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Pelosi - Fishy Minimum Wage Hike Story

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posted on Jan, 13 2007 @ 07:59 AM
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Pelosi Fishy-Story Here

House Democrats have pushed a minimum wage hike, which exempts employers in American Samoa. WHY did they specifically disclude American Samoa? It’s the site of the StarKist Tuna packing plant. StarKist’s parent company, Del Monte Corp., happens to be headquartered in Pelosi’s San Francisco congressional district.

Pelosi is exempting hometown companies from minimum wage.

She claims to never have received any campaign contributions from Del Monte.

75 percent of Del Monte stock is owned by shareholders of the H.J. Heinz Company – whose heirs include Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of Massachusetts Democrat - and failed 2004 presidential candidate - Sen. John Kerry.

SIDE NOTE - I actually saw her on Veterans Day this year. She's a flake and that paint-on-smile she has chissled into her face is going to break someday.



posted on Jan, 13 2007 @ 11:27 AM
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I think it's obvious she tried to pull a fast one and get this through without anyone noticing. I'm glad she was exposed.



Originally posted by FlyersFan
SIDE NOTE - I actually saw her on Veterans Day this year. She's a flake and that paint-on-smile she has chissled into her face is going to break someday.


God help us all if there's ever a supply shortage of BoTox!



posted on Jan, 14 2007 @ 03:56 AM
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Minimum wages in Somoa are not the same as those in the United States. It's not a special exemption, it's just that they aren't altering the existing law, which allows an industrial committee to establish industry-specific minimums in Samoa.


from US Code at Cornell Law (a) Employees engaged in commerce; home workers in Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands; employees in American Samoa; seamen on American vessels; agricultural employees
Every employer shall pay to each of his employees who in any workweek is engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce, or is employed in an enterprise engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce, wages at the following rates:

(3) if such employee is employed in American Samoa, in lieu of the rate or rates provided by this subsection or subsection (b) of this section, not less than the applicable rate established by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with recommendations of a special industry committee or committees which he shall appoint pursuant to sections 205 and 208 of this title. The minimum wage rate thus established shall not exceed the rate prescribed in paragraph (1) of this subsection;


From the above-linked News Max story.

The bill includes, for the first time, employers in the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands, but it exempts American Samoa, another Pacific island territory.


Is there any reason to exempt the Marianas but not Samoa that a good reporter would look into?

Well let's start with conditions in the Marianas. They have long been exempt from many worker protections and labor laws and were a major source of cheap "made in the US" clothing, but have been under major pressure since we gave China "Most Favored Nation" status. Prostitution, Child labor, and even forced abortions for workers and prostitutes have been major problems.

The place is in BIG trouble and it's clear that the US has to do something to keep the place from becoming Bangkok.

Except of course if you're a Republican. Tom Delay said of it

"You are a shining light for what is happening in the Republican Party, and you represent everything that is good about what we’re trying to do in America in leading the world in the free-market system."


Although the appearance of impropriety alone is unacceptable and Pelosi needs to disown any interest in Starkist if she is going to be credible on ethics reform now, my initial look tells me that I want more information before I say that Pelosi acted strictly in self interest. I see one place that is in dire need of a shakeup getting a traumatic but necessary shift in its economy, and a place which is doing better not being toyed around with.
I also see a blatant attempt to mislead through incomplete information by burrying the fact that it's always been excluded at the bottom of the story with only one sentence.
The story is not that Samoa was excluded- that's business as usual. The story is that Samoa wasn't added when the Marianas were.

No way I'm rushing to judgement when I see conservative media trying to spin me into it and see differences in circumstances which may or may not explain the exception. This deserves further research.


ape

posted on Jan, 14 2007 @ 08:29 AM
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I agree it does deserve more research before jumping to conclusions.



posted on Jan, 16 2007 @ 08:22 AM
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Actually, Am. Somoa has never been covered in ANY minimum wage law. Does that mean that Del Monte has every Republican who co-sponsored any of them in their pocket, too?





BTW: Saw Dubya on the tube the other day, he still looks like a dumb lap monkey... Can't wait till he and his blood thirsty greedy henchman are in bright orange jumpsuits on the side of a road picking up trash to repay the community for their transgressions...



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