With that said, I took the exit polls from the November 7, 2006 elections with a grain of salt, where they stated that the number one thing on America's mind was corruption in congress, with Iraq ranking down at number four. Grain of salt.
Which makes this latest stunt from Grandma Nancy Pelosi, with the minimum wage increase that was passed in the house, especially ironic.
On Wednesday, the House voted to raise the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour.
The bill also extends for the first time the federal minimum wage to the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands. However, it exempts American Samoa, another Pacific island territory that would become the only U.S. territory not subject to federal minimum-wage laws.
One of the biggest opponents of the federal minimum wage in Samoa is StarKist Tuna, which owns one of the two packing plants that together employ more than 5,000 Samoans, or nearly 75 percent of the island's work force. StarKist's parent company, Del Monte Corp., has headquarters in San Francisco, which is represented by Mrs. Pelosi. The other plant belongs to California-based Chicken of the Sea.
Well, well well, seems that reform and transparency has just turned to hypocricy and Madame Speaker is one of the first members of congress to blantantly break the promises that were made to the American voters on Novemeber 7th.
Some Republicans who voted in favor of the minimum-wage bill were particularly irritated to learn yesterday -- after their vote -- that the legislation did not include American Samoa.
"I was troubled to learn of this exemption," said Rep. Mark Steven Kirk, Illinois Republican.
"My intention was to raise the minimum wage for everyone. We shouldn't permit any special favors or exemptions that are not widely discussed in Congress. This is the problem with rushing legislation through without full debate."
A spokeswoman for Mrs. Pelosi said Wednesday that the speaker has not been lobbied in any way by StarKist or Del Monte.
Things to make you go hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Anyone believe that?
Seems Pelosi's underhanded tactics in the start of the newest, soon to be most corrupt Congress in history, is also annoying fellow Democrat Charlie Rangel.
Powerhouse New York Rep. Charles Rangel is butting heads with fellow Democrat Nancy Pelosi just a week into the new Congress controlled by their party, The Post has learned.
Rangel yesterday swatted down a tax hike that Pelosi has floated, and he made an end run around her decision to bypass House committees in a rush to bring bills to a vote.
"There's a lot of tension there," one Democratic lawmaker said of the relationship between Rangel and Pelosi.
Rangel, who took over the powerful Ways and Means Committee after 36 years in Congress, smacked down the idea Pelosi raised on Sunday of repealing tax cuts for those earning more than $500,000 per year.
"We haven't gotten that far to be talking about tax increases," Rangel told The Post. "She hasn't discussed it with me . . . We haven't gotten into tax policy."
Pelosi had said nixing tax cuts for half-million-dollar earners "might be more important to the American people than ignoring the educational and health needs of America's children."
But Rangel, whose committee handles tax policy, dismissed Pelosi's idea as unlikely to happen, since the speaker didn't bother to vet it with him in advance.
Well Charlie... all I can say is this: YOU folks voted her in as Squeaker of the house, now you folks can clean up her messes, infight all you want and let the American public see exactly what they got for their money and votes.
Those damn earmarks that everybody agrees should go, are being awful stubborn about actually leaving. Seems that the Democrats in congress are not the only ones having a problem with hypocrisy.
Harry Reid, in the Senate, has "stalled" a vote on a Republican amendment that would require full disclosure of the spending provisions, also known as earmarks. The maneuver -- which continued through last night and into today -- gives Mr. Reid time to turn Democrats against the measure, which is similar to the ethics rules adopted with much fanfare last week by the new Democrat-led House.
Immediately before Mr. Reid stopped the amendment to the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007, the Senate expressed its support for it, rejecting a bid to kill it on a 51-46 vote. The measure would require that members of Congress disclose all earmarks they request.
"Democratic leaders are stalling in an attempt to strong-arm more Democrats into voting to table the amendment," said Thomas A. Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste. "This is not a promising beginning to the new Congress when the first effort to improve accountability and transparency is being shot down by the Democratic leadership."
In addition to stopping the provision, Mr. Reid also criticized the first accomplishments by the new Democrat-led House.
"This is exactly like the House provision," he said on the Senate floor. "That's one of the problems I have. I frankly don't think that they spent the time on this that we have."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, through a spokesman, defended the House earmarks rule as part of the "most sweeping" ethics reforms in congressional history.
A week in and already the Democrats are fighting with each other, and publicly criticizing the new speaker, Nancy Pelosi.
Ironic indeed.
Seems that nothing will change, nothing was going to change, it was all a big lie to manipulate the American public and THAT is the one thing they are very good at.
Others discussing this:
Iowa Voice, Gun Toting Liberal ™, Sigmund, Carl and Alfred, Right Wing News, Blogs for Bush, Don Surber and PoliPundit.com
Tracked back by:
Good luck with that from Right Truth....
Friday State of the Mountain from The Random Yak...
Now Who's the NAZI? Dems Move to Squelch Right to from Dumb Ox Daily News...
Princess Pelosi and her court from Mark My Words...
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