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IF FOLKS HAVE A JOB, WHY NOT
GIVE THEM A LIVING WAGE?
>> AMEN.
>> I JUST HAVE TO ASK THIS.
LAST YEAR THE HEAD OF
CATERPILLAR COMPLAINED PUBLICLY
ABOUT THE ANTI-JOBS,
ANTI-BUSINESS TONE OF ILLINOIS.
ISN'T IT A FACT WHEN YOU LOOK AT
JOB CREATION, THE STATES THAT
HAVE RAISED THE MINIMUM WAGE
ACTUALLY HAVE THE WORST
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE AND THE FACT
IS THAT ILLINOIS HAS LOST
PEOPLE, I THINK IT'S LOST 40,000
PEOPLE IN THE LAST YEAR, THE
LARGEST OUTPOURING OF PEOPLE IN
ANY STRAIGHT IN THE COUNTRY.
SO I UNDERSTAND WHY --
>> LET'S TALK ABOUT JOB
CREATION.
>> IT DOES KILL JOBS.
>> JOB CREATION IN ILLINOIS, THE
NUMBER ONE IN THE MIDWEST SINCES
LAST MAY.
WE'VE CREATED OVER 280,000 JOBS.
THE HEAD OF CATERPILLAR MADE BAD
INVESTMENT DECISIONS THAT HURT
CATERPILLAR AND ALL OF US IN
ILLINOIS.
HE SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE
FOR THAT.
WE BELIEVE IN CATERPILLAR, JOHN
DEERE TRACTORS IN OUR STATE, WE
HAVE FORD, CHRYSLER, MITSUBISHI,
ALL OF THEM GROWING.
WHEN I BECAME GOVERNOR, CHRYSLER
HAD 200 JOBS, NOW THEY HAVE
4,700 JOBS IN BELVEDERE,
ILLINOIS.
FORD HAS THREE SHIFTS.
WHEN I BECAME GOVERNOR THEY HAD
ONE SHIFT.
WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL TO PRESIDENT
BARACK OBAMA FOR SAVING THE
AMERICAN AUTO INDUSTRY.
WE WORKED WITH HIM.
WE BELIEVE IN ORGANIZING AND
UAW'S ORGANIZED MITSUBISHI, FORD
AND CHRYSLER.
A GOOD WAY TO GET GOOD WAGES AND
FAIR WORKING CONDITIONS FOR
EVERYDAY PEOPLE.
AND I STILL HAVEN'T HEARD FROM
RICK ABOUT THE MINIMUM WAGE.
HOW ABOUT IT?
>> I DON'T THINK IT'S
GOVERNMENT'S BUSINESS TO BE
SETTING THE MINIMUM WAGE OUT
THERE.
THE CBO SAID IF YOU WANT TO GET
RID OF 500,000 JOBS BETWEEN NOW
AND 2016 RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE.
HERE'S THE ISSUE, PAT, YOU GOT
TO BELIEVE THIS, AT A TIME WHEN
JOBS ARE AT A PREMIUM IN THIS
COUNTRY, THE LAST THING YOU WANT
TO BE DOING IS PUTTING POLICIES
INTO PLACE THAT WILL KILL JOBS
AND NOT ONLY --
>> WE ARE PURCHASING POWER IN
THE HAND OF CONSUMERS.
THEY'LL SPEND THE MONEY.
>> AND TO TELL PEOPLE THAT HAS A
JOB TODAY, I'M SORRY, BUT TO
HELP THESE FOLKS OVER HERE,
YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE A JOB.
THAT'S THE WRONG MESSAGE.
>> EVERY DOLLAR YOU RAISE IN THE
MINIMUM WAGE CREATES $2,800 IN
PURCHASING POWER.
70% OF OUR ECONOMY ARE CONSUMERS
BUYING THINGS.
LET'S PUT MORE MONEY IN THE
POCKET.
>> WE KNOW THAT FORCING SMALL
BUSINESSMEN AND WOMEN TO RAISE
THE MINIMUM WANL, THEY'LL HAVE
TO MAKE THE DECISION BETWEEN
WHETHER THEY'RE GOING TO HIRE
PEOPLE OR RAISE THE WAGE.
>> ALL THESE STUDIES SHOW
THAT --
>> NO, NO, NO, THAT'S NOT
CORRECT.
YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY WRONG ABOUT
THAT.
>> YOU'RE THE ONE QUOTING THE
CBO REPORT WHICH SAYS ZERO TO A
MILLION.
SO THE SAME REPORT YOU'RE CITING
ACTUALLY MAKES THIS POINT.
ZERO JOBS LOST OR A MILLION.
THEY'RE KIND OF GUESSING THERE.
BUT I WANT TO ASK YOU A
QUESTION.
YOU'RE SITTING HERE DEFENDING
THESE MINIMUM WAGE JOBS AND WE
KNOW FOR A FACT THAT YOU HAVE A
LOT OF BIG CORPORATIONS THAT ARE
PAYING PEOPLE FULL-TIME WORKERS
SO LITTLE THAT THEY HAVE TO PUT
THEIR HAND OUT FOR FOOD STAMPS
AND FOR MEDICAID.
DO YOU THINK THAT BIG
CORPORATIONS SHOULD BE ABLE TO
PAY PEOPLE SO LITTLE IN AMERICA
THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS TO
SUBSIDIZE THEIR WORKERS?
>> 95% OF ALL THE JOBS THAT WERE
CREATED IN TEXAS DURING THAT
DECADE WERE NOT MINIMUM WAGE
JOBS.
95% OF THEM ARE JOBS THAT ARE
PAYING ABOVE THE MINIMUM WAGE.
WHEN YOU HAVE AN ENVIRONMENT
WHERE YOU HAVE THE TAX STRUCTURE
THAT DOESN'T STRANGLE SMALL
BUSINESSMEN AND WOMEN, YOU HAVE
A REGULATORY CLIMATE THAT'S FAIR
AND PREDICTABLE, A LEGAL SYSTEM
THAT DOESN'T ALLOW FOR OVERSUING
AND YOU PUT MONEY INTO AN
ACCOUNTABLE PUBLIC SCHOOL, THEN