Carson: I Wouldn’t Raise Minimum Wage

Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson stated that he opposed raising the minimum wage during Tuesday’s primetime GOP presidential debate on the Fox Business Network.

Carson was asked, “You have suggested one minimum wage does not fit all, and that perhaps we should offer a lower or a starter wage for young people. Those protesters outside are looking for $15 and nothing less. Where are you?”

Carson answered, “As far as the minimum wage is concerned, people need to be educated on the minimum wage. Every time we raise the minimum wage, the number of jobless people increases. This is particularly a problem in the black community. Only 19.8% of black teenagers have a job, or are looking for one. You know — and that’s because of those high wages. If you lower those wages, that comes down. You know, I can remember as a youngster, you know my first job working in a laboratory as a lab assistant, and multiple other jobs, but I would not have gotten those jobs if someone had to pay me a large amount of money, but what I did gain from those jobs is tremendous amount of experience, and how to operate in the world, and how to relate to different people, and how to become a responsible individual, and that’s what gave me what I needed to ascend the ladder of opportunity in this country. That’s what we need to be thinking about. How do we allow people to ascend the ladder of opportunity, rather than how do we give them everything and keep them dependent.”

He added, “I would not raise it. I would not raise it, specifically because I’m interested in making sure that people are able to enter the job market, and take advantage of opportunities.”

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