The 2% Majority

If anything proves that Republicans have only the interests of the top two percent of income earners, the minimum wage bill now in the Senate should leave no doubt. First, they want to tie an increase in income for minimum wage earners of about $2,700 per year to an increase in earnings of an average of $1.4 million for the top two percent, those who would benefit from the estate tax reductions. Not content simply to allow an increase in wages for six million Americans, they now want to keep the wages of those who earn income from tips in states where they're paid the minimum wage the same. That means a waitress at a Nevada casino, paid minimum wage by state law and her tips by letting fat Republicans with money to waste pay her for service will get no pay raise. The raise in minimum wages will have to be offset by her tips, resulting in a pay cut of $3 per hour in seven states who demand minimum wage for service personnel.

It's a plan only a Republican could hatch. To use an overused word these days, this is evil. And of course, it's backed by the National Restaurant Association. We raise the minimum wage, then require the employers of those people to offset the pay raise with the employees' tips. Sweet deal! We "raise" the minimum wage, then cut the raise. It's like Rick Perry's Texas Repugnicans giving teachers a $2000 per year raise for one year only. Republicans call it a raise. I call it election year bribery, much like Frist's renowned $200 energy offset.

I wonder how many of those "restauranteurs", probably owners of restaurants on the Strip in Vegas, will be double-dipping with the estate tax cut? In any case, unless you're a part of the Republicans' two-percent majority, voting Republican is voting against your own self-interest.