Today, Asa Hutchison has asked that Mike Beebe take down his television ads in which he claims that he will “eliminate” the grocery tax. This is after Beebe acknowledged that he was not eliminating the grocery tax any time soon. Beebe went so far as to criticize Hutchinson for saying that the tax should be eliminated immediately.
During a forum hosted by the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce in Hot Springs, Beebe asserted that eliminating the tax immediately would be a “huge mistake,” citing other, more important spending priorities as well as concerns with the “budgetary process.”
“Mr. Beebe is not only retreating from his promise to eliminate the grocery tax, but now he is actually criticizing me for sticking to my promise to get rid of it,” Hutchinson said. “If we can’t find the political will to end this unjust tax when we’re sitting on more than $700 million in projected surplus money, we’ll never do it. We’ll have 20 more years of the same inaction we’ve had for the last 20 – folks saying that they want to get rid of the tax, but always finding a reason that they can not. It’s a depressingly familiar old song.”
Hutchinson has been kind enough to help Beebe out if he didn't want to take down his ads.
As an alternative, Hutchinson suggested that Beebe could alter his current ads at little cost by simply adding a truth-in-advertising disclaimer at the end, similar to those used by pharmaceutical companies: “Mike Beebe’s claim to eliminate the grocery tax may result in inaction, disappointment and more empty promises from public leaders.”
Well, we know that Beebe is not going to change his ads. He knew from the start that he was not telling the public the complete truth. Hutchinson just needs to make sure the public really understands what Beebe is telling them. I'm sure the Hutchinson campaign is working on a really nice TV ad.
3 comments:
There's another of Beebe's ads that's been bugging me....the one where he talks about his mom was a waitress & didn't make minimum wage. How is that even possible, as long as minimum wage has been around? I mean, I know the wage is different for wait staff, but they still have it. And what about tips?
I know it's quibbling, but still...it bugs me.
Waitress' don't make minimum wage. You'd have to see the Wage and Labor Law to get the specifics. I know it's always been that way. They do have tips which they report as income. They can make more in tips than minimum wage. Of course, the amount of tips depends on the restuarant and how hard they work. I waitress for a brief time years ago and on a good day I could make $50. I make sure I tip well because I know it's part of their wage. The thing that bothers me about Beebe mentioning this is the implication that she was taken advantage of and she should have been making minimum wage.
No, waitresses are covered by minimum wages laws, just at a lower rate. That's because it's assumed their tips will make up the difference between the lower rate & the current minimum wage. If not, the employer has to pay them the difference. I think that's been in effect since the original Wage & Labor Law of 1938, but I'm not sure.
Employment law isn't my field of specialty.
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