It's Only The Help

The Republican Party in the House are not even willing to give the help GOP Congressional staffers severance pay.

As the old Congress wound down in a scramble of post-election activity, incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi offered to pay two months’ severance to staff members working on some committees and in House leadership offices. But her offer was scuttled — by Republican lawmakers, who complained they didn’t have the opportunity to study the proposal and look at costs.

The Senate already provides two months pay for displaced staff members. One of the affected House staffers said his comrades are mystified that a plan that would benefit employees of Republicans would be killed by Republicans: “We hope the Democrats revisit it.”

At the same time, President Bush just gave raise to Vice President Dick Cheney with an executive order. But, I'm really sorry to say that ...

Dick 'Big Time' Cheney and the rest of Congress and most senior federal officials will have to wait to get a 1.7 percent pay increase in till the Democratic controlled Congress approves an increase in the federal minimum wage.

Congress opted to put off its pay increases until Feb. 16, not Jan. 1, on the urging of the incoming Democratic leaders in the House and Senate. They say no pay raise should kick in until Congress approves an increase in the federal minimum wage, which has been stuck at $5.15 an hour for the past 10 years.

So, the next time a fool person said, 'the two parties are the same' you can tell them that the Democratic Party looks out for the American workers even for out of work GOP Congressional staffers while members of the Republican Party looks out for themselves. Just remember, according to the Republican Party pay increase for Dick 'Big Time' Cheney is ok, but a severance pay for countless Congressional staffers not ok. It might cost too much.

Sigh.

(Hat Tip to ThinkProgress and Digby)