By Tim Price, originally published on Next New Deal
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The April Fool's economy (WaPo)
Ylan Q. Mui notes that while the economy seems to have picked up steam in the last few months, we've seen signs of strong early-year growth before only to be disappointed later. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, let's just wait for the jobs report.
Recession Redux (TNR)
John Judis is pessimistic given that we've opted not to pursue the New Deal-era approach to reform and investment that built a stronger, more stable economy, but are instead repeating the mistakes that led to the recession to see if we can really nail it this time.
Why the Euro is Doomed in 4 Steps (The Atlantic)
Matthew O'Brien makes the case that the euro has become as constraining and counterproductive for EU members as the gold standard once was, though at least the latter was based on the sound logic that humans are driven by an intense desire for shinies.
Wages stink at America's most common jobs (CNNMoney)
There's a reason your food server or retail salesperson seems disgruntled, and it's not just because you're asking about gluten-free options or return policies. New BLS data shows that seven of the 10 most common occupations pay less than $30,000 a year.
Guest Workers as Bellwether (Dissent)
Josh Eidelson looks at the abusive conditions to which many guest workers are subject, the effort to organize those workers to fight for change, and why no workers can really take for granted that their supervisors don't want to beat them with a shovel.
Lean in, Dad (NYT)
Catherine Rampell argues that America needs better work-life balance policies to avoid squandering its college-educated female workers, but paid paternity leave is also a must to prevent the assumption that women are a leave of absence waiting to happen.
It's still a lovefest between Wall Street and regulators (Guardian)
Heidi Moore notes that recent copouts in an SEC investigation and the Libor manipulation case show banks are still allowed to get away with "neither admitting nor denying" their crimes, introducing an element of quantum physics into financial regulation.
The People's Bank (Prospect)
Abby Rapoport writes that the populist, state-owned Bank of North Dakota has helped America's Freest State weather financial storms and supported fair lending practices and small banks, so naturally other states are reluctant to imitate the model.
Tim Price is Deputy Editor of Next New Deal. Follow him on Twitter @txprice.