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

In the aggregate, in real terms, average American households are bringing home more income

Producer prices continue sharp deceleration; real average and aggregate nonsupervisory pay continues to increase  – by New Deal democrat Historically producer prices were more upstream of consumer prices, but since the 1990s and the employment of “just-in-time” inventories, that has been less the case. So I normally don’t pay too much attention to the monthly […]

“This is the golden age of drug discovery”

This commentary came by way of ltr a reader at Angry Bear. A pretty solid review of how drug prices and the resulting costs after insurance are still impossible to pay. That is, if the insurance, Medicare, Medicaid even pay for them in entirety or a portion. If the former is not the case, a […]

Properly measured Inflation is no longer a significant issue . . .

CPI less shelter up only 0.7% in last 11 months (0.8% annualized rate)  – by New Deal democrat Let me cut to the chase right from the outset: except for the very lagging measures of shelter; motor vehicle parts, repairs and insurance; and to a lesser and waning extent, food; consumer inflation is now well-contained […]

A Slightly confusing headline . . .

Pluralities of Americans support second Trump indictment, say charges are politically motivated: POLL, ABC News, Brittany Shepherd. According to Commenter Fred Dobbs; A Slightly confusing headline . . . ABC News – June 11 There are sharp partisan differences, according to the survey. A plurality of Americans think that former President Donald Trump should have […]

Recycling Plastics releases Microplastic pollution in the Water and Air

Having purchased healthcare, automotive, etc. components from various molding manufacturers, I can definitely testify to the amount of scrap created from each part. There is no way of avoiding the scrap left from a molded component. Much of this ends up in regrind and what ever is sorted may go into other uses. The story […]

How is Labor in Europe? Check out Switzerland

Not so long ago, I was working in Riethem-Weilhem Germany for the Germans, of course. A smaller ($1 billion) automotive company. My US position was in Cazenovia, NY where the Rockefellers used to hang out in their mansion on the south end of Lake Cazenovia. It is now called the Brewster Inn. While in Germany, […]

Are personal consumption expenditures a helpful forecasting (or even nowcasting) metric? An overview

Are personal consumption expenditures a helpful forecasting (or even nowcasting) metric? An overview  – by New Deal democrat As I’ve noted a number of times recently, in addition to payrolls the other positive datapoint keeping the economy growing is real personal spending. Here is what it looks like in total, plus broken down by goods […]

Narrowing the scope of the 1972 Clean Water Act

One would have to be totally unknowing or have a ignorant disregard for wetlands near streams, rivers, and lakes. Wetlands purify our water by removing sediments and other pollutants including chemicals. Wetlands also filter and process excess nutrients that may runoff from agricultural and development sites. Wetlands hold on to the water long enough to allow […]

Open Thread June 12, 2023 SCOTUS on Wetlands

Alito pretends physics does not exist. Nearby wetlands do not matter unless they have a surface connection to a stream, river, or lake. The notion a wetland can only be linked to streams or lakes by a continuous surface connection—presumably visible to the justices themselves—is fundamentally at odds with hydrology or the science of water. The movement […]

The Thought running Through my Mind was “Who will be the Judge in Florida?”

The second question; Why do Repubs get to pick the judges they wish to appear before? And the third question? Why do Dems get whatever is available? I was thinking about this happenstance on Friday when I read trump would appear in Federal Court in Florida. And yes, trump appointee Judge Aileen Cannon came to mind. […]