Minimum Wage, Maximum Politics
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on October 6th, 2014 11:08 pm by HL
Minimum Wage, Maximum Politics
Andy Puzder, Wall Street Journal
As the midterm elections approach, President Obama is calling on Congress to increase the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour from $7.25. “Let’s give America a raise, and make our economy stronger,” he said on Thursday at Northwestern University. That sounds nice, and the hike would give a raise to Americans who already have jobs earning the minimum wage, assuming that they’re still employed after the required raise. Unfortunately, this 40% minimum-wage hike would also reduce employment opportunities for those who need them most.
Who Is Alinsky, & Why Does the Right Hate Him?
Dylan Matthews, Vox
“The Hillary Letters”, trumpets the Fox News headline. “Clinton, Saul Alinsky correspondence revealed.”Here’s the story: In 1971, Yale law student Hillary Rodham sent a letter to famed community organizer Saul Alinsky. Alinsky’s secretary replied to the letter. Due to the villainous reputation Alinsky has earned by now in certain conservative circles, the new revelation caused a bit of a stir. But for the vast majority of people who’ve never heard of Alinsky, let alone know why his connection to Clinton is supposed to be a bad thing, it’s worth asking: who is this guy, and why does he matter?
Republicans Play Dirty Tricks to Worsen Dem Odds
Brian Beutler, TNR
The Democrats’ midterm drop off problem is as well understood as it is intractable. For a number of reasons, young adults and minorities are less likely to vote in midterm elections than in general elections, and since young people and minorities vote disproportionately for Democrats, while old people vote disproportionately for Republicans, Democrats perform significantly worse in midterms than in general elections.
Voters Have Turned Decidedly Against Obama
Ed Rogers, Wash Post
Voters have turned decidedly hostile toward President Obama and his policies. That’s not just my partisan view; it is empirical data. A poll released over the weekend shows that 32 percent of voters are using their midterm election votes to send a message of opposition to the president. That is “the highest ‘no vote’ percentage in the last 16 years” as measured by Gallup. I have never seen a White House or a political party as hollowed out as the Democrats appear to be now. The Obama presidency isn’t officially over yet, but it is receding further into our…
