What's going on in Kansas?

The answer to that question is "Same old, same old."

Seems a bunch of youngish females out partying in Wichita had a bit too much to drink the other night and when a police officer on a horse checked them out, a friend with a 5 foot-long inflatable penis rammed the police horse, which spooked. By the time this little melee was over two of the women were under arrest. One of them was from McPherson, Kansas, a quiet, quite religious town where such goings on would be mightily frowned upon! I know that for a fact as a number of my very religious relatives come from McPherson!

More importantly, however, there is underway an attempt in the Kansas Legislature to increase the minimum wage in that state. The minimum wage in Kansas has not been raised in 20 years, and now stands at the incredibly high rate of $2.65!!!


Republicans have, as usual, fought any increases. But it looks now like there's a chance. Senate Bill 160 is to be voted on today and there is a possibility it will pass which will mean that 15,000 people in Kansas will be bumped from $2.65 per hour to $7.25 per hour.

Whoopee!

But before you get too excited, ask your self how the hell anyone can live on $7.25 per hour. That's $290 per week, before taxes. That's a whole $15,080 per year, before taxes. You can't pay rent and eat on that kind of money.

Still, some Repugnicans want to keep the minimum wage at $2.65! Figures, right? I mean Jesus said we'll always have poor people around, so why give them a break? Right?

Let 'em join the Army. Or a bread line!

Wall Street CEO's should live on the minimum wage...

in Kansas!

Currently, the federal minimum wage level is $6.55. It is to increase to $7.25 on July 24.

Our paragons of financial disaster on the street of Wall are crying because a few of them - and only a few - are going to be forced to make-do with a mere $500k for a whole year! Omigod! Some of their nannies' wages run as high as $40-45,000 alone!

I think Wall Street CEO's and other nogoodniks responsible for this global financial crisis should be forced to live on Kansas' minimum wage - for a year, at least. Kansas' minimum wage is $2.65 per hour.

That works out to a whopping $5,412 every single year!


Evidently, some people, like labor advocates and Kansans with disabilities are trying to raise Kansas' minimum wage. It is an "embarrassment," says Kansas AFL-CIO exec Andy Sanchez. You think?

Who could possibly oppose raising the minimum wage in Kansas? Yes, you're right! According to Kansas Jackass, the opposition is coming from "Kansas business interests- and, interestingly, my favorite anti-government tax group Americans for Prosperity."

Raising the minumum wage, they weep, will "hurt Kansas workers."

Yup.

Chamber of Commerce types, like Kent Eckles, claim the "free market" should determine wages. Unfortunately, that's been the mantra of the anti-people, anti-union, anti-worker SOBs since the beginning of time.

Or, as Kansas Jackass put its: "God bless the heartless idolaters of 'The Market' - they really just are clueless, aren't they? The minimum wage was established to correct the failing of the Market - to make sure greedy business people couldn't take advantage of their employees who were desperately in need of work by only paying them, oh, $2.65 an hour."

Actually, I don't think these "heartless idolaters" are clueless, at all. They know exactly what the hell they are doing. And what they are doing is keeping almost all the loot they con out of the people in their own sweaty, greedy, little hands! Hell, they'd pay workers NOTHING if they thought they could get by with it.

In fact, in some areas of Florida, I've heard that's exactly what happens to migrant workers, who have, of course, no recourse at all!


Andy Sanchez, of the Kansas AFL-CIO, says only about 20,000 Kansas workers are paid according to the Kansas minimum wage because in most cases, the Kansas minimum wage is co-opted by the federal minimum wage.

Still, 20,000 is one hell of a lot of people living at 50% percent BELOW the poverty line!


I think the first person to be forced to live on $2.65 an hour should be Mr. Eckles of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce. We'd hear him howling all the way to Florida!