Minimum Wage

Jon Tester's <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/09/23/opinion/guest/35-tester.txt">spiel about a living wage</a> in today's Gazette bothers me a little.<br />n<br />n<blockquote>All Montanans are encouraged by our state's recent surge of economic expansion. After more than a decade of stagnation, unemployment is down, per capita income is up and regions of Montana are experiencing rapid economic growth.<br />n<br />nBut if you take a closer look at the numbers, or visit areas of Montana outside these regions of prosperity, you see a very different picture. Montana is near or at the bottom of numerous economic indicators, be it per capita income, average weekly wages or the number of Montanans who work more than one job just to make ends meet. Montanans are entitled to ask what our leaders in Washington are doing to ensure they can work the kinds of jobs that will allow them to participate in the American dream. Sadly, the answer is: not much. It's time for a change.</blockquote><br />n<br />nHe criticizes Sen Burns for voting against raising the minimum wage 11 times. Fine, I will believe that number without a problem, but when a raise in the national minimum wage was brought up before Congress recently the Democrats themselves rejected it. You can whine and complain about the linkage of the minimum wage and estate tax all you want. but the facts are the Democrats, like Jon Tester, turned back the minimum wage increase.<br />n<br />nSecond, if Montana is in such desperate straits, and has been for years according to Tester, why didn't Jon Tester sponsor and support a minimum wage bill for the people of Montana while he was in the Legislature? Why wait until now? The states can set their own minimum wage so there is no need for him to wait until he is running for US Senate to do this. He should have tried to raise the minimum wage in the most recent legislature. He lauds his supposed success on the health care issue but doesn't talk at all about doing anything statewide about the minimum wage. This is deceitful and disingenuous. I would expect better from a man campaigning for change in Washington, but that's not the way of politics in Montana, Democrat or Republican.<br />n<br />n<strong>Flagrant money corruption, deceitful communication of public plans and purposes, shocking incompetence – take your pick, all are involved. None are new to American politics, but they are potently fused in the present circumstances. William Greider</strong>