At 11:57 AM 1/16/01 -0500, Doug Henwood wrote:
>kelley wrote:
>
>>curious, how is the min wage figure derived, below? i assume they're
>>including migrant labor wages and those paid to immigrants who are
>>working off the books?
>>
>>"Bush opposes affirmative action, and presides over a state that has a
>>minimum wage of only $3.15 an hour. "
>
>Hmm, weird, since the national minimum wage is higher (and the national
>minimum exempts most ag workers).
>
>Doug
According to an article online, DNC inspired number "Aprons," a comparative ad, addresses Bush's Texas record on the minimum wage. Most of the information has been used in earlier ads describing Bush's past, but this ad is unique in its specific focus on the minimum wage issue. It begins with a rather gripping fact that has been used effectively in other ads: Bush's support of state legislation that kept the Texas minimum wage at $3.35 after that national minimum wage grew to $5.15. As evidence, however, the ad cites two articles, one from 1997 and one from 1999, which suggests that the circumstances of this legislation may be questionable http://www.clgregor.com/campaign/ads10-16.html http://nationaljournal.com/members/adspotlight/2000/10/1011dnc2.ram
Ad: ``National Minimum.''Produced by: Democratic National Committee. Time: 30 seconds. Script: Male announcer: ``Before you look at George W. Bush's plans, look at his record. When the national minimum wage was raised to $5.15 an hour, Bush kept the Texas minimum wage at $3.35. When Congress passed a law to help states provide health insurance for kids, Bush opposed its expansion to 220,000 children in Texas. And a federal judge had to step in, ruling Texas fails to provide adequate health care for children. George Bush: His real plans hurt real people.'' Key images: Slowed-down footage of Bush speaking. A worker pushing a broom. Two boys -- one black and one white -- being examined by doctors. A gavel pounding. A boy reading a book. Graphics emphasize key phrases in the script. Background: This ad, which started running in nine battleground states over the weekend, attempts to turn Bush's ``Real Plans for Real People'' slogan against him. It is being paid for locally by the Ohio Democratic Party. Analysis: The claim that ``Bush kept the Texas minimum wage at $3.35'' is open to interpretation. In fact, the issue has never gotten to Bush, as the Democratic-leaning legislature has failed to pass any of the six bills that would have raised the state minimum wage since 1995. However, Bush has never pushed for a minimum wage increase, either. Many states -- including Ohio -- have minimum wage laws below the federal minimum wage, and six have no minimum wage laws at all. The Texas minimum wage law applies only to the 675,000 workers not already covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. . . . Bush's 1997 budget funded the Children's Health Insurance Program only for families below 150 percent of the poverty level, while a Democratic plan would have provided benefits to families up to 200 percent of the poverty level -- a difference of between 175,000 and 250,000 children, according to estimates. Bush later compromised, using money from the tobacco settlement to pay for the difference. . . . A federal judge did rule against the Bush Administration for failing to enroll enough children in preventive medicine programs under Medicaid, but the class-action lawsuit was actually filed during the administration of Gov. Ann Richards, a Democrat. The state is appealing the ruling, which it blames on a ``liberal judge.'' -- GREGORY KORTE
http://www.ohio.com/bj/news/2000/September/20/docs/032642.htm