[Anyone] It's about time:

[Thos Myers]

It's about time that we really started the campaign against the greedy
repugnicats.  Their greed simply knows no bounds and all at the cost of
the working people.

If the minimum wage as it now stands seems about right - try living on it!


Kennedy to Republicans: "What Is it About Working Men and Women That You
Find so Offensive?"
BobGeiger.blogspot.com

Friday 26 January 2007

It's a sure bet that Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) has a lot of bottled-up
frustration from years of fighting the Republican party to get a simple
minimum wage increase for America's families and it boiled over on the
floor of the Senate Thursday night.

Angry about Republican filibustering of the minimum wage increase that
easily passed the House of Representatives two weeks ago, Kennedy erupted
on the Senate floor, demanding of the other side of the aisle "When does
the greed stop?"

After listing many of the unrelated and pricey amendments for business
that the GOP has tried to join to a minimum wage hike, Kennedy blasted
Republicans and demanded to know how they can be as cruel as they are to
the working poor in America.

"We have now had amendments that have been worth over 200 billion dollars
Amendments that have been offered. We've had amendments on education of 35
billion dollars. We've had health-savings amendments that will benefit
people with average incomes of $112,000 We've had those kinds of
amendments and we're looking at the Kyl amendment at 3 billion dollars.
But we still cannot get two dollars and fifteen cents - over two years.
Over two years!

"What is the price, we ask the other side? What is the price that you want
from these working men and women? What cost? How much more do we have to
give to the private sector and to business? How many billion dollars more,
are you asking, are you requiring?

"When does the greed stop, we ask the other side? That's the question and
that's the issue."

Kennedy, upset about the noises Republicans made just three weeks ago
about their renewed bipartisan spirit and seeing them already blocking
simple legislation that is favored by the vast majority of Americans,
angrily chided them for the ridiculous number of amendments they have
offered on a bill that went untouched through the House.

"Make no mistake about it - they have on the Republican side, 70 more
amendments. 70 more amendments!" said Kennedy. "We have none. We're
prepared to vote now. 70 more amendments 'Oh yes, we want an increase in
the minimum wage, we want this, we want that but let's have some other
kinds of amendments that have virtually nothing to do with this.'"

But Massachusetts' Senior Senator - who has seen his efforts to increase
the minimum wage shot down in the Senate three times in the last two years
- really unloaded on his Republican colleagues for their utter contempt
for working people in this country.

"240 billion dollars in tax breaks for corporations. 36 billion dollars in
tax breaks for small businesses. Increase in productivity - 42 percent
over the last 10 years," yelled Kennedy emotionally. "But do you think
there's any increase in the minimum wage? No. At 12 after five today, on
Thursday, I speak for all of our Democrats and say we're prepared to vote
now. Now!"

"Do you have such disdain for hard-working Americans that you want to pile
all your amendments on this? Why don't you just hold your amendments until
other pieces of legislation? Why this volume of amendments on just the
issue to try and raise the minimum wage? What is it about it that drives
you Republicans crazy? What is it? Something. Something! What is the price
that the workers have to pay to get an increase? What is it about working
men and women that you find so offensive?"

And at this early stage of the 110th Congress, Kennedy has already had it
with the hypocrisy that has always characterized the Republicans in
dealing with Senate Democrats - and he called them on it.

"We don't want to hear any more from that side for the rest of this
session about permitting or not permitting votes in here when you're
denying it on the most simple concept of an increase in the minimum wage,"
said Kennedy. "We don't want to hear any more about that."

"This is filibuster by delay and amendments. I've been around here long
enough to know it when I see it and smell it, and that's what it looks
like, that's what it is, make no mistake about it. Make no mistake about
it."