Pelosi: Do As I Say, Not As I Do

Despite an earlier pledge to raise the minimum wage equally in all U.S. territories, Nancy Pelosi is sticking to her plan to exempt American Samoa from an increase in the minimum wage. Starkist Tuna, whose parent company is headquarted in her district, has lobbied against the increase.

On the one hand this certainly illustrates the willingness of the Democratic leader to bend to the wishes of a deep pockets constituent -- so much for the "ethics reform" she has been touting.

But on the other hand, the sad thing is that the increase in the minimum wage should not be taking effect anywhere. As Paul Mirengoff writes at Power Line, voting for the increase is "low-hanging but bitter fruit...raising the minimum wage, while good politics, is a bad idea."

The minimum wage increase strikes me as akin to the (eventual) cuts in federal student loan rates: it's easier for politicians (i.e., Republicans) to go along and vote for something that gets positive media play than to attempt to cut through the chatter and explain to the public how this new policy can and will negatively affect countless Americans.