Here are links to Project Vote Smart regarding the minimum wage votes:
http://votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?cs_id=V2643&can_id=21107If you click on the above link, you'll discover that John Edwards voted NOT TO TABLE an amendment sponsored by Edward Kennedy that would have raised the minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.15 over the course of two years. If you click on the "How members voted" link on the top right-hand corner of the page, you'll discover that this vote went along party lines and all Democrats voted NO.
http://votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?cs_id=V2644&can_id=21107If you click on THIS link you'll discover that John Edwards voted against an amendment sponsored by Republican Senator Pete Domenici. If you click on the "How members voted link," you'll discover that this vote also went along party lines with ALL Democrats voting against the amendment.
The vote for the child tax credit to which you refer occurred on Sept. 23, 2004 - and on that date, John Edwards was the Democratic party's nominee for Vice President. John Kerry was absent for that vote as well.
http://votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?cs_id=V3420&can_id=21107You are confusing the Bankruptcy Reform Bill of 2000 with the Bankruptcy Reform Bill of 2005. The 2005 Bankruptcy Bill capped home equity protection. John Edwards was not a member of the Senate in 2005.
Here are the highlights of the 2000 Bill:
http://votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?cs_id=V2657&can_id=53279Highlights:
- Requires debtors to pay their creditors at least $15,000 or 25 percent of their total debt in the five-year period after filing for bankruptcy
- Places domestic support obligations such as child support and alimony amongst the first priority claim category of non-dischargeable debts on a debtor filing for bankruptcy
- Requires debtors to pay for and attend credit counseling prior to filing for bankruptcy
- Requires credit card companies to include information regarding interest rates, repayment plans, and fees on monthly statements
- Increases the minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.15 per hour over the next three years
- Provides $18.5 billion in tax cuts for small business
- Strengthens penalties and law enforcement resources to reduce the production of methamphetamines
Here are the highlights of the 2005 Bill
http://votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?cs_id=V3480&can_id=53279Highlights:
- Declares a debtor eligible for Chapter 13, as anyone financially capable of paying back their creditors at a rate that still allows them to earn above their state's median income
- Places domestic support obligations such as child support and alimony amongst the first priority claim category of non-dischargeable debts on a debtor filing for bankruptcy
- Allows special accommodations for active-duty service members, veterans, and those with serious medical conditions
- Requires debtors to pay for and attend credit counseling prior to filing for bankrupcy
- Caps home equity protection at $125,000 if the debtor purchased a house within 40 months of filing for bankruptcy.
- Establishes requirements that halts the one-year stay against credit collectors if a debtor chooses to file bankruptcy within one year of an earlier filing
- Requires credit cards to include warnings, examples, and a toll-free number to address interest rates, repayment plans, and fees on monthly statements
- Alters prior bankruptcy codes Chapter 11 and Chapter 12, which apply to small-business and healthcare business bankruptcies and mandate that the debtor file a reorganization plan