{"id":11341,"date":"2014-01-27T17:06:36","date_gmt":"2014-01-28T01:06:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=11341"},"modified":"2014-01-27T17:06:36","modified_gmt":"2014-01-28T01:06:36","slug":"dumb-fox-news-phony-think-tanks-irrational-argument-against-minimum-wage-increase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=11341","title":{"rendered":"Dumb Fox (News): Phony Think Tank’s Irrational Argument Against Minimum Wage Increase"},"content":{"rendered":"

By now no one should be surprised that Fox News, and the congregation of Tea Party conservatives they represent, would oppose legislation intended to benefit America’s working class. Fox has consistently fought against reforms that make it possible for people to take care of themselves and their families and to advance economically. Any policy that is viewed by their corporate benefactors as negative to their profit margins, or that might adversely impact their multimillion dollar compensation, is attacked by Fox News, and the rest of the rightist press, as anti-business or even socialist.<\/p>\n

That is precisely the case with the current debate over whether to increase the minimum wage, which has not been done in seven long years. Raising the minimum wage is generally seen as politically popular, so in order to derail it, opponents have to pitch tortured arguments that have very little backing by knowledgeable, non-partisan economists. But the tactic being used by Fox today is particularly devoid of reason and is wholly unethical, even by the standards of Fox News.<\/p>\n

\"Minimum
\n

Be Sure To \u201cLIKE\u201d News Corpse On Facebook<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n

In an effort to manufacture a false claim of hypocrisy, Fox News is presenting an absurd comparison. Their story<\/a> asserts that “Most sponsors of minimum wage hike bill don’t pay interns.”<\/em> So F**king What?<\/strong> Internships are temporary positions made available to students so that they can get some real-world experience in their field of study and credit for school. They are not intended to be employment for personal gain. They serve the same purpose as the classroom at their school, and they don’t get paid for that either. Internships generally have a fixed term of a few weeks during the summer or other school hiatus. To compare that to jobs where people are working in order to support themselves and their families makes no sense whatsoever.<\/p>\n

That said, there may be some good arguments for compensating interns, particularly in business where the enterprise has sufficient resources to do so. But to assert that members of Congress who support raising the minimum wage are being hypocritical for allowing students to get an up-close look at how government operates is simply a wild and irresponsible attempt to obstruct progress on policies that bring tangible relief to struggling Americans, as well as a substantial boost to the economy.<\/p>\n

What makes this story even more repulsive is that Fox is citing data from a disreputable source with a vested interest in the welfare of the corporations it exists to serve. According to Source Watch<\/a>…<\/p>\n

“The Employment Policies Institute (EPI) is one of several front groups created by Berman & Co., a Washington, DC public affairs firm owned by Rick Berman, who lobbies for the restaurant, hotel, alcoholic beverage and tobacco industries.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So this organization is directly tied to the industries who are the most virulently opposed to a minimum wage increase. That should cause a legitimate news agency to steer shy of them if they are interested in unbiased information. But it doesn’t dissuade Fox, and a bevy of other wingnut “news”<\/em> outlets, from eating up the self-serving tripe.<\/p>\n

As if that weren’t bad enough, Berman & Company is also notorious for feathering its own nest. The bulk of the funds received by the organizations under its control goes right back into Berman’s pocket. For instance, the Employment Policies Institute reported $1,629,930 in total revenue for 2011, and $2,103,896 in total expenses. But despite running a half million dollar deficit, it paid Berman more than a million dollars that year. That alone should cast doubt on the quality of the economic advice they might dispense.<\/p>\n

What we have here is a lobbyist who created a fake think tank so that he could raise funds from corporations to advocate on their behalf – and against the interests of average Americans. Then this fake think tank gets fake news enterprises (like Fox) to disseminate their tendentious opinions. That’s how the right-wing media machine poisons the public debate on important issues. And this particular article got spread to the the Wall Street Journal, the Daily Caller, Newsmax and other conservative mouthpieces.<\/p>\n

To counter that, here is some more information on the benefits of raising the minimum wage. These articles explain in more detail why the nation should move forward with this legislation:<\/p>\n

