Samoans do not deserve a minimum wage hike

[tim huntzinger]

Sooooo right out of the gate the Dems illustrate the absolutely corrupting influence of power.

Speaker Pelosi (who is attractive in a Mrs. Robinson sort of way) denies that she was influenced by Dole Corp. - who owns a massive tuna processing plant on Samoa - had anything to do with the unusual exemption granted Samoa from any minimum wage hikes.

Granted the bill goes to conference and will be corrected, but the impression is unescapable.

Tulsa did not die so that his fellow Samoans would be treated like second class citizens.

[deinstein]

Republicans did the same thing with their minimum wage proposals...at least the Democrats got it done. They both are hideous, one is the better of two evils though.

[waterboy]

Lots of bills are proposed in this fashion. Knowing that they will be "corrected". It gives each of the parties, political and business, a chance to save face. Did you expect her, or any politician, to ignore their supporters? They all know the nature of the game. It is up to the party regulars to mis-use this process to rally their troops.

[tim huntzinger]

H2O, I sure do expect politicians to resist ham-handed efforts to discriminate against US citizens for whatever reasons.

[Chicken Little]

Pelosi bows to pressure.  Samoans to get wage hike, too.

/You see, folks.  This is how government is supposed to work.  The good ideas get through and bad ideas get kicked to the curb.  

Nobody said it was a perfect or pretty process, but it beats the heck out of the previous decade.  In 2005, Republican Tom "the Hammer" Delay was busy trying to enslave the Northern Marianas.  Where were the Republicans in that seedy little round of hot, corporate love action?

When Republicans were in charge of everything, these kinds of shenanigans were expected, but this time around Samoa and Northern Marianas are getting a raise.  Its a new day.  Huzzah for accountability!

[MichaelC]

I was watching CSPAN when they were talking about this item.  One of the Dem Representatives mentioned that American Samoa is pretty much the only place in the US territories that is (and always has been) figured differently.  The GOP was complaining about it because it was about all they had to complain about.

It's not "unusual", it wasn't a mistake, it's just the GOP complaining becuase they know people are stupid enough to believe them.

Incorporating American Samoa into the minimimum wage is unusual.  They're altering decades of precedent, thanks to the GOP's timely complaints.

[guido911]

You are missing the point about Pelosi. The dems have been sceaming about the GOP's "culture of corruption" for the past several years. Then, right off the bat, Pelosi supports a bill that gives a sweetheart exemption to a company headquarted in her district. http://newsbusters.org/node/10131

I guess American Somoan workers earning less than minimum wage is okay to Pelosi.

[deinstein]

I'm just saying Republicans did it as well.

[RecycleMichael]

American Samoa is a fascinating place. There are only about 15,000 jobs and one third of those work in the tuna industry. Another third work in government.

There are over 30 current NFL players from Samoa which means that a Samoan man is 40 times more likely to be a professional football player than a non Samoan male.

Dog-fighting is still legal there.

[deinstein]

Most of them are offensive lineman, right?

[tim huntzinger]

So what is wrong with Pelosi defending the exclusion and explaining why it was granted?  What is wrong with saying 'We need to avoid the appearance of wrongdoing and strive higher than the GOP.'

Excusing it away because the system 'works' is like saying a crime has only been committed if it is reported.  You Dems are in a tough spot on this one.

And how does it feel, Dems, what do you think of yourselves, to have a lower standard for your leader than Congressman Sullivan?  When the Foley thing was going on he was right out front saying that if the Speaker were involved in any sort of cover up he should resign.  And you KNOW I would rather have my sphincter waxed than compliment 'Sully' (who, BTW, was smirking in the background on Faux News as fellow GOP Member was delivering some snarky remarks RE the prescription drug bill.)

[Rico]

  This is much ado about nothing....

If I lived oh say....




Here........!

I think you could take your minimum wage hike and stick it....!

This is exactly why Bush has been able to dupe the American public... fill the airwaves with sh*t that does not amount to a hill of beans...

The Big stuff like war just slips by while the American public are concerned with nit picking..

[tim huntzinger]

Ohhhh, NOW I get it.  Here is a message board from Topix.net addressing the issue.   They have gone down this rathole thoroughly, and it leads nowhere fast.

It must be that Samoa has an informal agreement with Dole to exempt itself from min wage requirements and the 'exemption' existed before, anyway.

Here, Samoans talk amongst themselves, and, it seems they could use some help.  'Sad,' 'TRASH! TRASH! TRASH!', 'sight for sore eyes,' 'polluted.'

Sounds like a craphole.  Who cares, antyway, right?

[Chicken Little]

quote:Originally posted by tim huntzinger

Ohhhh, NOW I get it.  Here is a message board from Topix.net addressing the issue.   They have gone down this rathole thoroughly, and it leads nowhere fast.

It must be that Samoa has an informal agreement with Dole to exempt itself from min wage requirements and the 'exemption' existed before, anyway.

Here, Samoans talk amongst themselves, and, it seems they could use some help.  'Sad,' 'TRASH! TRASH! TRASH!', 'sight for sore eyes,' 'polluted.'

Sounds like a craphole.  Who cares, antyway, right?

I think you are trying to milk this.  As Michael C points out, this exemption was an historical artifact, Samoa was always treated differently, Republicans know it and this is just an ironic game.  

I say ironic because, stunt or not, Samoans are now getting a raise, too.  Do you really think the Republicans care about the lives of Pacific Islanders?

[tim huntzinger]

NO ONE CARES ABOUT THE SAMOANS.  GOP'ers, Dems, whoever.  Maybe Bernie Sanders, maybe.
The apalling conditions in sweat shops worldwide should be condemned, not excused.  This is not a done deal at all (the MW being granted to Samoans), and I expect the Senate to 'restore' that exemption once the circumstances are investigated.

It is ironic, CL, you are correct.  I hope the Samoans are able to escape their South Pacific plantation Company Store before it abandons them.

Like I said, this is no big deal.  Clearly the issue was 'brought to light' by Pelosi's enemies.  There was no special exemption because Samoans have been getting the shaft way long before now.  See?  That was not hard to say, was it?