Does increasing the minimum wage stifle job creation? Room for Debate
From the New York Times “Room for Debate”: For the past year, fast-food and retail workers have made it clear that lousy pay should not be the cost for cheap…
Business behaving badly, why fines don’t deter corporate malfeasance
This last year was a record one for fines and financial settlements levied against corporations for breaking laws and wreaking havoc on the economy, especially banks and other financial institutions…
Consumers lack financial literacy, contributed to Great Recession
From the LA Times: Guess how many Americans correctly answered this basic financial question: Is the stock of a single company usually safer than a mutual fund? A) 100% B)…
Tech start-up publishes employee salaries, encourages transparency
San Francisco tech start-up Buffer has been making waves with its transparency campaign, jump starting a national conversation about salaries and, by implication, the way businesses conduct their business in…
Five regulatory agencies approve Volcker Rule, curbing risky banking
Five federal regulatory agencies approved the so-called “Volcker Rule” today, restricting commercial banks from trading stocks and derivatives for their own gain and limits their ability to invest in hedge…
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What Obama Left Out of His “Inequality Speech”: Regulation
By THOMAS O. MCGARITY, From the “Great Divide” Blog, New York Times Onine AUSTIN, Tex. — President Obama’s speech on inequality last Wednesday was important in several respects. He identified…
Economic inequality is a problem, as is gap between ideal and reality
Check out this informative video that provides a graphic representation of wealth inequality in the U.S. and the gap in perception between what people think an ideal distribution of wealth…
Federal shutdown costs U.S. billions and erodes investor confidence
From the New York Times: The government shutdown that ended this week will cost the United States economy several billion dollars, according to estimates by economic research firms. But the…
Shutdown: Complacency on Wall Street Could Be Worse Than a Panic
From the New York Times “DealBook” Blog by Jason Eissenger: Don’t look to a market panic to save us. We are in upside-down world, where a freak-out now would help…
House GOP shuts down government, harming workers and economy alike
The federal government remains in partial shut down today after the House GOP, spurred on by a fringe element of Tea Party extremists, refused to pass legislation authorizing a budget…