Senate rejects effort to pass minimum wage bill without additional tax cuts

[EarlG]

On MSNBC home page right now... will post link when one is available.

http://www.msnbc.com

Edited to add Reuters link:

WASHINGTON, Jan 24 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a Democratic bill to increase the federal minimum wage for the first time in a decade, demanding it first include small-business tax relief.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=bondsNews&storyID=2007-01-24T171723Z_01_WBT006480_RTRIDST_0_USA-CONGRESS-WAGES-VOTE-URGENT.XML

[E-Z-B]

1. That must mean a dem crossed party lines?

[EarlG]

3. Edited

Was half listening to Ed Schultz but I must have misheard...

[Nite Owl]

4. I think they needed

60 votes for cloture, to bring it to a vote. So not enough R's crossed over.

[bullimiami]

8. that would mean the bastards fillibustered the min wage bill.

where the hell is the gang of 14 and lieberman now demanding up and down votes on everything.

[wryter2000]

11. Bingo

Bastards. :mad:

[Springster]

109. That was only proposed for the "Executive Calendar", never for the

"Legislative Calendar". In all the charges & counter-charges made with the gang of 14, it was stressed that it would never apply to proposed legislation, the perogative of Congress.

[OregonBlue]

17. No. 48 Dems voting aye, 49 Pukes voting no. Where were the other 2 dems?

[Lone_Star_Dem]

25. I think there's 49 Democratic Senators

Tim Johnson is still out so that brings it down to 48 then we have Bernie Sanders and Joe Lieberman, both Independents.

[DRoseDARs]

84. Edit self delete

[OregonBlue]

120. This was the cloture vote. If Sanders and Lieberman voted with

Dems, who didn't vote. I know Johnson's in the hospital but that still leaves some not voting. Total was 49/48. With Johnson gone that leaves 2 not voting.

[OregonBlue]

121. Yes, and with Lieberman and Sanders we got 48 votes. Who did not

vote? 2 Dems are missing from this.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

128. .

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00023#position

The Roll Call

[w4rma]

28. Republicans filibustered it. 60 required. (nt)

[Casablanca]

30. Hmm, no "nuclear option" hanging over _their_ heads, I see.

Every Dem who was cowed over the last six years by the Repubs anti-filibuster bluster (i.e., most of them) and every one who signed that lily-livered "we will only filibuster if" contract back in 2004 should be feeling like Grade-A Schmucks right now.

Because that's exactly what they are.

But they'll always be able to pat each other on the back and say "hey, it was just part of the job."

[toopers]

80. The "nuclear" option . . .

only applied to votes on the judicial nominees.

[cascadiance]

37. There's two independents...

Now Bernie Sanders I'm POSITIVE voted for the minimum wage, but Lieberman might have been the bum that's "playing the fence". My guess is that we had one Dem in addition to Lieberman who voted no.

[IronLionZion]

118. All Dems voted yes, Lieberman is independent and voted yes, 4 repubs voted yes

roll call:
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00023#position

[rodeodance]

46. Dems are missing Sen. from SD

[Freddie Stubbs]

63. Johnson is in the hospital. I'm not sure where Carper is

[w4rma]

102. Carper is a big time DLCer who strongly supported Lieberman over the Democrat.

I don't really know how Carper manages to slip under the radar so well. I'd support Lieberman over Carper in an election.

[damntexdem]

33. No, it means that not enough Repubs (or none) ...

voted to invoke cloture.

[redqueen]

2. This was the vote against cloture. n/t

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

5. I'm sick of this crap. I hope their is a Hell, cause that's where they are going.

The bastards!

[DemKR]

6. Tax cuts while in a deficit (Thank Max Baucus)

It's sure becoming a habit these days.

[wryter2000]

9. Welcome to DU

:hi:

[aquart]

68. I want to see the tax increases that will support George's waste.

[AlCzervik]

7. i really want to see the roll call on that one. it's not available yet

from my searching, if anyone can find it it would be greatly appreciated.

[Taoschick]

21. Here you go...

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00023#position

[AlCzervik]

22. thank you.

