Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

STOCK MARKET VALUATION

In the previous OldVet comments I talked about the relationship between interest rates and the stock market. I just though I would but up one example of what I was talking about. Note how the fitted value has started rising in recent months but the market Pe has not moved up yet.

Water in the works in December 07

The Great Lakes Water Resources Compact was signed last December by the governors of the eight states that border the lakes — Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York — and the premiers of the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario. The agreement requires approval of state legislatures before it is sent […]

CORPORATE TAX RATES

We’re starting to see a new campaign by the Republicans about a cut in the corporate tax rates. There is a good case to be made for corporate tax cuts. This is especially true if the objective is to increase business fixed investment. After all corporations account for over 80% of business fixed investment as […]

Stuff and nonsense, or does it make sense

The Wellesley Dump has expanded even more to date. It is not my town, but is remarkable. Wellesley’s recycling program was started in 1971 by local environmentalists and the Department of Public Works when the town incinerator failed to meet air emission standards. Unlike many of the earlier recycling centers around the nation, Wellesley’s is […]

Reclaiming water

The LA Times reports on one way to deal with a shortage of drinking water: As a hedge against water shortages and population growth, Orange County has begun operating the world’s largest, most modern reclamation plant — a facility that can turn 70 million gallons of treated sewage into drinking water every day.The new purification […]

"Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin"

Lifted from comments on trolls: I honestly don’t think there are any real “trolls” at this site. Trolls are malicious and their only intent is to sabotage websites. They might post hundreds of irrelevant posts with the only purpose of discouraging people from visiting that site. I guess I’m more interested in how a discussion […]

Fair hearings of any kind are due

Morris D. Davis is the former chief prosecutor for the Office of Military Commissions. The opinions expressed are his own and do not represent the views of the Department of Defense or the Department of the Air Force. The Military Commissions Act provides a foundation for fair trials, but some changes are clearly necessary. I […]

Some quick comments on the employment report. Does not look good. I’m starting to have doubts about my forecast that we are just sliding into a stagnation, not a recession scenario. The household survey look especially worrisome. But the hours worked data is not as weak. December hours worked were unchanged. The 4th quarter hours […]

Thinking or testing

This blog on research digest of pysychology noted the following research report from Scotland on schools and how to learn. Teaching children the art of collaborative philosophical inquiry brings them persistent, long-term cognitive benefits, according to psychologists in Scotland. Keith Topping and Steve Trickey first reported the short-term benefits of using Thinking through Philosophy” with […]

5% unemployment rate

WOW — in seven year team Bush managed to raise the unemployment rate from under 4% when they took office to 5%. Way to go team Bush!! P.S. Note that in modern times only one Republican President managed to leave office with a lower unemployment rate then they inherited. Every Democratic President achieved this feat.