Third and State

How do we get our economy growing more robustly again? It's not through austerity — cutting government spending and investment when private consumption and investment are already lagging — as Paul Krugman reminds us again today.

It is through "economy boosting jobs" — raising wages so that working families can buy what they need and help their communities thrive. Here's a simple video (also below) explaining this point, circulated to us from the good folks at Topos.

The first in an occasional series on reducing inequality

Are American opinion leaders and policymakers finally ready for a serious effort to reduce economic inequality and rebuild opportunity in America?

In a series of blog posts, we will point to growing evidence that they might be, thanks to a powerful mix of unrelenting data on economic polarizations and worker campaigns demanding a change. Better late than never.

In this first entry, I want to set up the series with some context.

Last week, The New York Times reported that Ron Unz, a conservative Silicon Valley millionaire and past Editor of The American Conservative, favors increasing California's minimum wage to $12 per hour.

The arguments he is making explain why a much higher minimum wage strengthens the economy and benefits taxpayers, and progressives should capitalize on his support to amplify these arguments in their own advocacy.