By Rachel Goldfarb, originally posted on Next New Deal
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Highway Robbery for High-Speed Internet (TAP)
Paul Waldman quotes Roosevelt Institute Fellow Susan Crawford on why telecom companies can get away with charging whatever they please. Until telecom monopolies and duopolies are more tightly regulated, broadband won't get cheaper.
One of the Worst Patents Ever Just Got Upheld in Court (WaPo)
Timothy Lee reports that the Federal Circuit ruled that there was nothing abstract about Ultramercial's patent on the concept of showing a customer an ad instead of charging for content.
Republican Harvard Economist Writes Terrible Defense of the One Percent (NY Mag)
Jonathan Chait critiques an essay by Gregory Mankiw that consistently equates "rich" and "productive," ignoring those who earn vast amounts of money while supplying little productive good to society. But where would we be without pseudo-celebrities being paid for nightclub appearances?
6 Mind-Blowing Stats on How 1 Percent of the 1 Percent Now Dominate Our Elections (MoJo)
Andy Kroll lays out six charts that make it clear that 31,385 Americans are making the bulk of political donations, to the point where he thinks they are controlling who is able to enter a race, who wins, and their actions in office.
The Future of Fair Labor (NYT)
Jefferson Cowie argues for a new commitment to the Fair Labor Standards Act. With recent lawsuits on unpaid internships, an over-reliance on 1099 contractors, and the explosion of lawsuits for back pay by misclassified nonexempt employees, the need is clear.
How Workplace Harassers Won Big (Salon)
Irin Carmon reports that two Supreme Court decisions released yesterday vastly limit workplace discrimination lawsuits. This could make it even less likely that a harassed employee will be protected, and courts already tend to favor employers in Title VII cases.
Americans Support Job Creation To Fix Crumbling Infrastructure (ThinkProgress)
Bryce Covert breaks down a new Gallup poll that shows that Americans care more about the potential new jobs than the necessary increase in government spending for such a program. In short, the American people support stimulus to end the unemployment crisis.
- Roosevelt Take: Roosevelt Institute Senior Fellow Jeff Madrick wrote on our Jobs Emergency conference, where a panel on the government's role in the crisis made similar suggestions.
Why Wall Street Doesn't Trust the Fed (Bloomberg)
Evan Soltas writes that even Wall Street is unhappy with the Fed's discussion of tapering off their monetary stimulus last week. He suggests that the Fed should consider adding additional factors, such as growth rates, to their decision about when to taper.