"Job Killer" Joe Miller: Let's Abolish The Minimum Wage Law!

We all know that Joe W. Miller believes that Unemployment Insurance is "unconstitutional," because the power to collect for it and pay it is not specifically "delegated to the United States."

Back in the primary election, Carpetbagger Joe also noted in the Project Vote Smart Survey that he opposed "increasing the federal minimum wage."

Pretty standard Republican - keep rich folks rich and poor folks poor.

However, recently, in an interview with ABC News, Miller went a couple steps further.   

Joe believes  the federal minimum wage law should actually be abolished.

Joe refers to (and paraphrases) the 10th amendment to the U.S. Constitution as the basis for this insanity.

Before I get into the 10th Amendment,  I'm going to refer Joe to the original document itself, starting with the Preamble:

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." (emphasis mine)

I'm also going to refer Joe to Article 1, Section 8... specifically Clause 18:

The Congress shall have Power - To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof. (again, emphasis mine)

When the first 10 amendments ("The Bill of Rights")  were drafted and eventually ratified, there was much hoopla and argument about the specific wording of the 10th Amendment. 

The upshot of the ruction was that the 10th Amendment as worded and ratified did NOT negate  "necessary and proper" as listed in Article 1, Section 8, Clause 18.

So, whatever federal powers that are actually curtailed by the 10th Amendment have been largely decided upon by the U.S. Supreme Court, on pretty much a case-by-case basis.

Using Joe's logic, the U.S. Air Force should be abolished. The US Constitution authorizes the federal government to create an Army and a Navy... but there's no mention of an Air Force.

Of course, even though he is an graduate of the ELITE Yale School of Law , demonstrating whether or not he has an actual understanding of the Constitution is unimportant to Mr. Miller.

Repeating Tea Party Express talking points and keeping Tea Party Express billionaire financiers the Koch brothers happy is what's important. 

The "back to the Constitution" rhetoric plays well to low-information tea-party voters (who are pretty sure they're mad about something), and it keeps those ultra-conservative's campaign bucks coming in.

Just like the evangelist who cherry-picks holy scripture to back his rant against homosexuals, or to "prove" why women should be subject to a man's whim, Carpetbagger Joe cherry-picks the Constitution to support his financer's extremist views.

Based on his history of gaming the system on a number of fronts, Joe Miller should be seen by Alaskans for what he is:

A fraud and a hypocrite.

h/t to Packy for the graphic.

The Municipal Election is Tuesday, October 5. A Few Words About Voting, Candidates and Issues

Voting is a responsibility not enough people take seriously.

There's an old saying - "ALL politics are local.."  And they are.

Well, there's a local election on October 5th, and your participation will help to determine what future course our local governments will take.

In the 2009 municipal elections, the voter turnout was 19.16%. Less than 1 in 5 registered voters bothered.

Now, even if you don't feel civic-minded, think about this: If you don't take part, a small minority will decide for you who represents you on local government bodies, and what ballot propositions may affect you long-term...so looking out for your own interests coincides with executing your civic responsibility.

If you don't care, stay home.

I'll be happy to let my vote make your decisions for you.

With that in mind, I'm making a few candidate and ballot proposition recommendations... and hoping it doesn't jinx who and what I support.  When it comes to candidates, I'll be sticking to Kenai, since I live there.

Kenai Mayor:  Two candidates vying for a 3-year term.

Mike Boyle.  As a 5-year veteran of the Kenai City Council, Mike has demonstrated solid judgment.  His 2+ decades as a vocational education instructor and participating member of KPEA lend him a perspective that's more encompassing and reality-based than the "whatever is good for the Chamber of Commerce is good for Kenai" view that incumbent Mayor Pat Porter seems to hold.

Kenai City Council:  Four candidates, two seats available.  3-year term.

Hal Smalley:  Without question, Mr. Smalley should be re-elected.  Hal has a long and distinguished history of service, from the Kenai City Council to the Alaska Legislature to the Borough Assembly.  The various capacities in which he's served - Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District, the Alaska Municipal League - give him a solid grasp of good long term public policy that few others have. That alone makes him a valuable member of any governing body.

