Al Sharpton on Jobs Reverend; Civil Rights Activist; Democratic Candidate for President

Raise minimum wage to at least $7.15

A: Let me say I would campaign for a $2 raise in minimum wage. I think that the minimum wage at this point is unrealistic given the costs of life in America.

Institutional discrimination still hinders minorities

SHARPTON: We must be honest about discrimination and have a president that will enforce anti-discrimination laws. We still have institutional discrimination in this country, which is worse than blatant discrimination. What is hurting us is that 50 years ago, we had to watch out for people with white sheets. Now they have on pinstripe suits. They discriminate against our advancement and our achievement.

MOSELEY-BRAUN: I think the answer lies in providing capital for the development of jobs and businesses in communities where people live. Because if you give someone the ability to create a business, provide equity capital, give people the ability to begin to create those businesses that will help lift up communities, that will go a long way to solving the endemic problem of institutional racism, of discrimination and of the lack of jobs in African-American and Hispanic communities.

Create jobs that are necessary

A: I have proposed throughout this campaign a $250 billion five-year plan to create jobs that are necessary: infrastructure redevelopment, roadways, highways, bridges, tunnels, school buildings and -- in the name of homeland security -- ports. We ought to be investing in creating jobs. That’s what Roosevelt did with public works programs. Kucinich is right, we must go after A, what is necessary, and B, what will create jobs.

Spend $250 billion in 5 years to create jobs

A: You can’t talk about recovery without talking to those who needed to be recovered. The people that are unemployed, the people that have an insecure place in the economy, have not recovered at all. And I think that we must create jobs. I’ve called for a five-year, $50 billion a year infrastructure redevelopment plan, public works to create jobs so that we can put America back to work.

Need federal laws to protect workers, not state-by-state

SHARPTON: The first thing the president must do is have federal laws that protect workers. How did we get civil rights? How did we get gender rights? We stopped relying on states wit a states’ rights argument to do it state by state. If we had strong enforceable federal laws giving workers the right to organize, then we could go in Florida and other states and say they are in violation of the federal government and the federal law.

On picket lines & in jails for 35 years for workers rights