Minimum Wage Debate

This past week, Senate Democrats made an aggressive move to retake the congressional agenda by threatening to block any congressional pay raises without a substantial increase in the minimum wage for their constituents. Senator Harry Reid and others weren’t specific about the tactics that would be used, but certainly filibusters and other administrative methods would be employed. The reason why Democrats are so keen on pushing this tactic and passing the minimum wage bill is certainly not altruistic; rather, they are looking for yet another bargaining chip with the public in the 2006 midterm elections and in the 2008 presidential elections. However, the Republicans will prevail in this particular battle because they are still better at controlling the agenda than the Democrats. The Republicans in 2006 have been able to put such “culture war” issues as flag burning, gay marriage, and English as the official language on the docket and though they were unsuccessful, it has distracted the mind of the American public. These issues are nonsense, of course, when taking into consideration the facts about the minimum wage situation and the need for financial relief among the American public.

The minimum wage in America has not been increased in the last nine years. The Democratic proposal for the minimum wage would be an increase from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour, which is still not sufficient for families to get out of poverty but certainly better than the current amount. Their proposal needed 60 votes to get past the Senate but failed in a 52-46 vote. The Republicans provided an alternative bill, which tied a minimum wage increase for lower income groups to tax incentives for small businesses. The Republican effort failed as well, only receiving 45 votes in the Senate. In response to these failures to compromise, the Democrats threatened to stop the annual increase in congressional salaries that is always criticized by constituents. While this increase is typically only a cost of living increase, it is coupled with the outstanding health care benefits and other privileges of congressional life as a point of contention with average Americans.

The Senate Democrats are making an effort to look noble in stopping the pay raises for themselves in favor of their constituents but their efforts will go for naught. The Republicans have been able to control the congressional agenda for the last dozen years (since Gingrich’s Republican Revolution) based on moral and cultural issues. It may not be fair to say this, but Americans are not as politically savvy as their representatives and even in times when their own economic livelihoods are at stake, they can be thrown off the scent by issues dealing with their beliefs. Some news has been made of the minimum wage debate, but not nearly as much as the ongoing debate about stem cell research, a flag burning amendment, or the continued attack on homosexuals in America. While Americans have a choice in 2006 and 2008 to change the course of the nation, both parties are going to have to answer to the monolith of cultural conflict before they can get down to real business. This does not spell reform for the American public.