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  • FRIDAY JANUARY 12 2007 8:00 AM

Republican Wins Asshole Of The Year Award In January

Submitted by FearTheReaper

Edited by erin_broadley

Tags: Republicans, Democrats, Jack Kingston

Representative Jack Kingston has already been awarded the Asshole of the Year Award, only 12 days into January. In an ordinary year the Asshole Award is given out in December but the Asshole board believes Kingston’s statements about the minimum wage increase will not be beaten.

The House voted to increase the minimum wage on Wednesday and Kingston was strongly opposed. The Georgian Republican took to the floor during the debate and claimed the Democrats were only passing the bill because it was good politics for them. Then he let loose with the words that earned him the Asshole Award.

He warned that people would not escape poverty through mandated wage hikes. If, instead, people would marry and work longer hours, "they would be out of poverty," he said. "It is an economic fact."


Fair enough. Really smart, solid point. People should quit being so lazy, work those overtime hours their employer is not offering and marry someone they don’t really like so they can pay the bills. The only problem is Kingston is a whining little bitch who doesn’t want to work so much.

After the Democrats took over Congress they informed their Republican colleagues that they would have to start working full weeks. Kingston was quite upset about the new schedule.

Keeping us up here eats away at families," said Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), who typically flies home on Thursdays and returns to Washington on Tuesdays. "Marriages suffer. The Democrats could care less about families - that's what this says."


Congratulations Kingston!

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Comments
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United Kingdom
August 2006

JAN 12, 2007 08:06 AM

WTF? If anybody is Asshole of the Year it is me!
Maybe I will have to settle for Asshole of the Century instead?

Anomalisa

Anomalisa

SUICIDEGIRL

I'm lost

JAN 12, 2007 08:12 AM

I have had my fair share of minimum wage jobs, and I must say that some of the people flipping your burgers and cleaning your restrooms are some of the hardest workers on the planet. Many of them hold two jobs and get zero benefits. Most would work overtime if it were offered. And as far as being married....a lot of minimum wage workers are and they are miserable.

Kingston needs to work a year at a car wash in Southern California. Maybe then he'll change his tune.

tonkakatt

tonkakatt

Boston, MA
June 2004

JAN 12, 2007 08:18 AM

what a piece of work.

ahd

ahd

Graham, NC
January 2003

JAN 12, 2007 08:20 AM

Dammit, now i'm gonna have to work SUPER hard to top him. blackeyed

Tabibito99

Tabibito99

Boston, MA
January 2006

JAN 12, 2007 08:22 AM

The really sad thing is that he is/was my congressman. The Dem who ran against him was a methodist minister who was a billion times smarter and more compassionate, I actually met the poor guy on election night, name of Rev. Jim Nelson. And incidentally did anyone see Kingston on Bill Maher a couple of months ago. Alec Baldwin tore him a new one, and when an actor can beat you in a political debate...

Pilkington

Pilkington

USA
October 2005

JAN 12, 2007 08:29 AM

Dur di DURRRR

But, seriously, cut the guy some slack...He is from Georgia. wink

ricosuave

ricosuave

I'm lost
September 2005

JAN 12, 2007 08:32 AM

Hold on now. His comments are insensitive to be sure but from a starkly rational perspective who is going to argue that working more hours at the same wage will not result in greater income? Or that two people can live at a lower combined cost that each can individually?

Plus I believe that he was addressing, perhaps indirectly, the issue that poverty disproportionately effects single mothers and their children. It is economic fact that single mothers have lower income and lower standards of living than their married counterparts.

Clearly the issue is far more complicated than 'work more hours and get married', and the current as (well as the proposed) minimum wage is a joke, but people who take his advice will generally improve their economic situation. Squinty-eye man speaks truth.

So is he the asshole of the year for stating the obvious and stripping a complex issue of any humanism? No. My vote goes to Bush, but perhaps his Asshole of the Millenium award renders him ineligible.

