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When thousands of people donate no more than $100 per person per election, we can build a campaign without money from special interests. _______________________ But it's about more than money. We need your energy and your enthusiasm, too. Sign up to volunteer on Jim Hansen's campaign for Congress.
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| Congress shouldn't play games with minimum wage |
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| posted on Saturday, July 29, 2006 |
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Congress should approve a clean up-or-down increase in the minimum wage without attaching tax cuts for the wealthy or other favors to special interests, Jim Hansen, a candidate for the 2nd District seat in Congress, said Friday.
In a last-minute scramble before the August recess, GOP House leaders apparently agreed Friday to allow a vote raising the minimum wage for the first time in a decade. But the House spent much of the day trying to couple the wage hike with measures like cutting inheritance taxes on multimillion-dollar estates.
“Many hard-working Idahoans have not seen a pay raise in a long time,” Hansen said. “A raise in the minimum wage is long overdue.”
Congress wouldn’t have to tie unpopular issues like tax cuts for the wealthy to popular bills like raising the minimum wage if they weren’t obligated to large corporate contributors.
“They would have the courage to vote up or down on this if they didn’t get money from special interests,” Hansen said.
The federal minimum wage has remained unchanged at $5.15 an hour since 1997. It is the lowest it has been in 50 years, relative to the cost of living, according to the Economic Policy Institute. The House bill would increase wages to $7.25 an hour over three years.
Meanwhile, since 1997 lawmakers have raised their own salary seven times for a total of 431,600. In June, Congress’ salary rose to $168,500.
“The height of hypocrisy is that at virtually the same time they again refuse to raise the minimum wage, members of Congress boosted their own salary, with no strings attached,” Hansen said.
Though Hansen’s opponent, Rep. Mike Simpson, voted once to raise the minimum wage, he has since voted against it – at least twice.
Hansen urged an end to the partisan bickering that had created a stalemate over a much-needed wage increase.
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