Why is Christine Gregoire Being Dishonest with Washington Voters?
Press Release
Why is Christine Gregoire Being Dishonest with Washington Voters?
Ads continue to lie about Rossi's position on minimum wage
Christine Gregoire launched two new television ads this weekend that flatly lie about Dino Rossi's position on the minimum wage. Dino does not support cutting the minimum wage for any adult in Washington state. Period. Instead he said he supports a training wage (-$1.50) for teenagers under 18.
In her ad, Christine Greogire tells the lie herself when she says "he said he would consider lowering the minimum wage by $1.50 an hour."
In a second ad, Christine Gregoire shows an 80-year old man who is "outraged that Dino Rossi would lower minimum wage by $1.50." Can the incumbent governor not tell the difference between a 16 year-old teenager and an 80-year old man?
"Why is Christine Gregoire's using her first television ad in which she speaks directly to the voters to lie about Dino Rossi? Apparently that's what you do when you are an incumbent governor and Washington's unemployment rate and budget deficit continue to grow, kids aren't getting the education they need and the transportation system is a mess. Instead of talking about the issues, she is despicably trying to scare senior citizens and other adults into believing that Dino Rossi would cut minimum wage by $1.50. This is untrue, and the governor knows it. The voters of Washington deserve better than blatant lies from a desperate incumbent afraid of losing power," said Jill Strait, Rossi spokesperson.
When asked at the AWB debate if he would support a stair-step training wage, which would begin at $1.50 less than the minimum wage and then ramp up from there, Rossi said:
"Would I be open to some of these ideas? You bet, especially a training wage. You think about how many young people are being cheated out of their first job. Getting the idea of going to work, fulfilling a task and being paid for it. That's a very good thing. Work ethic is something very good to instill in our youth and letting them have that opportunity. But when minimum wage gets so high that that job isn't worth that much to the employer, you don't get that first job."
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