Minimum Wage Tuna

The newly-dominant House Democrats just passed a bill to increase the minimum wage in order to "help" American workers. One class of low-paid workers will not be helped, however. According to the New York Post, the House bill exempted workers in American Samoa.

Why is this? It seems the major employer in American Samoa is Starkist Tuna, which pays its workers $3.26 an hour. Starkist is owned by Del Monte, which happens to have its headquarters in San Francisco. Who represents San Francisco in Congress? Nancy Pelosi, of course.

So Nancy Pelosi, friend of the little guy, kindly arranged for this particular group of little guys to get nothing, so her rich friends in San Francisco can pad their profit margins - and, presumably, make more campaign contributions.

Now that she's been caught, Pelosi is vowing to extend the new minimum wage to "all American territories." How courageous of her. Some things never change.

(Hat tip to the Cavemen.)

Incidentally, raising the minimum wage is not helpful to workers anywhere. The main thing it will do is encourage companies to outsource overseas, or use technology to replace human workers. The day will come soon when you will walk in McDonald's and punch your order into a machine rather than give it to a kid behind the counter. The loser will be that kid, who will never be hired in the first place. Raising the minimum wage just brings this day a little closer.