“The era of big government is over;” so stated President William Jefferson Clinton in his State of the Union Address on January 23, 1996.
With that declaration the Corporate Democratic politician was established and the “The New Deal”, “The New Frontier” and “The Great Society” were trashed. A review of the recent history of the minimum wage alone gives us an excellent perspective on just how disastrous this shift in political perspective has affected America.
Murray Weidenbaum, chairman of President Reagan's first Council of Economic Advisers, has acknowledged they wanted to eliminate the minimum wage; but as the Wall Street Journal reported, "Because that would have been such a 'painful political process,' Mr. Weidenbaum says that he and other officials were content to let inflation turn the minimum wage into 'an effective dead letter.’" Accordingly, President Reagan was the only modern-day president who failed to raise the minimum wage. We have come to accept this as both Republican doctrine and agenda.
In an effort to avoid sharing in this unsavory Reagan legacy,
President Obama is asking congress and the states to immediately adopt a $10.10 minimum wage. The President has taken the lead in this
initiative. He has instituted the $10.10 wage for those
working under new government contracts.
This was done by an executive order to bypass congressional Republican
opposition. Thus far, only Connecticut
has followed the president’s lead.
However, the $10.10 wage in Connecticut will not take effect until 2017,
which will render its impact far less fruitful. The other positive result from the
president’s initiative has seen many states now moving toward adopting a higher
minimum wage. Minnesota is one those
states.
Regarding the minimum wage, Minnesota Democrats, like their national counterparts, have also demonstrated a callous disregard that wasn’t prevalent before the Clinton’s proclamation.
With a clear Democratic majority in Congress in 2010 the Democrats choose to enact “The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (PPACA dubbed Obama Care) rather than providing single payer universal health care. The PPACA bill was passed solely on the strength of a Democratic Party vote.
have reasonably surmised that the immediate $10.10 wage would have gained serious
traction and even easy passage. But like the PPACA legislation, the Democrats have
instead provided Minnesotans with a watered-down minimum wage law. The $10.10
figure is nowhere in sight and, like Connecticut, by the time the increases are realized
they will have far less effect in stimulating the economy or alleviating the financial
stress of those in real need. Another golden opportunity squandered.
has been nine long years since the state increased its minimum wage. During that time,
Republicans and the Democrats who heralded President Clinton’s battle cry
(“The era of big government is over.”) directed the state downward to one of the lowest
minimum wages in the country.
For decades the Democrats were the only political means through which poor, underprivileged and middle-class causes were championed. The lack of courage and resolve to champion these humane needs in any meaningful manner by today’s Democrats is now demanding the same acceptability as Republican doctrine and insensitivity.
Bill Clinton presided over the ideological death of his compassionate predecessors and never shed a tear. For us to now be embracing this demise as acceptable is a national travesty.
U.S. Department of Health And Human Services (HHS)
Poverty lines as established by HHS
Family Of
Three $21,960.00
Family Of Four $26,500.00
$10.00 Per Hour $20,800.00
$15.00 Per Hour $31,200.00
Minimum Wage $10.00 Per Hour – 40 Hours x $10.00 = $400.00 Per Week - $400.00 x 52 = $20,800.00
Minimum Wage $15.00 Per Hour – 40 Hours x $15.00 = $600.00 Per Week - $600.00 x 52 = $31,200.00
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