Money Talk

I have just about had it with the Republican party. Yes, I am frustrated with the majority of politicians, but mainly Republicans. And it isn't because of their stances on the Iraq War. (Because honestly, Kerry and co. should just shut up about this "date" thing. I feel like he's overcompensating for his lack of well...ANY viewpoint in '04). And yes, immigration and global warming stances from the Repubs is irritating.

But when it comes right down to it, what affects me and you the most is the bottom line, the loose change, the mula. And once again, they fail me.

In a battle to increase the $5.15 minimum wage rate, the Republican-controlled Senate voted down the proposed bill that would have raised it for the first time in nine years. It would have been raised to $7.25. At $5.15, a full time worker would make $10,712 a year. That makes it fall a slightly lower than one grand above the poverty line and 6 grand below the poverty line in a family of three. People are living on the edge and yet once again, they are ignored.

So what is the argument of the Republicans? They have a couple. Let's knock off the foolish one first.

They say that most of the people receiving minimum wage are part-time teenage workers who do are really only working for expendable income. Though they make a solid percentage of that population, they largely ignore those in which this is not the case. How do I know? For one thing, my mother was one of them. And it has only been the commitment of her, despite broken English, that has raised her pay to slightly above double digits. And if she lived by herself on that, it would still not be enough. Add on to that her coworkers that I have met in the past 15 years, and the statistics that point to people who have to take two minimum-wage jobs...what do you get?

What does it matter? No one notices them.

Now, let's see the Republicans' better argument. They say, as well as the National Federation of Independent Businesses, say that many small businesses will have to cut jobs if the minimum wage increases. Thus, it will hurt the people Democrats are trying to help. Point well taken. But at the end of the day, businesses have to be smart (which they are doing) and fair (which they are not doing). 10 grand per person is not enough to live on, and I'm sure everyone making these rules knows that. We are not calling for a raise in minimum wage every year, but without it going up or down based on living conditions or inflation, it is long overdue. We have to wait for Congress to get their hands out of their pockets. But Republicans believe that you're on your own, and as long as government is there to subsidize big business and suck up to corporate power, it's great.

Do you want to see what makes Republicans even more repulsive? They vote for their own pay raises, going up $165,000 a year (in the midst of a costly war, high gas prices, and increasing interest rates). Yet, they do not seem to believe that a person is worth 7 dollars an hour. If they had it their way, a person should not even be worth 5 bucks.

And one more thing. Republicans are pushing an estate tax reduction bill (along with gay marriage bans - two things that polls show citizens are not even putting in the top 10 of things they care about right now). This bill rewrites estate tax rates in 2010 and beyond. How? The idea is to repeal a tax on people who inherit multimillion-dollar estates. Altogether, that would have saved the wealthiest 1% $652 billion between 2012 adn 2021.

So...So...Wait. they want to give themselves a raise. They want to give 652 billion dollars away, but only to those who already own a 10 million dollar estate. But they will not raise the minimum wage by $2.10? With inflation, it should at least go past 6 dollars.

For a political party that prides itself on its "morality," this is a disgrace. I am disgusted and ashamed.