John Kerry: “The facts show that through the years, there may be individual instances where there is a tailoff in the numbers of…”

“The facts show that through the years, there may be individual instances where there is a tailoff in the numbers of teenagers who might be hired by a particular company but, broadly speaking, the number of teenagers who are helped by the increase in the wage is much greater. The fact is that any company that requires a certain amount of work to be done is going to pay somebody a wage to do that work that they want to get done. They are not just hiring teenagers as a matter of altruism. Generally speaking, we in the U.S. Congress have recognized our responsibility to make up for that gap so that teenagers have the very opportunity that the Senator from Utah talks about. That is why historically we have had a Summer Jobs Program, until our Republican friends in recent years have seen fit to zero it out--zero it out. The basic issue here remains the same: What are we willing to give in America as the value of an hour's work? We decided that in the late 1930's, and under every President since then, Republican or Democrat alike, with Republican votes and Democratic votes--we have raised the minimum wage. And with what impact, Mr. President? With the impact that unemployment has gone down and the wages of more Americans have at least come up closer to the poverty level.”