Posts by Nick Cassella

Daily Clips: April 21st, 2016

Daily Clips: April 21st, 2016

Nick Hanauer and Robert Reich pen an op-ed on overtime:  Our supreme troublemaker took to the New York Times to illustrate the secret reason folks in the middle class cannot get ahead. The answer? The evaporation of overtime pay in our economy. Half a century ago, overtime pay was the norm, with more than 60 percent of salaried employees qualifying. These are largely the sorts of office- and service-sector workers who never enjoyed the protection of union membership. But over the last 40 years the threshold has been allowed to steadily erode, so that only about 8 percent qualify today. If you feel as if you’re working longer hours for less money than your parents did, it’s probably because you are. That’s incredible. And it underlines why we live in an economy where wages remain stubbornly stagnant for the middle class. Could Elizabeth Warren be Hillary’s VP pick? “Privately, Warren appears to covet the job.” Really? I’m not sure if there’s any truth to that or if it’s just the media trying to make a story. They go on: She’s picked her spots, carefully choosing which issues she weighs in on. But she’s signaled recently that she would embrace with gusto the attack dog role typically played by a VP candidate. Earlier this week, she ripped into Ted Cruz  for saying that seeking the presidency requires significant sacrifice. She spent another recent day going after Donald Trump. Warren would be a fabulous VP pick for Hillary. Not only would it excite the base, it would also signify to Bernie supporters that she will not leave them behind.  Jobs are scarce for PhD’s:   Without serious changes in higher education, such as higher pay for adjunct professors or decreasing the time spent in graduate school, chances are thousands of new Ph.D.s in their early 30s will be struggling this fall.

Daily Clips: April 20th, 2016

Daily Clips: April 20th, 2016

How finance took over the economy:  A thorough historical look at the rise of the financial sector in the US economy. Bernie Sanders is (still) the future of the Democratic Party:  Hillary Clinton may have won the battle last night in New York, but it is appearing that Sanders is winning the war. By this, I mean that while Clinton may get the nomination, Bernie Sanders’ policies ultimately represent the future of America’s left wing. As Yglesias notes: But though Democrats are certainly the more left-wing of the two parties — the party of labor unions and environment groups and feminist organizations and the civil rights movement — they’re not an ideologically left-wing party in the same way that Republicans are an ideological conservative one. Instead, they behave more like a centrist, interest group brokerage party that seeks to mediate between the claims and concerns of left-wing activists groups and those of important members of the business community — especially industries like finance, Hollywood, and tech that are based in liberal coastal states and whose executives generally espouse a progressive outlook on cultural change. Nearly half of Americans would have trouble finding $400 to pay for an emergency.   Raising the minimum wage could give Democrats the economic edge: This year, the presidential debate highlights voters’ concerns about stagnant wages and the nation’s economic position. Republicans continue to argue that the answer is helping the job creators, with cuts to business taxes and regulations. If more Democrats begin to press their economic argument about growth and prosperity along with the moral argument, they will take away one of the Republicans’ few advantages with voters on domestic issues.

Pope Francis Should Not Be Applauded for Inching Towards Inclusion

Pope Francis Should Not Be Applauded for Inching Towards Inclusion

Pope Francis recently released a 256-page “apostolic exhortation” titled Amoris Laetita (“The Joy of Love”). Among a host of issues related to love and family, Francis addressed the matter of communion for the remarried (or lack thereof) and “ all but explicitly ” said “ yes they can .” The pope considerately “ left room for priests to interpret his words as they see fit since he wrote about it in a rather roundabout way .” Such deference to moral ambiguity seems peculiar, particularly coming from a man who has warned that moral relativism represents “ the spiritual poverty of our time .” When it came to homosexuality, however, Francis ditched his lack of decisiveness. This is what he had to say on the subject of gay marriage: There are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family. The pope’s comments are terribly upsetting, but not at all surprising. Having said that, the media’s fawning appraisal of Francis’ document has been bizarre, primarily because it’s appearing from what we would normally call “liberal” sources. For example,  here’s what the Washington Post had to say about the document’s overall message : Francis rejected outright the notion of same-sex marriage. But he laid out the church’s warmest welcome in modern times to divorced and remarried couples, saying they should not be judged, discriminated against or excluded from church life. And he encouraged their priests to be merciful in considering whether such Catholics can receive Communion. I love how the authors quickly skip over his unequivocal dismissal of same-sex couples. Sure, Francis is continuing to perpetuate centuries worth of exclusion, but come on — he’s the head of a slow-moving church. What is he supposed to do — provide moral guidance? Even the inclusive-minded EJ Dionne lapped up the pope’s document. He actually praised Francis for “ lifting up what can be called social justice Christianity .” Come again? Just a couple of weeks ago Dionne lambasted Donald Trump for being a “ clownish peddler of racial and religious stereotypes .” Why didn’t he similarly call out the pope for being nothing more than a “clownish peddler of homophobia”? Jonathan Capehart, another prominent liberal writer,
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Daily Clips: April 19th, 2016

