Should Democrats have supported the estate tax/min wage bill?

[jerry611]

I know the GOP threw in the estate tax cut as an election year tactic... but increasing the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 is a big increase that could have helped a lot of people.

There is no gurantee that we will take over congress this year. This could have been the only chance to increase min wage for awhile.

[Libby2]

1. NO !

[Atman]

2. RESOUNDING NO!

NO NO AND NO AGAIN.

[trumad]

3. No way---stand for our principles

and don't let these coward scums win---

[bryant69]

4. I guess you have to weight the impacts

Would the fiscal foolishness of pissing away the estate tax reveue at a tiem when we have huge deficits have outweighed the benefits of the Minimum wage tax? I don't know for sure.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[evlbstrd]

5. Absolutely not.

The two should never have been linked.

[bluerum]

6. Of course not. I am surprised that it passed through congress.

on edit:

Certainly a minimum wage increase should be passed - and I would say to $8.00/hr, nationwide - $6.00/hr for those making an average of $100 a day in tips. But NOT at the point of an economic sword. Adding the estate tax repeal to that bill was a hypocritical and cynical move. The classic poison pill.

[smtpgirl]

7. HELL NO

this bill hurt workers and literally gave more money to the callous bloodsuckers

[Salviati]

8. NO

The fact that it would lower the wages of tip earners in seven states was the icing on this turd of a bill...

[AndyA]

9. No - the minimum wage issue needs to remain an issue so that the GOP

has a cross to bear until November. Most Americans feel the minimum wage should be raised, people understand that the current rate is not a living wage in any interpretation of the word.

This was one compromise that should not have been made, the GOP tacked on crap that should have never been added, now let the fallout from their actions follow them around for the next few months.

[unpossibles]

10. not at all

I think for two reasons.

1 - stand by our beliefs.

2 - at this point, our debt seriously needs some income, and getting rid of this tax is not helping anything. Which has made me wonder: maybe I am being cynical, but I wonder if the ruination of our economy is so that whoever inherits the problem will look bad ("they raised taxes", etc)

then again, I think it has more to do with the inherent problems in the conservative philosophy. I used to be more open minded about it, but the more I think about it and learn, the more even non-NeoCon conservatives don't make much sense to me.

I guess if they don't want to pay taxes and want no government, then they should become hermits and they'll get their wish, except that it's not really their wish; they really want all of the benefits of society without paying, like some Grand Dine & Dash. It's all a greed scam, in my opinion, and these people are busy tripping over themselves to give up their rights and selling out their brothers and sisters on the pipe dream that they will one day be one of the elite über-rich. Fools.

They say I don't get it, and I say I don't want to.

[Blackhatjack]

11. Only if you agree with Repub goal of dismantling of all social programs

It is pretty apparent that Bush is "spending" this country into a financial crisis that will "require" the cutting of all social programs provided by the government.

This is part and parcel of that effort.

You continue to run up huge, huge deficits while exempting the super rich from paying even the meager amount of taxes that are due today.

So if you want to see Medicare, Medicaid, etc. become only past memories, by all means you would want the desperate to jump at this so-called "opportunity."

[gratuitous]

12. No - for a very simple reason

Once the competing bills from the House and the Senate go to the conference committee to get their differences ironed out, the Republicans would have gutted the minimum wage increase and made the estate tax cut even more egregious, and the resulting compromise bill would have been even worse. And then they would have forced a vote on it so they could again paint the Democrats as being for the Death Tax, against an increase in the minimum wage, and generally mean to puppies and kittens.

[UTUSN]

13. A bazillion times NOOOOoooooo!!!11 n/t

[Historic NY]

14. It would have taken until 2009 to reach the increase

and those who work for tips would have actually found themselves making less per hour than they do now. The Repugs would have actualyl been screwing the workers at the expense of giving away a tax break to the very rich. Sorry they can afford to pay tax on inheritance.

[Totallybushed]

15. That's a good point,

but I think this issue will play out to the Democrat's advantage in the coming election. It should be pressed in the PR.

[ComerPerro]

16. No, but it is gonna bite them in the ass

Republicans have probably already made their "Senator ________ voted against increasing the minimum wage" ads for this November.

[Roxy66]

17. No, NO, NO.......Our country just cant handle all the tax cuts

If the Dems take over congress.....they will bring it up until it passes, without the tax cuts

[ProfessorGAC]

18. No. That Was An Intentional Trojan Horse

They pacakged those two issues into the same bill so the Dems would have to vote against it, since it was horrible legislation. Now they think they can remind folks of "tax & spend" democrats, forgetting of course, that the Repukes are the ones spending like sailors on leave, and that they wanted to give away billions while making small businesses increase wages to the lowest workers.

They grossly miscalculated on this one, and the dems had no downside in shooting down such dreadful legislation.
The Professor

[TahitiNut]

19. Two 'poison pills' and prolonged deprivation.

(1) The welfare for the wealthy is an abomination. A clear poison pill.
(2) The eradication of state minimum wage protections for tipped service employess was another abomination.
(3) Delaying the bulk of the increase for three years is prolonging the rape of the lowest-paid.

The GOP is engaging in class warfare and banana republicanism - plantation economics.

[ThomWV]

20. No!

Fuck their givaway to the Waltons.

[kentuck]

21. We've waited 9 years...

we can wait 3 more months without giving away the entire cupboard. I question the judgement of those Democrats that voted for it. I don't trust them.

[flpoljunkie]

22. Absolutely not! Read this from E. J. Dionne in today's Washington Post.

Rarely has our system produced a more naked exercise in opportunism than this measure. Most conservatives oppose the minimum wage on principle as a form of government meddling in the marketplace. But moderate Republicans in jeopardy this fall desperately wanted an increase in the minimum wage.

So the seemingly ingenious Republican leadership, which dearly wants deep cuts in the estate tax, proposed offering nickels and dimes to the working class to secure billions for the rich. Fortunately, though not surprisingly, the bill failed.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/03/AR2006080301259.html

(I would add that reform of the estate tax would drain the treasury of over $800 billion in the next decade. A very bad deal for the American people!)

[RB TexLa]

23. I supported both the provisions n/t

[sinkingfeeling]

24. No. Not with that disgusting estate tax 'reform' attached to it.

[debbierlus]

25. Are you NUTS?

70 billion dollar estate tax cut for the .02 wealthiest Americans will have to be paid back by our children and grandchildren.

NO. Plus, the bill would have been a huge PAY DECREASE for restaurant workers in 7 states.

[LSK]

26. do we need $800 billion MORE debt???

Who do you think will have their taxes raised to pay that??

[bobbolink]

27. NO, for crying in a bucket!!

Did you read any of the threads about it????

Or, do you have no concern for those on the bottom rungs who would have been further hurt by it??

Just wanting to throw in some divisiveness?

What is this really about?