House Republicans are hitting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) for allowing an exemption from the federal minimum wage law increase the House passed this week for the U.S. territory of America Samoa. It seems Samoa is home to a large packing plant for StarKist Tuna, which is owned by the Del Monte Corporation and which just happens to be headquartered in Speaker Pelosi's San Francisco district.
The Democratic-sponsored federal minimum wage legislation ends a similar exemption from the law for the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands. You may recall that disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff represented the Northern Mariana Islands and took several lawmakers on junkets to the island territory to tout the benefits of the minimum wage exemption. According to the Washington Times, Pelosi's office denied she was lobbied by Del Monte to include an exemption for American Samoa. But you can't help but ask why the House Democrats chose to end the exemption for the Northern Marianas and not America Samoa.
7 comments:
Well well well......just goes to show that very few of our elected representatives in Washington actually have our best interests in mind. The influence from special interests groups and lobbyists is sickening. No wonder things on the hill are so bad, regardless of the party in charge. Oh, I'm waiting for Wilson's reply as to how his grand leader Pelosi let this one slip out to the media.
AI, Nice job uncovering this tidbit. It's very telling.
You are thoroughly reprehensible, Gary. You stooped real low last year attacking the only woman and only African-American Member of Congress from Indiana, Julia Carson, but now you have sunk to new depths!
At long last, sir, have you no decency? You have actually called our new Democratic Speaker of the House, the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, as bad as a REPUBLICAN (gasp!!!) ! For shame! You have truly scraped the bottom of barrel now.
P.S. This accusation is no great find by AI - it's standard national boilerplate talking-points sent out by the GOP - their crazies were flogging this issue on the Floor today ... the very same crazies that fought any minimum wage increase for all Americans for 10 years now. All of a sudden today, they discover Samoa ... it reeks of desperation!
Nobody uncovered anything here. For once, I agree with Wilson.
This was all over conservative talk radio today. Boortz, Hannity, et al God they're shrill. Where were those voices when our federal budget deficit shot through the roof under Republican Speakers? With some pretty outrageous earmarks?
Frankly, who cares? If someone can prove there was an earmark by the nwe Speaker, shame on her. But cut some slack.
She's trying to get new shock absorbers for the Speaker's car. They were completely w-o-r-n out.
The post is attributed to the Washington Times. No claim of a find on my part.
Ha - Do as I say, not as I do! This is how they are 'working together' - both the D's and the R's don't get it.
And if this post got rid of Wilson I say it was worth it. He likes to dish it but can't take it, get used to it because more of this sh*t is what we are all going to continue to hear.
American Samoa has been exempt from US minimum wage laws for over 25 years.
Their minimum wage is reviewed every two years, which is more than can be said for the rest of these United States.
How about a little research before jumping on the Republi-puppet bandwagon.
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