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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I think I understand. Bill Sali is much too
involved to read the daily news. He has been busy designing
resolutions to produce a unanimous vote and is having a bit
of trouble getting the delegation from Oklahoma on
board. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sue Hovey</FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=deco@moscow.com href="mailto:deco@moscow.com">Art Deco</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=vision2020@moscow.com
href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">Vision 2020</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, January 13, 2007 7:39
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Vision2020] In D.C., Bill
Sali Quick to Take Lead</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>For those that are not registered with the NY Times, here is the article
that Mark referenced:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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<DIV class=timestamp>January 11, 2007</DIV>
<DIV class=kicker></DIV>
<H1><NYT_HEADLINE version="1.0" type=" ">For $7.93 an Hour, It’s Worth a Trip
Across a State Line </NYT_HEADLINE></H1><NYT_BYLINE version="1.0"
type=" "></NYT_BYLINE>
<DIV class=byline>By <A title="More Articles by Timothy Egan"
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/e/timothy_egan/index.html?inline=nyt-per">TIMOTHY
EGAN</A></DIV><NYT_TEXT></NYT_TEXT>
<DIV id=articleBody>
<P>LIBERTY LAKE, Wash., Jan. 9 — Just eight miles separate this town on the
Washington side of the state border from Post Falls on the <A
title="More news and information about Idaho."
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/national/usstatesterritoriesandpossessions/idaho/index.html?inline=nyt-geo">Idaho</A>
side. But the towns are nearly $3 an hour apart in the required minimum wage.
Washington pays the highest in the nation, just under $8 an hour, and Idaho
has among the lowest, matching 21 states that have not raised the hourly wage
beyond the federal minimum of $5.15.</P>
<P>Nearly a decade ago, when voters in Washington approved a measure that
would give the state’s lowest-paid workers a raise nearly every year, many
business leaders predicted that small towns on this side of the state line
would suffer.</P>
<P>But instead of shriveling up, small-business owners in Washington say they
have prospered far beyond their expectations. In fact, as a significant
increase in the national minimum wage heads toward law, businesses here at the
dividing line between two economies — a real-life laboratory for the debate —
have found that raising prices to compensate for higher wages does not
necessarily lead to losses in jobs and profits. </P>
<P>Idaho teenagers cross the state line to work in fast-food restaurants in
Washington, where the minimum wage is 54 percent higher. That has forced
businesses in Idaho to raise their wages to compete. </P>
<P>Business owners say they have had to increase prices somewhat to keep up.
But both states are among the nation’s leaders in the growth of jobs and
personal income, suggesting that an increase in the minimum wage has not hurt
the overall economy. </P>
<P>“We’re paying the highest wage we’ve ever had to pay, and our business is
still up more than 11 percent over last year,” said Tom Singleton, who manages
a Papa Murphy’s takeout pizza store here, with 13 employees. </P>
<P>His store is flooded with job applicants from Idaho, Mr. Singleton said.
