MORNING MESSAGE: Time To Demand A Vote To Increase The Minimum Wage
OurFuture.org's Isaiah J. Poole: "As of late Wednesday, more than 15,000 people have signed a SignOn.org petition posted by the Campaign for America’s Future. The goal is to have several hundred thousand people calling for 'the leaders of the House and Senate to allow an up-or-down vote on the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013, which would raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour and then index it to inflation.' (Sign the petition here.)
Austerity Is Dangerous
Prof. Mark Blyth explains "Why Austerity Is a Dangerous Idea" in Time: "...for people to save, they need to have income from which to save. So if you are, for example, a state in the Eurozone today, and every similar state saves at the same time by cutting spending, the result is the shrinkage of everyone’s economy since they are each other’s trading partners and sources of income. Perversely, their debt goes up, not down, relative to their (shrinking) GDP, which is what has happened to every European country that has undergone an austerity program since 2010. They now have more debt, not less."
Sequester hits CA unemployed. LAT: "An estimated 400,000 Californians who have been unemployed for more than six months soon will be feeling the bite of federal spending reductions. As of April 28, they'll be getting a 17.7% cut in their weekly unemployment benefits that are paid out by the U.S. Treasury."
Immigration Reaction
Some praise, some restraint in reaction to unveiled immigration bill. The Hill: "...the legislation earned positive initial reviews from across the political spectrum, including Latino groups and conservative activist Grover Norquist, News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I). But in an indication of the long road ahead, many advocates and organizations withheld formal endorsements and pledged to try to change the bill to their liking ... Liberal immigration reform advocates voiced concern over the arduous path to citizenship, which is linked to enhancements in border security and could take well over a decade for most immigrants in the country illegally. But they stopped short of declaring the provisions unacceptable."
"Gang of Eight aims to stop conservative attacks" reports Politico: "...Republicans began to make their pitch for it on conservative talk radio and by urging their colleagues to hold their fire until they’ve had a chance to analyze it. Their hope is to define the measure as a workable compromise on a highly complex issue, one that will help broaden the GOP’s reach to Latino and moderate voters ... The initial reaction on the right was far less intense than they anticipated..."
Obama, Giffords Lash Out
Obama angry after background check defeat. Time: "His harsh words signaled the start of a next phase in the gun control debate, when advocates for more restrictions plan a more combative effort to pressure members of Congress, and denounce the National Rifle Association, in the run up to the 2014 midterm elections. 'The gun lobby and its allies willfully lied about the bill,' Obama angrily said. 'They claimed that it would create some sort of "big brother" gun registry, even though the bill did the opposite. This legislation, in fact, outlawed any registry.'"
Gabby Giffords shames Congress in NYT oped: "I am asking every reasonable American to help me tell the truth about the cowardice these senators demonstrated. I am asking for mothers to stop these lawmakers at the grocery store and tell them: You’ve lost my vote. I am asking activists to unsubscribe from these senators’ e-mail lists and to stop giving them money. I’m asking citizens to go to their offices and say: You’ve disappointed me, and there will be consequences."
Bipartisan Energy Bill Forged
Energy-efficiency bill has a shot in the Senate. Politico: "Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Rob Portman ... will introduce a bipartisan bill Thursday to help increase energy efficiency that they say has a fighting chance of making it to the president’s desk ... the bill strengthens building codes to make new homes and buildings more efficient, creates a new Energy Department program called SupplySTAR to improve the efficiency of companies’ supply chains and requires the federal government — the country’s largest energy user — to adopt strategies to conserve the electricity used for computers."
Several states and cities threaten to sue EPA fpr delayed carbon rule on new power plants. The Hill: "'This 60-day notice is required under the Clean Air Act before an enforcement lawsuit may be filed, and we hope EPA will use this time to complete its work on these critical standards,' said David Doniger, a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council."
