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Dori says President Obama is wrong to propose an increase in the minimum wage. (AP image)

Dori: Don't raise minimum wage and stop having kids

BY Josh Kerns  on February 15, 2013 @ 2:23 pm (Updated: 2:57 pm - 2/15/13 )

President Obama's call for an increase in the minimum wage during this week's State of the Union address continues to draw plenty of criticism. And it should come as no surprise Dori is one of those blasting the proposal.

"The whole point is you start learning the work ethic and then you work your way into being more marketable so you can command more money from your employers," says Dori, who had more than his fair share of minimum wage jobs growing up on the mean streets of Ballard, and sometimes worked for even less.

"When it was $2.50 I went to a little grocery store in Ballard and asked for job. I got $2.00 hour," Dori says. "I needed a job and I said 'yeah sure, I'll do that.' Because it was worth it to me," he says.

Dori is incredulous President Obama claims the minimum wage needs to go up to $9 per hour because a family with two children lives below the poverty line, mainly because he's vehement people making minimum wage shouldn't be having kids in the first place.

Comedian and talk show host Adam Carolla couldn't agree more. On his podcast this week, Carolla blasted Obama's proposal

"The best parenting of all is not (expletive)ing out the kids when you can't afford the kids," Carolla said. "Again, all these speeches that all these politicians make, right and left — they discuss the problem. Basically, what they're discussing is how to take a ship that's capsized and drain it and get it back up. But they never discuss what capsizes the ship, which is the only fucking discussion they should be having — is ballast-oriented: How did it get capsized? Not how do we un-capsize it."

Carolla echoed Dori's sentiment the low wage jobs are meant as starters that are supposed to propel people to better skills and wages, then they can have kids.

"The idea is — I worked at McDonald's when I was 16. The whole idea isn't let's make Adam Carolla comfortable working at McDonald's. I was like, ‘I'm getting $2.43 a hour. This place sucks (expletive.) I want out of here as fast as I can possibly do it.'"

Both Carolla and Dori call the minimum wage nothing more than "gold plated handcuffs."

"Giving someone who has no skills an extra two bucks an hour, it makes them absolutely beholden to that politician. It's financial handcuffs on poor people," Dori says.

What do you think?

Josh Kerns, MyNorthwest.com Reporter
Josh Kerns is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle Sounds (Saturday nights 7-8) and a digital content producer for MyNorthwest.com.
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Comments (33)


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  • mnpat wrote...
    Couldn't agree more
    February 15, 2013 1:57 pm
    Politicians never fix the issues....they love putting band-aids on though....that gets them elected.
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  • Keitho wrote...
    So true
    February 15, 2013 2:28 pm
    There are many in this economy that must take minimum wage jobs due to their higher paying job being lost but minimum wage jobs are not supposed to be living wage jobs. I for one did not even look to get married until I was very well established and did not have any children to till my net worth was well over $1 million. I realize I am an extreme case on the opposite end. I did not want to be unable to provide for my kids and I am really tired of paying for those who make less responsible choices. So, I feel for those that work hard and planned and had misfortune take over their lives but I feel no guilt for or obligation to anyone who willingly makes poor choices and screws up their lives and the lives of others around them.
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  • Saltchucker wrote...
    Right on!
    February 15, 2013 2:29 pm
    Golden hancuffs locking one into poverty for life. True, true.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • irony wrote...
    actually,,,
    February 15, 2013 3:15 pm
    deport the mexicans who are taking jobs for teens. then the teens can have a job while working their way thru college instead of demanding fee education from the gov't.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • diamondmask wrote...
    Yeah
    February 17, 2013 11:27 am
    Because I see SO many teens clamoring to pick produce in 90 degree heat and dig post holes. Please come up with a better reason for hating Mexicans.
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  • Rundee wrote...
    I agree but,
    February 15, 2013 3:34 pm
    What would happen if the pres says that poor people should be more responsible and not have kids? Other than political suicide, does it eventually lead to the govt putting a cap on how many kids a family can have according to income? Isn't that big govt which is what Dori and the GOP is against? Don't say it can't happen, we all know how issues can snowball these days.
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  • mnpat wrote...
    Not big goverment saying not to have kids
    February 15, 2013 3:45 pm
    It's called common sense and selfish if you cannot afford to care for children and continue to have them.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Rundee wrote...
    True.....
    February 15, 2013 4:38 pm
    Unfortunately, common sense can't be regulated. So until the govt does regulate it, ala Communist China, enjoy the outrage from people who love to whip their listeners into a frenzy for the sake of ratings, but never actually do anything about it.
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  • cigarfan wrote...
    Dori is only pandering to the ruling class.........
    February 15, 2013 5:09 pm
    IF you want to make a career of sucking up to corporations and defending the rich then you emulate Dori. IF you have a conscience, you defend workers instead of defending corporate greed.
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  • Cash wrote...
    Holy cow!!!
    February 15, 2013 8:50 pm
    Someone forgot to blep out the F word in the second half of the story!!! Someone is going to be in trouble with the boss!!!
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  • soo purletiv wrote...
    Took this word for word (copy and paste), from the article above..
    February 15, 2013 10:32 pm
    "which is the only (XXX)king (with the actual "fuc" where "XXX" are inserted in my post) discussion they should be having...

