Tennessee Republicans think $2.13 an hour is adequate pay
by Jeff Woods
State House Democrats are attacking Republicans for opposing an increase in the minimum wage for hardworking waitresses. Rep. Henry Fincher's bill to raise the wage for tipped workers from $2.13 an hour to $3.28 an hour failed in a subcommittee last week by a 3-3 vote. Our favorite GOP nutjobs—Reps. Stacey Campfield, Brian Kelsey and Mike Bell—all voted no.
"This week the legislature had a chance to make life easier for working families, and three Republicans in subcommittee chose not to do that," Fincher said. "We're talking about $3.28 an hour for someone who's breaking their back, wiping down tables, hustling food to people for tips. And these people and their party opposed it. It's awful for someone to sit here and say you can live on $2.13 an hour. That's not enough. We need to help working families. We're in a hard time and people are hurting. We will continue to fight for working families. This bill and this principle of taking care of working people in this state ain't dead."
It was a rare smart moment for House Democrats. They stepped up to make a forceful argument on a clear, meaningful issue, and drew a sharp line with Republicans. So why can't they do the same with the governor's bill to close the tax loophole for real-estate tycoons? Current law allows them to structure their businesses as non-corporate, family entities. And that allows them to skirt millions in taxes.
Many of these rich people don't even live in Tennessee. As Channel 5's Phil Williams reported last week, one is a New York strip club owner. The Bredesen administration says eliminating this tax break would bring in at least $25 million.
Blame the Democrats' silence on their leader, Gary Odom, who has sold out to the moguls. Among his big supporters are two millionaire developers—Bill Freeman and Jack May—who benefit from the loophole.
Asked whether he's for closing it and making developers pay their fair share, Odom will only says that he's "still gathering information." After all, it's been but a year since he last helped kill the bill. His rationale at the time? He didn't want to rush it through without lengthy committee hearings, because you know how much of a stickler he is for deep and thoughtful study.
"Last year, my concern was process," Odom said, while somehow managing to keep a straight face.
True: Democrats are in a tight fix here. They can vote for closing the loophole, in which case they'll be attacked in the next election campaign for raising taxes on family businesses. Or they can vote to keep the loophole and come under attack for giving tax breaks to a New York titty bar owner.
Circus comes to town
In a new poll by MTSU, state lawmakers win approval from a paltry 34 percent of the public—a five-point drop since last fall and the lowest level since the Tennessee Waltz bribery scandal. And this time around, they're not even trading popularity for envelopes full of cash.
Why has public opinion of our legislature fallen to such incredible new lows? There are too many causes from which to choose. Here are just a few of the possibilities:
1. People are fed up with the Culture War the Republicans refuse to stop fighting. The problem with that theory: Voters put these asshats in charge in November. Didn't they know what they were voting for?
2. It's the economy, stupid. Things are so bad and people are so pissed off even state lawmakers are getting some of the blame. OK, that's probably part of it.
3. Lawmakers have brought it on themselves with their nonstop sandbox battles since the session started. That smell emanating from the Capitol? It's the perfume of incompetence.
4. A combination of No. 2 and No. 3. While the economy craters, people are looking for answers from state leaders. Instead, they're getting a remake of the Keystone Kops.
5. Finally, the politicians' favorite: It's the media's fault for constantly casting the legislature in such a negative light.
House Democratic leader Mike Turner likes No. 5. "I'm going to put some of this back on the press," he says. "We do some good things up here. But what's come out of the press so far has been kind of negative. Part of it's our fault too because this stuff happened. But most of the really crazy stuff has come from their side. We've tried to take the high road in a lot of this stuff, although it may not have been reported that way."
House Speaker Kent Williams, on the other hand, goes with No. 3. It's what happens, he observes, "when you've got children running the circus."
Email jwoods@nashvillescene.com, or call 615-844-9445.
Comments (2)
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So, just wondering: who are your favorite "Democratic nutjobs" in Tenn. legislature? Thanks in advance!
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re: increasing minimum wage to $3.28 for Tennessee food servers Reps. Stacey Campfield, Brian Kelsey and Mike Bell must enjoy dining out on food with food server spittle...or at least they perhaps should considering their recent subcommittee votes against raising the minimum wage floor for Tennessee food servers. Perhaps you should expand this article to point out just how much your local chamber of commerce president is paid by the local CofC and list names and restaurants of the Tennessee Restaurant Association executive and board members As an example, when the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce President Deborah K. Woolley was endorsing Rep. Matthew Hill during a previous campaign cycle for his stance against raising a minimum wage in Tennessee, I pulled the public record TNCofC&I IRS Form 990 "Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax", and learned that Woolley was then making around $200k per year; the 2007 Form 990 filed by the TNCofC&I shows that Wooley was paid $183,140 in compensation and an additional $21,255 in her employee benefit package/deferred compensation. TENNESSEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2007/621/236/2007-621236022-03d1283e-9O.pdf Likewise, if you are a Tennesseean who believes that the minimum wage should be increased for Tennessee food servers, you probably would not care to patronize those restaurants associated with Tennessee Restaurant Association executives and district managers: TENNESSEE RESTAURANT ASSN http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2007/620/455/2007-620455358-03f866bb-9O.pdf
