(SEE Editor's Note Below)
________________________________
Fishing around in the now widely-known Samoan exception to the recently passed Minimum Wage bill (where tuna industry workers there are apparently being paid $3.26 an hour), Andy's Angle cast a wide net and hauled in the following:
The interesting thing, however, is that the largest employer in American Samoa is Del Monte Foods' StarKist Tuna, home to over 75% of the island's workforce. Del Monte Foods, as it turns out, is headquartered in the District of the new Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Smelling a whiff of impropriety, House Republicans have thrown up some serious questions about the exemption and who inserted it into the bill.
NewsBusters points out that few in the Mainstream Media will cover this story given their breathless love for the new Speaker. FoxNews has picked up the story, questioning the potential influence Del Monte may have as a major player in the Speaker's District. Doing my own research, however, I've discovered that the impropriety is much deeper. Speaker Pelosi's husband Paul, it turns out, owns something to the order of $17 million in Del Monte stock!
(Editor's Note -- The previous sentence is noted in Wikipedia and has not otherwise been verified.
Commenter #3 at the related BizzyBlog post, claiming to be Tom Elliott of FunkyPundit, says he was told that no one holds more than $14 mil worth of DLM stock [except Heinz]. BizzyBlog Commenter #4 Kevin says that this item was entered into Wiki at 3:04 PM Jan. 12 [GMT, it is believed]; that link is here. The link claiming $17 mil in Del Monte ownership by Paul Pelosi goes to Nancy Pelosi's Wiki page. The Del Monte ownership interest is not claimed at that page. Thus, there is reason to believe that the claim of such ownership interest on the part of Paul Pelosi is suspect.)I wonder if he stands to benefit should StarKist avoid an additional $2 hike in hourly wages... (actually, for the Samoans, it would be a $3.99 hike from $3.26 to $7.25 -- Ed.)
Follow the money trail a little further and Speaker Pelosi may have a sympathetic accomplice in the US Senate. It turns out that the H.J. Heinz Company owns nearly 75% of Del Monte's stock. Heinz, of course, is the company owned in large part by the H.J. Heinz family of whom Teresa Heinz is a major heir as the widow of H.J. Heinz the III, the late Senator from Pennsylvania. And who did Mrs. Heinz marry shortly after her late husband's passing? Senator John Forbes Kerry of Massachussetts!
If the Del Monte holdings of Mr. Pelosi are supposed to appear on her Congressional Disclosure Form, I don't see them. The Del Monte stock could be owned by a separate holding company that is listed, or it could be that such holdings don't have to be disclosed. Hopefully, readers here will know more.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
—Tom Blumer is president of a training and development company in Mason, Ohio, and is a contributing editor to NewsBusters
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Well the fans been turned o
January 12, 2007 - 14:30 ET by MightyMouthWell, the fans been turned on, I guess we can expect the feces next?
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
Mmmmmm, this tuna is really t
January 12, 2007 - 14:30 ET by Jack BauerMmmmmm, this tuna is really tasty.
Two weeks in and the Pelosi fish is already rotting from the head down.
Folks there is a reason why this superficial woman, from a fourth rate college, is going to turn out to be monumentally inept.
I hope the Republican party keeps mentioning this until the media just can't edit it out of their broadcasts.
Proud member of the all-powerful and vast militarist/industrialist/capitalist/zionist-bagelist complex
Jack,What they ought to do is
January 12, 2007 - 14:55 ET by Dave RJack,
What they ought to do is have it printed up on t-shirts and then wear them to every interview.
Dave -- maybe..SO LONG NANCY.
January 12, 2007 - 14:59 ET by Jack BauerDave -- maybe..
SO LONG NANCY...AND THANKS FOR ALL THE TUNA.
Proud member of the all-powerful and vast militarist/industrialist/capitalist/zionist-bagelist complex
Jack, LOL, that would be per
January 12, 2007 - 15:03 ET by Dave RJack, LOL, that would be perfect!
PERFECT Douglas Adams reference!!
January 12, 2007 - 17:49 ET by Six String SpiffLOL! That was sweet.
space - well spotted young
January 13, 2007 - 14:12 ET by Jack Bauerspace - well spotted young sir.
You gotta believe that their really is a starship powered by the famed Improbability Drive when a plastic drone like Pelosi could become Speaker of the House.
And don't forget that John Kerry's valet is still Marvin the Paranoid Android.
Proud member of the all-powerful and vast militarist/industrialist/capitalist/zionist-bagelist complex
Seem's she may have bitten-of
January 12, 2007 - 15:27 ET by FastEdSeem's she may have bitten-off more than she could chew!
