Trade higher (but inadequate) minimum wage for estate tax reduction?

By Lee Russ

Friday, July 28, 2006 at 03:28 PM

That group of pandering wealth-o-philes known as the Republicans in the House of Representatives has outdone itself this time.

Sure, we'll be happy to raise the completely unlivable $5.15 an hour minimum wage to the somewhat less unlivable $7.25 an hour. All you have to do is agree to cut the rate on the inheritance taxes on multimillion-dollar estates, and extend a few other tax breaks for the big boys.

All very reasonable, very sincere, very concerned with the working poor, wouldn't you say?  What could possibly explain such a bizarre trade-off which balances on one side  multimillionaires, and on the other side people working their asses off for too little to live on?

The maneuver is aimed at defusing the wage hike as a campaign issue for Democrats while using its popularity to achieve the Republican Party's longtime goal of permanently cutting taxes on millionaires' estates.

My goodness, it's a political maneuver.  From the morally superior Republicans.  The party of ideas.

It's such a bad idea that I'm almost surprised that "Lawmakers did not rush to embrace the idea."

If your lawmaker does embrace it, try asking him to explain the connection between hardworking destitution and inheritance taxes on the richest in the land.  And if the explanation makes sense, by all means, forward it to me so I can understand it, too.