When workers get paid less, they win!

At least that’s the theory of Virginia Postrel. You see millions of minimum-wage, part-time workers can’t make ends meet because that takes two jobs. And they can’t work two jobs because the schedule for even one part-time job is too unreasonable.
Think the solution is higher pay? Don’t be silly. As Postrel explains, the solution is lower pay: Workers could trade lower hourly pay for a better schedule except that thrice-damned minimum wage law gets in the way! So if we end minimum wage so they get paid less, then they can get a second job and work more hours and everything will be great! And after all, it’s not like removing the minimum would lead employers to cut wages and still impose shitty schedules because … funny, she doesn’t address that.
According to a former Hobby Lobby employee, the chain’s owners’ pro-life beliefs didn’t protect her when she took unpaid maternity leave (she didn’t qualify for the federally guaranteed kind): she got fired.
•On a more cheerful note for labor, the National Labor Relations Board has ruled that McDonalds is a “joint employer” alongside its franchisees: it exerts enough control that if labor conditions are unfair, workers can sue Mickey D’s, not just the franchise owner. The Wapo reports that the NLRB is also looking at a California case involving a staffing agency that has similar implications. Needless to say corporations are very unhappy.
•An appeals court has ruled that Mississippi’s last abortion clinic can stay open for now. The rationale is that just saying “women can go out of state so it’s not affecting their rights” is bullshit.
•One of the staple rape apologist arguments is that date rape isn’t really rape or at least it’s not as awful as a regular stranger rape. This Ruthless World explains this is, again, bullshit. Atheist Richard Dawkins’ dismissive comments (quoted therein) are a reminder that ugly as right-wing sexism gets, Republicans and conservative Christians are not the only offenders. Another case in point.
•George Will claims that America can handle an influx of Latino children coming over the border. Fox News freaks out. Given my distaste of Will’s recent rape apologism, it’s nice to see him say something sensible.
•You may have heard this already, but just in case: A teenage Virginia couple sext each other, including sending pictures of their intimate parts. The girl’s mother complains so the boy gets arrested for making and sending “child porn.” Prosecutor Claiborne Richardson actually threatened to have the kid given shots that would give him a hard-on, then take photos of it so his office could determine whether it’s the same penis in the photos.
•Meanwhile, we have a woman arrested because she let her nine-year-old daughter play in the park … alone.
•One of the staple conservative/libertarian arguments is that if the federal government has to fund programs, it should give the money to the states and let them decide how to spend it. LGM says the refusal of severals states to cooperate with Obamacare shows this is a bad idea if you want federal help to actually do good.
•Just because you pay to stop payment on a check doesn’t mean the check will be stopped.
•And despite laws that protect military members from shady financing deals some companies still prey on soldiers.