‘One Stage Away From Slavery’: Rangel on Rick Perry’s Job Creation

http://www.politickerny.com/2011/08/16/one-stage-away-from-slavery-rangel-on-rick-perrys-job-creation/

Rep. Charlie Rangel said Governor Rick Perry’s job creation accomplishments in Texas are nothing to be proud of because they pay such low wages “it’s one stage away from slavery.”

Rangel’s harsh assessment comes the same day a New York Times review of Perry’s record concluded “Texas has one of the highest percentages of workers who are paid the minimum wage and receive no medical benefits.”

(snip)
This morning, Rangel appeared inside the Harlem office of the New York Urban League with fellow Democrats Senator Gillibrand and Assemblyman Keith Wright. They were urging the congress to passage of the federal Urban Jobs Act, which they said would pump $200 million into underserved communities to help prepare young, at-risk youth to enter the work force.

(snip)
“I’m just saying, generally speaking, you don’t want people taking advantage of poverty. The guy from Texas, he’s got the highest job accomplishments in the country, Governor Perry, but it’s one stage away from slavery, from what I understand the salaries are.”

Wages are rising or even livable. If people are working, they can't draw unemployment or much in the way of benefits unless there are children in the family.