Like other business managers in Washington, he said he had less turnover
because the jobs paid more.</P>
<P>By contrast, an Idaho restaurant owner, Rob Elder, said he paid more than
the minimum wage because he could not find anyone to work for the Idaho
minimum at his Post Falls restaurant, the Hot Rod Cafe. </P>
<P>“At $5.15 an hour, I get zero applicants — or maybe a guy with one leg who
wouldn’t pass a drug test and wouldn’t show up on Saturday night because he
wants to get drunk with his buddies,” Mr. Elder said. </P>
<P>For years, economists have debated the effect that raising the minimum wage
would have on business. While the federal minimum wage has not gone up for 10
years, 29 states have raised their wage beyond the federal minimum.</P>
<P>These increases, according to critics like Brendan Flanagan of the National
Restaurant Association, are a burden on the small, mostly family-run
businesses in fast food and agriculture that employ workers at the lowest end
of the pay scale. </P>
<P>“We see the political momentum for this,” said Mr. Flanagan, a vice
president at the association, “but we cannot ignore what our members are
telling us, which is that it will lead to job losses.”</P>
<P>But the state’s major business lobby, the Association of Washington
Business, is no longer fighting the minimum-wage law, which is adjusted every
year in line with the consumer price index. </P>
<P>“You don’t see us screaming out loud about this,” said Don Brunell,
president of the trade group, which represents 6,300 members.</P>
<P>“It’s almost a no-brainer,” Mr. Brunell said, that the federal minimum
should go higher. Association officials say they would like to see some
flexibility for rural and small-town businesses, however.</P>
<P>Washington’s robust economy, which added nearly 90,000 jobs last year, is
proof that even with the country’s highest minimum wage, “this is a great
place to do business,” Mr. Brunell said. </P>
<P>During a recession five years ago, the same group had argued that
Washington’s high minimum wage law would send businesses fleeing to Idaho. The
group sent out a news release with a criticism of the law from John Fazzari,
who owns a family-run pizza business in Clarkston, Wash., just minutes from
the Idaho town of Lewiston. </P>
<P>But now Mr. Fazzari says business has never been better, and he has no
desire to move to Idaho. </P>
<P>“To tell you the truth, my business is fantastic,” he said in an interview.
“I’ve never done as much business in my life.”</P>
<P>Mr. Fazzari employs 42 people at his pizza parlor. New workers make the
Washington minimum, $7.93 an hour, but veteran employees make more. To
compensate for the required annual increase in the minimum wage, Mr. Fazzari
said he raises prices slightly. But he said most customers barely notice. </P>
<P>He sells more pizza, he said, because he has a better product, and because
his customers are loyal. </P>
<P>“If you look 10 years down the road, we will probably have no minimum wage
jobs on this side of the border, and lots of higher-income jobs,” Mr. Fazzari
said.</P>
<P>Job figures from both states tend to support his point. While Idaho leads
the nation in new job growth, it has a far higher percentage of minimum-wage
jobs than Washington. Minimum-wage positions make up just 2.4 percent of the
jobs in Washington, while about 13 percent of the jobs in Idaho pay at or less
than the proposed federal minimum wage, according to a study done for the
state last year.</P>
<P>Part of the difference could be accounted for by a lower cost of living in
Idaho and the higher percentage of technology, manufacturing and government
jobs in Washington, economists say. Still, it is hard to find a teenager in
Idaho who lives anywhere near Washington who is willing to work for $5.15 an
hour. </P>
<P>“Are you kidding? There are so many jobs nearby that pay way more than
minimum wage,” said Jennifer Stadtfeldt, who is 17 and lives in Coeur d’Alene,
which is just a few minutes from Washington. She pointed out that Taco Bell,
McDonald’s and other fast-food outlets in her town were posting signs trying
to entice entry-level workers with a starting pay of $7 an hour.</P>
<P>The House today passed a bill increasing the minimum wage, and about 13
million workers would see a pay raise if the Senate and President Bush approve
it. Mr. Bush has said he would approve the wage increase so long as concerns
of small-business owners were taken into account; the Senate has not yet taken
up the bill. </P>
<P>Several studies have concluded that modest changes in the minimum wage have
little effect on employment. A study two months ago by an economist at <A
title="More articles about Washington State University"
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/w/washington_state_university/index.html?inline=nyt-org">Washington