:hi:

[damntexdem]

34. Snowe, Specter, & Warner.

The rest of the GOPs obstructed raising the minimum wage or didn't vote.

And no Dems crossed over.

[PaDem]

36. Collins and Coleman also voted yes

5 Repubs crossed over.

[Strelnikov_]

61. Both up for re-election in '08 n/t

[geardaddy]

124. Coleman

is a piece of human filth. I hope Al Franken runs and cleans his clock!

[Deep13]

38. Well, Voinovich (OH-R) is up next year.

Let's see if we can replace him with a new friend for Sherrod Brown (OH-D).

[cmd]

79. He isn't up until '10

He ran against Fingerhut in '04.

[Deep13]

119. dammit

[mvd]

57. Hagel voted no

See, he is NOT an ally! And looks like Corker's going to go hard right. Even though I had a lot of disagreements with Ford, it's so frustrating that he lost. And lost on a ad intending to bring out racists!

[MasonJar]

60. The two indys voted with the dems, both Leibermann and Sanders.

Is not Carper the new senator from Md.? Where was he?

[fujiyama]

71. Carper is from Delaware - he sat out on this vote

Cardin is the newly elected senator from Maryland and voted yea.

[w4rma]

103. Carper should be challenged in his next primary. He's a big DLCer. (nt)

[fujiyama]

130. Agree that he sucks

Big backer of the bankruptcy bill as well.

But you'll have to wait a while - I don't believe he's up for reelection until '10.

[w4rma]

131. 2010 is a good year for that since it will be a midterm election and there won't be a Presidental

election to divert attention from things like this. There is a higher percentage of informed and progressive voters in Democratic primaries of off year elections, anyway.

[tbyg52]

76. Thanks.

Of course mine voted against. Now they're going to try to stick in some tax giveaway or poison pill, no doubt.

[leftofthedial]

77. the vote wasn't *too* partisan

was it?

[Randy Ranger]

82. I see McCain hasn't changed. Still an ass. N/T

[Zhade]

99. Why the fuck is lieberman listed as an "ID"?

HE IS NOT A DEMOCRAT!

[comtec]

101. ID = Independant Democrat

technically 'his party'. If yo udont have a party you are I, Independant. But LIEberman created his party of one, Independant Democratic party. Yes yes, I know. point being he DID vote with us.

[Judi Lynn]

10. Very small Reuters article:US Senate Republicans block minimum wage hike

US Senate Republicans block minimum wage hike
Wed Jan 24, 2007 12:17pm ET

WASHINGTON, Jan 24 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a Democratic bill to increase the federal minimum wage for the first time in a decade, demanding it first include small-business tax relief.

Democrats fell short of the 60 needed to end debate and go to passage of the House-passed measure, which would raise the minimum wage to $7.25 per hour from $5.15 per hour over two years.

Republicans demanded tax breaks be added to the legislation to help small business cover the proposed pay hike for millions of America's lowest paid workers. Senate Democratic leaders have indicated they would be willing to go along with some sort of tax relief if necessary to win approval.
(snip/)

http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=bondsNews&storyID=2007-01-24T171723Z_01_WBT006480_RTRIDST_0_USA-CONGRESS-WAGES-VOTE-URGENT.XML

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[redqueen]

15. Yeah, sure... but first, define "small business". n/t

[aggiesal]

43. McFranchise of course. n/t

[Auntie Bush]

65. Any one with 500 or less employees is considered a small business.

That's an outrage! We ought to give them their tax brake and pass the legislation...then redefine small business to be anyone with 10 or less employees.

[Infinite Hope]

87. You're right, 500 is too large.

It should be drastically lowered (10-20) and then the small business taxes added to the bill. That isn't unreasonable.

[MGD]

116. there's nothing small about a business with 500 employees on its payroll.

If 500 people worked 40 hrs per week for 56 weeks at $5.35/hr, the annual company payroll would be around $6,000,000. At $7.15/hr, it's around $8 million/year. That isn't small business. Still, it is an extra $2,000,000/year being redistributed to the lower SECs. It's no wonder they're so opposed to this.

