[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 51 (Friday, April 19, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E584]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        AMERICA DESERVES A RAISE

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                            HON. RON PACKARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 18, 1996

  Mr. PACKARD. Mr. Speaker, while the President offers a politically 
appealing, yet ineffective plan to give Americans a raise, my 
Republican colleagues and I have a very sound plan to give millions of 
working American families more money in their paychecks and greater 
power to decide how and where the Federal Government spends their hard 
earned pay.
  Under the President Clinton's plan to raise the minimum wage, 
countless employers will have to rob Peter to pay Paul. Millions of 
working men and women will lose job opportunities, employment security, 
and pay raises. The Republican plan gives Americans the raise they 
deserve. It provides tax relief for families with children. Over 6 
million new and more secure high-wage jobs will result from a balanced 
budget and less Washington redtape.
  Mr. Speaker, the President's plan to raise the minimum wage is a bad 
policy. It is simply a political ploy designed to divide America along 
class, ethnic, and gender lines. Even some of the President's own 
advisers, agree that his proposal hurts the people most in need: low-
skilled workers, women and inter-city residents. It does not help 
working families.
  American families deserve more. They deserve to keep more of their 
hard earned money, they deserve lower interest rates and they deserve 
better, higher wage jobs. My Republican colleagues and I provide 
working families a true raise--the President's policies do not.

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