Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who recently disclosed a net worth of up to $22 million, is catching flack for saying in a New Hampshire interview Wednesday that "people need to work longer hours and through their productivity, gain more income for their families."
Bush, who has promised to foster 4 percent growth if elected to the White House, made the comments during a sitdown with the Union-Leader newspaper that was broadcast live.
The New Hampshire Democratic Party quickly jumped on Bush's remarks, with spokeswoman Lizzy Price saying via email, "It would have been tough to make a more out-of-touch comment, considering recent polling about how many hours on average Americans work ... it's more than full-time."
Bush, according to the Boston Globe, later sought to clarify his remarks by saying he wasn't referring to people who are already carrying a full workload or working more than one job.
"You can take it out of context all you want," the Globe quoted him as saying, "but high sustained growth means that people will work 40 hours rather than 30 hours, and that by our success they have money and disposable income for their families to decide how they want to spend it rather than getting in line and being dependent on government."
According to a 2014 Gallup report, "Adults employed full time in the U.S. report working an average of 47 hours per week, almost a full workday longer than what a standard five-day, 9-to-5 schedule entails.
"In fact, half of all full-time workers indicate they typically work more than 40 hours, and nearly four in 10 say they work at least 50 hours."
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