Mrs. Pelosi campaigned heavily on promises of honest government. Now we find out that she is exempting hometown companies from minimum wage.
On Wednesday, the House voted to raise the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour. The bill also extends for the first time the federal minimum wage to the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands. However, it exempts American Samoa, another Pacific island territory that would become the only U.S. territory not subject to federal minimum-wage laws. One of the biggest opponents of the federal minimum wage in Samoa is StarKist Tuna, which owns one of the two packing plants that together employ more than 5,000 Samoans, or nearly 75 percent of the island's work force. StarKist's parent company, Del Monte Corp., has headquarters in San Francisco, which is represented by Mrs. Pelosi. The other plant belongs to California-based Chicken of the Sea.
2007-01-15 03:26:04 · 14 answers · asked by Mail J 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
FascFiter – I really don’t care about how much Samoans make since I am not a Samoan nor I know what their living expense is. I do care about price of my can of tuna going up!. Where do you think the extra cost to the company is going to come from?. Certainly not from Pelosi’s pocket. Starkist ain’t gonna take the blow and be happy with it. It will be passed down to each end consumer who buys the tuna.
Richard K – Here is the news story http://washingtontimes.com/national/20070112-120720-2734r.htm (I am not surprised this is not in the mainstream media)
cyanne2ak – If she really is a smart women, why did she campaign for a dumb idea?.
2007-01-15 06:32:19 · update #1
A double standard!. We're told you can't raise a family on $5.15 an hour and the minimum wage must be raised to $7.25 an hour. But for the right price in campaign contributions, the tuna industry in American Samoa can avoid the minimum wage; altogether...they just have to stuff the pockets of the right Democrats. Where is the media on this one?
I wonder how that happened. 5,000 Samoans get shafted by the new Speaker of the House because she didn't want to hurt a huge corporation in her district. Rep. Pelosi didn't mind passing legislation that will sink some small businesses in America, but she was loathing to tick off a major potential (or past) donor in her home district.
Same old Democrats, twelve years out power and it took them less than 100-hours to get back in the swing of corruption that got them tossed in 1994.
2007-01-15 04:08:04 · answer #1 · answered by Ro! 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
GOOD POINT!
I have my issues with the minimum wage being jumped this high after 10 years without a change!
The cost of living will increase due to this hike!!! Since wages will need to be increased, the price of goods will need to be risen as well. You don't really think the Business owners are going to absorb the cost of the hike - DO YOU?
And for Salary jobs... we are the ones who are really going to be hit! Our wages are not "affected" by the increase... our wages will remain stagnate - while everything else is increased! I can't believe that anyone with half a brain would find this a good decision!
As for Pelosi herself - this is just one example of the "idea on paper seems good, but in all actuality, disastrous!"
Pelosi (as most politicians) are out for themselves!
As for what Pelosi's concern in StarKist are: I think it is obvious... if she is involved with the company that owns StarKist - she is out to make more money! TERRIBLE!
2007-01-15 03:39:08 · answer #2 · answered by Glory 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Mrs Pelosi is a politican just like all the politicans. They lie. They represent the big contributors and not the people.
Yet, the average citizen continually falls for their lies and re-elects them.
Check to see how much Del Monte and Chicken of the Sea and their subcompanies and officers donated to her campaigns!
Besides, Somoans are non voting non whites. Democrats don't care about them.
The raising of the minimum wage in those places would have been a huge benefit for the natives.
2007-01-15 03:33:46 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Like most politicians, Pelosi rants on enthusiastically about honest government, which she obviously supports adamantly.... until that part of "honest " interferes with her crawl space. No way she's going to show muscle to Del Monte. She's no better and no worse than the other clowns in Washington.
2007-01-15 03:41:07 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
A federal law should be subject to everyone subject to federal jurisdiction.
Fiter are you telling me that it is OK for you to hate on Bush but we cannot hate on Pelosi. Sounds like a double standard there doesn't it? Then again the Liberals are famous for their double standards. Let's increase taxes unless you own a ketchup company.
2007-01-15 03:34:17 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like her idea of cleaning up Washington is ..........business as usual :
1)Everyone has an agenda
2)There is a reason for every action not taken
3)Don't let them see your motives until after the legislation is passed
2007-01-15 03:40:25 · answer #6 · answered by Akkita 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A politician that didn't keep her promises once elected to office? Not a novelty in Washington or California for that matter. Democrats are as self serving as Republicans and if you bought into their bullshit, I'm sorry.
2007-01-15 03:31:29 · answer #7 · answered by Firespider 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
i suppose that we should contrast that with the stark FACT that most republicans opposed raising the minimum wage for anyone - bearing in mind that congress got NINE salary increases while the republicans had control.
you're straying from the talking points of the day - two demerits!
2007-01-15 03:33:22 · answer #8 · answered by nostradamus02012 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think she's a smart woman! Minimum Wage does NOT help anyone at all. Infact, it directly increases inflation and even causes it.
2007-01-15 03:34:21 · answer #9 · answered by cyanne2ak 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I wonder what interest Pelosi has in StarKist, that would be interesting to see.
2007-01-15 03:29:52 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