"Held hostage to 7,500 families"

By: Lowell
Published On: 7/29/2006 9:32:13 AM

Those words came from Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), the 2nd-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives, in response to the Republicans' ultra-cynical, election-year maneuver tying an increased minimum wage to cuts in the estate tax for a tiny number of American families.  Hoyer's full quote was, "Workers at the lowest end of the scale are being held hostage to 7,500 families." Exactly right; I couldn't agree more with that analysis.  I also couldn't agree more with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), who said that the Senate has "rejected fiscally irresponsible estate tax giveaways before and will reject them again."

So, what prompted the Republicans' sudden rush to raise the minimum wage and cut the estate tax for 7,500 families?  Very simple: they're freaking out that they might lose the House, and possibly the Senate, in 102 days.  They're desperate to show that this "do-nothing Congress" has actually accomplished something, even if it cranks up the budget deficit and the national debt even worse than they already are.  Fiscal sanity - not to mention conservative "principle" on the minimum wage - be damned; it's time to throw all that to the wind and worry about getting re-elected! 

Ahhh...the Republican Congress.  Can't cut their salaries, can't throw 'em in a lake, but we CAN vote them out of office.  As "Cowboy George" Allen might say, "Yee-ha!"

Lowell Feld is Netroots Coordinator for the Jim Webb for US Senate Campaign.  The ideas expressed here belong to Lowell Feld alone, and do not necessarily represent those of Jim Webb, his advisors, staff, or supporters.

Comments



Title (Matt W - 7/29/2006 4:08:41 PM)
House Republicans are basically saying that the cost of them allowing a long overdue raise for America's working poor is a massive giveaway to the richest of the rich. 

I know we're not supposed to talk about class in this country, but if this isn't a case of class war of the rich on the poor, I don't know what is.



As with everything else, Republicans... (Lowell - 7/29/2006 9:33:11 PM)
twist this around and make it out like DEMOCRATS are waging "class war" on rich people.  The "inconvenient truth", as with so many other issues, is the exact opposite - REPUBLICANS robbing from the poor (and middle class) and giving to the rich, who don't need it.  Disgusting.


Hey, If We Never Discuss Class, How Will We Pass Finals? (RayH - 7/29/2006 9:44:38 PM)


Hostage (Fred Horn - 7/30/2006 2:25:37 PM)
Theodore Roosevelt in an address to Congress in 1906 calling for the governemrnt to enact an estate tax. Teddy was also from a very wealthy family that would be affected by this:

"The man of great wealth owes a particular obligation to the state, because he derives special advantages from the mere existence of government. Not only should he recognize this obligation in the way he leads his daily life and the way he earns and spends his money, but it should also be recognized by the way in which he pays for the protection the state gives to him."

There are parts of the estate tax I have some disagreement with. I believe if the estate consists of a familial business, agricultural or industrial, that business should be exempt from estate taxes provided the heirs continue to run the business, say at least 5 years. And this would be hands on, no absentee stuff.

But to tie the minimum wage raise to inheritance taxes is nothing short of extortion, and I hope the Democratic Senators have the ability to expose this nonsense for what it really is.

The minimum wage law needs to be a stand alone issue.