What We’re Reading, 4/19/12

Every morning, we poll the staff and round up their favorite economic, financial and political reads of the day. What we’re discussing in the break room today: campaign debts, the ethics of Target, and the post-cubicle office.

“The Business of Ending a Presidential Campaign,” by Julie Bykowicz (Businessweek). Santorum ended his campaign with $1 million in debt. Hillary Clinton still owes nearly half a million dollars on her presidential run. While candidates may fade from the public spotlight, their expenses live on long after someone else has won.

“Closing the Gender Gap,” by Margaret Talbot (New Yorker). “What do women want? Didn’t Mel Gibson answer that?” Jokes magazine writer Susannah Snider (who, your friendly curator is pleased to announce, recently made the jump from mag reporter). Jokes and congratulations aside, ladies tend to lean Democratic — and the Romney campaign is struggling to determine how to reach them. 

“The Inequality Obsession, by Holman Jenkins (Wall Street Journal). Nary a day goes by when we don’t see a headline about the 1% and 99% — heck, we post a lot of them on this Tumblr. Jenkins claims it’s reached the level of cultural obsession. “I never thought about it that way,” said Kip.com’s social media guru, Amanda Lilly. “I also love the part where he asks why we’re so concerned with ‘getting even’ with the 1%, rather than improving everyone’s opportunities.”

“Mitt Romney, American Parasite,” by Pete Kotz (VIllage Voice). Kotz’s colorful long read on Romney’s work at Bain Capital unearths, in his words, “everything you hate about capitalism.” (In related news, Nate Silver thinks Romney’s poor favorability ratings don’t really matter in the long run.)

“Are All Mega-Chains the Same?” By David Sirota (Salon). When Sirota asks if all chains are the same, he’s not talking about quality — we all know Trader Joe’s has better hummus than Wal-Mart. Rather, he’s curious about their effects on labor unions, small business and the local economy, the issues of so-called “ethical consumers.” 

“Insurance-Coverage Gaps for 48 Million Americans in 2011,” by Louise Radnofsky (Wall Street Journal). A new study finds that one in four working-age adults suffered a gap in health insurance coverage last year. “This cuts right to the heart of universal health care,” says magazine reporter John Miley. “There are such huge numbers of people who go uninsured. The study began a year ago — it makes you wonder what things look like today.”

“Talks With Instagram Suggest a $104 Billion Valuation for Facebook,” by Evelyn Rusli (New York Times). A million dollars isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? $104 billion. 

And in other news: Some companies are killing cubicles to save cash, Justin Peters wonders why there aren’t more beards in politics, office drinking didn’t end in the Mad Men days, and a group in D.C. is trying to give workaholics a break — by organizing events like pie-throwing parties. (“I really like this, minus the pie in the face,” says mag writer Susannah Snider. “I prefer cake.”)

What are you reading?

What We’re Reading, 3/22/12

Every morning, we poll the staff and round-up their favorite economic, financial and political reads of the day. In our inboxes and on our iPads this morning: Student debt, North Dakota boom times, and a new name for everyone’s favorite brand of macaroni and cheese.

“Too Big to Fail: Student Debt Hits a Trillion,” by Rohit Chopra (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau). Chopra calls it “sobering,” but we’ll call it staggering: A blog post by the CFPB’s student loan ombudsman claims that U.S. student debt tops $1 trillion — 16% higher than an estimate released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York earlier this year.

“Mitt Romney’s Evangelical Problem,” by Ryan Lizza (The New Yorker). Forget Romney’s Etch-a-Sketch drama — his real struggle is with evangelical voters, who have failed to embrace him in any contest thus far. This line from Lizza’s analysis is telling: “The single best predictor of whether Romney loses a state is the percentage of voters who describe themselves as evangelical.”

“How Far Would You Go for a Comeback?” By Ann Carrns (The New York Times). You may not have heard of Williston, North Dakota. But the town of 15,000, “ground zero in North Dakota’s petroleum explosion,” is attracting thousands of people who can’t find work elsewhere.

“The Nonprofit 1 Percent,” by Steven Thrasher (The Village Voice). This week’s Voice cover story makes a surprising claim about salaries and excess at New York nonprofits: “In the nonprofit world, things don’t turn out to be so different than in places like Wall Street.”

“Kraft’s Top Lawyer Says Let’s Rename the Company ‘Mondelez,’” by Jim Edwards (Business Insider). Kraft’s apparently renaming its international division — with some interesting outcomes. “I don’t know what kind of weight Kraft’s name pulls in, say, Mexico or England, but you have to wonder at this decision,” jokes Kip reporter Susannah Snider. “At least they nixed ‘Tfark.’”