Talk Walker

The House passed legislation yesterday HR 5970, which would raise the minimum wage $2.10 over the next three years. This is similar to the Fair Minimum Wage Act voted down previously.

Apparently, there was enough outrage from the American public, close enough to the November elections, to give the Republican majority reason for pause. They had to do something so they could say they answered the will of the American people. However, no matter how they tried, they just could not deny the god they have been serving since they gained control of Congress : Corporate America and the top 2% income earners (not hourly wage-earners). Time was running out for to pay the pound of flesh owed to their campaign donors — especially considering they are already returning to the well for more. The only trouble is the flesh is coming from low-and-middle-income families across America.

In short, the Republicans tacked on an amendment to permanently reduce the Estate Tax granted to the top 2% income American families by President Bush and the Republican-Run House and Senate (e.g. Walton, Hilton, Bush, Kennedy, Ford, etc). Across the board, this bill would benefit 6.6 million workers, to the tune of $3,640 over the next three years, at which point it would freeze. Conversely, at the other end of the spectrum, 8,200 beneficiaries would receive a tax cut averaging $1.4 million with no end in site!

One way of looking at this is to say, well those people who earn more money should receive a bigger tax break. For one, this income is not earned the same way most Americans do. It is largely income paid for with corporate subsidies and government contracts supported by tax on income earned by the average wage-earner–not exactly my idea of “what goes around comes around.” For example, durint the 2004 election cycle, the energy sector contributed $50.9 million in individual and PAC donations, 75% of which went to Republicans. For that investment, they got the Energy Policy Act of 2005 passed, which gave them $11.4 billion intax breaks for nuclear power, fossil fuel production, renewable electricity production credit, and incentives for investments in clean coal faciliities. A year later, the Big Five oil companies (Exxon/Mobil, Chevron, Conoco-Phillips, British Petroleum and Shell) are boasting record profits of $260,000 per minute. while the average price for a gallon of gas has doubled ($3) since its inception. If the Republican Congress and Bush Administration get their way, heirs to this family fortune will save a minimum of $5 million ($10 million per couple) when they inherit these fortunes.Meanwhile Working America will continue to pay taxes on its comparably paltry $1,200 pay raise each year.

What is most disturbing to me is 34 Democrats joined the Republicans in presenting this Trojan Horse to the American people, who will again lose when social programs such as Medicare, Social Security etc. are gutted for lack of funding, which will be directly attributable to the passage of this bill in the Senate. Lets hope that doesn’t happen, but until then, it would be a good idea to call your Senator and urge him or her to vote NO! on the minimum wage bill if it means extending tax breaks to the 2% wealthiest of our nation.

Meanwhile, I am listing the Democrats below, who you thought were representing your interests:

You might want to give them a call and let them know how you feel. Making sure we get a Democratic majority is pointless if we allow them to forget whom they are serving.