Say Anything Blog

There's been a lot of news and discussion about the vote in the House passing legislation that would raise the national minimum wage to $7.25/hour and eliminate the estate tax altogether.

Republicans in Congress have been spending a lot of time gloating about this, but I just don't see how this was a good move. If the legislation fails in the Senate (or, more unlikely, if President Bush should veto it) all the Republicans have done is tick of all the people who actually feel that the minimum wage is a good thing. If it passes, America is stuck with about a 40% increase in the minimum wage.

This is a lose/lose situation. At best it's a lose/not-win-anything situation.

Personally, I don't think the repeal of the estate tax is worth a 40% increase in the minimum wage. On principle I oppose the estate tax and ardently support it's repeal, but repealing that unconscionable tax at the expense of a massive hike in the minimum wage seems absolutely ludicrous.

If there is any evidence that the Republicans in D.C. have lost touch with their core conservative principles this is it.