Once again, Bush hurts Americans

President Bush has stuck it to us again. Today the Bush administration has passed a new regulation that cuts overtime pay for workers making more than $23,660 a year. I'm willing to bet that a lot of Idaho families count on overtime to help make ends meet. So this is essentially a pay cut for a majority of workers who rely on overtime pay to make ends meet.

When workers are stripped of their overtime rights, their employers can force them to work overtime for no extra pay. These overtime cuts will also hurt the economy. By taking away workers' overtime rights, President Bush is discouraging job creation. He is encouraging businesses to overwork their existing staff (for no extra pay) rather than hire new workers. The overtime statute was originally intended to encourage job creation.

The Senate and House already voted once last year to prohibit overtime cuts, but the White House strong-armed Congress to prevent that overtime protection from becoming law. President Bush is once again rewarding his large corporate supporters at the expense of the average worker.

MARY ANN ROWE

Sandpoint