Thu
Jan 11 2007
09:29 am
In other news, the House passes minimum wage increase
By: R. Neal

Lost among all the yammering about idiot man-child's latest recipe for disaster was the news that the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 within two years. It passed 315 to 116, with 82 Republicans voting for it.

To their credit, the House passed a "no strings attached" bill. Senate Majority Leader Reid says it will have to be amended to include tax breaks for small business to get past the Senate and for Bush to sign it. He suggested Republicans would filibuster otherwise. Interesting.

Anyway, America may finally be on the road to recovery.

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RedDog's picture

Well there is this "String"!

Submitted by RedDog on Thu, 2007/01/11 - 4:53pm.

(link...)

So America's mother-in-law, her surrendercrats, and about 80 spineless Republicans passed the "Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007." It will increase the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over the next two years.

But, the law exempts American Samoa -- a territory that would become the only U.S. territory not subject to the minimum wage law.

Why?

Well, StarKist Tuna owns one of the two tuna packing plants on the island. Together, those plants employ more than 5,000 Samoans, or nearly 75% of the workforce on the island.

According to the Washington Times, "StarKist's parent company, Del Monte Corp., is headquartered in San Francisco, which is represented by Mrs. Pelosi."

R. Neal's picture

Yeah, that sounds pretty

Submitted by R. Neal on Thu, 2007/01/11 - 6:40pm.

Yeah, that sounds pretty, uh, fishy.

Except you forgot to mention that American Samoa has been exempt from the federal minimum wage since about 1958, if I'm not mistaken, and that it is set separately by a federal panel.

So the new law does not exempt American Samoa. In fact, the new law doesn't even mention American Samoa.

What the new law DOES mentioned is that the Northern Mariana Island sweatshops, which were clients of Tom Delay and Jack Abramoff, are now subject to a minimum wage. It is substantially lower, however, that the U.S. federal minimum wage.

There are also special provisions in the existing law for for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. They weren't mentioned in the new law, either. So clearly there is some kind of corruption going on there, too. It probably involves rum.

Sven's picture

RedState...sticking it to

Submitted by Sven on Thu, 2007/01/11 - 7:17pm.

RedState...sticking it to sticking up for the working man since 2000somethingsomething!

And factchecking! The 75% should be 33%.

R. Neal's picture

I do appreciate RedDog

Submitted by R. Neal on Thu, 2007/01/11 - 7:19pm.

I do appreciate RedDog bringing this to my attention so that I would have to go actually read the House minimum wage bill.

It was refreshing to read a simple, two page law spelled out in simple terms that anybody can understand, versus the hundreds of pages of gobbeldy gook we got from the previous Congress loaded down with earmarks and exceptions and ponies for the Preznit and all his pals.

Sounds like the minimum wage bill will look like that after it gets through the Senate, though.

RedDog's picture

OK - sounds like your

Submitted by RedDog on Thu, 2007/01/11 - 7:37pm.

OK - sounds like your research certainly topped mine. Good job

R. Neal's picture

I appreciate that, but in

Submitted by R. Neal on Thu, 2007/01/11 - 8:02pm.

RedDog, I appreciate that, but in fairness to your side there was some controversy re. Samoa in committee, and the new chairman (another D from California but not Pelosi) apparently took some heat from the Rs over it. He pledges to look at it again in the future.

Here's a somewhat more balanced article on the issue:

(link...)

The only reason I went to research it after you mentioned it is because I (like most Democrats) have bitched about the Rs for six years now, and I (and hopefully most other Democrats) are going to hold our Ds in Congress to higher standards, because to do otherwise would be hypocritical. If there was anything substantive there re. Pelosi I'd be the first to pile on. That's not to say I (and probably other Democrats) won't try to put our own spin on things from time to time, just as the Rs have.

Speaking of which, this Jefferson guy from Louisiana needs to be dealt with forthwith if there is anything to the allegations. At least that's what I think.

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