Daily Clips: April 19th, 2016

With Kansas in crisis, GOPers abandon Gov Brownback on tax cuts: Ok, so we know that tax cuts for the rich is not a viable way of growing the economy. Kansas can attest. The state now ranks “43rd in total personal income growth in 2015.” How can that be if people are not being taxed as much? Well, Brownback abdicates responsibility and says, “You’ve got some global issues that are going on that we have absolutely no control over.” David Brooks is a trickle-downer: One true minimum wage story is that corporations are reaping record profits while pushing down wages of the unskilled. But another true story, embodied in the vast trove of research, is that if you raise the minimum wage too high, you end up punishing less skilled workers. One study found the modest hike in the national minimum wage between 2006 and 2009 reduced employment among young people without a high school degree by almost 6 percent. I love how he cites a study on employment that occurs when the financial crisis happened. Notice how he didn’t bring that up. Also, I love how he hides behind the “vast trove of research” on the subject but then doesn’t examine that research at all. Brooks at his finest. The costs of financial isolation:  Turns out, people enjoy talking about infidelity more than personal finances. Tweet of the day: Happy New York Primary! Our voting system in this country sucks. Badly. 27 Percent of New York’s Registered Voters Won’t Be Able to Vote in the State’s Primary via @thenation https://t.co/dCNiLBiE2N — Remi Kanazi (@Remroum) April 19, 2016

Daily Clips: April 18th, 2016

Daily Clips: April 18th, 2016

How cheap does solar power need to get before it takes over the world? I’ve written before about the potential of the solar industry  and Vox‘s Brad Plumer takes an in-depth look at the burgeoning sector. Fascinating stuff. On immigration, law is on Obama’s side: This sentiment isn’t coming from some commie socialist, it’s coming from former Republican Senator Dick Lugar. In this op-ed piece, Lugar is unequivocal about Obama’s actions on immigration, arguing: But whether or not you like President Obama’s actions, he has operated under longstanding provisions of law that give the executive branch discretion in enforcement. This presidential prerogative has been recognized explicitly by the Supreme Court. Moreover, the nature of immigration enforcement and the resources (or lack thereof) appropriated by Congress necessitate exactly the type of choices that the president has made. Moving toward a 21st-century labor movement:  SEIU’s president, David Rolf, has a fantastic column about the need to reboot America’s labor structure. He argues against restoring “America’s collective-bargaining framework” and instead suggests a Shared Security System – which we’ve talked about on our gig economy podcast episode . 3 million registered voters won’t be able to vote in New York’s primary:  New York values. 

Daily Clips: April 15th, 2016

Daily Clips: April 15th, 2016

What follows the Fight for $15?  A pretty good secure scheduling writeup in the Atlantic — if you haven’t heard our podcast on this subject, listen here ! Love that last line: “With luck, and with an honest effort by both business and labor to come to a consensus, Seattle could provide a model to the rest of the country.” Bernie, Pope Francis, and the Moral Economy:  Two old men discuss the purpose of the economy in increasingly unequal times. No, a $15 minimum wage won’t kill businesses:  Sorry trickle-downers, the minimum wage doesn’t destroy the economy. (Yes, I’m even looking at you,  Vox ) Video of the day: Very effective political ad from Bernie Sanders. Not something I say often. Tweet of the day: This claim about Fresno is same thing people said about SeaTac. Didn't happen. #skyaloft https://t.co/xBh9pBcxTY pic.twitter.com/UYO639xjN0 — Robert Cruickshank (@cruickshank) April 15, 2016

Daily Clips: April 14th, 2016

Daily Clips: April 14th, 2016

Chicago police ‘have no regard’ for lives of black people, report says : In a 22-page report, data from the Chicago police showed that there is “validity to the widely held belief the police have no regard for the sanctity of life when it comes to people of color.” How to watch tonight’s Democratic debate: 9pm ET tonight CNN – online stream available at CNN.com Tax policy is widening the gender gap: It seems that the tax and benefit system is implicitly working against the achievement of gender equality in the workforce. Rather than blame the private sector for exacerbating inequality, it might be time for the state to look more carefully at how its own labor market interventions are impacting the gender gap. Top 50 US companies hold 1.4 trillion in cash offshore : Yay. Tweet of the day: Avg of Continued Claims as a percent of the Labor Force at an ALL-TIME low. Thanks, Obama. pic.twitter.com/ZSrspsRxAQ — Invictus (@TBPInvictus) April 14, 2016