State University</A> seemed to back the experience of Clarkston and other
border towns in Washington. The economist, David Holland, said job loss was
minimal when higher wages were forced on all businesses. About 97 percent of
all minimum-wage workers were better off when wages went up, he wrote.</P>
<P>But other business groups argue that an increase would hurt consumers and
workers at the low end. </P>
<P>In a survey released on the eve of the November elections — in which voters
in six states considered raising their minimum wages — the National Restaurant
Association said restaurants expected to raise their prices and eliminate some
jobs if the voters approved the measures. The initiatives all passed. </P>
<P>Here on this border, business owners have found small ways to raise their
prices, and customers say they have barely noticed. </P>
<P>“We used to have a coupon, $3 off on any family-size pizza, and we changed
that to $2 off,” said Mr. Singleton, of Papa Murphy’s. “I haven’t heard a
single complaint.”</P></DIV></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=msolomon@moscow.com href="mailto:msolomon@moscow.com">Mark Solomon</A>
</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=thansen@moscow.com
href="mailto:thansen@moscow.com">Tom Hansen</A> ; <A
title=vision2020@moscow.com href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">Vision
2020</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, January 11, 2007 7:27 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Vision2020] In D.C., Bill Sali Quick to Take
Lead</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Too bad Sali probably doesn't read the NY Times which features an
excellent article today on the effect of minimum wage laws on border towns in
WA and ID. No, Moscow doesn't get a mention, but Post Falls and Clarkston
do.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=+1><A
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/11/us/11minimum.html?hp&ex=1168578000&en=bf304392cdc5baf4&ei=5094&partner=homepage">http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/11/us/11minimum.html?hp&ex=116857<SPAN></SPAN>8000&en=bf304392cdc5baf4&ei=5094&partner=homepage</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Mark</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>At 6:06 AM -0800 1/11/07, Tom Hansen wrote:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite">>From today's (January 11, 2007)
Spokesman Review -<BR><BR>What Rep. Sali voted against:<BR>HR 1 - Homeland
security measures<BR>HR 2 - Increase of minimum wage<BR><BR>What Rep. Sali
is sponsoring:<BR>HR 26 - Commends Boise State University for their victory
in the Fiesta Bowl<BR>(other bills establishing English as the official US
language and a<BR>balnced-budget
amendment)<BR><BR>---------------------------------------------------------------<BR><BR>In
D.C., Bill Sali quick to take lead<BR>Sense of humor key to his
approach<BR>Parker Howell<BR>Staff writer<BR>January 11, 2007<BR><BR>New
Idaho Congressman Bill Sali proposed a bill Wednesday to combat
obesity<BR>by reducing the Earth's gravity, saying that's no more
unreasonable than the<BR>Democrats' legislation to increase the federal
minimum wage.<BR><BR>Both defy "natural laws," he said.<BR><BR>"The
well-intentioned desire to help the poor apparently will not
be<BR>restrained by the rules and principles of the free market that
otherwise do<BR>restrain American businesses and workers," Sali told the
House of<BR>Representatives. "Apparently, Congress can change the rules that
would<BR>otherwise affect the affairs of mankind."<BR><BR> <BR>The
Democratic-controlled House voted 315-116 to raise the federal
minimum<BR>wage to $7.25 an hour, with more than 80 Republicans joining
Democrats to<BR>pass it. But Sali stuck to his stance that the market, not
government,<BR>should determine how much workers are worth to
employers.<BR><BR>"Obviously, it was a facetious notion to suspend the laws
of gravity," he<BR>told The Spokesman-Review by phone from Washington, D.C.,
about his "Obesity<BR>Reduction and Health Promotion Act," which proposed
helping Americans shed<BR>pounds by cutting gravity by 10 percent. "The same
is true of the act we<BR>took today."<BR><BR>In his first few days on the
job, Sali, 52, has been elected leader of the<BR>small freshman class of
Republicans, was invited to a meeting with President<BR>Bush and voted
against several bills sponsored by Democrats.<BR><BR>Although Sali spent 16
years as a state representative from Kuna, moving to<BR>Washington, D.C.,
has taken some getting used to, he said.<BR><BR>"Things are so much bigger
in terms of scale and scope here," he said. "In<BR>the Idaho Legislature,
