Economics Daily Digest: Don't be afraid of the minimum wage

By Tim Price, originally published on Next New Deal

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Minimum Wage 101 (Prospect)

Roosevelt Institute Fellow Mike Konczal talks to minimum wage scholar Arindrajit Dube about why President Obama's new proposal to set the federal minimum to $9 an hour will help raise wages and increase job stability'except for minimum wage scholars.

Why the Minimum Wage Is a Woman's Issue, in Three Charts (Think Progress)

Annie-Rose Strasser writes that a report shows women comprise 64 percent of minimum wage earners, and over 17 million'and their families'would benefit from an increase. Inform the generals leading the war on women that it's time for a strategic redeployment.

What Labor Can Learn from the Obama Campaign (The Nation)

Suresh Naidu and Roosevelt Institute Fellow Dorian Warren argue labor should take a cue from the "big data" and microtargeting techniques that mobilized Obama supporters. Don't be freaked out if your union leader e-mails you dinner invitations with subjects like "hey."

Rubio and the Zombies (NYT)

Paul Krugman notes that Marco Rubio's State of the Union response rehashed thoroughly discredited right-wing claims about the government causing the financial crisis and crowding out private investment. And those were actually the less embarrassing parts of the speech.

There are now four big plans to stop the sequester (WaPo)

Brad Plumer explains the details of the Senate Democrats' new plan, the House Republicans' old plan, the House Democrats' current plan, and President Obama's non-specific plan, all of which are still worse than if they'd never manufactured this debacle in the first place.

Clint Eastwood and Barney Frank Attack the Pentagon (Bloomberg)

It's not just the premise for the greatest buddy duo action-comedy of all time. Ezra Klein points out that both Frank and the Man with No Name are skeptical of defense spending, and if those two can find common ground, it shouldn't be that hard for everyone else.

Big Corporations Put Up Seed Funding for Republican Dark Money Group (ProPublica)

At some point we've all wondered, what exactly do corporations do with all that money they're not paying their workers? According to Justin Elliott, one thing they do is donate a million dollars to shady Republican nonprofits like the State Government Leadership Foundation.

Elizabeth Warren Embarrasses Hapless Bank Regulators at First Hearing (HuffPo)

Ryan Grim notes that Senator Warren posed some tough questions about why financial fraudsters have escaped prosecution at yesterday's Banking Committee hearing. But hey, a lot of people didn't want her leading the CFPB, and they got their wish. God help them.

Gangster Banksters: Too Big to Jail (Rolling Stone)

We've pretty firmly established at this point that no one's going to jail for causing the near-collapse of the global economy, but what other crimes can banks get away with? How about money-laundering for drug dealers and terrorists? As Matt Taibbi writes, that's a big yes.

Your New Landlord Works on Wall Street (TNR)

David Dayen writes that the latest housing recovery lookalike is largely the result of banks and hedge funds buying up properties and converting them into rentals for eventual resale. They must have gotten tips on some great real estate they helped kick the old owners out of.

Tim Price is Deputy Editor of Next New Deal. Follow him on Twitter @txprice.