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Writing in the Washington Post this Friday Greg Sargent, contends that if there's anything the minimum wage debate has revealed, it's how "extraordinarily prevalent low-wage labor is in the United States today."
Citing a Brookings Institution analysis that found approximately 24 million people would see their wages rise if the federal minimum wage were lifted to $15 per hour by 2025, Sargent write that it's a stark reminder of how many Americans stand to be left behind if the minimum wage hike is not included in President Biden's economic rescue bill.
<p>"Of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/brookings-institution-minimum-wage-study/c1c7a8a3-838f-415f-a81f-f5ecdaf10613/?itid=lk_inline_manual_20" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the 23.8 million people</a> whose 2019 wages would be lifted with a federal hike, around 12.4 million reside in the 22 states with two Republican senators, Brookings found," Sargent writes. "That number is more significant than it seems, since those states tend to be less populous."</p><p>While it's true that some red states have raised their minimum wage, none (except Florida) are on track to $15, according to Sargent. "That means a lot of people in red states that have raised their minimum wages will still get left behind by Congress's failure."</p><p>"It's true that some progressives are <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/02/26/senate-parliamentarian-minimum-wage-overrule/?itid=lk_inline_manual_36" target="_blank">angry</a> at the Democratic leadership over this failure: They want Democrats to get around the Senate parliamentarian's <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/02/25/minimum-wage-increase-imperiled-covid-relief-bill-by-senate-officials-ruling/?itid=lk_inline_manual_36" target="_blank">ruling</a> that the hike can't pass via a simple majority by reconciliation," Sargent continues. "But even if they did, there aren't 50 Democratic votes to pass it."</p><p>Read the full op-ed over at <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/03/03/minimum-wage-hurt-red-states-brookings/" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>. </p>
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Ron Johnson likely to keep promise to retire after holding up COVID relief: 'I'm happy to go home'
March 05, 2021
Beginning on Thursday, Senate clerks spent 10 hours and 34 minutes reading all 628 pages of the coronavirus relief legislation before Congress.
The reading of the bill was forced by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and received harsh criticism for its pointlessness, as it is not expected to have any impact other than wasting time.
<p>On Friday, the Wisconsin State Journal reported Johnson says he will likely keep his pledge to voters that he will not seek re-election in 2022.</p><p>"Johnson is openly considering a third term despite Democratic challengers already lining up to challenge him and his pronouncement while running for a second term in 2016 that it would be his last," the newspaper <a href="https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/ron-johnson-no-decision-on-2022-run-but-leaving-office-is-probably-my-preference-now/article_aa0160e1-c81e-5c2c-8bdb-7333c6b3e09c.html?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter_" target="_blank">reported</a>.</p><p>"That pledge is on my mind, it was my preference then, I would say it's probably my preference now," Johnson said. "I'm happy to go home."</p><p>However, although he offered no such caveat at the time he made his promise, he suggested an excuse he might offer if he were to break his pledge and seek re-election.</p><p>"I think that pledge was based on the assumption we wouldn't have Democrats in total control of government and we're seeing what I would consider the devastating and harmful effects of Democrats total control just ramming things through," Johnson said.</p>
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A growing number of Americans plan to get vaccinated against Covid-19 with confidence increasing particularly among African Americans, according to a Pew Research Center survey published on Friday.
Sixty-nine percent of the adults polled last month by Pew said they have already been vaccinated or plan to get dosed, up from 60 percent who said they planned to get vaccinated in November.
<p>Of the 69 percent, 19 percent said they had already received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine.</p><p>Sixty-one percent of the African-Americans surveyed said they planned to get vaccinated, up sharply from 42 percent who said they would in November, Pew said.</p><p>The African-American population has been particularly hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic which has killed more than 520,000 people in the United States.</p><p>Democrats are 27 percentage points more likely than Republicans -- 83 percent to 56 percent -- to say they plan to get vaccinated or have already been vaccinated, Pew said.</p><p>Two-thirds of those surveyed said they know someone who has been hospitalized for Covid-19 or someone who has died of the disease, a figure which rises to 78 percent among Black Americans.</p><p>Forty-nine percent of Black adults consider the coronavirus a major threat to their personal health compared with 26 percent of white adults, Pew said.</p><p>A number of reasons were cited by the 30 percent of adults who said they did not plan to get vaccinated. Among them were concerns about side effects and a sense the vaccines were developed and tested too quickly.</p><p>The Pew survey of 10,000 people was conducted February 16-21, before the approval by US authorities of the latest vaccine from Johnson & Johnson.</p><p>Andy Slavitt, White House senior advisor for COVID-19 response, said Friday that more than 82 million Covid shots have been administered in the United States -- "more than any country in the world."</p><p>"Nearly 55 percent of people aged 65 or older have received at least one shot," Slavitt said.</p><p>© 2021 AFP</p>
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