New Hampshire Republican Congressional candidate Marilinda Garcia dismissed raising the minimum wage as a “wedge issue” by President Barack Obama’s administration that actually wouldn’t help people and instead is just a “petty, short-sighted type of little issue.”
Garcia, considered a rising star among conservative Republicans, made the comments Monday evening during an interview with Chris Ryan on his Pints and Politics show on WKXL in Concord, New Hampshire. The comments were flagged by the opposition-research shop American Bridge.
“I voted against increasing the state minimum wage when I was in the legislature,” Garcia said. “It seems to be sort of a petty — not punitive is the wrong word — but kind of just a petty, short-sighted type of little issue that the President’s administration decided to champion for a time to then use as a wedge issue.”
Garcia goes on to say that a minimum wage increase would be slight for the recipients but would be “catastrophic” for the job market. She also calls a hike “trite.”
“Every employer I’ve talked to says —about deals with the minimum wage says ‘look I will literally be laying people off.’ Now I ask you, is giving someone a dollar, $1.15 increase helpful or better for them than actually not losing that job to begin with?” Garcia continued. “So what you’re doing is you’re forcing people to choose between laying people off completely and losing their job or having a somewhat trite and meaningless wage —excuse me raise, and your wage that doesn’t do in fact do anything to make your life more affordable, allow for the cost of living, help you heat your home, fill your car, and all these other —afford your healthcare— and all these things we’re dealing with. So yeah, I’m opposed to raising it.”
A November Gallup poll found that about three quarters of Americans support an increase in the minimum wage. New Hampshire’s minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour, according to the Department of Labor. Obama and Democrats have strongly expressed support for raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.
Garcia, who has been endorsed by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and prominent tea party groups, is the Republican nominee for Congress seeking to replace Rep. Ann Kuster (D-NH).
She previously made headlines for refusing to say whether she got her health care through the Obamacare exchange.
Listen to Garcia’s comments below:
> dismissed raising the minimum wage as a “wedge issue” by President Barack Obama’s administration that actually wouldn’t help people and instead is just a “petty, short-sighted type of little issue.”
Must be nice to live a life where simple things like food and shelter, and whether you can provide them for yourself is a petty issue.
Extend her logic. Why have a minimum wage? The factory that employs 500 people and pays them $10.00 an hour could employ 1000 at $5.00 an hour, right? Hell, let’s pay them $2.50 per hour and employ 2000!! What, they can’t afford rent and groceries at that wage? Well, the factory cafeteria can dish out gruel and stale bread. Then a tent city can be erected on the company softball diamond! There, the food and rent issue is put to rest! I swear, liberals just don’t get it…
That’s why she is a rising star among Conservative Republicans. She’s mean and wrong.
Of course a livable minimum wage is “meaningless” to a 30-something year-old-person who lives with her parents and hasn’t supported herself with a a full-time job in years.
For someone that lives at home with her parents and gives Harp lessons parttime, it is easy to call a hike in the minimum wage petty- she’s not worried about rent, utilities, food or clothing. She’s single with no kids, so she doesn’t have to worry about caring for someone else. She’s being cared for by her parents.
I have always hated the expression “the real world”, but Miss Garcia lives a very pampered lifestyle that allows her to think that a living wage is a petty issue.
It is good to be the Princess.