By Rachel Goldfarb, originally posted on Next New Deal
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Is it Time to Tweak Obamacare? Sen. Joe Donnelly Thinks So. (WaPo)
Sarah Kliff speaks to the senator, who wants to change the definition of full-time hours in the Affordable Care Act from 30 to 40. He wants to prevent part-time workers from getting their hours cut due to employers who don’t want to offer health insurance.
Who Killed Equality? (Bloomberg)
Ezra Klein says that the usual arguments on economic inequality ignore the power of government to set the rulebook, drawing on the work of Dean Baker. The current set of rules exacerbate income inequality, but they don't have to stay on the books.
The Economy Can’t Recover If the Workers Don’t (Campaign for America's Future)
Robert Borosage is concerned by the Fed's changing tone on the economic crisis and recovery, because as far as most Americans are concerned, we're still in the middle of the crisis. Stock market improvements are not average worker recovery.
Cutting Wages Won’t Create Jobs (The Hill)
Jack Temple argues that when we don't raise the minimum wage, we're effectively cutting it due to inflation, and that isn't helping unemployment. In fact, an increase in the minimum wage would serve as a major stimulus for the economy.
The Unpaid Internship Racket (MSNBC)
Timothy Noah considers the moral failings of unpaid internships, which go alongside their frequent illegality as shown by last week's ruling against Fox Searchlight. Beyond the inequality and abuse, there's the simple formulation that interns are workers, and workers get paid.
Profits Without Production (NYT)
Paul Krugman suggests that the biggest difference between today's economy and the past's is the growth of monopoly rents, or profits tied primarily to market dominance. This depresses perceived return on investments and wages, contributing to our weak recovery.
Bank of America Whistleblowers Allege Rot at the Core of the Mortgage Industrial Complex (HuffPo)
Ray Brescia reports on some of the most serious charges revealed in affidavits filed in litigation against Bank of America. If this is Bank of America's way of reforming its foreclosure practices, then it is clear that more oversight is necessary.