One of the goals of the new Democratic Congress was to raise the Federal minimum wage, and take the first step in paying people a decent, living wage. The bill passed the House. It was stopped in the Senate by greedy bitch Republicans.

Senate Republicans Block Minimum Wage Increase

Despite a united front from Senate Democrats for passing the same stand-alone minimum wage increase approved by the House of Representatives two weeks ago, the Republican minority voted against cloture on the bill today, throwing down a roadblock until Democrats agree to more business tax cuts.

Before that, the measure by Judd Gregg (R-NH) to give the line-item veto to George W. Bush was defeated by a vote of 49-48, well short of the 60 votes required to end debate and send the bill for a vote.

The clean minimum wage bill went to a floor vote after the line-item veto was killed and, despite the fact that the minimum wage has not been raised in 10 years and an increase is supported by the vast majority of Americans, almost all Republicans voted against the increase and it fell six votes short of the three-fifths required to reach cloture.

The vote was 54-43, with every Democrat voting to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 per hour and only five Republicans -- Coleman, Collins, Snowe, Specter and Warner -- crossing the aisle to vote with the Democrats.

These 18 Republicans voted against working Americans. These 18 greedy pigs have had a 31% pay increase during the years they have refused to raise the minimum wage.

* Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
* Wayne Allard (R-CO)
* Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
* Thad Cochran (R-MS)
* John Cornyn (R-TX)
* Larry Craig (R-ID)
* Elizabeth Dole (R-NC)
* Pete Domenici (R-NM)
* Michael Enzi (R-WY)
* Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
* Chuck Hagel (R-NE)
* James Inhofe (R-OK)
* Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
* Pat Roberts (R-KS)
* Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
* Gordon Smith (R-OR)
* Ted Stevens (R-AK)
* John Sununu (R-NH)

They’re all up for re-election in 2008, and they deserve to be turned out, and forced to get real jobs, and have to work for a living.