Over and over, the republican-controlled U.S. Congress has offered its citizens legislation the general public overwhelmingly desires, only to attach provisions that will effectively prevent the Bill from passing. Now, they're doing it again with the Federal Minimum-Wage Bill.
The word fairness comes to mind. Since 1996 the minimum wage has remained at $5.15, yet legislators have voted themselves a pay increase each year, on no less than 10 separate occasions. During that same period congressional pay has gone up $31,000 for members, many of whom are independently wealthy, and will work less than 80 days this year. As of January 2006, Senators and Representatives receive $165,200 per year. The Majority and Minority Leaders in both the House and Senate and the President pro tempore of the Senate earn $180,100. The Speaker of the House earns $208,000.
The proposed Bill would raise the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.25, not instantly, but by 2009. Attached to the same legislation offering the working poor a meager increase in income, is a sweeping package that includes a permanent reduction of the estate tax, and provisions that extend and expand various existing tax policies beneficial only to the rich, and profitable to giant corporations such as Microsoft and Boeing, including benefits such as reducing capital-gains taxes on timber sales by 60 percent.
In the words of Senator Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, "Republicans, in time of war, a war that costs us $3 billion per week - are proposing tax cuts for the wealthiest people in America - tells the whole story about their priorities."
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