Increase the Federal Minimum Wage Already ...Mercy!!!!
The House passed a two step increase to the federal minimum wage and sent the bill to the Senate where it is stalled because Republican Senators want to add tax benefits for the rich onto it extracting a price on the legislature that is distasteful to many other Americans.
It has been 10 years since the people at the minimum wage level have received a wage increase. Purchasing power of $5.15 has been really diminished since then.
We all know that the increase approved by the House is a half measure anyway because to obtain the minimum wage purchasing power of the 1960's the wage would have to be doubled immediately from $5.15 to at least $10.00. The House approved wage falls short of that by more than $2.00.
I try to refrain from calling people names. It usually is obvious what kind of person someone is by their actions. Those that are holding up the increase in the Senate know who you are and what you are. You probable know what others think about you and it is not pretty.
I am surprised that peaceful marches in Washington, D. C. are not called for by union organizations, religious organizations, veterans organizations, and others to demonstrate that raising the minimum wage is the right thing to do right away.
Someone should ask the President why he does not want to increase the minimum wage and if he blames congress for not putting a bill on his desk ask him why he has not pushed members of his own party who are stalling the increase to just do it.
It is unfair to keep someone's wages down for ten years and these people are those that need an increase the most. Talk about kicking someone when they are down. These people have been kicked already for ten years and it has to stop. It has gone beyond doing the right thing...It has gone to mercy...Have mercy on these people. Don't you have any mercy in your soul?
Va.'s Webb Offers a Blunt Challenge to Bush
Va. Senator Urges Change in Direction for Economy, Iraq War
By Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 24, 2007; Page A12
Sen. James Webb (D-Va.) delivered a forceful nine-minute response to President Bush's State of the Union address last night, promising an aggressive challenge to Bush's Iraq and economic policies from the newly empowered Democratic majority in Congress.
COMMENT
Bush is still pressing his Iraq, immigration, and pro Wall Street agendas remaining out of touch with mainstream America. Senator James Webb gave a brilliant speech representing the Democratic Party response to Bush's speech.
The highlight of the Webb speech was not opposing Bush Iraq strategy but to remind everyone that the middle class is hurting and should not remain abandoned as they are with Bush policies.
"On the economy, he "Webb" described a growing divide between rich and poor during the Bush presidency. "In short, the middle class of this country, our historic backbone and our best hope for a strong society in the future, is losing its place at the table," he said."
Webb learned his history that at the turn of the 20th century as the population of America was reaching 100 million people and the robber barons were cheating average Americans with their unfair pricing of goods and services and unfair labor acts that that had to change and it did.
The robber barons are back and they are in the White House and Congress.
Bush and Congress has cheated America by unfairly increasing the supply of workers by tens of millions of illegal workers lowering wages and benefits and allowing hundreds of thousands of H1B immigrants to deflate wages and benefits also. A blind eye allowing tens of millions of American jobs to leave America and go to foreign countries is unconscionable. Not obeying the Constitution of the United States to enforce the laws to arrest American employers that hire illegal aliens in America is beyond belief. Not increasing federal minimum wage for ten years is really horrible and shows the President and Congress has no compassion for the low paid worker in America.
And the problems run deeper than those mentioned. Since 1968 the population of America rose more than 50% yet our leaders including Bush and Congress failed America many times in not recognizing this growth of people. They failed to make sure we had enough new seats in the medical schools to train enough doctors in America for our growing population. They failed to maintain the existing infrastructure (roads, utilities, highways, railroads, airports, schools, and much more) and further increase it to support additional population growth. They failed to keep post secondary education and training inexpensive. A very large number of our students take 6 years to complete a 4 year college program because they have to take remedial studies to make up for the lessons they did not learn in high school. Too many of our high school students drop out before completion.
