wages, then I am
obviously mistaken about the worth of the job - and my own
worth, if that is the only job I can/am willing to do.


Cheers,

Chris