Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul believes that poor Americans would "absolutely" be better off if the minimum wage were eliminated.

"Do you advocate getting rid of the minimum wage, would that create more jobs?" Politico's John Harris asked Paul during Wednesday's Republican presidential debate.

"Absolutely," Paul declared. "It would help the poor people who need jobs. Minimum wage is a mandate. We're against mandates so why should we have it? It would be very beneficial."

"Mandates, that what the whole society is about, what we do all the time. That's what government is about: mandate, mandate, mandate. We talk so much about the Obama mandate which is so important, but what about Medicare? Isn't that a mandate? Everything we do is mandate. So, this is why you have to look at this, the cause of liberty. We don't need the government running our lives."