PogMoThoin

PogMoThoin

Jamaica, NY
January 2004

JAN 12, 2007 08:40 AM

ricosuave said:
Hold on now. His comments are insensitive to be sure but from a starkly rational perspective who is going to argue that working more hours at the same wage will not result in greater income? Or that two people can live at a lower combined cost that each can individually?

Plus I believe that he was addressing, perhaps indirectly, the issue that poverty disproportionately effects single mothers and their children. It is economic fact that single mothers have lower income and lower standards of living than their married counterparts.

Clearly the issue is far more complicated than 'work more hours and get married', and the current as (well as the proposed) minimum wage is a joke, but people who take his advice will generally improve their economic situation. Squinty-eye man speaks truth.

So is he the asshole of the year for stating the obvious and stripping a complex issue of any humanism? No. My vote goes to Bush, but perhaps his Asshole of the Millenium award renders him ineligible.




Yeah, I'd agree fully with that if he wasn't such a hypocrite about it. "Everyone work, except me." The taxes that those folks making minimum wage pay are funding those flights back and forth from DC and GA.

Just another rich white guy.

Bastardo

Bastardo

Boston, MA
January 2005

JAN 12, 2007 08:51 AM

Tabibito99 said:Alec Baldwin tore him a new one, and when an actor can beat you in a political debate...



Alec Baldwin is a pretty smart cookie, I'm not surprised that he got one over on this douche.

Quirky

Quirky

Birmingham, AL
October 2005

JAN 12, 2007 08:52 AM

BloodyHolly

BloodyHolly

Los Angeles, CA
October 2006

JAN 12, 2007 08:53 AM

I've also read when the minimum wage rises, more people lose jobs because the business must compensate for the higher pay.

theconservative

theconservative

Spring, TX
October 2004

JAN 12, 2007 09:12 AM

wow...i'm a republican, and this really embarrases me.

scorp17yh

scorp17yh

Brookings, OR
November 2004

JAN 12, 2007 09:16 AM

TeenageWerewolf said:
I've also read when the minimum wage rises, more people lose jobs because the business must compensate for the higher pay.




I have read that as well but is it just more Republican spin like the "if we give the mega-rich tax breaks the poor will benefit"

theconservative

theconservative

Spring, TX
October 2004

JAN 12, 2007 09:16 AM

ricosuave said:
Hold on now. His comments are insensitive to be sure but from a starkly rational perspective who is going to argue that working more hours at the same wage will not result in greater income? Or that two people can live at a lower combined cost that each can individually?

Plus I believe that he was addressing, perhaps indirectly, the issue that poverty disproportionately effects single mothers and their children. It is economic fact that single mothers have lower income and lower standards of living than their married counterparts.

Clearly the issue is far more complicated than 'work more hours and get married', and the current as (well as the proposed) minimum wage is a joke, but people who take his advice will generally improve their economic situation. Squinty-eye man speaks truth.

So is he the asshole of the year for stating the obvious and stripping a complex issue of any humanism? No. My vote goes to Bush, but perhaps his Asshole of the Millenium award renders him ineligible.



well you know what? he's an elected official, and i believe that appearances are very important for them. this certainly appears to be extremely hypocritical.

pascalpp

pascalpp

Brooklyn, NY
January 2004

JAN 12, 2007 09:20 AM

TeenageWerewolf said:
I've also read when the minimum wage rises, more people lose jobs because the business must compensate for the higher pay.


that's a common misconception often repeated by minimum wage opponents. it's also a vast oversimplification. minimum wage hikes put more money into circulation, as minimum wage employees spend a much larger percentage of their income than do those at the top end of the income spectrum. this increases sales for all businesses, including those that employ minimum wage workers.

22 states have minimum wages higher than the federal minimum wage. in these most of these states, job growth is up, and economic growth exceeds the national average. the minimum wage hikes have helped these states, not hurt them.

http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/bp178

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