raise the minimum wage to a living wage of $15/hour.

The current federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr is ridiculous. Statistics show that there is no state in America where a minimum wage job can afford a person a two-bedroom apartment. As one of these minimum wage workers, I can attest to that. I can only afford one-bedroom and studio apartments for myself, my wife, and my daughter to live in. We are dependent on food stamps and still barely make ends meet. This is no way for any American to live. The minimum wage should have reached $21.72 an hour in 2012 if it kept up with increases in worker productivity, according to a March study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research. Raising the minimum wage promotes spending as well, which in turn strengthens the economy and promotes further job growth.