English subtitles for clip: File:2014-02-15 President Obama's Weekly Address.webm

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President Obama:
Hi, everybody.

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In this year of action, I
said I'd do everything

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in my power to expand
opportunity

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for more Americans.

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And this week, I took
action to lift more

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workers' wages by
requiring federal

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contractors to pay their
employees a fair wage

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of at least $10.10 an hour.

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These are workers who
serve our troops' meals,

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wash their dishes,
care for our veterans -

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Americans who work hard
and will get a raise

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as these contracts come up.

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This will be good
for contractors, for

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taxpayers, and for
America's bottom line.

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We know why this
is important.

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Our economy has been
growing for four years.

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Our businesses have
created eight

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and a half million new jobs.

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But while those at the
top are doing better than

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ever, average wages
have barely budged.

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Too many Americans are
working harder than ever

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just to get by, let
alone get ahead.

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And that's been true since
long before

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the recession hit.

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That's why we've got to
build an economy that

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works for everybody, not
just a fortunate few.

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We've got to restore
opportunity for all

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-- the notion that no matter who
you are or how you started

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out, with hard work and
responsibility,

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you can get ahead in America.

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The opportunity agenda
I've laid out is built

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on more new jobs that
pay good wages; better

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training for folks to
fill those jobs;

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a smarter education for our
kids; and making sure honest

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work is rewarded.

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And the action I took this
week will reward

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hard work for more Americans.

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But to finish the job,
Congress needs to act.

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In the year since I first
asked Congress to raise

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the minimum wage, six
states have passed

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laws to raise theirs.

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More states, cities,
counties, and companies

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are taking steps
to join them.

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An overwhelming majority
of Americans support

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raising a minimum wage
that's worth about 20 percent

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less than when Ronald
Reagan took office.

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Right now, there's a bill
in Congress that would

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boost America's minimum
wage to $10.10 an hour.

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That's easy to
remember: ten-ten.

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And remember, the average
worker who would get a

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raise if Congress acts
is about 35 years old.

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Most lower-wage jobs
are held by women.

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And raising the minimum
wage wouldn't just raise

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their wages - its effect
would lift wages for about

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28 million Americans.

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It would lift millions of
Americans out of poverty,

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and help millions more
work their way out of

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poverty - without
requiring a single dollar

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in new taxes or spending.

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It will give more
businesses more customers

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with more money to spend -
and that means growing the

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economy for everyone.

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You deserve to know where
the people who represent

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you stand on this.

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If they don't support
raising the federal

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minimum wage to ten-ten an
hour, ask them "why not?"

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The opponents of raising
folks' wages have deployed

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the same old arguments for
years, and time and again,

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they've been proven wrong.

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Let's prove them wrong
again,

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and give America a raise.

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Let's make opportunity
easier to come by for

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every American who's
willing to work for it.

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Thanks, and have
a great weekend.