for example, I didn't have any staff. It was just<BR>me."<BR><BR>He now has
to deal with OSHA inspections of his office and training his<BR>employees in
ethics and anti-discrimination policies, he said.<BR><BR>As president of his
class, he is helping fellow freshmen learn legislative<BR>processes and
procedures, he said. On the advice of past class presidents,<BR>he is
coordinating social events with new Democrats - both for
building<BR>relationships and for the "practical benefit" of moving
legislation.<BR><BR>Sali and a small group of other legislators met with
President Bush at the<BR>White House last week to discuss the Iraq
war.<BR><BR>"It was really something to be in there," he said. "It was kind
of one of<BR>those 'pinch me' moments."<BR><BR>He said Bush has "spent a lot
of time listening" to military commanders and<BR>will act on their
advice.<BR><BR>"The notion that we're going to end sectarian violence over
there, I think,<BR>is not even on the table; the president expressed that
through a number of<BR>his people," he said, adding that making peace
between warring factions is<BR>"not achievable."<BR><BR>"I don't think
that's our job. I do think our job is to help make sure this<BR>fledgling
Iraqi government is going to stand on its own two feet," he
said.<BR>"There's a bunch of pent-up emotion over there and a lot of pent-up
desire.<BR>We may end up with a civil war before they get things
straightened out. In</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite">the affairs of mankind, sometimes that's
what you need."<BR><BR>Sali has also participated in several House votes,
including the<BR>$2.10-an-hour minimum wage increase, to take effect over
two years. The<BR>increase is arbitrary, not tied to how much an employee's
work is really<BR>worth, he said.<BR><BR>"It's just to give people a
perceived pay raise," he said. "The underlying<BR>problem is government
spending."<BR><BR>His obesity speech is characteristic of the congressman's
outspoken style,<BR>said former colleagues from the Idaho
Legislature.<BR><BR>"That's his sense of humor," said Rep. Frank Henderson,
R-Post Falls.<BR><BR>Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, agreed, recalling a time Sali
proposed licensing<BR>legislators when lawmakers discussed licensing
contractors. Even though he<BR>didn't plan to introduce it, he actually held
up a completed bill.<BR><BR>"He's a very principled man, and he's not afraid
to stand by himself if he<BR>has to," Hart said. "I think he's already
showing that. He hasn't changed<BR>since he's been in the
Legislature."<BR><BR>But Rep. George Sayler, D-Coeur d'Alene, said using the
logic of Sali's<BR>obesity proposal, legislators should revoke government
regulations that<BR>benefit businesses as well.<BR><BR>Congressional
Democrats will likely succeed in their "100 Hours" plan to<BR>pass several
bills within the first 100 working hours of the new Congress,<BR>Sali said.
But he said Democrats are circumventing the committee process
and<BR>claiming to know what Americans need, which is "elitist" and
"arrogant."<BR><BR>"If they were trying to do what's right, they would be
spending the time to<BR>go through the committee process," he said. "I've
always been a real<BR>advocate of slowing down the legislative process and
giving everyone the<BR>opportunity to have their say."<BR><BR>So far, Sali
has voted against "pay-as-you-go" rules designed to prevent<BR>legislators
from adding to the national debt. He said it will lead to "tax<BR>increases
combined with cuts to programs like defense."<BR><BR>He has also voted
against legislation that would add another committee with<BR>oversight power
over intelligence. Adding one actually counters the Sept. 11<BR>Commission's
findings by adding another layer of bureaucracy, he said.<BR><BR>Sali has
signed up to co-sponsor amendments to balance the budget and make<BR>English
the official U.S. language, he said.<BR><BR>He and fellow Idaho Republican
Rep. Mike Simpson are co-sponsors of H.R. 26,<BR>which commends the Boise
State University football team on its recent win<BR>against Oklahoma in the
Fiesta Bowl, he said. He attended the game, calling<BR>it "an indescribable
experience."<BR><BR>The bill will "probably pass on a consent calendar," he
said. "It will be a<BR>nice piece of congressional
history."<BR><BR>---------------------------------------------------------------<BR><BR>Seeya
round town, Moscow.<BR><BR>Tom Hansen<BR>Moscow, Idaho<BR><BR>"Forty percent
of the mass of every tree in the forest is crude oil. Stop<BR>and
think about that. We call them fossil fuels because they used to
be<BR>live stuff . . . now in the ground is turned into crude oil."<BR><BR>-
Bill Sali (September 21, 2006)</BLOCKQUOTE>
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