RK ARCHIVE - George Allen's Dark Version of "Happy Labor Day"

(Arlington, VA)+óGé¼GÇ¥ Senator George Allen routinely tells Virginians one reason they should vote for him is that they +óGé¼+ôknow+óGé¼-¥ him.
Really?
As Virginians celebrate Labor Day, do they know that while George Allen has voted four times against raising the minimum wage, he has voted just as many times to raise his own salary?[1]
Let+óGé¼Gäós tell them.
Although 153,000 Virginians are currently making the minimum wage and are struggling to even reach the poverty line, George Allen has voted to give himself tens of thousands of dollars in raises since he has been in the Senate.
In fact, Friday marked the nine year anniversary since the minimum wage was last increased. And, while the millions of Americans working at minimum wage have grown poorer over the last decade because of the rising costs of health care, gas prices, and higher education, George Allen and America+óGé¼Gäós wealthiest have become only wealthier.

Since the last minimum wage increase in 1997, Congress has voted to give itself eight pay raises or a 24% increase in salary. President Bush+óGé¼Gäós salary has increased 100% and the average CEO+óGé¼Gäós salary has increased by 73 percent.[2]
+óGé¼+ôWhat +óGé¼-£labor+óGé¼Gäó is George Allen celebrating this Labor Day? He gives big financial handouts to the rich, including $32,000 in pay raises for himself, but refuses to help working families by raising the minimum wage,+óGé¼-¥ said Webb spokesperson Kristian Denny Todd.
[1][Vote 179 5/21/06 Amendment Failed (procedural rule required 60 votes) 52-46 D: 43-0 R: 8-46 I: 1-0],
[HR 3058, Vote 257, 10/19/05, Failed 47-51, D:42-0, R:4-51, I:1-0; S 256, Vote 26, 3/7/05, Failed 46-49, D:41-0, R:4-49, I:1-0], [Virginian-Pilot, 11/5/00]
[2] +óGé¼+ôTheir Fair Share+óGé¼-¥ Report, Compiled by Democratic Staff of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions United States Senate, July 12, 2006

Lowell Feld is Netroots Coordinator for the Jim Webb for US Senate Campaign. The ideas expressed here belong to Lowell Feld alone, and do not necessarily represent those of Jim Webb, his advisors, staff, or supporters.

Comments

In other words (Joan K Nyne - 9/4/2006 6:10:01 PM)

Another, and I think particularly stark, way to present this is that the Congressional RAISES over the nine years in question amount (in round numbers) to three times the GROSS annual earnings of one making the minimum wage during the same period.

Three full-time jobs = one series of raises. Class warfare?

This is the best campaign argument we have (demnan - 9/4/2006 6:31:28 PM)

Minimum wage is tragic. But what also is sad is that thousands like me, highly skilled IT workers are making 25K less than they used to. And I'm one of the lucky ones who still have a job in IT - with a very neat non-profit org. But if you talk to people in the middle class who did very well under the Clinton administration and were able to buy homes, many of us are hurting now - the mortgage remains high, or goes higher with taxes, the gas is putting us in a dire situation and we make far less than we used to. And we were the ones who thought we had made it! I thought I was middle class but now I live paycheck to paycheck. I pay half my wage simply for mortgage and condo fee and association fee. If I had two legged kids and more than a small one-bedroom condo I'd probably have to take a second job. As it is, I'm volunteering for Andy Hurst this fall instead. After the election, who knows? Maybe someone will offer me a good job on the Hill as I've worked there before (she hopes, she hopes!)

Class Warfare (Teddy - 9/4/2006 7:12:00 PM)

I read that in his first inaugural address, Abe Lincoln actually said, and I quote: "Labor is prior to and independent of capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital and deserves mcuh the higher consideration." This was before Karl Marx cut loose, remember. Hmmm. Seems to me Abe was on to something here. Class warfare, indeed.

How far median incomes have fallen under BushAllen (Lowell - 9/4/2006 8:41:28 PM)

Median Income (Teddy - 9/4/2006 9:00:25 PM)

Ineresting map, Lowell. Remember, as the Big CEO's get ever more outrageous salaries, and the rest of us get squeezed ever more, median income does NOT quite give us the true picture inasmuch as there is such an increasing gap between the top and the bottom. Thus, the upper crust does even better and we do even worse, despite what looks not too bad median-wise. And does the median income include in income some of the back-dated stock options and other tricky extra-curricular compensations with which the upper crust compensates itself?

This is superb. (summercat - 9/5/2006 7:25:31 AM)

Goes along with Jim reference in the speech on uTube. Dems need to hit this issue hard. I thinkg 83% o fthe country is for raising the minium wage.

Two Virginias (David Campbell - 9/5/2006 7:40:06 AM)

The map is very informative. We should also remember that any mean or median income figures for Virginia are skewed by lower unemployment and much higher incomes in Northern Virgina. The rest of the state hasn't done nearly as well in the Bush/Allen economy.