President Obama has called for an increase in the minimum wage. The history of the minimum wage goes back to the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. A federal law establishing a minimum
wage was enacted in 1938 and was one of the most important of the New Deal programs that helped the country out of the Great Depression. Hard to believe by today's standards, but the Congress of the United States approved the first minimum wage of .25 cents an hour only after a vigorous and rancorous debate. One Alabama newspaper predicted "chaos" and the "destruction" of the Southern textile economy if, in fact, employers were forced to raise the pay to a minimum of .25 cents per hour. As the President hoped, however, the minimum wage had a salutary impact on the American economy and raised the income level of about 750,000 workers while causing minimal job losses. Since that time, the minimum wage has been repeatedly raised and is now considered one of the
Government's fundamental economic guarantees to all working men and women.
Minimum Wage
Call to Action!
Governor Wolf proposes sales tax on legal services. For most Pennsylvanians, hiring a lawyer is a necessity and not a luxury. Access to legal justice is a basic constitutional right and taxing that access and treating it as a commodity is abhorrent to fundamental justice. Increasing the cost of effective legal representation by imposing a 6.6% sales tax would adversely impact citizens in this State who have limited means and would be adverse to helping the infirm and elderly. When people are abused and need protection from an abusive spouse, should they have to pay a sales tax in order to have their safety insured? If an elderly person of limited means wants to write a will or needs to probate the will of a loved one, in addition to legal fees, should they pay to the State an additional
6.6% as a sales tax? If a hard-working father who is between jobs finds himself in a position that he must fight a home foreclosure in order to house his family, should he be required to pay a sales tax in order to gel and obtain legal representation? If a single mother has her property improperly assessed by local government, should she be required to pay a sales tax for legal services to fight the injustice? If an injured worker seeks compensation or social security benefits and is already limited in his income, should he be required to pay, in addition to legal fees, a sales tax?
History of the 19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States extended full voting rights to women. The Amendment was ratified in 1920 and was the result of decades of effort by feminist groups that push for equal rights. It all started with the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. Before the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, 28 states had already granted voting rights to women. Wyoming,
known as the Equality State, entered the Union in 1890 with equal voting rights; the very first state to enfranchise women. Illinois became the first state east of the Mississippi River to extend voting rights to women and that occurred in 1913. By 1919, most western states and New York State also had provided voting rights to women. Several large states, including Virginia, Massachusetts and
Pennsylvania, refused. The 19th Amendment's fate was uncertain until the very last minute. As recently as 1915, the U. S. House of Representatives had defeated a similar proposal. The support of President Woodrow Wilson, who campaigned for the Amendment beginning in 1918, proved crucial to its passage.Both the House and the Senate approved the Amendment in 1919, and the states rushed to ratify it in time for women to participate in the 1920 Presidential Election.By the time the Amendment passed, many of the women who were founders of the women's rights movement including Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony had all died. In just 70 years though, their movement had turned the notion of women's suffrage from a laughing stock into reality.As Carrie Chapman Catt, another suffragist leader, said, "when a just cause reaches its flood tide, whatever stands in the way must fall before its overwhelming power."
History of the 19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States extended full voting rights to women. The Amendment was ratified in 1920 and was the result of decades of effort by feminist groups that push for equal rights. It all started with the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. Before the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, 28 states had already granted voting rights to women. Wyoming,
known as the Equality State, entered the Union in 1890 with equal voting rights; the very first state to enfranchise women. Illinois became the first state east of the Mississippi River to extend voting rights to women and that occurred in 1913. By 1919, most western states and New York State also had provided voting rights to women. Several large states, including Virginia, Massachusetts and
Pennsylvania, refused. The 19th Amendment's fate was uncertain until the very last minute. As recently as 1915, the U. S. House of Representatives had defeated a similar proposal. The support of President Woodrow Wilson, who campaigned for the Amendment beginning in 1918, proved crucial to its passage.
Deadly Force - The Philadelphia Solution
Recently the use of deadly force by police departments has been at the top of the news. The growing controversy as to when police officers should use deadly force has been addressed by the Philadelphia Police Department. They have issued a directive known as Directive 10, it is as follows:
