
When Pennsylvania lawmakers debated raising the state's minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour this summer, one comment drew more heat than the proposal itself. Republican House Minority Leader Jesse Topper stood on the chamber floor and said, "Here me clearly on this. Not every wage is designed to be a livable wage."
He didn't stop there. "My 16-year-old son is not working for a livable wage," Topper added. "Someone who is retired and helping out part-time, that is not necessarily a livable wage."