First minimum wage increase in more than a decade.

[kansasblue]

Passed tonight: The first minimum wage increase in more than a decade. The current federal wage floor of $5.15 an hour will go to $7.25 in three installments of 70 cents.

And Democrats also insisted on a variety of provisions to aid milk producers, American and Continental Airlines and rural counties hurt by the falloff in revenues from timber harvested on federal lands.

[Captain Hilts]

1. We can't subsidize Amtrak, but it's okay to give money to AA and CAirlines. nt

[pnwmom]

3. I think we should be helping Amtrak.

[Captain Hilts]

11. I absolutely think we should subsidize Amtrak. But every year they argue over a pitance...

for Amtrak and write HUGE checks for the airlines and to subsidize airports in small cities. If you know how much you paid per ticket every time someone lands in Utica, NY or Johnstown PA...

[kansasblue]

4. that did seem a little strange. Auto industry is hurting too. nt

[Dr.Phool]

2. Well whoopty fucking do.

Why did they attach it to a bill that will leave a lot of people dead and maimed?

[pnwmom]

5. Because that made it veto proof.

Kennedy has been trying to get one passed for years, but the Bush administration has always opposed it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

35. Think about it

why did Kennedy vote against it?

Try to figure this out ok

(He knowns something many don't realize, the bill is a poison pill and minimum wage was the sugar coat to make the poison taste better)

[kansasblue]

6. technical they were seperate. But the deal was made to get

them both passed..... war funding. Domestic funding.

[sandnsea]

8. That really isn't true

People were pissed off with the first bill because Republicans put "pork" in it to supposedly "buy" votes for a timeline. Now people are calling the exact same aspects of the bill buying votes against the timeline.

[pnwmom]

12. In the House, it was 2 bills. In the Senate, there was only 1 bill

that covered both the Iraq funding as well as some domestic funding and the minimum wage increase.

So Bush didn't get his Iraq war funding unless he signed the minimum wage increase, too. (Which he has opposed for the last 7 years.)

And people who voted against the Iraq war funding -- like Clinton and Obama -- also had to vote against the wage increase.

And meanwhile, the Republicans who followed the party line and voted for the Iraq funding will crow in the next election about how they supported the increase in the minimum wage.

[avrdream]

15. I agree with you pnwmom.

But I don't think ANY politician "wins" from this (except maybe DUBYA who doesn't give a shit about the minimum wage since none of his family will ever have to worry about this increase) - I believe any vote can be spun to look bad in the respective next election. Either look like a flip-flopper, look like you wanted more troops to die, look like you didn't want to fund the troops, or look like you don't give a crap about poor people. No wins for politicians but about half the members of my family will benefit from the minimum wage increase.......I'm not happy about how it came about but I'm glad SOMETHING beneficial came out of this.

[pnwmom]

29. That's basically how I feel, too.

And I think that's why Sen. Kennedy was happy that something good came of this, too, because he was pushing for the wage increase for a long time.

Welcome to DU, avrdream!

[sandnsea]

7. Only a one year timber extension

The bill originally had five. So we lost there too. DeFazio and Wyden voted no at least.

[Kagemusha]

9. Sounds like 30 pieces of silver to me.

I'm sorry, but when you put it like that, I take the above impression from it.

I think Olbermann called it selling out for a sack of magic beans.

[pnwmom]

13. What if you were an adult making $5.15 an hour?

Are you so sure you would have told your reps to vote against increasing your pay to $7.25 an hour?

[Bluebear]

14. The Democratic Congress couldn't have passed a minimum wage raise on their own?

They had to tack it onto something, when the majority of the country approved of a minimum wage hike?

[pnwmom]

26. Bush would have vetoed it. He's the "decider," remember?

And we wouldn't have had enough Republican votes going against him to override. He and the rest of his party don't care what people want, or we would have had an increase long ago.

[Kagemusha]

16. So that more American kids can die in Iraq? That a serious question?

I'm by no means a wealthy person, but that does not sound like a principled stand that I could make at any price.

[pnwmom]

27. I don't think it would be an EASY decision for someone actually at that

income level.

And, though I applaud Obama and Clinton for voting as they did, I don't think it was easy for them to vote against the minimum wage increase. At the very least, it will give the Republican opponent in 2008 a very large stick to hit them with.

