By Rachel Goldfarb, originally published on Next New Deal
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Highest Minimum-Wage State Washington Beats U.S. Job Growth (Bloomberg)
Victoria Stilwell, Peter Robison, and William Selway report that Washington hasn't just shown higher job growth – it also has lower poverty rates, and the supposedly vulnerable service industry is growing.
Minimum Wage Raise Would Reduce Food Stamp Spending By $46 Billion Over Decade: Report (HuffPo)
A new report from the Center for American Progress analyzes how higher wages would reduce need, writes Dave Jamieson. Raising the minimum wage would decrease the "culture of dependency" that Republicans decry.
The U.S. Economy's Big Baby Problem (The Atlantic)
The American birthrate has hit a new record low. That wouldn't be a big deal, writes Derek Thompson, if our economy didn't rely so heavily on families' consumer spending.
Over 2 Million People Now Without Unemployment Benefits (MSNBC)
The number of long-term unemployed workers in the U.S. keeps growing, and Ned Resnikoff says it's looking less and less likely that Congress will reauthorize their extended unemployment insurance.
When Regulation Threatens, Bankers Predict Doom For Main Street (ProPublica)
Jesse Eisinger explains how banks are trying to chip away at financial reform by negotiating behind the scenes on little-known issues. Going after collateralized loan obligation rules doesn't get much public scrutiny.
Does America Need a Robin Hood Tax? (Pacific Standard)
Kyle Chayka says a financial transactions tax could raise enough money to fight many social problems. Focusing such a tax on high-frequency trading would also curtail the banks' worst excesses.
It’s Still Paul Ryan’s Party (WaPo)
Greg Sargent calls out Ryan's hypocrisy in claiming the president's budget contains no attempt at compromise. Ryan's budget seeks even less common ground, with absolutely no funds for Democratic priorities.