Editorial

MINIMUM PAY

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The federal minimum wage rose last week to $4.75, where it will remain until Sept. 1, 1997, when it will go to $5.15. The two-step, 90-cent increase is the result of legislation passed in August by the Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton.

The origin of this measure tells us a lot about the current state of our politics. President Clinton did nothing about the minimum wage during the first two years of his term, when his party controlled both houses of Congress and the executive branch. As soon as the Republicans took Congress, all of a sudden increasing the minimum wage was the highest priority in the land. Thus it is clear that the entire minimum-wage issue was a snare to try to trap Republicans into opposing it during an election year. So House and Senate Republicans caved, and the phased-in increase was approved.

In the meantime, a few observations. First, it is regrettable that Sen. Kit Bond's effort to pass a small-business exemption didn't succeed. This would have lightened the burden on small business and lessened the threat to jobs represented by the increase. On the other hand, probably the only thing that can be said in favor of the federal increase is that it will help to lessen pressure to pass the ill-advised initiative to raise Missouri's minimum wage to a highest-in-the-nation $6.25 and then jack it up from there. Thank the Lord for small favors.