House Republican leaders played a cheap political trick over the weekend when they tacked a proposed minimum wage increase, from $5.15 to $7.25, onto a bill of inheritance and other tax breaks for the rich.
The gambit allows moderate Republicans up for election to point out that they voted for a minimum-wage hike — denying Democrats a potent economic issue. Meanwhile, the bill has no chance of passing in the Senate.
An estimated 15 million American workers would benefit from the boost in the minimum wage, which, because of inflation, is at its lowest level of buying power since 1955, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
Meanwhile, in the last decade, lawmakers have approved cost-of-living wage hikes for themselves of about $35,000.
Working Americans aren’t getting a fair shake.
Who are minimum-wage workers? Would boosting wages hurt businesses, as critics often claim? What’s the difference between a minimum wage and a living wage? Check out this good link for a helpful overview of the issue.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
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