"Senate halts minimum-wage bill
Friday, August 4, 2006; Posted: 7:56 a.m. EDT (11:56 GMT)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Republican election-year effort to fuse a cut in inheritance taxes on multimillion-dollar estates with the first minimum wage increase in nearly a decade was rejected by the Senate late Thursday.
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."
This is perfect example of what I have been talking about! This was a Minimum Wage Bill with a tax cut amendment. The minimum wage portion would have given a $2.10 increase to the Federal $5.15 minimum wage over three years. The tax cut was for the wealthiest among us to get an inheritance tax cut. Republicans call it the "Death Tax" and Democrats call the attempt to cut inheritance taxes the "Paris Hilton Tax cut."
It is obvious that the two parties can not agree on the issue of who should pay the highest or lowest taxes, but that is not the point of this blog! My point is how Business-as-usual affects We-the-People and getting the work done in Congress that we want done.
Republicans have a majority in Congress but could not get the bill passed because it required 60 votes. Democrats are forced to choose between voting against the Inheritance tax cut or against the Minimum Wage increase. Tough choice!
The other factor in the vote is the upcoming election. Republicans want to appeal to voters saying that they tried to raise the minimum wage. Democrats will have to explain why they voted against a minimum wage increase. Then the election becomes an accusation-fest and turns people off to paying attention. Very cleaver! And both sides do it!
But that is not the way our government should run. If each issue is presented as a separate bill and Congress votes on each single issue, then voters can see and decide how their representative votes and if they want to have that person continue to represent them. That’s a REAL choice and how America should be run!
That’s as I see it!
