Political Quotes

“The first job that I ever had where I was paid an hourly wage was the result of two lies. I walked into a delicatessen at age 14 in the home State of the Presiding Officer, in St. Louis, MO, a place called Union Station. I bought a half dozen bagels for my mother. The man leaned over the counter and said, ``Are you looking for a job, boy?'' I said, ``Yes.'' He said, ``How old are you?'' And then the first lie came out. I was 14 and I said, ``I'm 16.'' ``OK.'' I said, ``How much does the job pay?'' Then the second lie came out. He said, ``The minimum wage, 60 cents an hour.'' With that exchange, we entered into a contract: An underage worker making less than the minimum wage got his first job besides delivering papers. I have had a lot of jobs ever since. I have met a lot of people along the way who have struggled at low-wage jobs and tried to make a living. And this debate is really about them.”