Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater seems to be longing for the days of the "Red Scare" in his call-to-action to fast-track a bill that would preempt Madison's minimum wage ordinance.

Nass said, "As usual, the City of Madison is the flame of liberal social engineering that needs to be extinguished. Once again, the legislature and Governor must address the abuse of local power by the anti-business socialists on the Madison City Council."

The Assembly Labor Committee yesterday approved a bill that would preempt local minimum wage increases, limit the state's ability to raise the minimum wage to twice in five years and allow businesses with four or fewer employees to continue paying employees at the federal minimum of $5.15 per hour.

Nass claims that the bill he authored is up to Governor Jim Doyle's standards, "The Governor has demanded a preemption bill that he could sign. The bill that I authored meets his requirement and will be on his desk within a month. I am confident that the steps necessary for resolving all issues surrounding a state minimum wage increase can now be taken."

State Republicans, in a party that touts itself as being about less big government, have become the lead horse in the charge against cities' rights. Just last week a Dane County Court ruled that current state laws do not preempt local minimum wage ordinances. The ruling essentially said ordinances recently passed in Madison, Milwaukee and La Crosse could stand.

That ruling sent a wave of panic through state republicans usually too distracted by guns and gays to do something that may help the lower class pick themselves up. The ruling has become a rallying cry for the anti-big government party to push a micromanagement law that would force cities to raise their minimum wage no faster then the rest of the state. It would be less of an issue if the same party fighting to preempt local municipalities from passing their own ordinances wasn't also the party that has been blocking attempts by democrats to increase the state minimum wage.

Tom Sheehan of Racine's The Journal Times recently explained why state legislators may have such a hard time seeing why a minimum wage increase is important for workers:

Sheehan goes onto explain that "at $88 a day, the per diem alone adds up to twice as much as someone making minimum wage, which amounts to $41.20 for an eight-hour day before taxes and other deductions."

And there is more:

Wisconsin has one of the highest gas taxes in the country (since 1985 it automatically adjusts for inflation every April 1) and prices show no sign of going down, Dane County is seeing a substantial property tax increase and Milwaukee County is gazing into the steely eye of a $3 million deficit and is being forced to consider cutting social services. The Republican controlled Legislature continues to drag its feet on passing a statewide minimum wage increase that could provide a limited amount of relief to low- and middle-income workers and instead insists wasting time dreaming up new ways to prevent municipalities from protecting their own citizens.