An increase in the minimum wage is once again hovering around the Congressional docket, as Democrats try to wedge it into various bills while Republicans try to sink it.

And once again, as reliable as clockwork, defenders and opponents are snapping into action, dusting off briefs and arguments, updating the analysis for inflation and generally doing the same dance we always do (I'm a defender).

There's got to be a better way.

Facts matter, so I'm not for a second saying that progressives should ignore the superior research, summarized below, that supports an increase. But I think we should also fight this one on basic fairness. It's simply shameful, in an era of sharply increasing economic inequality, for Congress to incessantly cut rich people's taxes yet refuse to help low-wage workers.

This past week, much to everyone's surprise, Democrats in the House of Representatives managed to slip a proposal to increase the minimum wage into a bill funding the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services.

Faced with the specter of having to vote against increasing the wage floor from its current embarrassing level of $5.15 to $7.25 by Jan. 1, 2009, Congressional Republicans snapped into action and pulled the bill.

This is what these brave souls do in election season when they don't want to have to go back to their districts and answer questions as to why it's ok to cut hundreds of billions in rich people's taxes but deny the working poor a boost.

Well, I say: "Not so fast, guys.  Let's chat about this for a few minutes."

Not let me get this straight.  Last month, you passed $70 billion worth of new tax cuts, mostly by extending earlier Bush cuts on dividends and capital gains.  When tax cuts target investment income, the benefits flow to the wealthy, and these cuts are exhibit A: they reduce millionaire's tax payments by $43,000, and those of middle-income families by $20.  Sorry, that's not a typo.  It's what you get when you put the YOYOs in charge of fiscal policy.

Wait a second, where you going?  I'm not done.  Set a spell...

The recent failure in the Senate to repeal the estate tax stands as a rare victory for sane fiscal policy.  The NYT editorialized about the event under the heading "What Passes for Good News."

In fact, the Senate vote came alarming close to ending a tax on inheritances of the richest half-a-percent of households, with a majority of Senators (57--but they needed 60 for a repeal) supporting a measure which would have cost the treasury $800 billion over 10 years at a time of ballooning budget deficits and war.

Of course, the politics of the repeal were the focus of most analyses--would the White House be adhered to or get rebuffed on an issue dear to them--but the economics of the tax cut are deeply revealing of the fundamental flaw of economic policy today.

And that flaw is this: we have, over the past three decades, shifted from we're-in-this-together (WITT) economics to you're-on-your-own (YOYO) economics.

With their focus solidly on the gay marriage amendment and estate tax repeal, the conservative movement is busy rearranging deck chairs on...well, not quite the Titanic, but on a rotting ship of state.

Here's a test: name one economic policy, other than tax cuts, associated with outgoing Treasury Secretary John Snow.

Give up?

Now think about this: what is the economic policy of the Bush administration? What about the Congress? What about the Democrats?

The diary below was originally posted earlier today in the Intrepid Liberal Journal.

The conservative shift in American politics undermined the economic security of working people. Increasingly, individuals are absorbing more risks, working longer hours and earning less. Meanwhile, corporations and government benefit from less accountability to tax payers, consumers and employees. Renowned economist Jared Bernstein proposes in his new book, All Together Now: Common Sense For A Fair Economy, (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.) that we're ensnared in a "YOYO economy". The acronym YOYO means, "You're On Your Own." Bernstein's book illustrates how the "YOYOists" have schemed to transfer the burden of economic risk onto individuals and their families.

The diary below was originally posted on my blog the Intrepid Liberal Journal, on May 20th.

Progressives are struggling to synthesize a movement that can rise above identity politics and mobilize people under a unified theme. Robert W. Fuller, Ph.D. argues in his newly published book, All Rise (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.), that simple dignity is an elusive need that cuts across demographics of race, gender, age, and class. Fuller attributes this void to a culture of "rankism" which he defines as "abuses of power associated with rank." In his writings Fuller advocates for a grassroots effort to establish a "dignitarian society."

I have posted before about my friend, Chris Owens, who is running for Congress in the NY-11 district. This race is reaching a critical point. Chris has been doing wonderfully at the grassroots level, but lags in fundraising and the local "pundits" are looking only at fundraising in their estimation of who has a chance in this race. Chris is really one of the smartest and most progressive candidates I have met. Well, finally, after much urging, Chris is taking the plunge into the blogsphere.

My name is Sherri Welsh; I am the wife of Congressional Candidate Barry Welsh of Indiana's 6th District.

I have been actively participating in my husband's Congressional race opposing Mike Pence - this is my first Diary. The contents of this diary have not been vetted through my husband's press secretary or my husband or for that matter anyone else.  This diary is affording me the opportunity to speak my mind and express some of the things I see, hear and read in today's issues and commentaries as well as being connected to my husband's, Barry Welsh for Congress, campaign.

More...

This just in!  To your (e)mail box daily.  One of the unique-among-blogs features of Political Cortex is a return to the venerated practice of throwing a newspaper on your front porch (for New Yorkers that's "stoop").  Info junkies (and you know who you are) click and consume headlines at an astonishing daily rate, so it is refreshing to save a bit of electronic travel time to have the news come to you.  Well, you say, are there others?  Of course.  Here's the first for you to try:

Common Dreams Newswire.  In addition to delivering progressive news daily, the site encourages submissions by those in the progressive community.  Click, read, subscribe, enjoy.

cross-posted from my blog

AFA is now encouraging a boycott of Progressive Insurance because the CEO donated to ACLU.  This, of course, allows the ACLU to carry out its "anti-christmas" agenda.

sigh

The AFA is asking its supporters to drop Progressive, or send them a note saying they'll never use Progressive, because of the ACLU support.  I'm not going to bless them with site hits, so I won't be posting the url here.

It's probably more effective to contact Progressive directly, anyway.  So if any of you have Progressive as your insurance carrier, please thank them for their support of the ACLU.  If you do not have insurance with them, maybe consider it.  And if you make the switch, please tell them it's because they support ACLU.

Just for grins, though, since I was already there, I sent the note.  It's pre-written text - they got wise to people disagreeing with them in their name.  So for the first name I was "Wingnutasshole" and my last name was "Tobeignored."

: p

SusanHu has a great round-up and overview of dreamboat Viggo Mortensen's recent politically charged interviews and statements, entitled Honoring Iconoclastic Weirdos.

Go. Read. Enjoy.