Political Quotes

“I am glad to hear the Republicans talk about how they want us to be able to work, because I take that to mean that they will not try to bottle up the President's thoughtful, compassionate proposal to raise the minimum wage. Now, I was a little concerned when I read the Speaker's opposition to it. I was especially puzzled when I saw that he said that one reason we could not afford to raise the minimum wage of American workers to a living wage, and it is well below that now, is that wages are so low in Mexico. I am puzzled because when we were dealing with the question of an American guarantee for Mexican loans, many of us on the Democratic side felt that we should address in that context wages in Mexico, and we made the point that we wanted to insist on mechanisms in Mexico that would no longer arbitrarily depress the wages of Mexican workers, but allow them to rise. We were told that that was really none of our business. But now the Speaker tells us that precisely because Mexican wages are so low, he cannot support giving American workers $5.15 an hour. This is validation of the point we made with regard to Mexico, and it is further argument for raising the American minimum wage.”