Rick Santorum: The Art of the Sucker Punch

We all know that Republicans are always against increases in the minimum wage-- even to match cost of living increases. But wait! Rick Santorum wants to increase the minimum wage? By $1.10 an hour? Well, no. Just like Bush's offer to "increase Pell Grants" while secretly making them more difficult to earn, it will actually raise benefits for a few while cutting the wages of the many. Loathsome.

"Pennsylvania's Rick Santorum is leading the charge for a GOP bill that would ostensibly raise the minimum wage by $1.10 per hour, but in reality would cut wages for millions of American workers and expand unregulated sweatshops across the country.

As this Economic Policy Institute analysis details, the bill is a trojan horse for assaulting workers rights.

Licensing Sweatshops: While a $1.10 per hour minimum wage increase by itself would help 1.8 million workers, Santorum includes a poison bill exempting any business with revenues of $1 million or less from regulation -- raising the exemption from the current $500,000 level.

The upshot: while 1.2 million workers could qualify for a minimum wage increase, another 6.8 million workers, who work in companies with revenues between $500,000 and $1,000,000 per year, would lose their current minimum wage protection. "

UPDATE: Santorum's proposal was defeated by a good-sized margin (39-61). Unfortunately, Senator Kennedy's genuine proposal to raise minimum wage was also defeated.