The J-TAC (Stephenville, Tex.), Vol. 172, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 17, 2006 Page: 2 of 12
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News
Page 2 TheJ-TAC " August 17,2006
4 ' '< * ; i
Congress considers increasing minimum wage
i
Source: Bill Reid Web site
Angered over the the rejection of the minimum wage,
increase proposal, Sen. rtarry Reid D-Nevada has claimed
that he has the votes to block any congressional pay raises.
By JIL.L ZUCKMAN
Chicago Tribune
WASHINGTON (MCT) - 'Anxious
to protect vulnerable Republicans facing
voters in November, House GOP leaders
gave the go-ahead for a vote on raising
the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour.
But the leadership's decision to com-
bine the legislation with a cut in estate
taxes, for millionaires sparked an out-
cry from Democrats, who complained
it was a cynical strategy to'ensure that
the bill never becoriies law. The Senate
has consistently opposed House efforts
to reduce inheritance taxes.
"Unfortunately what they are bring-
ing to the floor looks more like a political
stunt than serious public policy/' said
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi,
D-Calif,, calling the bill a "sham'' and
"political cover" for "cowards" who re-
fused to allow a vote solely on the"minir
mum wage issue.
House Majority Leader John Boeti-
ner, R-Ohio, countered that the tax pro-
posals provide a balance to the .small
businesses hurt by the wage hike,
"I have always opposed^ a stand-
. alone increase because I believe it hurts
, those we're trying to help and stifles job
creation/' he said.
Republican leaders said they believed
the measure had enough support to
pass.
Public opinion polls have shown
that more than 80 percent of Americans
support increasing the minimum wage,
which is $5.15 an hour and has not been
changed in nine years. According tp the
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a
liberal think tank, the value of ihe mini-
mum wage is at its lowest level since
1955 after adjusting for inflation.
With congressional elections loom-
ing, Republicans facing competitive
challengers feared Democrats would ac-
cuse them of taking thousands of dollars
in pay raises while allowing 6.6 million
workers at the bottom of the economic
ladder to languish. About 50 Republi-
cans sent a letter to House Speaker Den-
. nis Hastert, R-Ill., and Boehner urging
them to schedule a vote on raising the
wage. { ■ ■■ y ■
"It's as popular ^s apple pie and Re-!
publicans are afraid jihat it will be used I,
against them in the fall;" said Marshall j
Wittmann, a. senior political analyst at J
the Democratic Leaderships'Council and j
■former adviser to Sen, John McCain, R- \
Ariz, "It's ultimately about jobs of tl^eir-i
own." ... , : '' i
But conservative Republicans ^lew ;
increasing the minimum wage as job !
killer that will harm small businesses \
and have resisted holding a-.vote. Rep. ;
Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., compared the legisla-'j
tion to castor oil and the tax cuts to the I
sweet taste of Cherry 7-Up, , _, ;
The bill would boost the minimum !
wage by $2.10 over a three4year period. .
It would also exempt $5 million of an.
individual's estate, and $10 million of a
couple's estate, from inheritance taxes*'
by 2015. Estates .worth up to $25 million-,*
would be taxed at capital gains rates,p
currently 15 percent and scheduled top
rise to 20 percent, Tax rates on the ; . £
See WAGES, Paqe 10
u.s. assesments in Iraq not6related to reality
By TOM LASSETER
McClatchy Newspapers
TIKRIT, Iraq (MCT) — As security condi-
tions continue to deteriorate in Iraq, many
Iraqi politicians are challenging the optimis-
tic forecasts of governments in Baghdad and
Washington, with some worrying that the rosy
views are preventing the creation of effective
strategies against the escalating violence.
Their worst fear, one that some American sol-1
diers share, is that top officials don't really un-
derstand what's happening, Those concerns
seem to be supported by statistics that show
Iraq's violence has increased steadily during
the past three years. ,' ;
"The American policy has failed both in
terms of politics and security, but the big prob-
lem is that they will not confess or admit that,"
said Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish member
of parliament. "They are telling the American
public that the situation in Iraq will be im-
proved, they want to encourage positive public
opinion (in the U.S.), but the Iraqi citizens are
seeing something different. They know
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The J-TAC (Stephenville, Tex.), Vol. 172, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 17, 2006, newspaper, August 17, 2006; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth142132/m1/2/: accessed June 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.