Senate Rejects Estate, Minimum Wage Bill

[Purveyor]

(08-03) 19:12 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) --


A Republican election-year effort to fuse a cut in inheritance taxes on multimilllion-dollar estates with the first minimum wage increase in nearly a decade was rejected by the Senate late Thursday.


Republicans needed 60 votes to advance their bill, which links a $2.10 increase in the $5.15 federal minimum wage over three years to reductions an estate taxes next decade. Passed by the House last Saturday, the bill got a 56-42 vote, four votes short of succeeding.


For Republicans, the combination could have neutralized a Democratic campaign issue while also advancing an estate tax cut, a priority that may have an uncertain future if the GOP loses seats in Congress in November's election.


The GOP strategy put Democrats in an uncomfortable position. Either they could vote against the bill — thus rejecting a minimum wage increase — or they could vote for it — thus agreeing to cut taxes on multimillion-dollar estates. Most rejected the bill, blocking a GOP victory months before the election.

---end of excerpt---

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/08/03/national/w191146D14.DTL

[pinto]

1. Yeah! They're starting to lose these procedural ploys. Blatant

politics, of course, tacking the tax cuts to a minimum wage bill...but there was a time, not too long ago, when this would have worked for them. Kudos!

[Old and In the Way]

2. Why do Republicans hate the working poor?

Guess we didn't get outfoxed afterall. Why play games 'Pubs? Put both bills up separately for an 'up or down vote'. Lets see where the chips fall. Instead of giving Paris Hilton another tax break, how about giving our working poor a living wage?

[Atman]

3. Republicans hate EVERYBODY

Except themselves.

[whistle]

5. They don't hate the working poor so much as they hate paying them

...for the work they do. It is total greed, avarice and excess.

[TomInTib]

4. Bueno, bueno

Stand up!

[Cobalt-60]

6. This one had to die

It wasn't just another tax break for millionaires.
In 17 states people working for tips may not be paid sub minimum wages on the grounds that they get tips.
This chunk of chimp sh*t would have mandated pay cuts for anyone in those states working for tips by making sub minimum pay a federal regulation.
All I have to say to the GOPs is:" you're just making it worse for yourselves."
They're certainly getting voted out of power.
Perhaps we need to hang them next to Mussolini as well.

[Judi Lynn]

7. Unexpected break for the human beings of the country. Thank you. n/t

[Warpy]

8. Yes! THANK YOU to all Senators who bravely voted against

this self serving piece of shit GOP legislation!!!!

Let the spin cycle begin. You just know they're going to howl about Democrats refusing to raise wages.

We all have work to do. We need to get the word out on how it was poison pilled to death by House Repugs. Tell everyone, everywhere.

Don't let the bastards get away with it.

[Owl]

20. Absolutely!

Your message is spot-on.

[Salviati]

9. w00t

Glad to hear that both of Washington's senators voted against this monstrosity.

It's too bad that the article failed to mention that the bill would have slashed the wages of people who work for tips in seven states. funny that...

[bronxiteforever]

10. I am still pissed off by the tone of the coverage of this hideous bill

"the gop strategy puts the democrats in an uncomfortable position" WTF-How about saying it puts the GOP in the uncomfortable position of supporting their politics of GREED. My paper this morning had the same crap-it went something like GOP sweetens the minimum wage bill for the democrats. The headline made it sound like the repugs were begging the dems to vote for the min wage!!! If anything I can't believe the subtle shots the MSM gives to us on every occasion.
The truth is the gop had to go wallow in pig slop (I know I am offending pigs) before they could give the poor wage earner a raise, it would have been their first in 10 years. I am PROUD our party turned the light on the avarice of the party of the rich. This GOP ploy was so arrogant. Those rich bastards needed to suck the treasury dry before helping the regular american. I only hope that some freakin reporter somewhere covers the truth contained in this bill. :rant:

[Omaha Steve]

11. Ben Nelson 1 of 4 Dems that voted for it

Failed by 4 votes. Pretty slim escape.

