U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka recounted his humble beginnings in Pauoa Valley as the youngest of eight children Wednesday in an online video response to the modern-day issue of millionaire members of Congress.
Akaka’s video is part of YouTube Town Hall, which asks viewers to click in support of juxtaposed videos featuring various members of Congress.
In his one-minute, 32-second video, Akaka responds to the YouTube Town Hall question, "Given that 50 percent of Congress people are millionaires, do you represent the average American?"
Akaka begins with a throaty "Alooooha" and recounts his upbringing as the youngest child of a welder who "worked at a tough job for long hours with little pay so he could feed my family."
"Millions of Americans across the country share this struggle every day. I was lucky to learn the value of financial planning and saving in elementary school. One of my teachers asked us to pick something we wanted to buy. I chose a yo-yo. We made a detailed plan on how much it would cost, how much we would have to earn, how we would earn it and how we would save it. … Those lessons and the way they empowered me led me to strongly advocate for financial literacy, giving Americans the tools they need to plan for their financial future. That is why I added several provisions to Wall Street reform and credit card reform bills to protect and educate American consumers. One of my provisions now requires every credit card statement to include a box explaining how many years and months it will take you to pay off your balance if you only make the minimum payment. This is already helping millions of hard-working people make the best decisions for their families’ futures."
The video can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWFNdRb1Dew.
His video went head to head with a 54-second video by Democratic U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, whose Southern California district includes Los Angeles, Hollywood and Culver City.
In her video Bass directly addresses the question of millionaire congressional members.
"Let me just say first and foremost I’m not one of the 50 percent that’s a millionaire, and frankly it’s been very frustrating to me to hear this reporting because, consequently, when I go home people then think that I’m wealthy, and it’s not the case," Bass tells YouTube viewers. "I have been a working person my entire life since I was a teenager. I continue to work as a member of Congress. I don’t have major investments. I’m a homeowner, and I suffer from the mortgage crisis just like everybody else. I brought (sic) a house at the height of the bubble, and I am underwater just like several million other Americans. And so I really want to take a moment and dispel the notion: If 50 percent of the members of Congress are millionaires, that means the other 50 percent are not, and I happen to be one of those."
On the Net:
» Bass’ video can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=mViFH2HujnM.
