Georgia Republican Candidate Handel admits, she doesn't support a Livable Wage.

Yes, there is quite a difference between a Democrat, who understands 70 percent of the economy depends on consumer demand. Republicans, who oddly believe supply side tax breaks somehow makes the economy even more "robust," don't give a hoot about buying the things businesses make:   

Karen Handel and Jon Ossoff : Georgia's Sixth District open seat.

After Jon Ossoff came out in support of a minimum wage increase to bring it to a livable wage, Karen Handel said:

"This is an example of the fundamental difference between a liberal and a conservative. I do not support a livable wage. What I support is making sure we have an economy that is robust, with low taxes and less regulation..."

An utterly cluelessness statement.



But Karen Handel would also let her sister, who has a serious preexisting condition, struggle and eventually lose her health insurance coverage because she believes the nonsense her party is spinning. Or she's brutally cruel. You'll notice that Handel mysteriously knew what was in the nonexistent Senate bill. Think she's lying and winging it up there? Jon Ossoff clarifies:

Shocker!!! Walker says thanks to taxpayer supported government assistance, Minimum Wage doesn't need a boost.

With a state law requiring Wisconsinites a living wage, we thought we had Scott Walker on this one. Guess again. 

jsonline: State law requires that Wisconsin's minimum wage "shall not be less than a living wage." The liberal Wisconsin Jobs Now and 100 workers had sought to use the little-known clause in state law to raise the state minimum wage of $7.25 an hour or at least force Walker, a Republican, to publicly oppose such a move just a month before the Nov. 4 election.

Amazingly, Walker doesn't just oppose enforcing the law, he used government aid, taxpayer assistance, to prove his point. Hey, isn't that’s the same government aid he’s trying to cut right now?

Gov. Scott Walker's administration has denied a complaint by a labor group seeking to force an increase in Wisconsin's minimum wage. The state Department of Workforce Development said it considered those factors as well as others, such as that some of the complainants make more than minimum wage, receive public aid and brought up items beyond their basic needs. "The department has determined that there is no reasonable cause to believe that the wages paid to the complainants are not a living wage," Robert Rodriguez, administrator of DWD's Equal Rights Division, wrote in the denial letter.

That drew an immediate rebuke from Wisconsin Jobs Now: "…for the governor to brazenly say to the working families of Wisconsin that $7.25 an hour is enough to sustain themselves is not only misguided, it is incredibly ignorant and willfully obtuse," the group said in a statement.

Walker's use of taxpayer assistance to justify the livability of the minimum wage in stunning.

Republicans Cut Wages!

If Scott Walker signs this wage cut for Dane County and Milwaukee, it's his baby-he owns it. I can see the ads now from the Mary Burke campaign. 

This is a WAGE CUT, plain and simple. What you would call an austere policy move. At a time when the state GOP can't stop bragging about putting money in the pockets of taxpayers, they're cutting wages? 

Can they really get away with this? It looks like it, if I know how the Democratic Party will respond. 

Democrats have not framed this repeal of a higher minimum wage well. Hint guys: IT'S A WAGE CUT!!! 

The measure would allow such local minimum wage ordinances to be in place only if no money from the state was used to pay the workers.

Republicans are trying to save the rest of the state money. They say it's unfair Madison improves the quality of life with higher wages, while other areas don't benefit. But they do benefit, from tourism, senior care, personal care givers and consumer spending in and around the state. Dane County and Milwaukee both benefit the state, although I'm sure conservatives would think otherwise. 

Conflict of Interest? And more surprising is the fact that Rep. Chris Kapenga, the business CEO of Integrated Time Systems, wrote the law to protect his own company in Brookfield. He was never questioned about his self serving bill. Simply put, this statewide law reducing wages, is in response to...one company. 

Here's Kapenga on Capitol City Sunday, before the GOP removed federal tax dollars. Never once did host Greg Neumann ask about the conflict of interest. Is there any real comparison between Dane County Executive Joe Parisi and Kapenga?

The big takeaway? According to Kapenga, minimums artificially inflate wages, when $1 or $2 wages could employ just as many people. And backing away from the Republican opposition to a one-size-fits-all approach, Kapenga is now all for it. Democrat Rep. Andy Jorgensen had this idea:

The Republican agenda Thursday included a bill that stands to cut wages for thousands of municipal workers across the State of Wisconsin ... As a counter, Rep. Jorgensen offered an amendment to require businesses which contract with the state to cap their executive salaries to no more than a million dollars a year.

“If we ‘can’t’ afford to provide a family-supporting wage to our custodians or construction workers, we certainly can’t afford to help CEOs buy a bigger mansion or a fancy sports car,” said Jorgensen. “Let’s be fair.” The Jorgensen amendment failed along party lines, as did AR 26.

Smart ass Rep. Robin Vos again doesn't think Milwaukee or Dane County are serious parts of the state, despite contributing more economically and thus contributing more to their own living wage laws:

Speaker Robin Vos (R – Rochester) argued the bill isn't about local control, but rather about the ability of local officials to pass increased labor costs onto the state. "They can't automatically inflate the state of Wisconsin's costs, because that's what's happening all across the state of Wisconsin today," said Vos.

GOP Politician and CEO Chris Kapenga writes law to protect his business from Wage Increase, lowering wages Statewide.

Republicans not only oppose raising the minimum wage, they’re now reducing wages in Wisconsin.

Maybe business interests will rush into the state knowing wages in Wisconsin are heading downward. 

Who’s to say what other GOP gimmick will cut wages and benefits even more. That’ll put money back into our wallet? Give me a break.

While Scott Walker bribes voters with a small tax cut, the legislature is taking twice as much away, hoping knowing one will notice. They did notice, big time:  

WKOW: A bill that would abolish local living wage ordinances for state and federally-funded projects drew a large, irate crowd to the Assembly Committee on Labor Wednesday morning, barely 24 hours after it was introduced. Rep. Kapenga introduced AB 750 on Tuesday, had it scheduled for a public hearing Wednesday and will have it voted on by the Committee on Labor Thursday morning.

Self-serving Political Overreach-It Pays to write your Own Laws: Can this conflict of interest be legal? This is literally a CEO of a company writing a law that will reduces wages statewide just so his business isn't affected. What an asshole.

"My company is in Milwaukee and the second I saw the news story come out that there may be an ordinance put in place, I started working on this," said Rep. Kapenga, who owns a computer software business.

Both the City of Madison and Dane County require their own employees and the employees of their contractors to be paid a living wage, which amounts to $11.33/hour for the county and $12.45/hour for the city. 

While AB 750 wouldn't allow living wages for work that is paid for in any part by state or federal dollars. 

"I think the bill is very hateful, spiteful bill that is aimed at low-income families," testified Michael Wilder with Wisconsin Jobs Now, a Milwaukee non-profit organization that fights for higher wages. 

Uppity Wisconsin has this coverage.

Moo Cluck Moo fast food restaurant pays living wage.

Ed Schultz featured the owner of fast food restaurant Moo Cluck Moo, who's gotten a lot of attention since he started paying his workers $15 an hour. He's even making a profit. Outrageous?  Great story.