Disgusting
by matt at 3:00 pm on January 24th, 2007 in Congressional Man Date42 Republican Senators voted to deny cloture (aka filibuster) a bill mandating a very modest rise in the minimum wage spread out over years. Aside from making at least $162,500 per year in salary, a ton of fringe benefits, health care, travel, etc, those who voted to filibuster are, for the most part extremely wealthy:
From Open Secrets (assets range due to vague accounting categories)
Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn): $11,539,060 to $43,671,003
Wayne Allard (R-Colo): $1,545,010 to $3,200,000
Robert F. Bennett (R-Utah): $2,696,045 to $8,855,002
Christopher S. ‘Kit’ Bond (R-Mo): $882,048 to $2,372,000
Jim Bunning (R-Ky): $467,003 to $980,000
Richard Burr (R-NC): $303,022 to $895,000
Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga): $37,002 to $80,000
Tom Coburn (R-Okla): $1,041,211 to $4,569,000
Thad Cochran (R-Miss): $762,064 to $2,193,000
Norm Coleman (R-Minn): $592,368 to $707,368
John Cornyn (R-Texas): $80,010 to $325,000
Larry Craig (R-Idaho): $415,005 to $901,000
Mike Crapo (R-Idaho): $483,059 to $1,747,000
Jim DeMint (R-SC): $16,002 to $65,000
Elizabeth Dole (R-NC): $13,508,152 to $49,829,007
Pete V. Domenici (R-NM): $566,022 to $1,516,000
John Ensign (R-Nev): $1,138,173 to $1,687,167
Mike Enzi (R-Wyo): $289,040 to $1,089,000
Lindsey Graham (R-SC): $45,026 to $334,000
Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa): $2,185,053 to $5,076,000
Judd Gregg (R-NH): $2,552,087 to $9,221,001
Chuck Hagel (R-Neb): From $2,183,016 to $7,496,001
Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah): $1,479,083 to $4,119,000
Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas): $2,457,113 to $6,713,000
James M. Inhofe (R-Okla): $2,309,057 to $5,463,000
Johnny Isakson (R-Ga): $7,676,099 to $21,689,003
Jon L. Kyl (R-Ariz): $145,021 to $527,000
Trent Lott (R-Miss): $1,363,045 to $1,985,021
Mel Martinez (R-Fla): $1,454,039 to $3,536,000
John McCain (R-Ariz): $25,071,142 to $38,043,014
Mitch McConnell (R-Ky): $1,795,035 to $4,129,000
Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska): $402,054 to $1,609,000
Pat Roberts (R-Kan): $626,084 to $2,233,000
Jeff Sessions (R-Ala): $977,070 to $3,006,000
Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala): $8,413,018 to $30,095,003
Gordon H. Smith (R-Ore): $12,994,660 to $62,261,641
Ted Stevens (R-Alaska): $1,133,031 to $2,649,000
John E. Sununu (R-NH): $83,006 to $245,000
Craig Thomas (R-Wyo): $904,032 to $2,287,000
John Thune (R-SD): $262,024 to $880,000
David Vitter (R-La): $775,108 to $2,686,000
George V. Voinovich (R-Ohio): $809,058 to $2,661,000
God forbid anyone get a raise from $5.25 to $7.50 over 4 years.
jim pence wrote:
I live in Kentucky and this hillbilly is going to do everything he can to expose Mitch McConnell for what he is. He is up for reelection in 2008. I’ve already started on the toothless neo con with this 29 second video.
http://www.hillbillyreport.com/blog/2007/01/mitch_mcconnell_1.html
Posted 24 Jan 2007 at 4:22 pm ¶
Matt wrote:
These people support an increase in the minimum wage. This is as inaccurate a blog as i have seen. The bill they support, that Dems won’t allow debate on, is the same bill Dems killed last congress. It allows businesses to have a tax break in proportion to the increase in the min wage so that an increase doesn’t have negative effects on the economy. If Dems didn’t hate business more than they love the working class, this increase would already be law.
Posted 25 Jan 2007 at 7:15 am ¶
matt wrote:
as if there haven’t been enough tax cuts aimed at small businesses in the last 6 years. when does it end? the minimum wage has been the same for 10 years. how many tax cuts have there been in that time.
by your own absurd argument, should the minimum wage be raised every time there’s a tax cut?
also, if this is “as in accurate a blog as you have seen” please point out these inaccuracies. there certainly aren’t any in this post.
Posted 25 Jan 2007 at 8:17 am ¶
Justin Beek wrote:
The Dems killed it? Are you High or just Stupid?
If the Reps could stop adding CRAP to the bills - it would have passed. Every study (not opinion or theory) that I have EVER seen is that the cities/counties/states that raised their wages resulted in a GROWTH in the economy & business.
It’s just another case of Millionaires trying to make their wallets fatter at the expense of the taxpayers.
Posted 25 Jan 2007 at 2:49 pm ¶
Greg wrote:
Oh - that’s right. Those Evil Millionaires - Part of the axis of Evil. Right?
Posted 26 Jan 2007 at 12:40 pm ¶
matt wrote:
this post is like a Rorschach
Posted 26 Jan 2007 at 12:42 pm ¶
sac wrote:
Every issue is a Rorsharch. Only thing that matters is who can convince the public that their interpretation is the correct one.
It’s a butterfly. No, it’s 2 Godzillas fucking…
Posted 26 Jan 2007 at 12:45 pm ¶
matt wrote:
i didn’t say every issue was, i said this post is.
with the exception of the last line (which i could have omitted altogether, though some surely would have missed the point) there’s not anything but straight up fact. i didn’t make up or spin their salary, benefits, assets or their vote. it’s self-explanatory. not everything is a gray area, or even worthy of debate.
since the current minimum wage went into effect, congress has voted themselves six pay raises totaling just under $30,000/year. there’s no free market on congressional salaries, and ironically the raise comes out of the pockets some of those same minimum wage workers. as justin said above , every state and locality that has raised minimum wages has done the same or better than those who haven’t.
what’s the other side on this?
Posted 26 Jan 2007 at 12:58 pm ¶
sac wrote:
The other side is the owner of a local pizza joint clearing 45K a year who is paying his drivers minimum wage. There are many, many of those types of small-business owners, a good friend of mine among them. While I am for raising the minimum wage, I can see how it will impact a lot of people negatively. Now, it will impact even more people positively, and for that reason it should go through, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t another side.
Posted 26 Jan 2007 at 3:09 pm ¶
matt wrote:
his drivers making minimum wage who have to pay more for gas and service and lack healthcare?
and the reason that time and again raising the minimum wage has been a positive is that the customers, many of whom probably make minimum wage also, can…order more pizza.
my bigger point, the one contained in the post and what i was saying in my comment before i copy/pasted in the wrong order, was that senators raising their own salaries that much have no business voting against a modest minimum wage increase. for that, there simply is no other side.
Posted 26 Jan 2007 at 3:21 pm ¶