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Hood River News Editorial
February 14, 2007
It’s looking very likely the federal
minimum wage will be changing soon as the Senate voted 94-3 last
Thursday to boost it from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour over a
two-year period.
In Oregon this legislation is nearly meaningless. The state minimum
wage stands at $7.80 an hour and will likely be well over $8 in two
years.
But the Senate vote was very meaningful as the Democrats approving the
change were nearly matched in number by the Republicans. In fact, the
president even joined the chorus approving the change in minimum wage,
as long as it included tax breaks for small businesses.
The tax breaks are part of the legislation. They include a tax credit
given for those who hire the disadvantaged and faster expensing of
purchases creating larger deductions for tax purposes.
While some 5.6 million people nationally stand to directly benefit
from the increased minimum wage (that’s the number reportedly making
less than $7.25 an hour now) no one in Oregon should see any benefit.
However, the sign that the Democrats and Republicans can work together
and find common ground to resolve an issue is a heartening
development. Frankly, the tenor in the nation’s capitol in recent
years has made a lot of the citizenry skeptical that Dems and Reps or
Blue and Red would ever see eye to eye.
Maybe it was a New Year’s resolution? Or the result of modern polling?
Or maybe it’s the result of elections — those only happen in
even-numbered years but it’s never too early to be thinking about
that, is it?
— Reprinted from Feb. 7 Polk County Itemizer-Observer (Dallas) |