[freebrew]

123. Any company with 500 employees...

paying minimum wage should be closed.

The CEOs salary should be looked at and brought into account.

It's either poor management or outright theft.

Isn't Bond-MO up for re-election next session?

Hope to hell the Dems can field someone to take him on.
He's an idiot from the start, crooked as they come.

[bullimiami]

16. the democrats need to get all in the press and scream how the

republicans resorted to a fillibuster to block the minimum wage.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

I know my two senators voted against it w/o even seeing a roll call

We had a phone call brigade contacting them, but it was pretty evident that they weren't intending on supporting it.

[Maddy McCall]

12. 54-43.

Republicans didn't do it by themselves.

MSNBC is saying that Republicans attached some taxbreaks for small businesses to the bill, and that's why some Dems flagged on it.

It is not dead--just delayed a little bit, according to MSNBC pundit.

[Judi Lynn]

13. Associated Press: Minimum wage bill stalls in the Senate

Posted on Wed, Jan. 24, 2007
Minimum wage bill stalls in the Senate
JIM KUHNHENN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Democrats' promise of a quick increase in the minimum wage ran aground Wednesday in the Senate, where lawmakers are insisting it include new tax breaks for restaurants and other businesses that rely on low-pay workers.

On a 54-43 vote, liberals lost an effort to advance a House-passed bill that would lift the pay floor from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour without any accompanying tax cut. Opponents of the tax cut needed 60 votes to prevail.

The vote sent a message to House Democrats and liberals in the Senate that only a hybrid tax and minimum wage package could succeed in the Senate. But any tax breaks in the bill would put the Senate on a collision course with the House, which is required by the Constitution to initiate tax measures.

In a separate vote, the Senate also effectively killed a modified line-item veto bill. The Republican-inspired measure would have permitted a president to pluck individual items out of spending bills and submit them to Congress for a vote.
(snip/...)

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/business/16535268.htm

[BootinUp]

14. What the hell...

:grr:

I can see the similarities on these issues, afterall the minimum wage has been increased so much in recent years and we never have tax breaks for the wealthy. /sarcasm

[OregonBlue]

18. Where do we get the roll call?

[geardaddy]

42. Here

http://senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00023

[maddezmom]

19. AP: Tax breaks sidetrack minimum wage bill

WASHINGTON - Democrats' promise of a quick increase in the minimum wage ran aground Wednesday in the Senate, where lawmakers are insisting it include new tax breaks for restaurants and other businesses that rely on low-pay workers.

On a 54-43 vote, liberals lost an effort to advance a House-passed bill that would lift the pay floor from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour without any accompanying tax cut. Opponents of the tax cut needed 60 votes to prevail.

The vote sent a message to House Democrats and liberals in the Senate that only a hybrid tax and minimum wage package could succeed in the Senate. But any tax breaks in the bill would put the Senate on a collision course with the House, which is required by the Constitution to initiate tax measures.

In a separate vote, the Senate also effectively killed a modified line-item veto bill. The Republican-inspired measure would have permitted a president to pluck individual items out of spending bills and submit them to Congress for a vote.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070124/ap_on_go_co/minimum_wage

[juajen]

32. What a crock!

My daughter worked as a waitress, hostess and asst. manager of a local restaurant and never made more than 3 bucks an hour, plus tips. Sometimes she would have horrible tips and work her butt off making a pittance. She was thrilled when school was over and she could get a decent wage; though, even with a college degree, she is just making 10 bucks an hour now, and Lafayette, LA is a booming town with the rich oil people back in our town after Katrina disaster. We also do not have a real estate bust. Building businesses and homes all over the Hub City.

The local Arby's is now paying 7 bucks an hour; so waitresses and waiters are still having a hard time, unless they work for one of the restaurants that are high ticket and larger tips. Imagine making more money at a fast food chain than at a first class restaurant.

