By Bea Loughnee
Washington Reporter
WASHINGTON -- A month after she voted to raise the federal minimum wage from$5.15 to $7.25 an hour, first-term Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, D-N.H., was laid off in a cost-cutting measure by House leadership.
Typically, Congress itself is immune from wage and price control legislation it passes, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, having vowed to make this Congress the most honest and ethical in history, has ordered that Congress subject itself to the same regulations as everyone else, no matter how burdensome.
"Carol was an enthusiastic and vibrant part of our team," Pelosi said in announcing the layoff yesterday. "But she had no legislative experience of any kind, and with those busybodies in Congress having mandated a steep increase in hourly pay, we could no longer afford to keep everyone on the payroll. We had to cut someone, and, you know how it is, last hired, first fired."
"I don't understand how they could do this to me," said a stunned Shea-Porter, pink slip in hand. "The minimum wage doesn't cost jobs, every left-wing think tank says so!"
Shea-Porter ought not be upset, Pelosi said knowingly. "Look, I know this is hard on Carol, but it's for the greater good. Every other member of Congress got a pay raise, and that's good for everybody. Well, everybody except Carol. But that's why we have welfare."
Pelosi said that New Hampshire residents needn't worry; they will be well represented even in Shea-Porter's absence. "Nine-term Rep. Chet Edwards will be taking over Carol's responsibilities and using his extensive legislative experience to represent the good people of New Hampshire's First District every Tuesday and Thursday from one to four," she said.
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