Where’s the Outrage?

I’ve been an advocate for increasing the minimum wage since the year 2000.  In my opinion, you can write your congressman until you get writers cramp, there will be no increase in the minimum wage during this Republican Administration.  Let me repeat, there will be no increase in the minimum wage during a Bush Administration.

This is another reason why we need a Democratic Administration with a Democratic Congress in order to help lower and middle income earners.  The Bush Administration has shown no compassion for the middle-class.  They have shown even less compassion for the poor. The recently passed bankruptcy laws are an excellent illustration of Republicans’ love for the middle-class. On The Nation’s web site, Katrina Vanden Heuvel has written an excellent article entitled How Congress is Shafting the Middle Class.  The list of insults to low and middle income earners is nearly endless.  Let’s just name a few — tax cuts for the rich, an attempt to repeal the Paris Hilton tax, attempts to cut funding for the Lower Income Housing Energy Assistance Program, the change in the bankruptcy laws in the face of higher debt for both lower and middle income earners, No Child Left Behind — an attempt to dumb down the population with no real gains, a cut in student loan programs, lowering EPA standards, the complete lack of response to Hurricane Katrina and there’s plenty more.  This is all that I can think of off the top of my head.

The minimum wage does need to be increased.  The sooner that it is increased in the tax cuts over the last six years have been repealed the better off the lower and middle income earners in this country will be.

(also posted on the DailyKos)

Tags: Domestic Issues //