Workers who make tips have always been exempted from the minimum wage. Frankly, it's a steal and very unfair to those who have to work very hard for practically nothing because the servers at the top make a good wage.

[Doremus]

58. Yes it is a crock!

I know someone who works at Golden Corral and makes $2.13 A FREAKING HOUR.

They very generously let her keep her tips :sarcasm:, but considering it's a buffet (serve yourself) restaurant, she gets very few.

The company imports groups of people from Eastern Europe to work for slave wages because they can't entice enough domestic workers.



Yeah, by all means, let's give good companies like Golden Corral some more tax breaks! :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[Infinite Hope]

88. I've heard many bad things about Golden Coral.

Though I don't believe it would qualify as a small business.

[BR_Parkway]

20. As a small biz owner, wages I pay are already deductible, if I pay

more I write off more.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

96. When the good buddies of WalMart start talking about concern for small businesses, do you

suddenly detect the aroma of BS?

I wonder if the "small businesses" they want to help don't fall under the umbrellas of large corporations...like Marriott, etc...

[barb162]

23. Too bad the minimum wage isn't tied to congressional pay raises

[klook]

132. Best idea I've heard all day.

I'd love to see a bill requiring that! Wonder how many of our esteemed legislators have the gumption to push for that.

[azurnoir]

24. Surprise not

There was a surprise one of the pukes that did cross the line was fromm my state Norm Coleman, who is usually one of the biggest suck-ups around. The pukes have been saying that they would use this kind of tactic to run down the 100 hour clock.
They don't care about the country as long as they can make the Dems look bad.

[rocktivity]

26. I understand there are quite a few GOP Senate seats up for re-election in '08

They've just given us our first piece of ammunition.

:headbang:
rocknation

[hashibabba]

27. Both of my senators voted yes. Even that repuke, John Warner.

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

31. Warner is looking over his shoulder, with Allen losing

He'll probably look a little more moderate until '08.

[Springster]

110. Warner has always been his own man - I remember when he opposed

Ollie North and backed the re-election of Chuck Robb.

[Vinca]

29. If Republicans hope to win their next elections, they really need to rethink

their positions. The voters spoke rather loudly in November. To deny someone a little bit of a raise - which will still keep them in poverty, by the way - is wrong in so many ways. (Who would Jesus starve??) We need to vote "no" on any Republican running for anything in 2008. Throw the bums out.

[acmavm]

39. That was my first thought. The bullshit about how great the

economy is from Chimpy last night fooled no one. They all know that it's just exactly like Webb said. Two classes. The rich and the rest of us.

And the rest of us are watching these bastards and every move they make.

[Vinca]

50. And there's more of us than them. nt

[Emillereid]

35. I wonder if this presages all the votes to come on the Democratic agenda?

[Imagevision]

40. What did Joey lieberman vote?

[Freddie Stubbs]

51. With the Democrats, of course!

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00023

[TankLV]

94. SURPRISINGLY with the Democrats, not "of course"..

FUCK LIEberman...

We need to get rid of him at the earliest opportunity...

[Freddie Stubbs]

112. He votes with the Demcorats more often than not

As for getting rid of him, the next opportunity in 2012. He is up for reelection then.

[SaveElmer]

41. It'll pass...

I think there is an agreement to allow small businesses to accelerate their depreciation of equipment etc...not a horrible idea and certainly a minor price to pay...


Don't get hopped up just yet...I think this will play out with an eventual passage

[endarkenment]

44. Fine. Now Play Hardball.

Every Democratic spokesperson who gets airtime must include a clear statement that the Republican Party is fillibustering a raise in the minimum wage. This point must be repeated until the freaking bastards are dizzy from being beaten by it, are scared shitless of the reaction from their constituents, and give in to the pressure.

This game is not easy, it is not simple, and we have to play it with skill.

After we clobber the Senate into submission, Dumbass will veto the bill.

There are many other similar bills just passed in the house waiting for the same pile of trouble in the Senate.

Did anyone here expect the Republicans to roll over and play dead?