There is no sense in being stupid, if you can't prove it! - my dad
Wimpy GOP
January 12, 2007 - 16:57 ET by BBallleaperBrother, if you're counting on the wimp-ass Republicans we have you're sadly mistaken. These cowards are afraid of their own shadow! If I was in the Senate I would have already called a presser today to demand that both Boxer and Pelosi resign immediately. And I'd renew the cry everyday! Two PsOS that should be chummed into tuna bait!
Amen, BB. There was a time
January 12, 2007 - 20:45 ET by mytwocentsAmen, BB. There was a time when the Republicans would be out front with a response for Dimocratic garbage like this. No more. They are mostly lilly-livered, spinless, twits. I hope someone grows a spine soon.
Hell of a catch, NB. If Fox
January 12, 2007 - 15:08 ET by sarcasmoHell of a catch, NB. If Fox News is the only media entity to cover this scandal by 8AM tomorrow morning, I hereby declare this an open and shut case of left wing mediabias, and I'd challenge any of the few news media defenders here to say otherwise. ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, and CNN, etc. -- the journalism has now already been done for you, all you need to do is merely look like you're doing your jobs to see that this is a big-ass appearance (at least) of corruption story and cause one of your talking heads to cover it. BTW, conservatives, if you start a tuna-boycott I'm in for humor-value.
JMR
and this time it's the demoli
January 12, 2007 - 15:23 ET by FastEdand this time it's the demolibs who aren't environmentally sensitive.
There is no sense in being stupid, if you can't prove it! - my dad
Have no fear. The tards at Th
January 12, 2007 - 17:35 ET by Roger the ShrubberHave no fear. The tards at Think Progress are on the ball!
sarcasmo,Hannity was all over
January 12, 2007 - 21:22 ET by msh1973sarcasmo,
Hannity was all over this today on his show as well. We shall see if this story goes anywhere. Usually when this type of story is about the Dems there is always a logical answer as far as the msm is concerned. They always give their team the benefit of the doubt, but the Republicans are guilty from the get go.
Kah..effing...boooooooooooooom!
January 12, 2007 - 15:15 ET by Guy Arthur ThomasAll I can say, and please pardon the creative expletive is...Kah...effing...boom! Talk about shooting themselves in the foot...forget that...THESE DUMMY DEMOCRATS have gone straight to suicide in the first round.
Much love to the claimant who dug for this data bomb and let's enjoy it while the NUKE explodes on the Pelosi watch....hahahahahahaha. Gawd these dummy Democrats know how to self-destruct!
If you claim to be a conservative, please don't disgrace yourself and conservatism by thinking and arguing like a liberal.
am I over-reacting
January 12, 2007 - 15:34 ET by tumbler_2007Maybe the fairest thing now, for the country's sake;
So many truly important problems for our Congress to face, it would seem fitting, ah, huh, ah hum;
For Nancy Pelosi to step down from her actual position as the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Well, Congressmen; what say ye?
If you smell a liberal behind
January 12, 2007 - 16:42 ET by Andrew H.If you smell a liberal behind you, you're already screwed. She's got your wallet and wants more. She takes care of friends like Sunkist and donors--we can be sure. But the rest of the coutry is screwed.
Liberalism is a convenient lie.
Just goes to show -- you ca
January 12, 2007 - 20:47 ET by mytwocentsJust goes to show -- you can Tuna Fish, but you can't Tuna Congress.
This story is huge--it rightl
January 13, 2007 - 03:38 ET by Andrew H.This story is huge--it rightly proves her and by extension others, liberal hypocrosy. This is what you get with liberals--I fear for the country because as it is ow, they have more power than they can handle safely. We'll surely suffer in every way. Watch what they do.
Liberalism is a convenient lie.
I think their argument is &qu
January 13, 2007 - 09:27 ET by Evil KlownI think their argument is "75% of the workforce there is employed by Starkist. If the law applied to them, Starkist would move the company to another country and, by doing so, devastate the Samoan economy".
Well ... ok ... I agree with that. But why does "devastation of the economy" only matter in Samoa? Believe me, plenty of American companies have already moved out of the country and many more will. The libs just don't understand the concept of a free market. They never have and they never will.
Meanwhile, the poor idiots who voted for them are happy about getting a raise now, but will cry and cry when prices go up.
Funniest of all, they'll think it was just a cruel, uncontrollable, twist of fate.
Somoan Starkist minimum wage loophole closed
January 13, 2007 - 13:07 ET by Eric Turnerhttp://newsbuckit.blogspot.com/2007/01/tunagate-loophole-to-close-samoans.html
"Perpetual itching without benefit of scratching to the enemies of America." - July 4th toast during the Revolution
It is imperative that everybo
January 13, 2007 - 14:08 ET by Roger the ShrubberIt is imperative that everybody goes to armyvet's link, if only to watch the video clip of Representative Wu!
Nancy “The Tuna” Pelosi
January 13, 2007 - 14:00 ET by Red JeepNancy “The Tuna” Pelosi. Whenever she proposes something, suspect something fishy.