Un-Patriotic Bastards Prevail on Minimum Wage

Via CNN article:

Democrats' promise of a quick increase in the minimum wage ran aground Wednesday in the Senate, where lawmakers are insisting it include new tax breaks for restaurants and other businesses that rely on low-pay workers.

On a 54-43 vote, proponents lost an effort to advance a House-passed bill that would lift the pay floor from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour without any accompanying tax cut. Opponents of the tax cut needed 60 votes to prevail.

continued...

...The House passed the increase two weeks ago. Since then, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and Rep. Charles Rangel, the chairman of the tax writing Ways and Means Committee, have prodded the Senate to keep tax proposals out of the bill.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, scheduled Wednesday's vote to demonstrate the Democrats' lack of support for a straight minimum wage bill without tax cuts.

Reid is backing an $8.3 billion tax package that would extend for five years a tax credit for employers who hire low-income or disadvantaged workers. It also extends until 2010 tax rules that permit businesses to combine as much as $112,000 in expenses into one annual tax deduction.

Anyone else tired of our elected decisionmakers being afraid to make decisions that actually have consequences? Sure, this bill hurts businesses that pay minimum wage, but that's part of the point, and it shouldn't be watered down!

UPDATE: See Nina's comment here. Changed title to reflect.