AYFKM??!! McBride And Carney Kill Minimum Wage Increase

No, this is not an ‘alternative universe’ exercise in imagination. Matt Bittle has the gory details in this story:

Senate President Pro Tempore David McBride’s decision to hold legislation that would raise the minimum wage to $15 has implications that go beyond the numbers…

Although the proposal was released from one committee, it has been assigned to the Senate Finance Committee because it carries a cost to the state.

That news came as a surprise to the committee chairman, Sen. Harris McDowell. Asked if he expected to run the bill in committee Wednesday, the final committee day of the year, the Wilmington Democrat said he was unaware it had been placed there.

Matt, you don’t need to use the passive tense. ‘It has been assigned to the Senate Finance Committee’ is accurate but incomplete. The bill was assigned to the committee by the only person who could assign the bill to committee–President Pro-Tempore Dave McBride.

Oh, and the assertion that it was assigned to committee ‘because it carries a cost to the state’ is utter bullshit. I can’t recall a single other minimum wage bill that was assigned to one of the appropriations committees. Not ever. It doesn’t even pass the smell test.  A minimum wage increase invariably creates more revenue for the state, not less. When Pistol Pete wanted to kill a minimum wage bill at the behest of Gov. Markell, he just buried it in the House Lapdog Committee, not an appropriations committee. Once again, Gov. Budget Smoothing only looks at the cost side of something (especially if the cost is borne by business) and ignores the revenue side. And lest you think that he’s merely being overly cautious, but supports an increase, the Worst Governor In Recent Memory made clear that he opposes a minimum wage increase:

Gov. Carney acknowledged last week another stalemate could be possible should Democrats try to run the minimum wage bill.

“Obviously, you’re always concerned in June about issues that are very emotional where there are significant philosophical differences that members would use a vote on the bond bill or grant-in-aid bill because they require supermajority votes to influence the decision on another piece of legislation,” he said, although the governor noted he is more worried about properly implementing an increase in the minimum wage.

Gov. Carney, a Democrat, does not support the bill, which would bump the wage floor up to $15 in five increments. That first hike would come Jan. 1, just three months after a previously scheduled hike goes into effect.

Why, John, don’t you support the bill? Are you going to change your registration and run as an R in 2020? You really should, you know.

Oh, and Sen. McBride, why are you doing the bidding of a governor who opposes one of the key initiatives of not only your party, but your caucus? 

Ladies and gentlemen, your Democratic governmental leaders. Time to replace them both.