After reading Republican MN-GOV candidate Tom Emmer's non-apology over his servers make $100,000 gaffe, I think he may have actually thrown more fuel on the fire. Instead of apologizing and saying he misspoke ... it happens, we're all human after all ... he tried to explain how he doesn't want to reduce anyone's wages then three paragraphs later tells workers they should accept reduced wages and be grateful they have a job.
When a reporter asked if I supported the concept of a tip credit, I answered yes. I want the wait staff at a restaurant to be successful and make as much as they can, and a recent study published in Applied Economics Letters shows that tip credits have essentially no negative impact on wages for tipped employees. So contrary to what some people are saying, I have no interest in "cutting wages."
Emmer would like everyone to believe that he's compassionate. That he's not an out-of-touch conservative who doesn't care what his slash-n-burn economic policies would do to Minnesotans.
His problem is that in the same press release, in the same non-apology explanation intended to calm the waters, he says the following:
I am a strong believer that a paycheck is better than an unemployment check. Job losses and business closings aren't good for anybody. The United Auto Workers Union learned that lesson the hard way, as our auto industry almost collapsed at least partly due to an unwillingness to negotiate wage, benefit, and work rules that would have kept the industry afloat.
Seriously? We all know what he's trying to say here. Accept lower pay and benefits to keep your minimum wage job.
Does he really want to say that a reduced paycheck is better than none at all. Does he really want to imply that when guys like him say you should accept the Wal-Martization of our economy, that we should all just be happy we have a job? |
