On Thursday, April 4, Aaron Raffel, in the DeKalb Daily Chronicle, feebly attempted to promote Bill Clinton s proposed minimum wage increase. Mr. Raffel also suggested that Congressman Dennis Hastert does not deserve the pay increases he has received. However, Mr. Hastert is elected, qualified, and knowledgeable on many fronts. Comparing a proficient individual as Mr. Hastert to entry level or unproven workers at the minimum wage just doesn t hold up. People should be paid for what they know, not just because they exist.
Dennis Hastert deserves the wage increases he has received because he has more than proven his worth both for the extra time his job demands and for the genius he displays. The minimum wage worker is typically either a new entry to the work force with few credentials, a teenager working a part-time job, or an older worker who has proven he or she is not worth more than the minimum wage. The heartbeat of our economic system is the desire to gain more skills, to acquire more knowledge, and to ultimately make one s skills and knowledge valuable to employers. By mandating employers to pay a minimum wage, the government inadvertently dilutes the average man or woman s desire for success and excellence.
Further, if the minimum wage increases, the employee who is worth just the minimum wage may be laid off. The cry to raise the minimum wage is a disguise by Ted Kennedy and the rest of the Democrats to promote class warfare; the higher paid against the lower paid. Unwittingly, 70% of the electorate thinks the minimum wage should go up, so it s easy to see why the Democrats promote increasing the minimum wage at election time. Rather than sticking to real issues and genuine ideas, the Democrats have chosen once again to play election-year political games with the American public. Even after 1994 elections, the Democrats persist in deceiving the American people. The unemployment and raise in inflation that a minimum wage increase would produce is exactly what the Democrats want. Ultimately, more people would receive unemployment and welfare benefits; which justifies the existence of the Democratic Party itself.
Allow me to provide three historical examples of how the Democrats blatantly disregarded the health and safety of the American people. First, in the 1930's and 1940's Democrat Franklin Roosevelt refused to promote the passage of federal lynching laws to protect blacks in the South. By doing this, he received the political support of Southern senators and congressmen that he needed to pass his New Deal program. However, in the pursuit of his own agenda, Mr. Roosevelt displayed callous disregard for black Americans.
Next, did you ever wonder why the federal government subsidizes tobacco? For years, northern Democrats allowed southern tobacco subsidies in exchange for the Southern Democrats support of liberal agendas (which, in most cases, were contrary to Southern values). Tobacco must be worth more than the health of the American people!
Lastly, former Governor of Arkansas, Joe Robinson, helped pass many of FDR s New Deal programs. In exchange for Robinson s support, FDR looked the other way when the Wagner Act passed in 1935, giving workers new rights to bargain and strike with Federal protection. At the request of Southern land owners, Congress and FDR excluded migrant workers from the protection of the Wagner Act. It took more than 20 years before migrant workers received federal protection. Once again, the Democrats played political games, neglecting the concerns of the unprivileged. Even today, Democrats say they fight for the rights of the average person or the little guy. This smokescreen about the minimum wage is no exception. Once again, the Democrats are making false promises to the American people, all in pursuit of their own political agenda and self- serving interests. So, Mr. Raffle, I have briefly explained why the minimum wage is counterproductive, and have also given you examples of how the Democratic Party operates with disingenuous and ulterior motives. The goal of elite liberals, like Bill and Hillary Clinton, is to create and control the largest patronage army in American history. They proved it when they proposed socializing health care. This type of control over people is the lifeblood of the Democratic people. This type of control is also why we Americans revolted against the British. Unfortunately, some people don t understand why America was founded.
Aaron, I have a saying that goes like this: Why is it that the people who know how, work for the people who know why? You need to understand why things happen, rather than excepting things the way they are.
It is time we let this Republican Congress know how much we appreciate the great job they are doing tackling the most complex of problems - all while withstanding the avalanche of disinformation from the Democratic attack dogs, like David Bonoir, Tom Daschell, and Richard Gephart. Thank goodness for strong people like Dennis Hastert who continue to protect the working men and women all over the country and for having the insight to know why things should be done. -James Mason
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