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

Role of Critical Minerals in Clean Energy Transitions

AB: This particular article had warnings about use, changing any of the content, and proper recognition. Fair use is an issue as if giving credit to the authors and proper authorities. Liking this piece which explores the makeup of the batteries, etc. which energize the EVs being touted today. It explores the detail of what […]

Louis DeJoy Closing the Topeka Post Office, the First to be Closed

I was asked by commenter Fred if I would give an update on the US Postal Service. It had been a month so it makes sense to do so. With the centralization of mail pickup by carriers it was said post offices would close as the sorting and bundling would be elsewhere. The Topeka Post […]

Policies Shifted Trade from China?

Has trade for materials, components, and product shifted away from China to be used in the U.S.? Maybe, maybe not, and maybe later. If you are going to manufacture in the US, you have to have the capability. It make take a bit to get up and ready. If we are buying product, etc. from […]

August 26, 2023, On This Day in 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment Ratified

August 26, 2023, Letters from an American, Professor Heather Cox-Richardson On this date in 1920, the U.S. Secretary of State received the official notification from the governor of Tennessee that his state had ratified the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution. Tennessee was the 36th state to ratify the amendment, and the last one necessary to […]

Union Strikes in the US seem big but the numbers of Americans walking off their jobs remains historically low

This is brief commentary is pulled from several sources. It is meant to be an observation. In “Union Booms and Busts,” a new book by the authors Judith Stepan-Norris, Jasmine Kerrissey, a review is taken of the shifting fortunes of U.S. labor, their unions, and of employers and their organizations. This is not meant to […]

New Deal democrats Weekly Indicators August 21-25 2023

Weekly Indicators for August 21 – 25 at Seeking Alpha  – by New Deal democrat While I was away on vacation, the high frequency data continued to pour in. And so my Weekly Indicators post for the week is up at Seeking Alpha. There continue to be some very negative signs associated with interest rates, including important […]

microplastics

These days, microplastics seem to have displaced methane and carbon dioxide as the environmental bogy man. And not that we shouldn’t worry about all pollution sources, but it turns out that, once again, driving is a big problem–not just for global warming but for microplastics as well: “Driving is not just an air pollution and […]

Update on CMS implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act on its 1st anniversary

Passing along information on Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, one year out, and the impact on the US. Update on CMS implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act on its 1st anniversary, ACA Signups, Charles Gaba via the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) (note: this press release actually came out on August 16th):

Limits on pickup truck and SUV size and weight

This is interesting stuff. Big, loud, and gas guzzlers. Licensing them according to such could go a long when in shutting down the purchase of them. Many of these trucks are platforms to conduct business out of them. No licenses for such. Neither do hey have the business name, phone number, and name. Technology for […]

Friendly Fire, Allies tangle over single-payer strategy

California Democrat State Senator Scott Wiener’s (SB770) wants to talk more about single payer which some dispute as even being single payer. Health Care 4 Us (Democrats) join with union nurses in California who champion AB 1690. SB 770, establishes a “working group” to advise the Governor in informal conversations with the federal government about waivers […]