"Senate fails to raise minimum wage, probably dead for the year "

[dajoki]

link
http://famulus.msnbc.com/famulusgen/ap10-19-142315.asp?...

Senate fails to raise minimum wage, probably dead for the year

By JIM ABRAMS
ASSOCIATED PRESS


WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 — Senate proposals to raise the minimum wage were rejected Wednesday, making it unlikely that the lowest allowable wage, $5.15 an hour since 1997, will rise in the foreseeable future.
A labor-backed measure by Sen. Edward Kennedy would have raised the minimum to $6.25 over an 18-month period. A Republican counterproposal would have combined the same $1.10 increase with various breaks and exemptions for small businesses.

The Kennedy amendment to a spending bill went down 51-47, and the GOP alternative 57-42. Under a Senate agreement, they would have needed 60 votes for approval. Kennedy, D-Mass., said Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the depth of poverty in the country and he pointed out that a single parent with two children working a minimum wage earns $10,700 a year, $4,500 below the poverty line.

He said it was ''absolutely unconscionable'' that in the same period that Congress has denied a minimum wage increase, lawmakers have voted themselves seven pay raises worth $28,000.

But Republican opponents, echoing the arguments of business groups, said higher minimum wages can work against the poor if they force small businesses to cut payrolls or go out of business.
''Mandated hikes in the minimum wage do not cure poverty and they clearly do not create jobs,'' said Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., who offered the Republican alternative.

[texpatriot2004]

1. Do we know who the hell voted against it? Their names should

be plastered everywhere for public shaming.

[cal04]

5. U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes

YEAs ---47

Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE)
Chafee (R-RI)
Clinton (D-NY)
Conrad (D-ND)
Dayton (D-MN)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Harkin (D-IA)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Obama (D-IL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Santorum (R-PA)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Schumer (D-NY)
Specter (R-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Wyden (D-OR)


http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/r...

[dajoki]

10. santorum? hahahahahahaha...

he's been distancing himself from shrub because he's in trouble in his re-election bid.

[safi0]

11. Kennedy noted

That in his speech. Its not a coincidence that of the 4 GOP senators who voted for this 3 are among the most vulnerable GOP seantors in 06: Chaffee, Dewine and Prick.

[dajoki]

12. yeah, i saw it...

but i'm from PA and just can't wait to get rid of that little prick.

[texpatriot2004]

13. The NAYs who VOTED AGAINST raising the minimum wage

NAYs ---51
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burns (R-MT)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Frist (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Talent (R-MO)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)

[niyad]

2. but wasn't it nice of the senate to cancel their own raises?

[Erika]

3. It was the Republicans 51 to 47

They love those minimum wage workers to maximize corporate profits. The faster they turn this country into a banana republic, the happier they are.

[noahmijo]

4. ALL REPUBLICANS ALL REPUBLICANS

You cannot pass ANY blame on the Democrats for this one. ALL Democrats who voted on this voted in favor of it while ALL REPUBLICANS VOTED AGAINST THIS.


What a bunch of scumfucks. Oh what? they had the same plan they were just going to exempt small businesses and "various exemptions" BULL-FUCKIN-SHIT

First off if you're a small business owner and you cannot afford to pay someone 6 bucks an hour guess what? close shop you will not survive beyond the rest of this year if you cannot even afford that. Or better yet since you bastard Republicans are such authorities on hardwork you'd see that small businesses who struggle with such expenses do what the Asians in New York and LA do they hire family or they have family come help em out.

Secondly "various exemptions" hmm......what exemptions might THOSE be??


Gawd I hate these people.

[dajoki]

6. you read my mind n/t

[noahmijo]

7. And you know what this is from someone who feels for small biz owners

Personally I think the fact that for example a sole proprietership or a business owner in the name of say you, your business revenues are considered income so say you bring in $120k a year and that's REVENUE not profits you get taxed as if that is your income which I do think is wrong, however I have known small business owners that are aces at finding loopholes, not to mention the truly struggling business owners like these small resteraunt owners typically hire family or just a small number of people and they get along just fine paying them ABOVE minimum wages (especially considering that the majority of the staff are servers and make their living primarily on tips not wages)

But no seriously if you cannot afford to pay your staff six lousy bucks an hour close down now before you wind up losing more than your ability to bitch about min. wage laws.

Not to mention as it stands how is it that CORPORATE CHAIN restaraunts get away with paying servers TWO ($2) bucks an hour citing that their tips can make up the other half, not to mention they are supposed to report their tips to the IRS (ROTFL)

[dajoki]

8. i completely agree n/t

[ender]

19. wow, you're accounting is bad...

you are grossly misinformed on how taxes are calculated, as well as basic accounting concepts.

[noahmijo]

20. Well educate me

"you're" the expert now.

BTW I know what I'm talking about when it comes to how taxes are collected in a small business that has a sole proprieter and is NOT a partnership or a corporation.

Also when your opinion differs from another and you're inclined to call a person out when you believe they are wrong it's usually customary to back up your claims.

[OneTwentyoNine]

15. Uhh no....four Republicans voted for the measure

Of course three out of the four are running for re-election so under different circumstances you might have only had Spector as the lone Republican.

"Kennedy noted after the vote that three of the four Republicans who supported his amendment — Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, Mike DeWine of Ohio and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island — are up for re-election next year. ''Candidates that are out campaigning know the power of this issue,'' he said. The fourth Republican supporting Kennedy was Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania."

[dajoki]

17. that is the ONLY reason n/t

[Laelth]

9. My only response.

-Laelth

[Vinca]

14. This is shameful. So much for giving a rat's ass about poverty.

A person could work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at minimum wage and not get out of poverty. It's a real trap. People who might want to better their lot in life can't afford an education or to take the hours away from their miserable jobs because their kids would starve. When did the words change? "Send me your privileged, your rich. Your huddled masses yearning to tee up."

[OneTwentyoNine]

16. And Kansas with a $2.65 per hour State MW,only Oklahoma is lower...

Take a wild guess at what party runs both States.

[High Plains]

18. I thought it was the Mexicans' fault we had low wages! n/t

[YoungDemocrat]

21. We'll leave it to the states I guess

I'm currently working on the Michigan plan to raise the MW to $7.15 an hour, and we're gaining steam. I encourage other DU members to think about leading the charge to get a measure on their state ballot. It's a daunting proposal, in MI we need 500,000 signatures, but I'm confident we'll succeed. Find out if there's anything like that in your state and work with them or start one of your own. Minimum wage is cruel at its current point.

[dajoki]

22. Welcome to DU YoungDemocrat