House Republicans are finally willing to increase the minimum wage for the first time in a decade, shortly before an election over which they are very nervous. They are refusing to do so, however, unless the minimum wage hike is coupled with a cut to inheritance taxes on multi-million dollar estates.

What the hell?!

The GOP appears completely blind to charges that it cares about the rich at the expense of the poor. In the face of the Katrina catastrophe, record budget deficits, the war in Iraq, gas prices, and all the rest, the GOP simply cannot resist the temptation to cut taxes on those who need the cut the least–and it does so by brazenly conditioning the minimum wage increase on the tax cut. Our most impoverished workers deserve better than this; they deserve a straight up or down vote.

Unbelievable.

Tags: 2006-election, congress, federal-budget-deficit, inheritance_taxes, minimum-wage, republicans, tax-cut, us-house-of-representatives