Longterm unemployment is at its highest rate since World War II. So how could it possibly be a good idea to scale back benefits for the longterm unemployed? There’s an easy answer to the question. It can’t be a good idea. Brad Plummer explains why in one chart. Paul Krugman takes a whole column to do it.
Plummer: The unemployment rate is dropping (thank goodness). But not for the longterm unemployed. Via the Washington Post.
Krugman: Punishing the unemployed for being unemployed. You really think that works?
By George, the British austerity experiment is a giant failure. Via the New Yorker.
Bill Keller: Nelson Mandela, communist. Should it matter?
The case for filth: The only way to make housework equitable. Via New York Times.
Grade inflation at Harvard: Why shouldn’t they all make A’s? Via the Atlantic.
