Posted on 01/17/2006 12:59:05 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
The Maryland General Assembly today voted to raise the state's minimum wage by $1 an hour, brushing aside concerns by Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) that the move would hurt small businesses.
The Democratic-led Senate voted 30-17 to override Ehrlich's veto of the legislation, which would bump the minimum wage in Maryland up to $6.15 an hour, $1 more than what is mandated by federal law. The House, also led by Democrats, voted to override Ehrlich last week.
Democrats argued that the legislation is a relatively modest measure to help working families, who also are struggling with higher gas costs and utility bills. And they said it is unlikely that Congress, which last raised the federal minimum wage in 1997, would offer assistance anytime soon.
"If you leave this to the federal government, it's not going to be done," said Sen. Thomas M. Middleton (D-Charles), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
With today's action, Maryland will join 17 states and the District in guaranteeing a higher minimum wage than federal law requires. The District's minimum is $7 an hour. In Virginia, the rate is the same as the federal rate.
Maryland's new rate will take effect in 30 days.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Good grief.............
Thanks for the ping. I knew I made the right decision when we decided to get out of Delaware but stay on DelMarVa and I said no way to living in Maryland.
And they will also soon be seeking a statewide smoking ban at the behest of the chain restaurants seeking to get rid of small business competition.
I live just over the state line and have no choice but to go to Maryland for various things, including the eye doctor, dentist and shopping at WalMart.
2nd, 3rd, any!
MD, once a great state, is being killed by both the we've-always-been-Dems (even if they refuse to acknowledge that was because of the resentful Southern nature of it) and the "foreign" outsider influx of elitist less-traditional people in the power centers of the state. Particularly from dreaded DC Feds, including the just-plain Fed-agency workers. And you know how liberal too many of THEM are by nature.
Politicos will say MD is not a failure, but alot like America (in Miniature!) as a whole, it is *resting* on its laurels, benefitting mostly from a great past that will last for a while until the rot eats away at the "savings", if you will.
Pretty soon we will no longer be THE top region for medical treatment and advances, either. That's another thing that's now more historical than anything else.
Virginia is suffering the same fate, more slowly, but similarly. It's the big-gummint "compassionate conservatives" moving to Virginia, while the "Maybe I'll go back to school" do-nothing-but-gummint-libs are going to Maryland when they get work in DC (knowing full well UMD is easier to get into than most state u's and cheaper than the Va. schools in general).
"The govt. should mandate a minimum salary of $100,000 per year. The govt. can subsidize this mandate by printing more money.
(no, I'm not serious)"
Give it a couple of years.
In the Rust Belt, not the Sun Belt.
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