For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for April 29, 2014

Michael, the world doesn’t quite work that way… ;)

@ORMouseworks

Well if you are a lawyer or a Doctor even talking to them cost money. So in some cases it does work that way.

We have all thought this at one time or another.

Trying to explain how money works and where it comes from to a child really makes you wonder yourself. I’m fine with how traditional markets work (I give you 2 lbs of carrots, you give me $2), but there’s something wrong with the average work-a-day world where people’s salaries are completely unconnected to the value they bring to the enterprise, and only vaguely tuned to the total income of the enterprise in the market.

Al Capp once had a “Li’l Abner” sequence involving a lawyer who charged $1,ooo per word he spoke.

Room and board.

I worked with a lady whose husband was in the hospital for a few weeks, about half way through the stay she asked for a itemized bill. When she started to study the bill she discovered that there were consultant charges of $200 a day charged. She finally realized that a Dr. that was stopping by every day, sticking his HEAD in the door and saying “How are we feeling today” was this charge. He never came INTO the room, never touched her husband or ordered any kind of treatment or test……….next time he showed up she was waiting for him…….needless to say he never came to their room again. lol Go get um Gertrude.

Politician.

Oh, I remember being Michael’s age, and having the same problem. You;re too young for a part-time job, but old enough to want to do things (and buy things).I got a dollar a week, and spent it on comic books. (Eight books at 12 cents each + sales tax = $1.)

When I was getting an allowance, my best friend and I were horse crazy and would go to the livery stable every chance we got. My lesson in economics? Weekly allowance: $2.00. Weekly horseback riding: $2.50. I’ve been $.50 short ever since.

I got $5.00 allowance but cleaned the house, weeded and mowed the yard. And I socked away part of that money, which our mother borrowed periodically.

I should have tried that with my father.

How old is Michael here? He’s only a head shorter than Elly.

Me, too!!!!! 1940s – 1950s, or so!!!!!

How much you pay for something, usually has no relationship to the actual cost and reasonable profit for an item. It’s usually just what the seller thinks they can get for it.

Actually, he’s nine. At his last birthday party, he was only allowed to invite nine guests — one guest for every year, which was the family rule, as his mother reminded him.

Judging from that comment, my guess is it is a response to this: “Ultimately, the lesson Michael learned was that working for his parents to earn the money he wanted was a bad idea because they did not pay a fair wage”

Supposedly. However, one of the remarks from that story arc was Michael saying he did all this extra work to include grooming Mrs. Baird’s dogs, so he was told to find odd jobs whenever and wherever, though the majority of the roller skate money did come from doing jobs for his family. At any rate, Michael is on thin ice already by barging into Elly’s workplace, being fresh with her, now saying he wants a Hollywood-style job with fat rewards for little work.

I don’t get an allowance My parents believe I should work because I live here