Ethics: Mandatory gratuity (tipping)

[Mr.Right]

How is a mandatory tip anything but an extra tax? Shouldn't tips be for exceptional service? And not for ordinary service? I understand wait-staff get paid very low hourly wages since they're supposed tog et tips, but it was their choice to become so employed. I'd much rather get up and go get my own food (since I probably do for the salad bar anyway) than pay an extra tax for my meal. If waiters are doing something superfluous I'd gladly do for a cheaper bill, or a trained monkey (as in Japan,) or automation could do, and not in any extraordinary way, why should they be tipped?

Listen to the liberal complain about wasteful taxes

I'd just like to point out that "tips" is an acronym...To Insure Proper Service. It was a way to get people to do a proper job of serving you. If they fail in that obligation, no tip.