Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Thursday, June 23, 2011

New Hampshire Minimum Wage Restricted By Republicans

New Hampshire legislators voted to override a veto by Democratic Gov. John Lynch on Wednesday, paving the way for a new law to restrict the state's minimum wage.

The bill, sponsored by Republican Rep. Carol McGuire and strongly backed by GOP leadership, automatically ties the state minimum wage to the federal minimum wage, assuring that New Hampshire's rate is as low as it can legally be.

With its minimum wage currently set at the federal rate of $7.25 per hour, New Hampshire is ensuring that it will continue to have the lowest minimum wage in all of New England. Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut all have state minimum wages between $7.40 and $8.25 an hour.

The fight over McGuire's bill led to some unusual stances for New Hampshire politicians. McGuire has been honored by the libertarian-leaning New Hampshire Liberty Alliance and enjoyed Tea Party support, yet she essentially argued that the state should defer to the feds when it comes to the minimum wage.

Meanwhile, the Democratic governor made a states' rights argument for killing McGuire's bill. Lynch said New Hampshire shouldn't relinquish its right to set its own wage rate.

The governor's spokesman, Colin Manning, told HuffPost that as a result of the law New Hampshire now "cedes state control and authority" to the federal government.

"New Hampshire has had a minimum wage law since 1949, and neither our citizens nor our businesses have called for its repeal," Manning wrote in an email. "There is no need to undermine our state's economic strategy or cede our state authority to the federal government, which is why the governor vetoed the bill."

Calls to McGuire and Republican House Speaker William O'Brien seeking comment were not returned.

But in a statement after Lynch's veto, O'Brien accused the governor of acting on "an anti-business philosophy" and "removing the 'open for business' sign" from New Hampshire by trying to maintain the current minimum wage flexibility.

Full Article
Source: Huffington 

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