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Media allowed to stand suggestion that Pelosi support for minimum wage bill stems from company in her district
In the days following House passage of a Democratic minimum wage increase, media outlets have continued to report Republican accusations that the bill, the Fair Minimum Wage Act, caters to a company in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) district because it does not include a wage hike for American Samoa. These stories point out that Del Monte Corp., which is headquartered in Pelosi's district, owns one of American Samoa's largest employers, StarKist. But in reporting the accusation, many in the media have allowed to stand the suggestion that Pelosi's support of this bill stems from Del Monte's interest. In fact, Pelosi has supported several versions of the Fair Minimum Wage Act since it was introduced by Democrats in 1999, three years before Del Monte bought StarKist, and each has included a wage hike for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands but not for American Samoa.
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Posted by monknj80
They are realy reaching on this one.
Posted Tuesday January 23, 2007 5:06:05 PM EST / Flag this comment
Posted by Brian in FL
So what is the Republican Party's excuse for failing to pass the minimum wage hike for all these years for the entire country?
Where was Fox's criticism of them?
And Fox's attempt to link Pelosi and Del Monte is extremely weak. So Del Monte has never given money to Pelosi, but is headquartered in her district. Del Monte owns Starkist, which is the 2nd largest employer in America Samoa? That's it?
Posted Tuesday January 23, 2007 5:19:01 PM EST / Flag this comment
Posted by Easy to refute wingnuts in reply to Brian in FL
It has been documented over and over again that Del Monte gives the vast majority of its political contributions to the GOP and very little, if any, to the Democratic Party.
Posted Tuesday January 23, 2007 7:44:22 PM EST / Flag this comment
Posted by redking75687
Pelosi makes over $150,000 a year from her Congressional salary. She gets an automatic 4% "cost of living" increase every year. She gets free healthcare coverage.
The new minimum wage is like $10,000 a year. No cost of living increases. No free health care provided.
If she actually gave a damn about the working poor of this nation, she'd protect our jobs, she'd give us health care with our taxation, she'd place price controls on gasoline and medicine and stop the federal taxes on our utility bills.
Guess she doesn't really give a damn.
Posted Wednesday January 24, 2007 1:16:32 AM EST / Flag this comment
Posted by Easy to refute wingnuts in reply to redking75687
"If she actually gave a damn about the working poor of this nation, she'd protect our jobs, she'd give us health care with our taxation, she'd place price controls on gasoline and medicine and stop the federal taxes on our utility bills."
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Wow. I guess a representative from California has much more power than I ever imagined. She can do all that? Single-handedly? Amazing.
Is all this supposed to happen magically two weeks after being sworn in, or do these things, oh, I don't know... TAKE TIME, PERHAPS?
Posted Wednesday January 24, 2007 10:03:51 AM EST / Flag this comment
Posted by redking75687 in reply to Easy to refute wingnuts
How long has she been in office? How long was she minority leader? What initiatives has she proposed in those times that would correct the problems we are facing? Why was she not pushing for these reforms as minority leader? Why is she NOT pushing these reforms now?
All I get in answer is the same tired excuses for Democratic inaction..."Oh, we weren't in power. Oh, we haven't been in majority long enough."
And that's all they are...excuses. The American People are under seige economically and Pelosi is NOT our ally in this class war.
Posted Wednesday January 24, 2007 3:21:44 PM EST / Flag this comment
Posted by rusty shackleford
Pelosi-bashing? That's soooo last December.
Posted Wednesday January 24, 2007 9:31:02 AM EST / Flag this comment