Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman from Washington for yielding. I came down here to the floor out of support for Guam, half a day, where America's day begins. And the first cup of coffee in America is there on Guam. So I have a special place in my heart for Guam, and I support the educational components of this legislation. I also come here, Mr. Speaker, and I think it is a bit unusual, but I support the balance of this underlying legislation that was amended to the gentlelady from Guam's bill in the Senate. I do that, but I also support the words of Mr. Hastings of Washington, who says that Democrats have admitted they were wrong. We have to look at this legislation and see that the minimum wage was imposed upon the Northern Marianas and American Samoa in 2007. Two tuna canning factories; now one has closed as a direct result of the imposition of a minimum wage. And the sole garment factory in the Northern Marianas has also closed because of a direct result, at least in significant part, because of the imposition of minimum wage. It is a microcosm economy that anybody that understands free enterprise should know that when the government artificially raises the cost of wages, businesses that have to stay, therefore a profit, can't stay open unless they can operate from a profit. Labor is, Mr. Speaker, a commodity. It is a commodity like gold or oil or corn or beans. Labor: it is a precious commodity.…”