Monday, July 31, 2006

Meanwhile, Politics as usual

The Republicans are without shame, without a shred of common decency. House GOP ties minimum wage to Estate Tax Cut.

Really, someone explain to me how the Republicans can justify leaving the minimum wage at $5.15 per hour, where it has languished for the last ten years, while they try to repeal a tax that affects only the wealthiest Americans. By tacking an amendment onto a bill to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 per hour, they display an arrogance that goes beyond comprehension.

"According to the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities, a progressive think tank, the modest wage raise would directly benefit an estimated 6.6 million people who are currently bringing home less than $7.25 per hour. The average wage increase predicted for those workers is $1,200 per year. The Center also estimated that current minimum-wage workers would see their yearly incomes go up about $4,400 to $15,100 per year, still less than the federal poverty level for a family of three.

The other beneficiaries of the House bill would be the heirs of Americans who have more than $5 million in assets. The estate-tax cut would allow those heirs to keep an estimated $267.5 billion between 2007 and 2016 that would otherwise go to federal coffers, according to Congress’s Joint Committee on Taxation."

Midterms are coming up, not soon enough by my count.

10 comments:

Tina said...

Lou Dobbs, a lifetime Republican and NOT the most socially liberal man on some issues (illegal immigration) says this all the time: Every single state that has by-passed the federal minimum wage requirements and raised the minimum wage for their state has less people using WIC, welfare, etc and has some of the highest consumer goods spending-- completely blowing that Republican crapola outta the water that raising the minimum wage hurts the economy. And I believe every state that has done that, is in fact a blue state... what a shock, right?

DivaJood said...

Completely shocked. Can't you tell by the loud raspberry I just made?

pissed off patricia said...

Okay, this is how it works. If something makes sense, don't expect the Republicans to do it.

DivaJood said...

Patricia, no kidding. GOP stands for Greedy Old Pricks.

billie said...

couldn't have put it better myself. if you want the right side opine on this topic go to my site and go to the real thought link. doug is back from vacation and apparently full of piss and vinegar. i didn't have it in me to respond. heat exhaustion :)

DivaJood said...

Oh, Betmo, he's hateful. What an asshole.

Alicia Morgan said...

Barney Frank called it like it is - check out the You Tube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jPCi0drnyo

DivaJood said...

Alicia, thanks for the link. Conscious, deliberate deception, I applaud Barney Frank. Boy, did he nail it.

Unknown said...

Can't wait to watch that link, Alicia!

Yes, no matter how you slice it, Jood, this is just more of the Greedy Old Pricks (a.k.a. "Grabby Old Pedophiles")screwing hard-working Americans while giving the rich more $$.

DivaJood said...

Helen, the Barney Frank statement is powerful. Powerful.