5 Quotes From Liberal Thinkers on Increasing the Federal Minimum Wage

According to the United States Department of Labor, the federal minimum wage is a wage is $7.25 an hour. Liberal lawmakers are pushing for an increase in this amount, because it does not allow a worker to even come close to breaking the poverty level. But not all liberal thinkers agree on what should happen to the federal minimum wage.

Here are five quotes from liberal thinkers on increasing the minimum wage:

1. "We're going to have to invest in the American people again, in tax cuts for the middle class, in health care for all Americans, and college for every young person who wants to go. In businesses that can create the new energy economy of the future. In policies that will lift wages," said President Barak Obama on the campaign trail in 2008 during a presidential debate at Hoftra University.

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2. "I have two young daughters who I'm trying to educate them. I don't think I could live on the minimum wage, but I'm a strong advocate to seeing to it that we increase it at least to $9 or $10 to give people a chance out there to be able to provide for their families. That’s leadership in the country," said former Sen. Chris Dodd in 2007, according to CNN.

3. "I put in legislation which said that Congress should not get a salary increase until they did raise the minimum wage, and I am putting that back in, because I agree that by the time we got it raised after 10 years, it was already out of date," said Hillary Clinton in 2007 debate, according to CNN.

4. "If you want to have a stable society where hard-working poor people can support their families, you have to do things like this." said Maryland state House Majority Leader Kumar P. Barve, according to The Washington Post after a 2006 vote to raise the minimum wage in Maryland to $6.15 an hour.

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5. "It is time for Republicans to end their relentless distraction, dysfunction and special interest obstruction, and put the middle class first," said Nancy Pelosi, according to The Washington Times. 

"Congress should act swiftly to pass common sense legislation to jumpstart the middle class and energize our economy: invest in building America, raise the minimum wage, help free our young people from the crushing weight of student debt, and unleash the full potential of women into our economy."

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