Terry Bookey:  Mr. Bookey was born here, and his family has been active in both political and civic activities since the 1960's.  They helped bring about many of the good things you see in Kenai today.  Steeped in that family spirit, Bookey demonstrates a similar dedication and caring.  Terry will bring an energetic, progressive voice to the council, moderated by his knowledge of Kenai's history and his genuine concern for its future.

Borough Ballot Propositions:

Proposition No. 1:  Education Capital Improvement Bonds.  Shall the Kenai Peninsula Borough borrow up to $16,866,500 through the issuance of general obligation bonds?

Vote "Yes." 

This is sort of a no-brainer.  The Kenai Peninsula Borough schools are a valuable investment, and frankly, many of the structures are getting old.  Over the years, roofs have been diligently maintained, and the Assembly has appropriated funds for limited replacement, but that funding has not matched the need.   There simply comes a time when maintenance is not enough, and major replacement is required to prevent failure and loss of the building and its contents.

Since bonding for each roof project will not occur unless steps are taken to ensure that the project qualifies for 70% debt reimbursement from the state, there is strong reason to believe the Borough indebtedness will be reimbursed if the Alaska Legislature makes funds available.

Under that scenario, the property taxpayer's cost to retire the debt is $5.78 per $100,000 of assessed real or personal property value (in my case, about $8.67) per year.

What happens if the Alaska legislature DOESN'T come through, and the Borough picks up the whole tab to retire the debt?  Then it will cost the property taxpayer $19.28 per $100,000 of assessed property value (in my case, about $28.92) per year.

Realistically, it's a pretty small price to pay to protect Borough educational facilities worth in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Proposition No 2: Adopting A Manager Plan Of Government To Be Effective After The 2011 Regular Election.  Shall the Kenai Peninsula Borough adopt a manager plan of government, effective upon certification of the regular October 2011 election, where the chief administrative officer is a manager appointed by the assembly instead of the current form where the elected mayor runs the borough administration?

I could easily argue either side of this issue.

Over the years, the Kenai Peninsula Borough has been pretty lucky in that the mayors we've elected have either been pretty damned good municipal managers, or they've been smart enough to hire and/or retain smart, capable people who kept everything running on a pretty even keel.

Unfortunately, the ability to win an election is completely unrelated to the ability to serve.

Bluntly, the fact that this is even on the ballot says more about the management ability (or lack thereof) of the current Borough Mayor than it says about the pros and cons of a Manager vs strong Mayor form of municipal government.

Voting "Yes" will replace the Mayor as the day-to-day manager of the Borough with a professional hired by the Borough Assembly.  A professional manager will be, logically, more responsive to the Assembly than he/she will be to the public at large.

Voting "No" will retain the current system, wherein the Borough is managed by an elected Mayor, who is, logically, responsive to the general public, but who can often be be at odds with the Assembly.

I'm conflicted on this one.

As readers of this blog know, I have no confidence in the current administration. 

On the other hand, I also feel that this is sort of a drastic,  long-term solution to a temporary situation.  

The current mayor has not said whether he's running again, but if he does, based on his performance, I find it impossible to believe he would win re-election.

So frankly, I'm not sure how I will vote on this issue on Tuesday.

Just like you, I'm still thinking it over.

Another From Miller Lie: Ethics Laws Don't Apply To Him, Either

Just in from Think Progress: (all emphasis mine):

Miller’s campaign endorsement page features Alaskans praising him for having higher ethics and a greater commitment to transparency.

However, ThinkProgress contacted the Senate Ethics Committee and the Senate Office of Public Records yesterday and discovered that Miller has not filed a personal finance disclosure as a candidate for the U.S. Senate, as required by law. According to Title I of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 and Senate Rule 41.1, candidates for U.S. Senate must file a disclosure form within 30 days of raising or spending $5,000. According to the Federal Elections Committee, Miller raised well over $5,000 as early as April of this year. Asked again today by ThinkProgress if Miller has filed his personal finance disclosure, or has contacted the Senate Office of Public Records with any request for an extension to file, a staffer with the Office responded:

“We haven’t received anything from him. He hasn’t sent us anything.”

