Editor,
On June 20, despite record-low approval ratings, House lawmakers voted themselves a $3,300 pay raise that will increase their salaries to $168,500 in the same week the Senate defeated a proposal to raise the federal minimum wage in increments from $5.15 to $7.25. This is absolutely the height of obscenity, and I, for one, am appalled and disgusted. If there is one issue that could and should start a revolution, this is it.
In the same week the House refuses once again to raise the already paltry minimum wage, it has the gall to vote for another raise - er, cost of living increase.
They can call it whatever they want, but this is such a slap in the face to the American worker, I can barely conceal my rage. This also proves that the people who claim to represent our interests are only there to ingratiate themselves - like this is news to anyone. Still, it's an outrage that this was allowed to happen with not even a whimper from working Americans, let alone what's left of the unions - nothing. Why was there no angry mob storming the House to drag the perpetrators outside for a taste of real justice when the vote was announced? Am I the only one who finds this such a total disgrace?
My question now is how long can our elected leaders continue to work completely against the will of the American people before someone, somewhere gets angry about it? Forever is the answer, I guess. All hope is lost.
It is pointless to ask people to rise up against something they don't even care about, but if there ever was something to care about, this is it. You'd think, wouldn't you? It's not like a war fought in some far-off land, or an abstract concept like a "war on terror" - this issue personally affects millions of people right here, right now. Remember Reagan's "trickle-down" economics? Cutting taxes for the rich was supposed to infuse the economy with all this extra money. Of course, we know that the first thing the elite want to do is go spend their money on a Wal-Mart shopping spree, huh? One word: hogwash.
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Here's another theory, and one that makes much more sense if you ask me: trickle-up economics. You put more money into the hands of working Americans, and guess what? They spend it. On stuff. Lots of stuff. It's called consumer spending, and it creates a healthy and stable economy. What form of capitalism doesn't want the average citizen to have more buying power? Doesn't that seem a little counterproductive? The minimum wage hasn't increased in 11 years, for God's sake. I am so tired of being held in such contempt by people who claim to be our elected officials.
Jason Darensburg
UNM student
