Celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage Month
The month of May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. Approximately 13.5 million U.S. residents say they are Asian or Asian in combination with one or more other races. This comprises 5 percent of the total population. In 1978, a joint congressional resolution established Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. The first 10 days of May were chosen to coincide with two important anniversaries: the arrival in the United States of the first Japanese immigrants (May 7, 1843) and the completion of the transcontinental railroad (May 10, 1869). In 1992, Congress expanded the 10-day observance to a month-long celebration. Per a 1997 Office of Management and Budget directive, the Asian or Pacific islander racial category was separated into two different categories: “Asian” and “native Hawaiian or other Pacific islander.” Interested in celebrating? Visit the featured sites at Race Relations at SisterPlay.com for more information.
Minimum Wage Rate Hikes: Investing in People
Florida has just joined the ranks of 14 other states in promoting economic development, saving the taxpayers money, and beginning the transition of many of the state’s poorest workers out of poverty. Florida’s minimum wage rate rises to $6.15 an hour. For legislators concerned about the rising costs of public services, the hike might actually bring some not-so-obvious relief. Less state money will be necessary to subsidize housing, Medicaid, and other public services for the working poor. At the same time, with more money in their pockets, folks are likely to inject some of their cash into local economies. And that also means more sales tax dollars will flow into the treasury of the state government. While it is commonly believed that unskilled teenagers working after-school jobs constitute the bulk of the workers earning the minimum wage, in actuality 80 percent of low-wage employees are adults 20 or older. Thank goodness, Florida finally figured it out--but not Georgia and most of the other states. How often have we heard the mantra-- tax cuts bolster the economy by placing more money in the hands of consumers and entrepreneurs. Why not try applying this philosophy to our citizens? I believe I read somewhere that “President Bush also understands that, over the long run, wealth is created by hard-working, risk-taking individuals, not government programs.” Let’s put a little of that understanding in our nation’s poorest households.
