Boehner: "This is the best shot we've got; we're going to take it"

[Human Torch]

WASHINGTON - Republicans muscled the first minimum wage increase in a decade through the House early Saturday after pairing it with a cut in inheritance taxes on multimillion-dollar estates.

Combining the two issues provoked protests from Democrats and was sure to cause problems in the Senate, where the minimum wage initiative was likely to die at the hands of Democrats opposed to the costly estate tax cuts. The Senate is expected to take up the legislation next week.

Still, GOP leaders saw combining the wage and tax issues as their best chance for getting permanent cuts to the estate tax, a top GOP priority fueled by intense lobbying by farmers, small business owners and super-wealthy families such as the Waltons, heirs to the Wal-Mart fortune.

"This is the best shot we've got; we're going to take it," said House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. The unusual packaging also soothed conservatives angry about raising the minimum wage over opposition by GOP business allies. The House passed the bill 230-180 before leaving for a five-week recess. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., vowed Democrats would kill the hybrid bill, along with its 10-year, $300 billion-plus cost.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060729/ap_on_go_co/minimum_wage

[babylonsister]

1. Why are the repugs so determined to fuck anyone who's not a

millionaire+? I'm beyond disgust.

[durrrty libby]

6. Their barefaced gluttony is vile.

People who vote for these slugs must be insane.

[panader0]

2. I can only hope Reid is right

[babylonsister]

7. Reid: "Blackmailing working families...". Ain't that the truth. nt

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MissWaverly]

4. this is all a political stunt

so if the senate democrats vote against the no dead millionaire left behind bill they will
be voting against raising minimum wage, what a travesty, the GOP majority are totally a burden to this country and should be voted out now.

[ktowntennesseedem]

8. Exactly.

Senate Dems will either have to vote for something they vehemently oppose, or vote against one of the major foundations of their mid-term platform. No matter the outcome, Rovian spin-masters will once again work their magic and try to hang this around our necks.

:banghead:

[MissWaverly]

9. well, give them a pass for 90 days

this is just so that the money continues to swell their unpopular races this fall, we'll fix
it when they get thrown out on the street, where they belong

[msongs]

10. "no millionaires left behind" - there's THE phrase -will dems use it?

exactly the tone we should employ a tiny boost in the minimum wage for the working poor, a HUGH boost for millionaires.

too bad dems in congress don't read DU much, we have great ideas they could use, free, no parasite consultant fees :-)

Msongs
www.msongs.com/howarddean2008.htm

[MissWaverly]

11. it's the truth

I don't think there has been 1 bill that they have passed in the last 6 years that has been
for the common good, the average person. The Patriot Act, Homeland Security and all that
is debatable on it's long term benefit in that it has shielded much abuse of power, fraud
and robbing our treasury for pork.

[Auntie Bush]

5. WOW! & double WOW! Bully for them. They'll give the poorest

in our nation a couple more dollars a week if we give multi millionaires
multi thousands more and further bankrupt the country. How fair can the
greedy, selfish pigs get? They have elephantiasis of the balls!

[Eurobabe]

12. Boner, that guy disgusts me

eom

[cmd]

13. Hooray for Paris Hilton

Dems must publicize her windfall inheritance.

[AJH032]

14. Democrats should either block the legislation or abstain from voting n/t