Posted on 02/03/2021 10:40:29 AM PST by karpov
Fittingly for someone who spent more than three decades as a member of the U.S. Senate, President Joe Biden holds the so-called world's greatest deliberative body in high regard.
Biden calls the Senate his "second home" in his 2007 memoir and, as that metaphor suggests, it is often obvious that the relationship is about more than just a physical place. Biden sees the Senate—with its arcane rules and combative but dignified atmosphere—as the embodiment of what government should aspire to be. When Biden stresses that Americans must learn to disagree without disrespecting one another, as he did in his inaugural address, he's drawing on the ethos of the Senate. "Unity requires you to eliminate the vitriol, make anything you disagree with about the other person's personality. We have to get rid of that," Biden said last month.
But when it comes to passing one of the new president's first major policy initiatives, Senate Democrats are already looking for a divisive shortcut. As part of a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, Biden is asking lawmakers to also pass a massive increase in the federal minimum wage—hiking it to $15 per hour from the current rate of $7.25 per hour. It's both ironic and telling that doing so might require effectively abolishing an arcane rule that's intended to encourage debate.
No, I'm not talking about the filibuster, though Democrats may eventually decide to do away with the rule that requires a supermajority of 60 votes to cut off debate and bring a bill to a final vote. Instead, they're turning to an even less well-understood Senate rule: reconciliation.
Reconciliation was invented in 1974 when Congress rewrote its rules for passing budgets.
(Excerpt) Read more at reason.com ...
Who is this Norm you are referring to?
When I think of Democrats I think of Abby-somebody....
So is federal for govt employees or any employee regardless of employer.
Just checking potential weasel wording
Then all the restaurants that avoided total shutdown in the last few months will go bankrupt.
Mistake?
You literally can’t make mistakes when the media runs cover, and the public is stupid.
They won’t necessarily go bankrupt. They could tack on a ‘Biden-fee’ to the bill of 99-cents and let people know that they paying in some way for the $9 waffle plate....one dollar more.
Or they could hire more illegal workers, who will do the job for $7, and just keep going with the same pricing....letting the American employees go.
Why not make it a $100.00 an hour or a thousand dollars an hour. If you are going to go. Go first class. It just costs a nickel more.
Where’s the UNITY??!!!
If they raise the minimum wage at our company, we salaried employees will demand an increase in our salary based on the % increase.
7.25-15.00
Equals about double of the pay!
Sounds good to me!!
The Reason staff was all in for Biden because of “Mean Tweets.” They have no right to complain now.
No, there was an article that discussed their voting plans, and far more of them supported the Libertarian candidate Jo Jorgensen than Biden. One did support Trump. Here is the link: https://reason.com/2020/10/12/how-will-reason-staffers-vote-in-2020/ .
If they feel compelled to ram stuff thru then this is as good a thing as any to ram thru. It will ultimately backfire on them I suspect.
I would assume the minimum wage would apply to all warm bodies -- no more "cheap labor" from "visitors" to our country.
There is another possibility that I haven't seen anyone bring up: turn existing businesses into owner-operated concerns. Instead of earning pay, one gets a piece of the profits exclusively. Benefits are then paid for by the owners; i.e. employees. As the business profits, so do the employees profit. Co-ops are the original vehicles of socialism -- so there is the target, right?
“So is federal for govt employees or any employee regardless of employer.”
It’s for federal only, which includes contracts that the feds employ. Workers on those contracts have to be paid the min.
Thanks
Republicans pushed through their last tax cut using reconciliation. They tried to end Obamacare using reconciliation. Why is it surprising that the Democrats are using the same tactics?
A vote for Jorgensen was a vote for Biden
No, if Biden and Trump are tied, a vote for Jorgensen does not break the tie.
“ No, there was an article that discussed their voting plans, and far more of them supported the Libertarian candidate Jo Jorgensen than Biden”
A distinction without a damned bit of difference.
L
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.