Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the slimiest of them all?

Well Rick Santorum is right up there. Ted Kennedy has proposed raising the minimum wage to $7.25. Über-Christian Santorum has countered with an amendment to raise the minimum to $6.25. A reasonable compromise, huh? A good start!

But wait, there’s more!

The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) has done an analysis of Santorum’s amendment, which you can examine here. Let me give you the lowlights. Quoting the EPI, “Santorum’s amendment would harm far more workers than it would help.” Santorum’s “Trojan Horse” would:

Weaken FLSA Coverage: Workers in business with more than $500K in revenue or in interstate commerce are currently protected by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Santorum would raise the $500K limit to $1 million, removing protection from at least 7 million additional workers. Classy, huh?

Cut Overtime Pay: Santorum replaces the 40-hour week with an 80-hour two-week period. Now, if you’re required to work 50 hours in one week and 30 the next, you get 10 hours of overtime. Not under Santorum. Scheduling childcare and balancing word and family just gets tougher. 100 million workers are affected by this.

Working for Tips Only: Santorum would force states and localities to adopt a 100% tip credit. In other words, employers will be allowed to pay nothing to tipped employees, as long as their tips should add up to the minimum wage. Also, Santorum overrides any statutes by states and localities that have a requirement that employees be paid more than just tips. Tipped employees include taxi drivers, hotel cleaning staff, porters, and the ubiquitous wait staff. Restaurant wait staff alone number about 2 million.

Weakening Safety and Other Protection: Employers will be excused from paying fines for violations of federal safety, health, pension, and labor regulations. First violations of “informational collection requirements” - even if knowing and willful (!!!) - will be excused for the more than 5 million businesses with revenues under $7 million per year. Information collection requirements include a broad class of notices and postings required in order to inform and protect employees: hazardous material warnings, information about pensions and heath benefits, etc.

OK, enough. My prediction: Kennedy’s amendment fails for sure, Santorum’s might pass. Santorum is, after all, protecting American families and American values by protecting American small business. Right! Remember, this assh-, er, person wants to be your president in 2008.

Rick Santorum is the guy who keeps a $100K home in Pennsylvania and expected the the township where that was located to pay the $38K online tuition bill so his kids could be home schooled in Virginia where he lives full time in a $750K home. When he was running for election in 1990, he accused his opponent of being a carpetbagger because he had a home in DC. Interesting, eh? I really destest this SOB, to me he represents everything that is wrong with the modern Republican right.

When you hear the name Santorum, here is the image I want you to have. Furthermore, you should share it with “everyone you know.” Go to “Spreading Santorum.” I apologize in advance for the lack of taste, but go there anyway.