American People Didn’t Fall for Bad-Faith Senate Bill–Here’s Why

[Omaha Steve]

Full article: http://blog.aflcio.org/2006/08/04/senate-republican-calls-estate-tax-bill-%e2%80%98lousy-and-offensive%e2%80%99/

Legislation & Politics, Bush & Co.

Aug 4

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American People Didn’t Fall for Bad-Faith Senate Bill–Here’s Why

Finally, a little bit of common sense prevailed in the U.S. Senate last night. Lawmakers said it’s just not right and doesn’t make any sense to use a $753 billion estate tax cut that would give some 8,200 wealthy families an average of $1.4 million as a prerequisite to giving millions of minimum wage workers a $2.10-an-hour raise.

By a 56–42 vote, most Senate Democrats, along with two Republican lawmakers, told Republican leaders: “No, we’re not going to let you push this cynical combination through the Senate.” It would have taken 60 votes to move the estate tax bill to a final vote.

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney says, “Last night the Senate told the Republican leadership in no uncertain terms to stop playing games with the minimum wage.”

The estate tax bill is a “poison pill” that stands in the way of minimum wage workers getting a long overdue pay raise.
The only thing stopping minimum wage workers from getting a $2.10 pay raise is the unwillingness of the Republican leadership of Congress to allow consideration of a clean minimum wage bill, with no poison pills and no strings attached.Minimum wage workers should not have to get in line behind Paris Hilton and the Wal-Mart heirs to receive the long overdue pay increase they rightly deserve.

Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) vowed he will continue to block a vote on the minimum wage unless Republicans get their $753 billion tax cut gift for millionaires.

These issues must be addressed as a package, all or nothing.

It was a little more than 10 years ago—Aug. 2, 1996—that Congress last approved a minimum wage increase. Since then, Republican leaders have blocked every attempt to raise it again, even as the minimum wage has sunk now to its lowest buying power value in 51 years.

But this year, public anger at Congress for not raising the minimum wage grew so loud outside the Washington, D.C., beltway and throughout the nation, it began to echo around Capitol Hill, where each House member and a third of the Senate will face the voters Nov. 7.

The AFL-CIO America Needs a Raise campaign brought union and community activists together in nearly two-dozen states to push for minimum wage increases through legislation or ballot initiative this fall. Over the past few weeks, America Needs a Raise activists and Working America members have held nearly 20 demonstrations outside the home district offices of U.S. House members who not only have voted against raising the minimum wage but also voted to raise their own pay. Starting in January, congressional pay is set to hit $165,200 a year, after nine pay raises totaling $35,000 since the last time the minimum wage was raised.

[rubberducky]

1. I don`t know about anybody else but,

when sanctamonious santoram stood up in his "good humor man" suit I wanted to :puke: But, when he actually said that his side of the aisle did not believe in raising the minimum wage, I was totally shocked. His opponent needs to show that clip over and over.