Thursday, September 28, 2006
The "NFIB" is the acronym of the National Federation of Independent Business which is the voice of small business owners in America. 80% of ALL business in America is SMALL business. Surprised?Well, I believe from the bottom of my heart that the NFIB has been "hijacked".
My husband was an active member from about 1987 until 1992 when John Sloan, who was President of NFIB, died. Back then the NFIB, which was still very much a Republican run organization, was also VERY Philanthropic. Philanthropy and Education of up and comers (young people) was the numero uno subject of the day. That focus is now long gone.
Today the only subject the NFIB cares about and pushes is the repeal of the Estate Tax. The NFIB has spent millions of dollars from their small business membership dues and fees to lobby the Republicans for their own self (ish) interests.
Amazingly and shockingly, the GOP had the nerve to ram the Estate Tax Repeal up the ass of the Minimum Wage act!
NO SMALL BUSINESS WANTS TO PAY FEDERALLY MANDATED HIGHER MINIMUM WAGES.
In order for the GOP to reward their rich GOP contributors, they've sold their souls to the devil and and now far right wing NFIB allowed their members money to be used to pay lobbyists to pass a law inwhich the bulk of their members are vehemently against.
ATTENTION NFIB MEMBERS!
Do you know what's going on in your own organization? Your 'leaders' want you to have to pay higher minimum wages to your employees! Is that what you want? Are your NFIB dues being well spent? They're lobbying with YOUR MONEY against your best interests as a small business person!If you've been under a rock all summer...
Bill Frist and company attached the GOP backed Estate Tax Repeal to the DEMS Higher Minimum wage act, at the very last minute before the vote --which was after midnight. For clarification... the GOP is vehemently opposed to the Minimum Wage hike, however, they readily used that in to push their own bill, assuming wrongly that the DEMS would want to pass the Minimum Wage hike at all costs.
The Dems voted against their own sponsored bill due to the Republican chicanery. They said afterwards that it's unfair that the middle class only gets a raise --if the upper class gets one first. (Or is that Frist ?) The Dems will again try to pass their bill, after November, when the Dems get back in control and then the GOP won't have the power to interfere.I'm personally against a Federal Minimum Wage hike. I think each small business person should decide for themselves what they can afford to pay their employees. Running a small business is 24/7 HARD WORK. I applaud all small business people of America.
The point of this blog post is about the NFIB and how ignorant their membership is of what their leaders are actually doing with their money!
A final FYI:The House passed the Estate Tax Repeal and the Senate lost by a few votes, twice --in June and August 2006.
Supposedly they will try one more time before November Elections. This week, maybe. Last vote in Aug.:
MINIMUM WAGE-ESTATE TAX
For: 56 / Against: 42
The Senate failed to reach the 60 votes needed to advance a Republican bill (HR 5970) to raise the hourly minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 over three years and repeal the estate tax on all but the largest estates beginning in 2011.Politics is soooo ugly when exposed to the light.