Daily Clips: April 13th, 2016

Daily Clips: April 13th, 2016

The future of Bernie Sanders’ grassroots army:  Bernie has lit a progressive fire in this country that will not burn out anytime soon. How will he continue to mobilize his supporters after this election? Paul Ryan isn’t a moderate alternative to Donald Trump. He’s not moderate at all. Should feminism be about political solidarity?  An interesting and thought provoking read. North Carolina’s bathroom law just keeps backfiring on Pat McCrory: If this saga has gone terribly for McCrory, it’s been great for Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper, who is trying to unseat the one-term governor. Cooper’s game plan to win in a socially conservative state like North Carolina had always been to attack McCrory on his job-creating record. Now, Cooper can claim he has tangible evidence to “prove” that the governor’s proposals are costing North Carolina residents jobs. And he can make the case that McCrory’s executive order is an admission that the law went too far while still hammering the governor on the law itself. (McCrory’s camp responded that the governor is making decisions “based on the best interests of the state and its citizens.”) Tweet of the day: Team Ryan raised half a million from Charles Koch and his wife. https://t.co/7Poh7Aq4jl — Nick Confessore (@nickconfessore) April 13, 2016

Daily Clips: April 12th, 2016

Daily Clips: April 12th, 2016

David Brooks cannot connect the dots: David Brooks thinks that our politics has gone south because “starting just after World War II, America’s community/membership mind-set gave way to an individualistic/autonomy mind-set. The idea was that individuals should be liberated to live as they chose, so long as they didn’t interfere with the rights of others.” I don’t how you actually quantify such nonsense. That point aside, why doesn’t David Brooks in fact look at the economic structure of our society and how World War II exhibited a “community/membership mindset” because we had the most equal society in our nation’s history.  Consider this : The Depression and World War II dramatically reshaped the nation’s income distribution: By 1944 the top 1%’s share was down to 11.3%, while the bottom 90% were receiving 67.5%, levels that would remain more or less constant for the next three decades. Today, the 1%’s share is up to “22.5% of all pretax income, while the bottom 90%’s share is below 50% for the first time ever (49.6%, to be precise).” So Brooks has the nerve to moan about the “individualization” of our society, when in fact the party he’s been promoting his entire life has caused the societal disconnect he’s bi**hing about. By promoting economic policies that transfer a huge amount of the nation’s resources to the very top, Republicans like Brooks have dramatically reshaped the social fabric of America. It’s ridiculous that he can write this article with a straight face. And it shows once again why he is such a vastly overrated political thinker. Republicans haven’t stopped digging their hole with Latino voters:  In order to recapture the White House, Republicans will need to gather around 40-50 percent of the Latino vote. I wrote a similar article on Republican’s tall task last year . A guide to the 5 biggest revelations of the Panama Papers so far:  Good summary. Tweet of the day: McDonald's CEO calls higher wages "a job killer." Bro I think you'll be OK. https://t.co/8QfBqrsbix pic.twitter.com/zxHE6AjjJ0 — Hanna Brooks Olsen (@mshannabrooks) April 12, 2016  

Daily Clips: April 11th, 2016

Daily Clips: April 11th, 2016

It’s amazing what America could do with the money the rich hide overseas: In the United States, the Treasury would collect about $124 billion a year in additional taxes — $36 billion from individual taxpayers and $88 billion from multinational corporations — if it weren’t for such schemes, according to  estimates by Gabriel Zucman, an economist at the University of California at Berkeley. Ivanka and Eric Trump didn’t register in time to vote for their dad in New York:  Trump joked that he “might cut off their allowances.” Interestingly, New York State “has some of the most restrictive voting laws in the nation” — an honor I wouldn’t have expected for a liberal bastion. Get this: to vote in New York’s GOP primary, you would have had to register as a Republican by October 9th! Recent polls show that Trump may not need his kids to vote anyway. He is well beyond the reach of either of his rivals — a Fox News poll showed “that 54 percent of likely Republican voters support Trump, with 22 percent for Kasich and 15 percent for Cruz.” More GOP politicians have been arrested for sexual misconduct in bathrooms than trans people — “Obviously we need laws against senators using bathrooms, not trans people” There’s a widening gap in life expectancy between the rich and the poor:  Predictable. And it’s gotten worse over time. “Between 2001 and 2014 life expectancy increased by 2.3 years for men and 2.9 years for women in the top 5 percent of the income distribution, but increased by only. 0.3 years for men and 0.04 years for women in the bottom 5 percent.” Tweet of the day: Eric Bolling shows his ignorance on min wage: https://t.co/r29Jaz9MpM pic.twitter.com/PAgAb56Gec — Invictus (@TBPInvictus) April 10, 2016