Collins calls rival campaign’s claim on her equal pay stance ‘ludicrous’
By Nick McCrea, Bangor Daily News, Maine | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
"Modern campaign cycles tend to be ruled by the caustic Internet slogan of the day," Collins said in a packed meeting room at the Cross Insurance Center. "Poisonous words are the weapons of choice, and it is amazing how much venom can be spewed in just 140 characters."
Bellows, formerly the executive director of the
Collins' camp has countered by arguing Bellows "can't get her facts straight."
During Wednesday's luncheon, hosted by Fusion:Bangor, a networking group for young professionals in the
"Let me start by pointing out the obvious," Collins said. "I am a woman. I have always believed that I should be paid based on my merits, not based on my gender. And given my gender, I must admit that I found the charge that I supported discriminating against women to be ironic."
Collins said she opposed the equal pay legislation for several reasons.
First, equal pay for equal work is law. It has been illegal in the U.S. to pay women less than men since the Equal Pay Act passed in 1963. But that doesn't mean there aren't employers who violate that law, Collins said, adding she supported the 2009 Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which extended the statute of limitations in equal pay lawsuits. Ledbetter lost her lawsuit, which she filed after learning
Second, the bill would have required thousands of employers to report their workers' salary and wage information to the federal government and "impose burdens and restrictions on small businesses struggling to create jobs," Collins said.
Third, class-action trial lawyers would be "the biggest beneficiaries of the bill" because it provides incentives for excessive litigation against employers, Collins argued.
Bellows has argued the fair pay act would have held business owners accountable and would punish them for reckless indifference or ignoring equal pay laws.
"Women deserve equal pay for equal work," Bellows said in an email Wednesday evening. "The Paycheck Fairness Act would go far in addressing discriminatory practices by large corporations with common sense exceptions for small businesses. The fact that women only make an average of
Collins also criticized Bellows' claims that, as a Republican, she helped start last year's 16-day government shutdown that cost the U.S. economy as much as
Bellows' campaign recently released a video stating Collins twice sided with her Republican colleagues in votes that led to the government shutdown.
Collins explained her role in the shutdown differently. She said that when the shutdown ended its first week on
She drafted a plan and rallied bipartisan support. Included in her
Bellows argued Collins is trying to take credit for solving a problem she helped create.
"You cannot rewrite history," Bellows said in an email Wednesday. "Mainers won't forget that when it mattered, when
In response to an audience question about how the U.S. is handling threats posed by Islamic State extremists, Collins called on President
She said she believes airstrikes by the U.S. and its allies are "appropriate" and gave the president credit for rallying support on the ground from Arab nations to reverse the spread of the extremist organization.
"ISIS is a threat that is growing in size and sophistication every single day," Collins said.
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