[kinghorse]

huh? protecting Starkist? I think you have it backwards here. Nothing has Starkist glued to Samoa other than the bottom line. If she did anything, she protected the Samoan people that understand economics and a business's freedom to move better than the grandstanders in DC.

[KarlInOhio]

Did she have a similar concern with industry in the Northern Marianas which currently has a similar exemption from the national minimum wage? No, the Northern Marianas is having its wage gradually increased up to the minimum in the rest of the country. The question is why is that good for the Marianas and not for Samoa, or more to the point, why is it good for her supporters in Starkist to keep Samoan wages down but Marianas' wages don't matter for any of her supporters.

I can accept the fact that wages are lower in the island territories. I don't like the blatent politics of changing the Marianas' wages while keeping Samoan wages down for Starkist.

[oceanview]

if starkist didn't have $3/hr labor, they might have a more modern plant with more automation. yes, that would mean samoans would lose jobs - samoa would then have to get an economic plan that attracted some other businesses there.

if we allowed starkist $1/hr labor, they might hire even more samoans. should we do it?