If this has been diaried before, I will delete this . .. but I think it is important to keep track of these things.
Yesterday, Senator Wayne Allard of Colorado introduced an amendment to eliminate the federal minimum wage. This means that instead of making $5.15 per hour, which is the current federal minimum wage, workers in Kansas would make $2.65 per hour. Workers in Alabama, Mississippi and South Carolina and a couple of others would be unprotected.
http://www.dol.gov/...
The amendment was defeated, 69-28 - - here is a list of the votes on this issue.
http://www.senate.gov/...
Interesting that GOP nominee and likely Presidential candidates John "Sleepy" McCain, Sam Brownback and Chuck Hagel voted to eliminate the federal minimum wage. While every sane American knows that Brownback is batshit crazy, some independents continue to view McCain and Hagel as moderate heroes. I think this kind of vote against working men and women can put an end once and for all to that fantasy. McCain and Hagel are through and through the kind of Republicans that hold social views that are polar opposites. While Hagel's recent pronouncements on Iraq may be enough to keep him out of the ranks of criminals, they should not mislead anyone into thinking that he is a Democrat or a moderate.
For the record, those up for re-election in 2008 who voted to eliminate the minimum wage are Alexander, Bennett, Chambliss, Cochran, Cornyn, Craig, Enzi, Graham, Hagel, Inhofe, McConnell and Sununu.
Alexander in Tennessee and Graham in SC were essentially voting for the return of slavery in their states, since Tennessee and SC have no minimum wage laws.
And of course Senate Republicans continue to filibuster by amendment the minimum wage bill passed by the House.
http://bobgeiger.blogspot.com/ has been covering this.