Minimum Wage Bill Passes House (Again)

The State House of Representatives again passed a minimum wage bill by 161- 37. It now returns to the Senate like a ping pong ball. The Republican strategy on this issue is obvious. They don't have the votes to defeat it so they keep changing it from chamber to chamber and hope the clock runs out. That way they can go back to their voters and claim they voted for it (when they really didn't accomplish a damn thing).

The current bill is only a partial victory. It creates a sub-minimum wage for employers with ten or fewer (equivalent) employees. The GOP claims to have inserted this to help small businesses. How many small businesses are in such bad financial condition they can't afford to pay a decent wage? Even after they had those costs frozen for nine years? Perhaps they deserve to go out of business if they're such bad managers.

Now they'll be faced with a distinct disadvantage in the job market. Why would I decide to work for a small business at $5.65/hour when I can work down the street at $7.15? Those businesses better be prepared to hire a lot of relatives because no one else will work for them at those wages. It's time to stop playing games and pass this bill.