According to law, “failure to file or report information required to be reported by section 102 of the Act may subject” Miller — a Yale Law School graduate — to a “civil penalty of not more than $50,000 and to disciplinary action by the Select Committee on Ethics and/or any other appropriate authority.” As of today, Miller is at least five months late with his disclosures.

So... it isn't only Alaskan laws that Joe Miller figures do not apply to him.

Neither do federal ones, either.

Miller Lie? Whatever He Thinks You Want To Hear. After All, Joe Thinks You're Stupid.

In the primary race, US Senate candidate Joe Miller said lots of things.  Things straight out of the corporate giant Koch brothers-funded Tea Party Express playbook.

They were fraudulent, jingoistic positions he espoused, quite simply, to solidify his ultra-right wing base, and wrest the Republican US Senate nomination from Senator Princess Lisa Murkowski.

It worked.

The problem is that now, Carpetbagger Joe has to appeal to not only the extreme right wing, but to more moderate Alaskans as well.  Alaskans who are worried about his "scorched earth" concept of ending federal programs and spending that are a major part of Alaska's economy and infrastructure.

So, in an effort to win over moderates (he only needs a few) Carpetbagger Joe Miller has been dancing the old soft shoe, to the tune of "that's not what I really meant."

In the September 24 edition of the Anchorage Daily News, Joe Miller backpedaled and bobbed and weaved.  A lot.

In the Aug. 4 Project Vote Smart candidate survey, Carpetbagger Joe Miller said

• He favors eliminating federal funding for education.

In an interview last week with the ADN, Miller "explained" that he didn't really mean that.  What he MEANT was that he wants Alaska in the near-term to "get the same $360 million in federal education money -- just not to be told by the federal government how to spend it."  

Give us the money, but we want it with no strings attached.

 

To Project Vote Smart, Miller said 

• He favors eliminating federal agriculture subsidies

Of course, from 1991-1997, Joe received more than $7,000 in subsidies from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for land that he owned in Kansas. Now he's against it, because, after all, he got his.  Others must now take the hurt.

 

To Project Vote Smart, Joe Miller said

• He does not support the federal government providing college students with financial aid.

(I'm going to let slide the fact that this guy has a West Point education, worth $250-300K and paid for by our tax dollars... more of the "I've got mine, screw you" mentality.)

 

Joe Miller "clarified"  his views on this matter:  He said what he means is that student loans "should be administered by the state and not the federal government."

 

Huh.  More "give us the money, but we want it with no strings attached."

In the interview, Miller also said he doesn't want to immediately cut off all government spending, but that spending must be reduced because "because of the fiscal state that we're in as a nation. No one can argue with the fact that we're broke." 

Interesting.

 

In the same Project Vote Smart Survey, Miller said

• He favors eliminating ALL taxes.  Alcohol taxes, gasoline taxes, cigarette taxes, corporate taxes, ALL personal income taxes, federal estate taxes, capital gains taxes, and  taxes in pretty much any other category, too... while increasing or maintaining ALL defense spending (not to mention the spending he's now said he doesn't really want to cut).

So... the country is broke, and his answer is to cut off all government sources of revenue?  If you don't get that logic, you're not alone.

Carpetbagger Joe is NOT stupid.

According to his own website, he graduated from West Point with honors.  He has a degree from  Yale Law School, and has a Master's in economics from the University of Alaska.

So - if he's not stupid, how can one explain his contradictory, simplistic stances on issues important to Alaska, and to America?

Easy.

To anyone paying the slightest bit of attention, it's apparent that Carpetbagger Joe Miller is a fraud.  

A political chameleon, willing to assume any appearance in order to get elected.

That alone is reason to give him a wide berth, no matter your politics.

h/t to packy for the graphic.