Contrary to popular opinion, Ralph Nader has never said there is no difference between the two corporate parties. As the Bush kakistocracy’s radically reactionary agenda has unfolded, unchecked by a compliant Congress and a weakened judiciary, Nader has had to explain that he did allow for there being a “dime’s worth of difference” between them. I hope here to explore how that clever metaphor translates and affects real people’s lives in concrete and profound ways.
In campaign literature distributed outside his recent appearance at the Union Theater, Nader is listed as supporting a $10 per hour minimum wage, Kerry for a $7 per hour minimum wage, and Bush “opposes minimum wage increases.” Green Party candidate David Cobb, although ignored by Nader, also supports a $10 per hour living wage. For those who don’t know, our national minimum wage has remained stagnant for seven years at $5.15 per hour, a pitiful anachronism that bares no resemblance to the modern economy. To have the same real value that it did in 1960, the minimum wage today would have to be well over $8 per hour. Needless to say, millions of workers have been driven into deep and awful poverty despite working full-time or more in the most prosperous nation in history.
The federal government’s abdication of its responsibility to our nation’s working poor has not gone unnoticed. Recently, the Working Families party in New York succeeded in pressuring the state to adopt a phased-in $7.15 per hour minimum wage, joining 12 other states that have established higher standards than the feds. Here at home, the Madison Fair Wage Campaign’s successful drive for a phased-in $7.75 per hour indexed minimum wage put Madison on the map as the first city in the Midwest to establish a municipal minimum wage. I was proud to help in that campaign, and as someone who walked the streets and talked to affected workers, I can say unequivocally that it will have a profound impact on their daily lives. While it’s not the $10 per hour living wage I’d love to see, the 17,200 Madison workers who will receive a raise because of this effort will be that much closer to keeping up with groceries, rent, childcare and other necessities of life.
Kerry’s proposal for a $7 per hour minimum wage is nothing more than a first step toward an ultimate goal of economic justice, dignity and a living wage for all workers. Anyone who thinks $7 per hour is enough is a fool, but so is anyone who thinks that an extra $1.85 per hour won’t dramatically improve the lives of millions of America’s lowest-paid workers. Over a year’s time, that’s an extra $3,848 in income for a full-time worker, sure to be spent almost immediately on basic necessities. Talk about something that would stimulate the economy!
Progressive voters in a swing state like Wisconsin who care about low-income workers and a living wage must weigh our ultimate goals against our immediate reality. If, as an interest bloc, too many of us cast our votes for the $10 candidate, we will be stuck with $5.15 for another four years. The $7 candidate is no great friend of the working poor, we should be clear about that, but his election would be a first step toward reversing the disastrous trends we face.
For disclosure’s sake, I should point out that I don’t currently work for a low wage or without health care. I do, however, represent thousands of people that do. I’m quite sure that I could survive another four years of Bush and $5.15, but I know some of them can’t and won’t. Real people’s lives are on the line this year in this election.
As of this writing, I have no idea whether Ralph Nader will appear on the Wisconsin ballot. I joined Nader supporters Thursday morning in a rally supporting his right to be on the ballot and hope the Supreme Court makes the right decision. His voice deserves to be heard, as do the voices of his supporters. Whether he is a smart choice for progressives in Wisconsin is another matter entirely.
In 2000, I voted for the $10 candidate because that’s the world I want. In between presidential elections, I worked my hardest to get a little closer to that vision. In 2004, I will vote for the $7 candidate because that’s the world we live in. Starting Nov. 3, I will get back to working hard to achieve that vision. To assist in these efforts, I have joined forces with www.greensforimpact.com to promote an end to the Bush regime, the adoption of Instant Runoff Voting and the growth of the Green Party, the vehicle I believe will take us closer to our goals in the long run. A dime’s worth of difference may not be enough to earn my vote this time, but $1.85’s worth of difference is.
Austin King, a member of the Green Party, has been a leader of Madison’s Fair Wage Campaign as the 8th District Alder.