Jane at Fire Dog Lake has been at the hospital last several days with her mother. It seems that her mother has been ill. I hope and pray (yes, progressives do pray) that both Jane and her mother weather the storm.
Get Well Soon
Thoughtful, intelligent, entertaining, progressive discussion about politics, sports and whatever...
Simpy didn't play Mavericks basketball. They didn't force it to the hole. They allowed the Heat to out muscle them. It was a very ugly game. Wade got to the line on the slightest contact. All of the heart and strength that the Mavericks showed in beating San Antonio was lost about 4 minutes to go in game 3. This was ugly. Very ugly. I'm glad that I didn't spend the $4000 it would have taken to fly to Dallas and buy a ticket. Very glad.
Where's Emmitt Smith when you need him?
I've been an advocate for increasing the minimum wage since the year 2000. In my opinion, you can write your congressman until you get writers cramp, there will be no increase in the minimum wage during this Republican Administration. Let me repeat, there will be no increase in the minimum wage during a Bush Administration.
This is another reason why we need a Democratic Administration with a Democratic Congress in order to help lower and middle income earners. The Bush Administration has shown no compassion for the middle-class. They have shown even less compassion for the poor. The recently passed bankruptcy laws are an excellent illustration of Republicans' love for the middle-class. On The Nation's web site, Katrina Vanden Heuvel has written an excellent article entitled How Congress is Shafting the Middle Class. The list of insults to low and middle income earners is nearly endless. Let's just name a few -- tax cuts for the rich, an attempt to repeal the Paris Hilton tax, attempts to cut funding for the Lower Income Housing Energy Assistance Program, the change in the bankruptcy laws in the face of higher debt for both lower and middle income earners, No Child Left Behind -- an attempt to dumb down the population with no real gains, a cut in student loan programs, lowering EPA standards, the complete lack of response to Hurricane Katrina and there's plenty more. This is all that I can think of off the top of my head.
The minimum wage does need to be increased. The sooner that it is increased in the tax cuts over the last six years have been repealed the better off the lower and middle income earners in this country will be.
(also posted on the DailyKos)
Errington C. Thompson, MD
Dr. Thompson is a surgeon, scholar, full-time sports fan and part-time political activist. He is active in a number of community projects and initiatives. Through medicine, he strives to improve the physical health of all he treats.“A Letter to America”
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