"When it's all said and done, Mississippians will look at 13 years of mainstream conservative Republican representation that reflects the values of Mississippi."What are these "mainstream conservative Republican values"? Let's take a look at a few of Roger Wicker's votes and see if they "reflect the values of Mississippi" .
Oct 31, 2007 - HR1025 Wicker voted against assistance to workers who lose their jobs due to the effect of globalization.
Wicker is from Tupelo. There is no area in Mississippi harder hit by the effects of globalization than the surrounding area of Tupelo. Just ten years ago, Tupelo was the shining industrial star of Mississippi with its burgeoning upholstered furniture industry. There were furniture manufacturers ranging from gigantic (Action Industries) to mom and pop outfits littered throughout the 40 mile radius of Tupelo. The supporting industries such as fabrics were also well represented in northeast Mississippi.
Fast forward to today and you see shuttered factories and closed shops growing in number by the week. Many Mississippians have seen their jobs replaced by the cheap labor of Mexico or China. Corporations have chosen to relocate overseas at a fraction of the labor cost, and minus pesky things like employee benefits, minimum wage or fair wage laws, and American safety standards.
Jan 10, 2007 - HR018 Wicker voted against increasing minimum wage to $7.25.
It goes without saying that Mississippi is one of the poorest states in the union. According to research done in 2006, 155,000 Mississippians would benefit from even a modest rise in the minimum wage. Minimum wage laws had not been updated in TEN years prior to this legislation. Those on the dirty end of the stick saw their wages frozen in time for a decade. These jobs likely also have no benefits and leave the employee helplessly stuck well below the poverty line.
Oct. 27, 2007 - HR1009 Wicker voted against adding 2 to 4 million children to SCHIP eligibility
SCHIP provides health care to poor children. Roger Wicker voted against making sure an additional two to four million poor American children had access to health care. I don't know how many of those poor children reside in Mississippi, but I am sure it is a disproportionately large number in comparison to the rest of the U.S.
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These votes do not reflect what I call Mississippi values. In the Mississippi I know we love our neighbor just as we were taught in Sunday school. Voting against a minimum wage hike after ten years of stagnation, voting against temporary benefits for those losing their jobs due to our changing trade laws, and voting against access to health care for children who have no say in their socioeconomic condition does not reflect the values of my Mississippi.
