Labor

For every working American

I’ll let President Obama’s words and CBO’s analyses speak for themselves.

THE PRESIDENT: … that has jeopardized middle-class America’s basic bargain — that if you work hard, you have a chance to get ahead.

I believe this is the…

Ladder vs. Safety net

When designing economic policies there is often a trade-off between our desire to provide immediate financial assistance to those who have our sympathy and our desire to maximize the opportunities for their long run success. If you give financial assistance to someone in need but tell them…

Why stop at $9? A $90 minimum wage

Tonight President Obama proposed increasing the minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $9. Here is his argument from tonight’s State of the Union address (emphasis is mine):

We know our economy is stronger when we reward an honest day’s work with…

How to avoid shafting future retirees & creating another bailout

Congress will soon vote on a final version of a two-year highway spending bill. Press reports suggest the just-concluded agreement includes a “pension funding stabilization” provision from the Senate version of the…

No such thing as shovel-ready projects

On September 27th the President told Peter Baker of The New York Times:

He realized too late that “there’s no such thing as shovel-ready projects” when it comes to public works.

President Obama vs. the Christie Principle of Shared Sacrifice

President Obama and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie are providing a phenomenal case study of the intersection between economics and political argument.