[MGD]

52. What's wrong with giving small business owners tax relief if it means passing a veto proof bill

across the President's desk? So long as we aren't passing tax burden onto the lower and middle SEC, I have no problem with compromising on this. It's good for Americans and it's good for the Democratic party. If, however, they continue to try to kill this bill with poison pills after we compromised once, I would agree that we should become hostile towards them.

[endarkenment]

66. It then has to be offset by revenue from somewhere else

Despite the endless stream of bullshit coming out of the Republican Party, it actually costs real money to run the government and if you cut 8.3B/yr from the revenue you have to make up the 8.3B from someplace else. The bill then becomes a complicated budget mess, and opportunities to kill it multiply, which is the point of the amendment.

They don't compromise, they complicate, and their strategy is to do exactly what they did to you, get you agree to changes and then start piling on to the crack they just opened.

How about a small business tax relief bill all on its own that then can be judged on its merits alone, and justified and paid for without confusing it with the minimum wage bill? What exactly is wrong with that?

[BootinUp]

72. Coorrect. n/t

[MGD]

134. What exactly is wrong with that you ask?

Nothing at all. That's not the problem though. The problem is, we are not in a position to dictate terms to the Senate Republicans. I just want the minimum wage increase for the everybody's sake. I'm comfortable with compromise if it gets us what we want/need and I can live with a modest tax cut for small businesses. My only issue is in the definition of what a small business is. IMO, that's the only debate of significance here. A pissing contest with the Senate Republicans does not serve the American people well and, as such, it will not serve our party well. Furthermore, let us not forget, the bill has to be signed into law by George Bush.

[Shakespeare]

45. Time to declare full-on war.

Fuck the republicans. We have the power to keep them from doing this shit--we'd damn well better use it.

[MGD]

53. We don't have absolute power in the Senate. We have to accept compromise there

until we win more seats at least.

[Shakespeare]

70. No, there are options available to us.

The question is whether we use them or not.

[MGD]

Really? What options are those?

I doubt we're going to strong arm the Republican side of the Senate and blackmailing President Bush with threats of impeachment won't be particularly useful as the obstruction is occurring in the Senate, not the White house. That leaves compromise until we can win a larger majority.

[knight_of_the_star]

133. We give 'em hell

We indict them in the court of public opinion. That way if they block us, we can hammer them more in '08 and take more ground. We have to make them pay in gallons of political blood for every inch they think they've won.

[MGD]

115. Double post

[tritsofme]

59. No we don't.

It takes 60 votes to get anything controversial through the Senate.

Its a fact of life.

[Shakespeare]

69. Yeah, actually, we do.

There are options available to us, if we choose to employ them. That kind of futility is no more a fact of life than was the republicans' less-than-60-seat majority the previous four years.

[tritsofme]

75. Not much meaningful or controversial legislation made it throught the Senate

Even when the Republicans had 55 votes.

In the minority we successfully blocked some judicial nominations, killed SS privatization among other things.

A majority can roughshod over the minority in the House, but in the Senate if you are to succeed, you must compromise.

[Megahurtz]

64. I Hate Them!

Those Evil Selfish Cheap Labor Fucks!
Who in their right mind would want anyone in this Country to live on $5.15 an hour? :mad:
Not everybody has the resources to open a Small-Fucking-Business!!!:argh:

What about the WORKING CLASS???

That's it, just keep everybody DOWN you Evil Bastards.:grr:

God I am just so sick of this NeoCon Corporate Kissing Ass shit!!!

:rant:

[Infinite Hope]

89. Spoken like a pre-2006 Republican. n/t

[Shakespeare]

95. That's right.

Because ya know what? "Compromise" is not a word in the republicans' vocabulary, and they will do nothing but try to obstruct. So we wield power like a fucking club until they STOP obstructing everything we do.

[Infinite Hope]

129. Spoken like a pre-2006 Republican. n/t

[slackmaster]

97. Without 60 solid votes, we have a guaranteed deadlock

That's reality.

[PassingFair]

47. I'm just shocked that WE stuck together! Hooray for us!

:party:

[Red1]

48. ?

