GOP Legislators In New Hampshire Say You Working Stiffs Make Too Much Money

Carol Shea-Porter, helping to lead a progressive renaissance in New Hampshire

I'm guessing the reason New Hampshire Democrats have won a string of special elections this year-- the latest just 2 weeks ago-- is because of one mighty case of buyers' remorse from voters there who went overboard last November. At the time they defeated a great incumbent congresswoman, Carol Shea-Porter, plus two progressive challengers, one for the House and one for the Senate and handed overwhelming majorities in both houses of the state legislature to the extreme right-wing of the Republican Party. And the extreme right wing of the Republican Party has taken the opportunity to do as much damage as they could.

There are currently 19 Republicans and only 5 Democrats in the state Senate while the Republicans hold a 298-104 advantage over the Democrats in the lower house. And Republicans have moved quickly to put New Hampshire back on a right-wing, pre-2006 course. They are working towards overturning marriage equality, reinstating the death penalty, cutting back on women's choice, and putting up barriers to union organizing... [T]he Boston Globe reported that the state legislature is moving towards taking away students' right to vote.

And now their relentless war against working people and young people has moved in the direction of lowering wages for workers.

When Governor John Lynch vetoed the bill the legislature passed restricting New Hampshire’s minimum wage law to the lowest federally mandated amount, they were able to override the veto in both GOP-controlled Houses.

The lunatic fringe Ron Paul fanatic who sponsored the bill, Carol McGuire (R-Merrimack), says she would like to repeal all minimum wage laws and have corporations pay workers whatever rate they desire and that the $7.25 minimum is overly generous to young people who are "not worth the minimum."

"It’s very discriminatory, particularly for young people. They’re not worth the minimum,” she said. She believes there are young people who would get a job if they could be paid $5 an hour instead of the minimum.

As Lee Fang pointed out at ThinkProgress, "McGuire’s drive for the lowest possible wages further depresses economic recovery. Economists agree that increasing the minimum wage is a direct stimulus for the stagnant economy that improves the standard of living among low-wage earners. Moreover, even the current minimum wage is historically low when adjusted for inflation-- in the ’60s, the rate was over $9.00 an hour in 2006 dollars."

This morning I reached out to Carol Shea-Porter, who's on her way to winning back her House seat from GOP corporate shill Frank Guinta. [Please consider helping her campaign at the DWT ActBlue page.] She seemed already plenty pissed-off about the legislature's attack on workers and New Hampshire's young people:

This is just another example of the Republican callousness regarding our young people and their future. It's the "I got mine and I am not worried if you cannot get yours" attitude. These politicians and their attacks upon the young are hurting our next generation. They want the youth to pay for their parents' Medicare and Social Security without being able to collect for themselves. Republicans increase the costs of college and reduce the aid, then try to reduce the young peoples' income as well. A four year degree at UNH will now cost a NH resident $100,000. It is just another attack on the middle class, and I hope that our youth will throw them out of office in 2012.