Posted on 01/16/2007 8:55:20 AM PST by InvisibleChurch
January 16, 2007
PELOSI'S TUNA SURPRISE Economists of every political stripe agree that a higher minimum wage will cost some low-skill workers their jobs, says the Wall Street Journal.
Even Speaker Nancy Pelosi seems to understand this. Despite leading efforts to pass minimum wage increases, she granted a reprieve to American Samoa, which has a big fish and tuna canning industry, specifically operations run by StarKist and Chicken of the Sea. Both companies are headquartered in California, and StarKist's parent is located in none other than Speaker Pelosi's own San Francisco district. Democrats rediscovered the eternal economic truth that a higher minimum wage can cost jobs and granted Samoa its reprieve:
In 2004, according to the Department of Labor, Samoan canneries directly employed some 4,800 people, or nearly 40 percent of the work force. StarKist and Chicken of the Sea would have plenty of other low-wage locations to do their canning; the average hourly wage for the American Samoan canneries in 2004 was about $3.60. In contrast, the average cannery wage in Thailand was 67 cents an hour and in the Philippines 66 cents. You don't have to go as far as American Samoa to discover other liberals who understand this -- at least when they do the hiring, says the Journal:
In 1995, the union-financed lobby, Acorn, sued California seeking exemption from the state's then-$4.25 minimum wage. Acorn argued in its court brief that the more they must pay each individual outreach worker -- either because of minimum wage or overtime requirements -- the fewer outreach workers it will be able to hire. None of this insight will do American Samoa much good, however. Red-faced after her tuna surprise was discovered, Speaker Pelosi announced that she was to re-examine whether the bill also should apply to the Pacific island.
Source: Editorial, "Pelosi's Tuna Surprise," Wall Street Journal, January 16, 2007.
For text:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116891896808477346.html
For more on Minimum Wage:
http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_Category=24
When I read the headline I was reminded of the joke about the blind man passing the fish store,tipping his hat, and saying "Good Morning Ladies".
Where does the article say that? Can't find it but the link only lets you look at part of the story.
Nope. They already have filled their quota for non-liberal stories this year when they ran an objective Duke Rape story last week.
Always something when government intervention occurs.
Regardless of one's position on the minimum wage, there should NOT be a Federal minimum wage. This should be left to the individual states and territories. A minimum wage that might be just fine in San Francisco, is a stupid idea in...oh...Samoa, for example. Each state has different circumstances and imposing the same wage on all is biased against the poorer states.
The title of this article brings up some really unpleasant feminine hygenie problems with Pelosi.
Nancy, is that you I smell???
Something fishy going on here and it ain't Charlie I smell.
Nope. Not going there. Not going there. Not going there. /Shudder
Rush said that on his Jan 12th show.
Rush said that on his Jan 12th show.
There's something very, very wrong with that headline but I refuse to put my finger on it.
I just couldn't stop myself...
I know it's hard to resist Nancy's tuna. Wow, just saying that made me throw up a little. lol
"She's in a bit of a box. If the min.wage isn't raised, it will be seen as aiding the tuna canner and protecting their profits. If it is raised, 4800 could be out of work if the canners move.
Always something when government intervention occurs."
She can just pass a new law that Starkist can't move their operations. She can do anything!!!
"She's in a bit of a box. If the min.wage isn't raised, it will be seen as aiding the tuna canner and protecting their profits."
Not only that, but it could be inferred that the whole concept of the minimum wage is faulty.
Pelosi owns $17 million in Starkist (Del Monte) stock.
She is nothing more than your garden variety democrat part con-artist thief.
You win the prize for being true to the Constitution.
Nowhere does it say,"...and there shall be a department of
labour...department of Housing..." etc etc.
The USA is a democracy/mobocracy. The Constitution,
is dead.
Were not getting the whole story. There is another island, Northern Marianas Islands, which was also exempt from the federal minimum wage scale like Samoa.
With this bill, the Northern Marianas Islands will now have to pay the federal minimum wage and Samoa does not.
The Congress changed the exemption for the Northern Marianas but not Samoa. So Pelosi could change the law if she wanted.
She didn't think she would get caught.
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