Everyday I see my friends and coworkers working long hours for poverty wages, barely able to keep their heads above water, deciding whether to pay the rent, or pay the heating bill, or buy groceries for their families. Increasing the minimum wage would help thousands of working Americans lift themselves out of poverty. There is NO reason Rep. Benishek should deny them that opportunity.

The inequality of wages in this country is wreaking havoc with the middle class. Fair pay helps the entire nation!

I have watched my family and friends work so hard without getting ahead.

I would love to see the minimum wage increased. While in graduate school, I did substitute teaching(not minimum wage), beauty consultant(min.+ small percentage for making the owner rich), and waitressed for min.+ tips. My daughter is a delivery driver, minimum wage and she has to pay her own gas. Pizza Hut is lucky to have a driver with a math degree. Many teacher's aids in schools do not make the minimum, they make less than the substitutes. Many companies do not even allow their workers to work full time, so they don't have to pay benefits. Most people have or are looking for a second job to make ends meet. LET'S BE FAIR! :)

If peace was more profitable than war we would not have many conflicts. So many decisions in congress seem to lack diplomacy while supporting the profits of war, this is wrong and an unethical way to spend our tax dollars. What goes around comes around, he who lives by the sword dies by the sword. Implements of war, weather we are directly involved in a conflict or not, should be limited to cost of production. The U.S. should not be arms dealers.

Despite the raising of the minimum wage in New Jersey this past election, those such as myself working for the minimum wage or in pay structures based on the minimum wage have suffered for too long. The minimum wage should be enough to live on, not one to keep someone in poverty. Join me in showing support for raising the minimum and sending a message loud and clear to Rep. Leonard Lance of New Jersey and other Republican Congressmen and Congresswomen who don't have the courage to help those in need.

The Tax Reform Act of 2014 section 1207 proposes to tax student loan debt forgiven under Public Service Loan Forgiveness as income. That means someone who has spent 10 years of their career serving the public will have to pay taxes on "income" they never earned. Many individuals taking advantage of PSLF would have to withdraw from the program because they simply could not afford the tax bill.

Members of my family are working hard every week while struggling to get by on poverty wages. Increasing the minimum wage would help thousands of workers pay their bills and feed their families. Rep. Steve Southerland should do the right thing and side with working people over big corporations.

I’m a hairstylist and under the Labor Law Act hairstylists are allowed to be paid below minimum wage. Hairstylists should be exempt from the tipped wage ACT because we, unlike any other tipped employees, are different. We are required to have 1500 hours of school and be state licensed. In addition, we also are required to have continuing education hours in order to maintain our licenses. We supply all our own tools. Our scissors alone, cost anywhere from $100 to $500. THIS NEEDS TO CHANGE for the future of those attending beauty school and having to pay school loans of up to $15,000. PLEASE HELP US TO BE EXEMPT FROM THE TIPPED WAGE ACT UNDER THE LABOR LAW.

The working poor need help being lifted out of poverty. Shame on the GOP for not helping hard-working Americans.

Members of my family work two jobs and struggle on poverty wages as well as members of my community.

The Central Valley has been hit incredibly hard by the great recession and many are finding it impossible to make ends meet. We need a representative that will help our community, not hurt us further. Rep. Jeff Denham needs to represent the needs of the people in our district by supporting the extension of long-term unemployment benefits and by supporting an increase of the minimum wage. Recent votes or current positions of Rep. Jeff Denham that hurt our community: * voted to shut down the government which cost our country millions of dollars * voted to let the U.S. default on its bills (even after more sensible, reasonable member of the Republican party eventually made the right decision to prevent it from happening) * Currently opposes extending long-term unemployment benefits even with the Central Valley's current 14.5% unemployment * Currently opposes raising the minimum wage which would help raise working poor families in the Central Valley out of poverty