By Rachel Goldfarb, originally published on Next New Deal
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The Political Underbelly of the Pensions Crisis: What Broke the System, and How Do We Fix It? (Next New Deal)
Roosevelt Institute Senior Fellow Rob Johnson explains how big money in politics can influence public pension funding decisions, and what must be done to ensure the system's future.
- Roosevelt Event: Today, at 9am, join the Roosevelt Institute at the CUNY Graduate Center's Martin Segal Theatre for a conference marking the release of Senior Fellow Rob Johnson's new study on the role of big-money campaign financing in the pension crisis, from which his blog post is adapted.
Introducing the Comcast Tax (Bloomberg View)
Netflix is now paying for direct access to Comcast's network. Roosevelt Institute Fellow Susan Crawford says Comcast's new revenue stream will just mean higher costs passed on to consumers.
Panel Seeks Greater Disclosures on Pension Health (NYT)
Mary Williams Walsh reports that a blue-ribbon panel will recommend greater transparency around the cost of pension obligations to prevent the kind of disaster that's hit Detroit.
Citizens United Takes Another Swing at Campaign Finance Rules (MoJo)
The organization's new target is the IRS, thanks to proposed rules defining the political activities that cannot make up the majority of the work of non-profit 501(c)4 groups, reports Patrick Caldwell.
A Massive Outbreak Of Callousness (Forbes)
When economists push to improve the labor force participation rate, Frances Coppola asks for caution against hurting those who can't work. She'd prefer to just push job creation instead.
This Year’s Crazy Weather is Freezing the Economy (WaPo)
Zachary Goldfarb reports on estimates from Goldman Sachs on how the weather has slowed economic growth. Fortunately, winter is temporary: estimates show that by spring, growth will have bounced back.
Obama to Propose 1 Percent Pay Raise for Federal Workers (The Hill)
This is the second year in a row with such an increase, writes Erik Wasson, following a three-year pay freeze and lost income due to furloughs.