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00023

[MGD]

49. I'm not entirely opposed to providing tax relief to small businesses

especially if it means passing the minimum wage increase. If the tax relief is not irresponsible and if it is limited to small business owners, I say we embrace this idea as if it were our own. This doesn't have to be a call to arms.

[ShortnFiery]

54. Something gives me the impression that the tax breaks that the republicans

want added do NOT apply to ONLY Small Business Owners. After all, the vast majority of of us Democratic People believe in capitalism. Capitalism that is monitored and checked so that the larger companies don't "run away" with profits while "mom and pop" are left bankrupt. Oops! That often is the case. :blush: The answer is REGULATION.

IMO, something else is involved than merely tax cuts for small businesses. :shrug:

[mvd]

56. Yep

There is either stuff here benefiting big business, or the Repukes are doing this out of spite. When did the Repukes ever care about small businesses? And the reports saying that small businesses are not hurt by a minimum wage increase are out there in plain view.

[Robbien]

55. Their small business never means small businesses

Just like 80% of farm aid goes to factory farms.

The last small business aid they talked about would have gone to companies making hundreds of millions of dollars a year. The mom and pop businesses would have been stiffed.

These add-on bills are always a pork giveaway.

[Zodiak]

85. I believe they classify "Small business"

as 500 employees or less. Waaaaay to high to still be a "small business". The number should be more like 20 at most.

More than that, and you are a "business"...not a small one.

[MissMillie]

62. Given that a minimum wage increase is widely popular among voters

It is likely that some GOP senators are going to have some 'splainin' to do come 2008.....

[DuaneBidoux]

67. So what now? Is there still a way we can get the min. wage increased?

[hayu_lol]

74. The way to get an increase in the minimum wage...

is to ignore the feds completely. Do it at the state level. Washington State has a minimum of $7.93/hr and Oregon is at $7.80/hr. Chicago has a minimum of $6.50/hr.

Of course, if the people of other states are happy with their lower wages, let them have them. Kansas has a minimum wage of $2.65/hr.

State level where you can all go eyeball to eyeball with your local politicos.

Should be interesting to watch the retribution agains't the pigs for this.

[fujiyama]

73. Hmmm looks like some good ammo

for Dems competing in NH and OR in '08. Both Gregg and Smith voted against this. We really can't allow the voters of those states to be fooled by their "moderate" rhetoric.

[2Design]

78. congress critter pay needs to be reduced to minimum wage to set fire to their butts

these people are dispicable - they have raised their wages 35,000 a year since they took control but won't let the average american earn more than 20,000

[blondie58]

81. I am so disappointed

how sad that the Republicans did this move. This only means that in 2008, we need to vote every last Republican out of his seat.

In my state- CO- Allard has announced that he is not going to run for re-election, so we hopefully will not have any problems here.

[Rose Siding]

83. Brand them with the tag: Republican OBSTRUCTIONISTS

A VAST majority of the public will find this outrageous -IF they hear about it.

[Maryland Liberal]

86. I'm a little confused

Why should we oppose to giving a tax break to small business?

[HappyWeasel]

91. Agreed. They are more like workers than WALMART!!

...but I agree that this does give us the ammo to paint them as "obstructionists"

[comtec]

108. It has to do with the rider

the language, what constitutes a 'small business''.
It's not so much a feeling against small businesses, but what the gop will call a small business. Wal-mart is not a small business, but they might try to say each individual location is a business unto it's self, etc.

That, and as previously stated, the government needs to be raising, not cutting it's income, that is taxes. In addition, there are already deductions in place in the tax code currently (also another previous post) that allow for such costs. That's generally what is called in business a 'cost of doing business'.

The reason this bill was tagged on was to kill the minimum wage, nothing more. The sad reality is that we must start fighting tooth and nail to rebuild this country. Doing things at the local (state wide) level is fine to a point. But many states'reps don't give a damn, and thus, good min wage laws will not get passed.

