Mark Pocan: “You're not going to get much. I really appreciate what you said about the fact that a business owner can benefit. I've…”

“You're not going to get much. I really appreciate what you said about the fact that a business owner can benefit. I've been a small business owner for 25 years. When I opened my small business, I had hair--it's been a long time--and I can tell you that, when you treat your employees well, everyone benefits. When they make more money, that helps as they're invested in the company, and they're able to support their families. If they have health insurance, they're able to make sure that everyone is healthy in their families. If their families are good, they're good. There are many benefits. Yet when you get to the factor of almost what we'd call greed--when you get to 580 times the salary of that low-paid worker, like the CEO of McDonald's makes--that's a problem across the country. So I really appreciate what you've brought up and specifically your example from Chicago because, in Madison, we've actually got it slightly higher, about $75,000 a year. When they broke out those expenses, they were talking housing of about $10,668, transportation $7,200, food $9,000, taxes $6,900. When you go through that, it's absolutely impossible to live on that minimum wage. Yet, as you said, you were with a bunch of people who were adults who were working at these places. Again, according to the Economic Policy Institute, 88 percent of the people are over 20 years old. The average age of a minimum-wage worker is 35 years old.…”