Today the Republicans held the Senate as Democrats’ minimum wage hike was voted down.
The vote, 54-42, was almost split across party lines, with one Republican, Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, supporting the measure. The bill would have incrementally increased the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 over thirty months. The wage would also be adjusted annually for inflation.
Had six more Republicans voted yea, the Democrats would have prevailed with the sixty votes they needed to win. Now, however, they will have to wait for a future vote. Common sense sank one of Obama’s signature initiatives, leaving even less for his already paltry legacy.
With the CBO reporting that 500,000 Americans would lose their jobs due to the wage increase, this vote is a win for the working class. But of course, that’s not what the left will tell you. As Texas Senator John Cornyn said:
“This is all about politics. This is about trying to make this side of the aisle look bad and hard hearted and to try to rescue this midterm election coming up in November because they see the president’s approval rating going down. They see a number of midterm races for the senate in play and they’ve got to do something,” Cornyn said. “They’re desperate. Obamcare didn’t work out like they thought.”
This ploy might make Democrats seem benevolent, but their temporary pragmatic solutions would ultimately lead to future woe. I probably wouldn’t have an on-campus job if my college had to pay me $10.10 an hour, and I likely couldn’t find a job in town either. Let’s allow people to earn their appropriate wage.
And just for laughs, you should read Harry Reid’s tirade before today’s vote where he once again attacks the Koch brothers:
If Americans are searching for an answer why they would refuse to raise the minimum wage, they should look no further than the Republicans’ billionaires benefactors, I repeat, billionaire benefactors the Koch brothers.
This, of course, isn’t the first time Harry Reid has falsely lambasted the Koch brothers, nor will it be the last.
While he goes to therapy for his Koch addiction, we minimum-wage workers can rejoice that we won’t lose our jobs in 2016.
