Feb 19 2021
(More ruminations on the Times We Live In)
Progressives are pushing as hard as ever for a $15 federal minimum wage. 2/3 of the country supports it, and it was a major plank in Biden’s platform as he ran for President. Now, for the next two years, the Democrats hold majorities (barely, but still) in both houses, and they’re finally in a position to pass this crucial legislation, and what happens?
Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) are not on board. These are the same two democrats who refused to dump the filibuster, thus negating the democratic majority advantage. Now Biden is backing down, saying maybe we can raise the minimum wage just a little bit, incrementally, over the next four years.
We used to have a middle-class in this country. Anyone who worked full-time could make enough money to support themselves, and if they were educated or skilled, they could make enough to have a car, a house, a wife, and all those things that make up the American Dream of legend. Now, expenses have far outdistanced wages, and very few of us can even dream of buying a home. Anyone working for minimum wage has to have more than one job, and they’re still living below the poverty line. This is untenable, and there is no excuse for it.
Now, we all know that nearly all congress-people are owned, that they vote according to who’s paying them the most. So who the hell is paying Manchin and Sinema to consistently vote against their own party, and who benefits, really, from keeping American citizens poor?