Nussle Takes Day Off from Scapegoating Unions

While most Americans celebrated Labor Day by picnicking with families, attending parades, shopping, or wondering why the mailman didn’t deliver their unemployment check, Jim took a reprieve from the campaign trail and made a vow to spend the whole day without scapegoating the unions for all of our economic woes. I hope all you folks in the labor and teacher unions enjoyed your day of rest, because, trust me, Jim will be back with a vengeance. In the meantime, Jim’s put his favorite attack dog, Nick Ryan (alias: campaign manager), to work, sicking him on Culver and Chet’s unwillingness to debate our beloved master all eight times.

Now we all know that during his congressional tenure, Jim hasn’t been a big supporter of labor unions, but in Jim’s defense, show me one Republican who has, and I’ll show you a congressman at the bottom of the East River wearing cement-filled Crocks.

Lately, Jim’s received a lot of flack for promising to raise the federal minimum wage from the stagnated $5.15 an hour, saying the raise is “long overdue.” And so what if Jim voted against raising the minimum wage every time it came up for a vote. And so what if Jim voted himself a pay raise every time it’s come up. What people tend to forget during these partisan politic wars is just how much purchasing power a $5.15 wage earner has in the good ol’ U.S.A.

Jimmy the Hustler’s Minimum Wage Purchasing Power Index:

(Note: The following is based on a single wage earner making $5.15/hour and their purchasing power after taxes (est. 28%))

Number of months it would take a single wage earner to surpass the threshold poverty line for the year 2005: 16.1 months

Amount Congress members pay has gone up since the last time they voted to increase the minimum wage: $31, 600

Number of years it would take a single wage earner to match pay raises Congress has voted for themselves since the last time they raised the minimum wage: 4.4 years

Number of months it would take for a single wage earner to match last year’s pay raise for congress members: 5.2 months

Number of months it would take a single wage earner to have his picture taken with George W. Bush at Jim Nussle fundraiser: 16.9 months

Minimum wage rate if workers’ wages had increased at the same rate of CEO pay since 1990: $23.03/hour

Number of yearly minimum-wage salaries Jim could have paid out with money he spent on his 2004 campaign: 228