Working Poor: You Can Expect No Help From Raleigh

Long, in-depth article published yesterday in the Asheville Citizen-Times delves into the politics of the minimum wage in North Carolina. Over half of the states have already raised the minimum wage (West By-God Virginia among them, for Christ's sake), but introduce that idea to the General Assembly in Raleigh, and all you get are icy stares and the occasional loud guffaw.

Not gonna happen in North Carolina, not with this current bunch running things, since their understanding of good ole American capitalism is that some people -- actually, many people -- need to be starving or at least perpetually hungry to guarantee a large and docile workforce to clean those toilets and mow those lawns.

Many cities across the land have also acted to raise their own local minimum wage, and some North Carolina cities, including Asheville, would love to follow suit, but as you should know, there is no "home rule" in North Carolina. All decision-making of any significance is centrally located in the General Assembly, which enables it to take away Boone's ETJ and Asheville's water system and to deny any North Carolina town from raising the local minimum wage.

Because Republicans believe in huge centralized power rather than local control. Because Republicans believe in the dignity of work and in a living wage. Because Republicans have the welfare of the little guy always uppermost in their minds.

Just kidding!