Economic Policy Institute: Low-wage Workers Are Older Than You Think<\/a><\/p>\n

5 Right-Wing Myths About Raising the Minimum Wage, Debunked<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By now no one should be surprised that Fox News, and the congregation of Tea Party conservatives they represent, would oppose legislation intended to benefit America’s working class. Fox has consistently fought against reforms that make it possible for people to take care of themselves and their families and to advance economically. Any policy that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11342,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Dumb Fox (News): Phony Think Tank's Irrational Argument Against Minimum Wage Increase","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[219,1],"tags":[1141,33],"class_list":["post-11341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-general","tag-economy","tag-fox-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/minimum-wage-interns.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4Ijg-2WV","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":22968,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=22968","url_meta":{"origin":11341,"position":0},"title":"ObamaPay: Fox News Concocts Another Crackpot Controversy","author":"Mark NC","date":"12\/1\/2014","format":false,"excerpt":"We have already seen the blockheads on Fox News wax idiotic about several political issues that they named in honor of our President Barack Obama. They must have thought it was funny or somehow disparaging to call everything Obama-Something. And each time it was characterized as some sort of raging\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Economy"","block_context":{"text":"Economy","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?cat=219"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fox News ObamaPay","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/foxnews-obamapay.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/foxnews-obamapay.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/foxnews-obamapay.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":20403,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=20403","url_meta":{"origin":11341,"position":1},"title":"Fox Nation vs. Reality: Wrong! Minimum Wage Workers In The US Do Not Make More Than ISIS Terrorists","author":"Mark NC","date":"9\/2\/2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Another noggin-smackin moment brought to you by the boneheads at Fox Nation. Known for promoting idiotic claims, asinine assertions, and brazenly biased distortions of political affairs, Fox Nation has once again stretched their tabloidy, pseudo-journalism to the farthest reaches of absurdity. For even more examples of Fox's idiocracy... Get Fox\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?cat=1"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fox Nation","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/foxnation-isis-wages.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/foxnation-isis-wages.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/foxnation-isis-wages.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":24968,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=24968","url_meta":{"origin":11341,"position":2},"title":"Glenn Beck Exposes Obama’s Plot To Incite Revolution By Raising The Minimum Wage","author":"Mark NC","date":"1\/28\/2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Once again Glenn Beck has used his unique ability to see through the clandestine schemes being perpetrated by nefarious government conspirators. It's a vision that only he possesses. And this time the plan he's uncovered is so insidious that it exploits some of the most benign projects to beget national\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Economy"","block_context":{"text":"Economy","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?cat=219"},"img":{"alt_text":"Glenn Beck","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/beck-minimum-wage.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/beck-minimum-wage.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/beck-minimum-wage.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10295,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=10295","url_meta":{"origin":11341,"position":3},"title":"Fast Food Fight: The Daily Show’s John Oliver Deep Fries Fox News","author":"Mark NC","date":"8\/2\/2013","format":false,"excerpt":"\"They sell you something that looks appetizing, but leaves you feeling nauseous for hours afterwards.\" ~John Oliver on Fox News That's how John Oliver described the similarities between Fox News and the fast food industry. In an epic take-down of Fox (video below), Oliver brilliantly exposed the selfishness, hypocrisy, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?cat=1"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":24590,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=24590","url_meta":{"origin":11341,"position":4},"title":"Fox Nation vs. Reality: Billions In Tax Hikes Are Actually Cuts For Most Americans","author":"Mark NC","date":"1\/18\/2015","format":false,"excerpt":"In the upcoming State Of the Union speech, President Obama is expected to call for a variety of tax reforms aimed at helping the middle-class to finally participate in the nation's historic economic recovery. The proposals comprise a common sense approach that recognizes the harm caused by income equality and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Economy"","block_context":{"text":"Economy","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?cat=219"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fox Nation","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/foxnation-reality-tax-hikes.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/foxnation-reality-tax-hikes.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/foxnation-reality-tax-hikes.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":21467,"url":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?p=21467","url_meta":{"origin":11341,"position":5},"title":"Hillary Clinton Smeared By Fox News For Correctly Analyzing Trickle-Down Economics","author":"Mark NC","date":"10\/27\/2014","format":false,"excerpt":"During the 2012 presidential campaign President Obama gave a speech wherein he paid tribute to the American people who collectively created an environment for business to prosper. That environment included paying for the roads, bridges, water and electricity facilities, and other infrastructure necessities without which the economy would whither. However,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Economy"","block_context":{"text":"Economy","link":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/?cat=219"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fox News Trickle Down","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/foxnews-clinton-trickle-down.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/foxnews-clinton-trickle-down.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/..\/Pix\/Trump\/foxnews-clinton-trickle-down.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11341"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11341\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11344,"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11341\/revisions\/11344"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newscorpse.com\/ncWP\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}