Once again, 'misinformed' hurt workers

In response to the letter titled, "Once again, Bush hurts Americans," written by Mary Ann Rowe (April 22, 2004), I would like to say, "Shame, shame on you." This article stated that Bush's administration has hurt Americans by cutting overtime pay for workers that make more than $23,660 a year. Then it went on and on about the average workers not being able to "make ends meet" and how they are "stripped" from their overtime rights. I am not sure what twisted source that she got her information from, but upon my research here are some facts that actually pertain to the redefining of the overtime rules:

? The income range of lower-pay employees who are guaranteed overtime wages has widened

? A new income cap now means that employees earning more than $100,000 won't be guaranteed overtime pay (which increased from the previous $65,000)

? In regards to the figure of $23,660, this is the increased figure from the previous one that was 66 percent less and doesn't mean that overtime is cut for all workers after reaching that amount; it means that overtime is guaranteed up to that amount for the white collar worker.

The Labor Department projected that only about 100,000 workers would lose overtime protection, virtually all of them earning more than $100,000 a year and that the changes made would increase by 1.3 million, the number of low-income employees guaranteed overtime protection . So please tell me Ms. Rowe, how does this "strip the majority of workers of their overtime rights?"

I have always considered myself as an optimist and would like to believe that an letter like Ms. Rowe's really did have good intentions; however, with all the facts that I found after just a little research, I am convinced it was blatantly distorted. I feel she could not have picked a better way to get the attention and go straight to the voting heart of the American worker, then to mislead them into believing they will no longer be getting overtime pay. It just makes me, as an independent voter, wonder why such deviant methods are needed to try and manipulate us to vote for the other "better cause." Are they worried that the actual facts will prove that the right political party won't be their own?

ANGELA MARTIN

Sandpoint