Today’s Links: June 12, 2012

OPINION

DEREK THOMPSON: “Are Unions Necessary?
“It hasn’t been a good week for unions in America. Actually, it hasn’t been a good half-century for them, either. […] Here’s the question I have for you: If our goal is a strong middle class, are unions the right place to focus our energy … or are they bad for the country? Has America passed the Rubicon when it comes to organized labor … or do we still have a reason and opportunity to pass laws that protect skilled and unskilled workers?”

SHIKHA DALMIA: “Michael Bloomberg, Soda Jerk
“New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed ban on big sodas in the Big Apple is generating accusations that he is a Nanny Statist. But that’s not quite accurate. A nanny forces others to do things for their own good. Bloomberg is a moral narcissist forcing New Yorkers to do things that make him feel good.”

AMY PAYNE: “The Private Sector Is Not Doing Fine
“In now-infamous comments on Friday, President Barack Obama informed America that ‘the private sector is doing fine.‘ This, of course, was news to the 12.7 million people who are out of work and the millions more who are struggling with the part-time jobs they can find, or have simply given up looking. While the President’s comment is astoundingly out of touch with the public—and economic reality—perhaps even more distressing is that this wasn’t a passing verbal gaffe. This is actually a consistent talking point of the President and Democratic leadership that goes largely unchallenged by the media.”

NEWS

ROGUE WEBSITES – Feds Tell Megaupload Users to Forget About Their Data
“Federal authorities say they may shut down cloud-storage services without having to assist innocent customers in retrieving data lost in the process. The government is making that argument in the case of Megaupload, the file-sharing service that was shuttered in January following federal criminal copyright-infringement indictments targeting its operators.”

INCOME – Family Net Worth Drops to Level of Early ’90s, Fed Says
“The recent economic crisis left the median American family in 2010 with no more wealth than in the early 1990s, erasing almost two decades of accumulated prosperity, the Federal Reserve said Monday.”

INNOVATION – Google Bringing Street View to Hiking Trails
“Over the past few years, Google Street View maps have let us explore the world from our laptops. The maps have given us tours around cities and the Amazon; gone along the Rhaetian Railways of the Swiss Alps and inside the White House. Now, with new equipment, Street View will be able to take us along on the world’s best hiking trails.”