Retired neurosurgeon and 2016 GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson says the minimum wage should “probably” be higher than it is now - a view that differs sharply from many people in the Republican party.
“In several states you can get as much or more on government assistance as you can by working a minimum wage job,” Mr. Carson said in an interview with CNBC’s John Harwood. “I don’t necessarily blame people for saying, ’I can stay home and I can make this money, or I can go and work this little chicken job that doesn’t have many benefits.’”
“However, recognize that if you go and take that chicken job, you gain skills, relationships, the possibility of moving up the ladder,” he said. “So a year or two or five down the road, you’re no longer in that position. This is what people have forgotten.”
Mr. Carson said the minimum wage should “probably” be higher than it is now.
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, for one, has called for raising the $7.25-an-hour federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, but he’s running for president on the Democratic side.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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