Friday, August 04, 2006

Minimum Wage

The Raise Oklahoma group that led Oklahoma's initiative petition to raise the minimum wage this spring was right on with the issue. Until politicians do the right thing, raise minimum wage, millions of Americans and thousands of Oklahoma families will suffer. The Republicans are trying to pirate this issue, like they've done to so many issues, playing a game of "name it and claim it"
with life and death issues. Reason prevailed in DC, last night, when the US Senate rejected the bill linking the estate tax and the minimium wage. Read Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi's statement below:

Pelosi Statement on Senate Vote on Minimum Wage


Washington, D.C. -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement on the Senate's vote to reject a Republican bill linking the estate tax and the minimum wage.

"Tonight's vote in the Senate is a victory for the nearly 7 million hard-working Americans who deserve and increase in the minimum wage. Democrats stand together to insist that on a straight up or down vote on increasing the minimum wage; we reject the cynical ploy by Republicans to pass legislation that claims to help low wage workers, but actually gives an estate tax cut to the 7,500 wealthiest families in America and adds $800 billion to the deficit.

"Furthermore, this bill would have actually voided state laws and cut wages for workers in seven states across the country, including 650,000 in my home state of California.

"85% of Americans agree with us. It's time for a new direction - let's reward work and raise the minimum wage."

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