I'm not sure there is a state in the union where you can live on under 20k a year without struggling, let alone, whatever 5/7 usd an hour ends up being. The compromise will probably happen anyway. * has already said he would sign it, so there is no need to allow a rider bill anyway.

hope that answers your question without being too wordy :)

[classysassy]

90. Must

take care of our rich friends,campaign funds you know,what a bunch of lousy bastards.

[McCamy Taylor]

92. Senate GOP will be one big fillibuster from here one out. Will lose seats in 2008.

[salin]

93. Or perhaps, the Senate GOP will be one big fillibuster

from here on out.... And as reult the GOP will lose seats in 2008.

There will be frustration at the lack of progress - but which party will it fall upon is an open question. Frankly, I think that this scenario will be more damaging for the GOP - as they would be seen as athose obstructing.

[w4rma]

104. You guys said the exact same thing. (nt)

[salin]

106. my bad - misread

thanks.

[salin]

107. oops

somehow misread last night - please ignore my earlier response - as we agree. Appologies.

[dunn]

122. Why didn't Dems do more of this when they were the minority?

I only remember one filibuster by the Dems and it was all over the news. With this bill I didn't hear the F word anywhere in the media.

[Jesterstear]

98. What's wrong with small business tax relief?

As the owner of a small business, I'd love to get some tax relief. I never knew just how much our goverment hates small businesses until I started one.

[Vinca]

113. Nothing is wrong with small business tax relief, but

it should be addressed separately. The minimum wage should be a clean bill with no attachments. Republicans will pay at the polls in 2008.

[Bridget Burke]

127. How many employees do you have?

How many do you only pay minimum wage?

[pokercat999]

100. Want to raise the minimum wage? Forget about it..........

institute a MAXIMUM wage say at about 10 or 20 times the lowest paid employee in a company and watch how much we can pay the housekeeper! Getting those repug votes for that would be impossible and I dare say that most of dems would show their true stripes and abandon the party on that vote, but it WOULD raise the wages for the rank and file.

No, if we want any real wage justice for the poor and middle-class in the future we need not only a new party but maybe a new government.

[Springster]

111. Maximum wage? Just look at actors & jocks. Then compare what

they contribute to the nation compared to teachers, cops & firefighters. It's that damn "supply & demand" kicking in!

[pokercat999]

135. My concern is CEO's that make more in one day than

a rank and file worker makes in a year. They make more in a year than a regular worker makes in 10 LIFETIMES of work! Sure there's no justice in the money made by jocks and actors but at least they have talent. These CEO's as often as not lose money for the corporation and shareholders. Their main purpose seems to be to figure out how to send jobs to 3rd world countries to save a few dollars and destroy the American middle-class. In my mind they are traitors to their country and criminals of the highest order. If I was on a jury of the murderer of one of these CEO's I would never convict, regardless of the evidence.

[FreeStateDemocrat]

105. This bill needs to be re-introduced and made into a national debate

if the Democratic Party intends to represent its core values. This is the issue that the party needs to take the gloves off and battle it out in the media, I didn't hear any reported mention of a threatened puke filibuster. Any tax cut will be directed at the wealthy and entail more political chicanery. I wonder how much of this vote was orchestrated by the ruling fat-cat class to minimize the impact of a heartless rejection of an long overdue adjust to the pathetic compensation for the underclass. Fuck the ruling class and this shuck and jive hustle. Every bastard that voted against this bill needs to be exposed to the working class in their home states, the coldhearted demagogues.

[dapper]

114. Getting back to what "small business" means.

Some small businesses make a killing. How about basing it on how much revenue the company makes per employee and/or how much the owner is making. If he's paying everyone minimum wage but the owner is living high on the hog, they don't need a tax break.

Dapper

[PunkPop]

117. If your business doesn't make enough money to pay a decent wage

and still make a profit, then tough shit. I guess you need to find another line of work - or start a different business.

[RiverStone]

125. Lets remember every rethug that voted NO

So we can remind voters next time they are up for re-election.

[Blue_Roses]

126. this is sickening

there were 5 repubs who crossed over to vote yes, but the other repubs...what a bunch of sorry saps..