By Rachel Goldfarb, originally published on Next New Deal
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Steps Toward the “Good Economy” (Cato Institute)
Roosevelt Institute Senior Fellow Bo Cutter presents "magic wand" solutions to two problems holding back the economy: declining business formation and an unprepared labor force.
This short essay is a derivative of a much longer piece I am writing with two colleagues, Robert Litan and Dane Stangler. In that essay we are attempting to define what we have called “the good economy”. We mean by this “an economy that works” — a sustainably growing economy that provides the Americans who will come of age over the next 30 years or who are already working with the genuine possibility of a middle class life; an economy that provides Americans once again with a solid shot at upward mobility; an economy that begins to restore a broader degree of equity to working Americans.
The premise we begin with is that while we believe that this “good economy” can evolve from today’s relatively mediocre starting point, it will be very different from today’s economy or from the economy of the 1950’s, which is often referred to as the previous golden age. And getting from here to there is not a matter of a few simple fixes.
Follow below the fold for more.
Pregnant and Forced Off the Job (MSNBC)
In light of today's oral arguments in Young vs. UPS, which asks whether pregnant workers must be permitted reasonable accommodations, Irin Carmon profiles a similar pregnancy discrimination case.
Chicago Council Strongly Approves $13 Minimum Wage (NPR)
Bill Chappell reports on the overwhelming vote in favor of a $13-per-hour minimum wage. The legislation works incrementally, though, so Chicagoans won't see that wage until 2019.
Republicans Back to Raising Taxes on the Poor (NY Mag)
Jonathan Chait suggests that Republicans' new desire to end a set of tax breaks for low-income workers is tied to the president's new plans on immigration.
The Cycle of Republican Radicalization (TAP)
Paul Waldman points out that over the past few years, Republicans in Congress have pushed back so strongly on anything from the president that it's actually shifted voters rightward as well.
A Government Shutdown Can't Stop Obama's Immigration Plan—and John Boehner Knows It (TNR)
Refusing to fund the departments that deal with immigration won't stop the coming changes, writes Brian Beutler, which makes a shutdown threat pretty toothless.
Converting a Union Skeptic (The Atlantic)
Alana Semuels profiles Audra Rondeau, a Vermont home health care aide who was convinced to join a union not just for better wages and benefits, but for the good of her clients.