Economists: A $9 minimum wage won’t hurt jobs

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 18:23:00 +0000

In his State of the Union address this week, President Obama proposed a $9 federal minimum wage, indexed to inflation, from the current $7.25. The White House has stated that the proposal would mean a raise for 15 million low-income workers and lot of people are pleased: The AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union have praised the idea, as have a number of Democrats in Congress.

House Speaker John Boehner really hates the idea. "When you raise the price of employment, guess what happens? You get less of it," he said Wednesday. But a number of commentators and economists have already intervened in the emerging polemic to challenge Boehner's assumptions about minimum wage hikes and less employment.

Time's Christopher Matthews noted:

Obama and Romney both phoning Bibi

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 19:36:00 +0000

Barack Obama was due to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the phone today, according to comments from White House spokesman Jay Carney.

The two leaders this week smoothed over speculated tensions. Obama, in his U.N. address Tuesday, gave a stern warning to Iran -- somewhat bending to Bibi's ongoing demands that the U.S. draw a "red line" with Iran over nuclear development.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, thanked Obama in his U.N. speech Thursday. "I am confident we can chart a path forward together," Bibi said.

Rumors that the White House rejected an Israeli request for Obama to meet with Netanyahu have been denied by both sides, Israel insisting that no such request was made.

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Economists: A $9 minimum wage won’t hurt jobs

Obama and Romney both phoning Bibi