Apr 21 Calling out Social Security for its awful inequities By Laurence Kotlikoff Social Security's arcane provisions don't just disadvantage recipients who can't figure out what they mean. As Larry Kotlikoff explains, there are also structural inequities in the system that put certain groups, particularly lower-earners, at a disadvantage. Continue reading
Apr 18 How a basic income in the U.S. could increase global poverty By Megan McArdle Making a guaranteed income politically viable, Megan McArdle says, would require closing off U.S. borders to immigrants from lower-skilled countries. And that would increase global poverty more than a basic income would reduce U.S. poverty. Continue reading
Apr 17 Watch SeaTac airport workers fight exclusion from $15 minimum wage By PBS News Hour In SeaTac, Wash., home of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, citizens voted last year to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. However, a court decision — now being appealed — has excluded the 5,000 or so workers on airport… Continue watching
Apr 17 Watch After threats of painful cuts, Detroit moves closer to deal to protect pensions By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Apr 17 What the median full-time income tells us about the gender pay gap By Elizabeth Shell New data from the BLS estimates $791 as the median weekly income for full-time workers in the U.S during the first quarter of 2014. We break that down to see what it might say about the pay gap. Continue reading
Apr 17 Most Seattle airport workers remain uncovered by minimum wage hike By Simone Pathe Last fall, voters in SeaTac, Wash., narrowly approved a ballot initiative to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour. But nearly 5,000 airport workers still aren't receiving that higher wage because Alaska Airlines has challenged the initiative in court. Continue reading
Apr 17 Why America's favorite anarchist thinks most American workers are slaves By David Graeber Could a guaranteed basic income give rise to another band like the Beatles? Or support a scientific breakthrough like the light bulb? Occupy activist David Graeber thinks a lump sum basic income would liberate workers to do the work they… Continue reading
Apr 16 PHOTO: Sports car gets a bird's eye view of the Big Apple By News Desk A 2015 Ford Mustang sits atop the observation deck of New York's Empire State Building Wednesday in celebration of the sports car's 50th birthday. The automobile was brought up in separate parts and assembled atop the skyscraper, where it… Continue reading
Apr 16 What's the welfare initiative uniting liberals and conservatives? By Véronique de Rugy What rankles conservatives and liberals about the current welfare system? It's a large bureaucracy, and some say, it doesn't respect poor people's ability to make their own decisions. The basic income, however, would give everyone a lump sum, and as… Continue reading
Apr 15 Higher food, rent costs boost U.S. consumer inflation By Sarah Corapi Consumer prices in the U.S. ticked upward this March, climbing more than expected as Americans paid slightly more for food and rental housing. The hike suggests improving consumer demand, and may alleviate concerns among some Federal Reserve officials… Continue reading