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PELOSI'S TUNA SURPRISE
ncpa.org ^ | January 16, 2007

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


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: americansamoa; nancypelosi; palomino; tunafactorypelosi; tunafactorywaiver; tunagate
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To: InvisibleChurch

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".


21 posted on 01/16/2007 9:26:35 AM PST by sgtbono2002 (Peace through strength.)
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To: aviator
Nancy's husband owns millions of dollars of stock in the Samoa tuna industry.

Where does the article say that? Can't find it but the link only lets you look at part of the story.

22 posted on 01/16/2007 9:27:45 AM PST by TruthWillWin
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To: Hildy
Let's see if 60 Minutes does a story on it.

Nope. They already have filled their quota for non-liberal stories this year when they ran an objective Duke Rape story last week.

23 posted on 01/16/2007 9:30:29 AM PST by TruthWillWin
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To: InvisibleChurch
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.

24 posted on 01/16/2007 9:31:04 AM PST by leadhead (It’s a duty and a responsibility to defeat them. But it's also a pleasure)
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To: InvisibleChurch

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.


25 posted on 01/16/2007 9:31:46 AM PST by nosofar
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To: InvisibleChurch

The title of this article brings up some really unpleasant feminine hygenie problems with Pelosi.


26 posted on 01/16/2007 9:35:28 AM PST by MikeA (Nancy Pelosi: The Speaker of the News Media)
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To: InvisibleChurch

Nancy, is that you I smell???

Something fishy going on here and it ain't Charlie I smell.


27 posted on 01/16/2007 9:35:35 AM PST by o_zarkman44
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To: MikeA

Nope. Not going there. Not going there. Not going there. /Shudder


28 posted on 01/16/2007 9:42:57 AM PST by Shaun_MD (Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teaches my fingers to fight, and my hands to war.)
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To: TruthWillWin

Rush said that on his Jan 12th show.


29 posted on 01/16/2007 9:47:05 AM PST by aviator (Armored Pest Control)
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To: Rb ver. 2.0

Rush said that on his Jan 12th show.


30 posted on 01/16/2007 9:48:09 AM PST by aviator (Armored Pest Control)
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To: InvisibleChurch

There's something very, very wrong with that headline but I refuse to put my finger on it.


31 posted on 01/16/2007 9:49:38 AM PST by TADSLOS (Iran is in the IED exporting business. Time to shut them down.)
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To: Shaun_MD

I just couldn't stop myself...


32 posted on 01/16/2007 9:56:05 AM PST by MikeA (Nancy Pelosi: The Speaker of the News Media)
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To: MikeA

I know it's hard to resist Nancy's tuna. Wow, just saying that made me throw up a little. lol


33 posted on 01/16/2007 10:02:41 AM PST by Shaun_MD (Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teaches my fingers to fight, and my hands to war.)
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To: leadhead

"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!!!


34 posted on 01/16/2007 10:19:06 AM PST by golfboy (character is doing what is right, when no one is looking)
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To: leadhead

"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.


35 posted on 01/16/2007 10:23:54 AM PST by agooga (Let the Wookie win!!!)
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To: InvisibleChurch

Pelosi owns $17 million in Starkist (Del Monte) stock.

She is nothing more than your garden variety democrat part con-artist thief.


36 posted on 01/16/2007 10:38:20 AM PST by FormerACLUmember
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To: nosofar


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.


37 posted on 01/16/2007 10:50:57 AM PST by Para-Ord.45
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To: the_Watchman

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.


38 posted on 01/16/2007 1:43:41 PM PST by art_rocks
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