Make no mistake, this isn’t about whether raising the minimum wage is good or bad for the economy. Throw that argument out the window. The Republicans have said, “It’s fine! We’ll raise the minimum wage. It’s not a problem.” What they’re haggling about is unless they get this tax break for the wealthiest 2% of the wealthy, they won’t help the poorest in need.

It’s that simple. It can’t be read any other way. Any attempt to explain it otherwise is false.

Yeah, yeah, I'm a bleeding heart liberal. Given what Hastert and co. are trying to pull with this one, the only people I can think of who would go for this is, well, no one. This is "steal from the moserately poor, to give to the poor, to tax it away from them to give to the rich," or something like that.

And the "but it hurts small business" argument got tossed right out the window. The estate tax doesn't affect them.

Robert J. Elisberg: Republicans in Congress Confirm Worst Fears About Them