Nancy Kassebaum: “I certainly hope the argument I make will not be viewed as just another tired, old argument, because I believe it is not…”

“I certainly hope the argument I make will not be viewed as just another tired, old argument, because I believe it is not a question of whether we raise the minimum wage--I think most in this Chamber would believe the minimum wage should be increased--but how it is done. I have felt for some time that we need to be very sensitive to the changes that are taking place in the labor markets, including the need for higher skills. These are things that we hopefully have addressed with the job training initiatives that we have considered in the Senate, and have now been in conference for some months. Those initiatives are the things that will help workers get good-paying jobs. We have also talked about welfare reform, and the senior Senator from New York knows this issue better than anyone. We need--I believe, if we are going to do welfare reform in a meaningful way--to have job opportunities where workers can enter at entry level positions and be able to have the training and the skills to rise in the labor market. I would not want to make the argument that a family can live on $4.25 per hour, which is the current minimum wage, or at $5.15 per hour, which it would be after the next 2 years.”