Sunday Political Talk Show interviews during 2015: on Jobs

Lawrence Lessig: America needs a minimum wage that is a living wage

Chris Christie: I fought greedy unions and irresponsible spending in N.J.

But the unions continue to want more and more and more. And in a Democratic state like New Jersey, it's tough to get them to push even further. But think about this. What the last credit report said was if the pension problem were fixed, New Jersey would be in good fiscal condition. And that's because we cut spending $2.5 billion from 16, lower than where it was in fiscal year '08.

So this is not about not having enough revenue. The government was too big. We've made it smaller. And if the pension system continues to get better, we'll be fine.

John Kasich: Don't raise minimum wage willy-nilly, & do it at state level

KASICH: No, people were asking me about minimum wage and I said it's very important that we don't raise the minimum wage willy-nilly and we end up throwing out of work the most unskilled workers. I also said that if you're going to have a raising the minimum wage, it ought to be something that gets calculated between employers and labor. And I fundamentally believe it ought to be done at the state level.

Donald Trump: Don't raise minimum wage, but create more opportunities

TRUMP: I want to keep the minimum wage pretty much where it is right now. Because of the fact that we have a country that is now competing more than ever before because of airplanes, and transportation, and the internet. If we raise it we're not going to be able to compete with the rest of the world. What I do want to do is bring in jobs so much so that people don't have to live on minimum wage. But we are going to have to compete with the rest of the world.

Donald Trump: Take jobs back from foreign countries to lower unemployment

We have to take back jobs from Japan, and Vietnam, and Mexico, and virtually everybody that's taking our jobs and ruining our manufacturing base. And we have to put people to work. Because the real unemployment number is probably 21%. People give up looking for jobs. And they no longer become a statistic. And it's very unfair. So we have to put our country back to work. We have to get great jobs for people and good paying jobs for people. And we're going to be just fine.

Donald Trump: Real unemployment rate is 20%; don't believe 5.6%

Our labor participation rate was the worst since 1978. But think of it, GDP below zero, horrible labor participation rate. Our real unemployment is anywhere from 18% to 20%. Don't believe the 5.6%. The real number is anywhere from 18% to maybe even 21%, and nobody talks about it, because it's a statistic that's full of nonsense.

Jeb Bush: State minimum wages ok, but not at federal level

With Los Angeles recently raising its minimum wage to $15 and other cities following suit, the issue is a hot topic. The current $7.25 federal minimum wage has not increased since 2009. Conservatives usually argue that raising the minimum wage will cut jobs because businesses will hire fewer people if they have to pay them more. Numerous Department of Labor studies have shown this isn't true.

Bush acknowledges that there is a growing income gap in the U.S., but thinks that the federal minimum wage won't close the gap, saying that he thinks minimum wage furthers the issue. He continued: "But the federal government doing this will make it harder and harder for the first rung of the ladder to be reached, particularly for young people, particularly for people that have less education."

Carly Fiorina: Layoffs in recession ensure company's overall health

FIORINA: I think you're reading the Democratic talking points because it was not all American jobs. But of course, laying people off is the last resort. It's a terrible thing to have to do. But when you are managing through the worst technology recession in 25 years, sometimes there are tough calls that need to be made for the overall health of the enterprise. And in the end, we took a company that was really struggling and turned it into an exceedingly successful company where overall jobs grew.

Scott Walker: Wisconsin is open for business, via right-to-work law

The passage of right to work marked a shift in Walker's position. The governor said repeatedly during the intense battle over Act 10--his 2011 law that repealed most collective bargaining for public workers--that he would not let legislation affecting private-sector unions reach his desk.

Walker signed the bill at a Milwaukee area factory, saying it represented "one more big tool" for attracting businesses and investment to the state. "This sends a powerful message across the country and across the world," Walker said. "'Wisconsin is Open For Business' now is more than just a slogan. It's a way of doing business."

John Kasich: Limit collective-bargaining rights for public employees

But then things took a turn for the weird. The pugnacious Kasich conceded defeat. Graciously. On election night, he issued an official statement noting that "the people of Ohio have spoken, and I respect their decision." And then, he let the issue go. For some Kasich-watchers, this was when the governor began to moderate.