    Paragraph 6, line 5.

    Someone may want to fix this.....

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  • soo purletiv wrote...
    Looks like
    February 15, 2013 10:35 pm
    "Cash" caught it first, but I am surprised it took so long for someone to mention it...
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  • hpygolkyone wrote...
    We Have A Winner..............
    February 16, 2013 7:11 am
    The intern editors at MyNw.com.

    Good job kids.

    Let the F-bomb stay, I think it's kind of funny that I spent nearly a minute trying to figure out what the first bleeped out word was.......only to nearly faint when I saw that one.

    Thanks for the laugh editors and I appreciate it when someone throws something like that into an email, or a proposal to see if I actually read it!

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  • wsualumn wrote...
    Problem Here
    February 16, 2013 3:33 am
    Dori and many other people have the brains and ambition to move on from the lower rung of the ladder. There are certain people that will work, but have extremely limited intelligence and aren't going to be moving much beyond a job that keeps them stuck in the "working poor" class. Dori had the smarts, work ethic and got a break(when the old guy gave him money to help him out with his tuition) along the way that helped him find his way to college, graduate, and end up where he is today. I know Dori seems to think if he can do it, so can others. The problem is, not everybody is created equal(yes, I know we hear that we are, but that isn't the case). Yes, many can overcome adversity and make it, but a lot of people try, but fail to do so. There does need to be a minimum wage put in place for those adults that need to pay for food and shelter. If we go on the cheap, we will end up paying for those folks one way or the other. Yes, it would be nice if we could mandate those on welfare to go on government mandated birth control, but unfortunately, the religious right and ACLU(which does many things too)would contest such a proposition.
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  • maplefish wrote...
    WSU
    February 16, 2013 3:41 am
    Great point.
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  • William Lawn wrote...
    The RWNJ are screaming their heads off that Obamacare mandates insurance coverage for birth control
    February 16, 2013 9:28 am
    Somehow, I am doubting that they'd agree to "government mandated birth control".

    And after they outlaw abortions, well you get the picture.

    Remember, to the RWNJ, an egg fertilized yesterday, is a child.

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  • Saltchucker wrote...
    To quote the movie Caddyshack
    February 16, 2013 11:00 am
    " The world needs ditchdiggers too, you know!"
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  • cigarfan wrote...
    Interesting that Dori considers a pro choice position
    February 16, 2013 10:51 am
    IF Dori supports birth control for the poor, is he consistent enough to vote for a pro-choice candidate? Let's hope he explains his desire for low wage recipients to purchase and use birth control ....when at the same time he is against a $9 hr minimum wage.
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