The benefits of a $15 minimum would greatly outweigh the costs. The “common sense” fears, such as “low paid workers losing their jobs” with a hike in the minimum wage turn out to not actually happen in real life. A raise in the minimum wage turns out to not be the death … Continue reading The Counterintuitive Workings of the Minimum Wage – The Atlantic

Advocates of cheap and widely available vaccines thought the pandemic might change business as usual. They were wrong. Oxford University surprised and pleased advocates of overhauling the vaccine business in April by promising to donate the rights to its promising coronavirus vaccine to any drugmaker. A few weeks later, Oxford—urged on by … Continue reading Oxford University pledged to donate rights to their COVID vaccine but then sold them to AstraZeneca | Fortune

The pandemic has shown the limits of the market … a book that takes its cue from the Apollo 11 mission is full of vital ideas for progressives who want to change … Continue reading Mission Economy by Mariana Mazzucato review – the return of the state | The Guardian

The commitments mark a victory for lawmakers and advocates who want the Biden administration to enlist Treasury’s sweeping influence to address the dangers that climate change poses to the economy. Climate change can be addressed and actually benefit the economy as a whole if it’s handled properly. Perhaps Yellen is starting to … Continue reading Yellen vows to set up Treasury team to focus on climate, in victory for advocates

Meet the mayors pushing for guaranteed income in 30 cities across the country One-off stimulus checks don’t cut it while forcing the population to lock themselves indoors. The United States can afford to do so much more, and EVERYONE, including the rich, benefit as a result. Source: The mayors piloting guaranteed income … Continue reading The mayors piloting guaranteed income programs across the U.S.

On Twitter, the Russian dissident Aleksei Navalny wrote: “This precedent will be exploited by the enemies of freedom of speech around the world. In Russia as well. Every time when they need to silence someone, they will say: ‘This is just common practice, even Trump got blocked on Twitter.’” Preventing the incitement … Continue reading Deplatforming Trump Could Work. But at What Cost? – The New York Times

It’s time for the world to get more ambitious with its emissions targets. It’s up to Biden and his administration. Source: 2020 ties 2016 for the hottest year on record – Vox Continue reading 2020 ties 2016 for the hottest year on record – Vox

In October 2020, the Pentagon’s Inspector General released a new report titled, “Audit of Excess Property Issued Through the Department of Defense Law Enforcement Support Program.”… The demilitarization of the police is a good first step towards improving the relationship between the police and the people they serve. Source: New Pentagon IG … Continue reading New Pentagon IG report finds that police don’t need all those hand-me-downs of military hardware

The Environmental Protection Agency has finalized a rule limiting which scientific studies the agency can use in crafting public health protections. So let’s keep science out of the equation when determining if something is dangerous for you, ummm.. OK. Source: EPA finalizes scientific transparency rule limiting which studies can be used to … Continue reading EPA finalizes scientific transparency rule limiting which studies can be used to protect public health – The Washington Post

The economic ideas that once fueled deficit mythbusters and provided hope for a pandemic recovery have spawned a vibrant political subculture. Once people understand where money comes from then they’ll realize that we can start addressing things like climate change and student loans without causing any further hardship. Source: This Year’s Underground … Continue reading This Year’s Underground Sensation: Modern Monetary Theory | The New Republic

The new year brings another round of increases, nearly a decade after workers started campaigning for higher pay. By the time $15/hr become standard, it may be time to raise it to $20/hr! $20/hr is what it should be had wages increased with productivity gains over the last 50 years. Source: 27 Places … Continue reading 27 Places Raising the Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour – The New York Times

Budget shortfalls threaten additional job cuts, gutted social programs, and can cripple states’ abilities to conduct coronavirus vaccination programs. The time for government to do something is now. Check out how other countries are handling the pandemic: Wages subsidized by the government during pandemic: 🇨🇦 – $2,000 a month 🇯🇵 – Up … Continue reading State and local government stimulus needed to avoid long-term drag