Four Democrats joined Republicans and voted for the bill: Sens. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Bill Nelson of Florida and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas. Two Republicans voted against the bill: Sens. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island and George Voinovich of Ohio.

He is still better than Pete Ricketts that is running against him!

[theanarch]

13. look again...3 repukes voted against it:

Chafee, Voinovich and....(hope you're sitting down) FRIST...WTF???? Two (both D's) did not vote: Baucus (death in the family) and Leiberman (death of his career).

[dweller]

14. Frist voted against so he could bring it up again?

i think that's how it works...

dp

[w4rma]

15. Yes, as majority leader he can't vote for a bill that fails if he wants to

bring it back up later. Frist's vote is procedural. Which also means that the Repugs only needed 3 more votes.

[dweller]

19. and that next vote will be when?

3am this next morning? the first day the Dems are on vacation?
or the day before they are back?

i don't trust those fu*kers.
dp

[w4rma]

21. He'd need 60 yes votes. No votes and abstains are the same in

filibusters. So it wouldn't matter if Dems are there or not, as long as one Dem is there to filibuster it.

[dweller]

23. as long as there is one.

sigh. . .

dp

[acmavm]

29. What does that tell you about the state of the democratic party in

Nebraska?

There isn't one.

[Omaha Steve]

33. We used to have our act together

We had two Senators and two of three Congress persons in the 90's.

[acmavm]

34. Maybe it's the leadership. Isn't the head of the party an

attorney that practices corporate law and is about 4 feet tall?

Ever met the guy? I have.

What a putz.

[Omaha Steve]

35. Strange you mention this

I'm a delegate to the State Democratic convention next weekend. I just now got a snail mail from Senator Bob Kerrey endorsing the current State Chair Steve Achelpohl for his reelection bid.

[dweller]

12. #5

thanks for the info, i was looking for it and couldn't find the results on LBN ...

may the repigs choke on their poison pill.
dp

[unlawflcombatnt]

16. $302 billion price tag

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the cost for the proposed tax giveaways to the wealthy would be $302 billion from 2007 through 2016. The link for this is at:
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/74xx/doc7460/hr5970pass.pdf

Just what we need, another $302 billion addition to the national debt.

unlawflcombatnt

EconomicPopulistCommentary

EconomicPatriotForum

___________
The economy needs balance between the "means of production" & "means of consumption."

[bvar22]

18. Some Democrats (Charley Rangle) said that the price tag...

...was $800Billion Dollars.

[niallmac]

17. Know anyone who still objects to the estate tax?

I am printing this article as it is pretty clear.
Just want them to read it.
I have a co worker who insists it's an 'unfair tax.'
To Wit:
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/06/06/estate_tax_pyramid_scheme.php

[last1standing]

22. Great article.

Thanks for posting it.

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

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[LeahD]

27. Sorry, but the Repub. "add-on" was playing politics.

[LostinVA]

30. Oh my, my....

[brentspeak]

38. If the DEMOCRATS "hadn't played politics" with this bill???????

Ha, ha. Nice try, Charlie.

[ananda]

26. but they passed the damm pension bill!

Ughhh

[radfringe]

28. not enough "enticements"??

http://radfringe.tripod.com/radicalfringecartoons/

[Vinca]

31. This backfired big time on the 'pukes.

The little provision they included that would LOWER wages for some sealed the deal. The bonus for us is it's still available for use in campaigning. It's a 2-fer: they cater to the rich and cut the minimum wages of the poor.

[0007]

32. ARGH! What a wonderful country we live in, eh?

[athena]

36. Here is how our local news reported this.

They did not even mention the part of the bill that was to cut the estate tax . All that was said was that the Senate voted down a bill to increase the minimum wage by $2 and that Hawaii's two senators voted against the bill.

Liberal media, eh?

[HockeyMom]

37. First report on my local radio

just said minimum wage hike voted down. One half hour later, they added on about the multi million dollar estate tax cut added on to that bill. I guess they must have gotten a lot of phone calls in half an hour.