William C. Baker: “this debate is about politics, it is not about economics. If this were such a great deal, the socialists over there…”

“this debate is about politics, it is not about economics. If this were such a great deal, the socialists over there would have raised the minimum wage in 1993 and 1994, when they had a huge majority and a President that would have signed it. They did not bring it up, they did not hold hearings, and they did not pass it. What a surprise. Eighty-three percent of the American people want to raise the minimum wage. The problem is, 78 percent of them cannot tell you what the minimum wage is. I ask the gentleman, did the gentleman coauthor the Small Business Administration exemption? Yes, he did sponsor the small business exemption that the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Goodling] is offering right now. Let me tell the Members how minimum wage affected me. As a child I was making $1 an hour at the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland. They raised the minimum wage to $1.25. They told me I was through, they did not have it in their budget. I told them I did not work for government, I worked for them, and I just needed it for my allowance, to supplement my allowance and as experience, because and because as a young person at 16 you cannot get experience. They liked my attitude and paid the minimum wage. But I almost lost my job. I know about minimum wage. It stinks, it is a charlatan game. There is no constitutional right. It is an unfunded mandate. Vote no, and vote yes for the Goodling amendment.”