[Kagemusha]

31. A Republican's gonna chew them out over voting against the minimum wage?

That's gonna work?

[enough already]

20. What if you were the mother of a young man coming home in a box?

How can you justify this bullshit? Have you no soul?

[pnwmom]

28. I asked my representatives to vote NO. However, I don't think it

was an easy or obvious decision for Clinton, Obama, or anyone else. Having to vote against the minimum wage increase, having to explain that vote in the next couple years, isn't something a Democrat would want to do.

And, frankly, I don't think the bench marks would have made all that much difference, except symbolically, because Bush would have either disregarded or lied about them. How could we really trust any certification that he made?

[Bluebear]

30. See, to me the decision would be easy and obvious. Dead kids vs a raise? No contest. nt

[Kagemusha]

32. I know pnwmom cares. This is about how "other people" might perceive it.

As far as I'm concerned, there's no polling or moral support for the position that people on minimum wage are happy to see Americans in body bags so that they can earn a little more money. They won't be turning the money down; of course not. But it's not something to be proud of like this. Not something to be seen bragging about to low income people either.

[pnwmom]

34. Thank you Kagemusha,

for not over-reacting to what I said. Of course I don't think people on minimum wage are "happy" to see Americans in body bags so they could have the wage increase that is long overdue. The Iraq war is a tragedy that nothing can mitigate, and certainly not money.

But we can be sure that Republicans will be bragging about their vote to raise the minimum wage come 2008.

[Kagemusha]

36. I think they're fools to think anyone believes they give a damn about min wage.

If they wanna try it, sure. But I doubt its success, personally. I could always be wrong...

[pnwmom]

37. I guess you have more confidence than I do in people being

able to see through them.

I'm worried about all the people who get their politics in ten second sound bites.

[Orangepeel]

38. maybe they don't think defeating the bill would prevent the dead kids

it isn't at all obvious to me that not passing the supplemental funding bill would cause bush to pull the troops out. for that to happen, bush would have to care more about the troops than his own ego. it is much more likely to me that he would half starve them and deny equipment in order to make a political point.

[bluestateguy]

10. Reminds me of those old game shows on TV

Host: "Well Bob, things didn't work out for you here today, but we've got some wonderful consolation prizes for you. Charlie, tell
him what he'll be getting..."

Charlie: "It's an all expense weekend vacation to CANTON, OHIO!!"

[Forkboy]

22. LOL

That's a tough prize. :)

[L. Coyote]

17. Finally, milk on the table for the children again, just in time for the ethanol impact

Now that the corn crop is being used to power Hummers, Suburbans, and SUVs, the price of food globally will rise significantly.

This is so overdue, and part of the Bush legacy is that the way minimum wage got raised was as an attachment to his War of Lies.

[skipos]

18. If there were still Republican majorities, this never would have happened

Yet many here will still claim there is "no difference" between Dems and Reps.

[enough already]

19. How many young Americans will die for those "gains"?

Sorry, but there is nothing redeemable in a bill that gives the Chimp a blank check to kill more innocent people.

[Totally Committed]

21. Poverty and Peace are my two pet issues in America today....

I have lobbied hard for an increase in the minimum wage now for years, and even I am sad that it had to come on the backs of the troops in the field. Ask the parents, siblings, and spouses of the men and women in the field right now how they feel about this minimum wage increase... and ask the minimum wage workers who will benefit, and my guess is not very many of them will agree with the Dem's vote on this.

I am ashamed.

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[dunn]

23. Most of the increase doesn't take effect until after the 2008 elections! That is unbelievable to me.

That means less money going to the people who are more likely to vote for democrats in 2008! That means less campaigne money for Democrats running for office in 2008.

[eppur_se_muova]

39. It also means they could have gotten a better deal after the elections.

Why give in to Bu**sh** in a deal for something that the Dems can just take for themselves in 2008 ?

[auburngrad82]

24. Dems caved, dammit

I don't care if they do some things that they promised to do! They caved! Caved, I tell you! Dammit!

:sarcasm:

[rhett o rick]

25. Insulting. This paltry increase is the bone they throw to us when torture, habeas corpus,

Iraq war funding, domestic spying, oil price gouging, and stolen elections are unresolved. Glad they have their priorities right. In 2008 when the voters ask, what have the democrats done for us lately, they will say they raised the minimum wage bill $.70 cents an hour.

[DU GrovelBot]

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