It's Their Country, You're Just Paying For It

What do these lousy, rotten bastards even want "guest workers" for?

The Republican refusal to even allow a fair up or down vote on the House Floor on raising the minimum wage is a stark contrast in priorities. While Democrats are fighting for the average hardworking American, Republicans are worried about giving Paris Hilton another tax cut. Republicans pulled the funding bill for labor and health programs that contains my minimum wage amendment from the schedule to avoid a vote. Then they announced that they were adding to the schedule a vote on a drastic cut to the estate tax - a tax that affects only the heirs of the wealthy few.

What was the wage hike?  From $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour.

Well, no wonder Republicans wouldn't even allow it to come to a vote!  Shit, some hardworking American man or woman, putting in an honest forty hour week, 52 weeks a year, at that rate, could pull down...what?  Fifteen grand a year?

You pay people that kind of money and their kids are bound to grow up spoiled and pampered and lacking the kind of work ethic to go out and get themselves a job, and make something of themselves.  Hell, their kids will probably squander their youths playing polo or, even worse, getting drunk and spending the family money pretending to be oilmen or something.

It's much more important to teach the children of the poorest people in our society a lesson about what happens if you don't work hard and succeed than it is to guarantee that the poorest people in America can actually live from an honest's week's work.

Which is why Republicans, instead of voting to raise the minimum wage, elected to try to get rid of the estate tax.  Which only effects the children of wealthiest two or three percent of Americans.

In other words, if you actually have to work, you're not entitled to anything--not even subsistance level pay.  But if you've never had to work, you're entitled to every single penny you could possibly inherit.

That's your modern Gee Oh Pee.  Traditional family values.  Unfortunately, for you, that "family" is the Bourbon Dynasty.  And that "tradition" is like 17th century France. 

Got lots of cake at home?

So, anyway, $5.15, that's a lot of money.  Unless, of course, you figure that the minimum wage in 1980 was about $3.10.  Which, in today's dollars, would be about $7.25.  Or, to look at it another way, that $5.15 an hour today would be about two dollars in 1980.

As crappy as it is, it isn't even keeping up with inflation.  But you know what is?  Congressional salaries.

WASHINGTON - Despite record low approval ratings, House lawmakers Tuesday embraced a $3,300 pay raise that will increase their salaries to $168,500.

The 2 percent cost-of-living raise would be the seventh straight for members of the House and Senate.

Apparently, when it comes to themselves, Congress sees the need to have their very generous salaries keep pace with inflation.  When it comes to the Americans they represent?  Well, if they're not happy with their salaries, they shouldn't look to the gubment for some kind of entitlement!  They should find a better paying job.

So say the men and women of the Republican majority who make their livings entirely from the gubment.

And you know what else, under the watchful eyes of Republicans, hasn't kept pace with inflation?

The income of eighty percent of Americans, including the nearly thirteen percent of Americans who's income is below the povery line.

But, aside from Congressional salaries, some things have kept pace and even exceeded inflation! 

The number of millionaires! The number of billionaires!  And your share of the mindblowing, explosive national debt.

You can spin it anyway you like--though, why you'd like to is beyond me.  It is what it is.  The People are no longer governing themselves.  According to Bush's whopping big thirty something percent approval rating, the People are no longer even consenting to being governed.

The People are just being governed. 

Way to go, Gee Oh Pee.  Way to go, modern Republicans.

Way to turn the greatest political idea in the history of mankind into just another crapass gubment, run by thugs and aristocrats, and men in uniform.

Comments

[Kit E]

So true. And so incredibly sad it makes my brain spin.