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

Largest ACO Program is Saving Piddling Amounts for Medicare

Introduction: “new analysis finds that that MSSP, the oldest and largest Medicare accountable care organization (ACO) program, has lost money for individuals it covers and overall for Medicare it saves just 75¢ per $1000.” AB: Not much of gain there. What does it do for other programs? “Largest ACO Program Saves Piddling Amounts for Medicare,” […]

Jobless claims end the year on a solidly positive note

Jobless claims end the year on a solidly positive note  – by New Deal democrat For our last data of 2023, initial jobless claims remained at a very low level, up 12,000 from one week ago to 218,000. The four week average declined 250 to 212,000. With the usual one week delay, continuing claims rose 14,000 […]

Trying Hard Not to be an Ugly American while Working in Thailand

Either in the beginning of our trip or at the end of the trip, we would end up in Bangkok, Thailand. Our stay was at The Landmark Hotel which to my knowledge was a Thai hotel and our plant(s) put us up there and on the Executive floor. Centrally located, it was easy to get […]

Soft Landing II

I promised a second entry in the series, Soft Landing this time it’s monetary. The question is why didn’t the FED’s monetary tightening cause a recession. There certainly was tightening, the Federal Funds rate rose from 0.07% to 5.33% There certainly were people who predicted a recession in 2023 (hey they still have 4 days […]

ACA Open Enrollment Period (OEP) is STILL ongoing

Charles Gaba was to become known to me because of Maggie Mahar who was featured at Angry Bear in the past. Another resident of Michigan like I was, one county and a few communities away from my own home. Thoroughly ACA knowledgeable and ACA competent. You can trust his words. I featured this commentary by […]

Repeat home sale prices may be easing back into their pre-pandemic YoY range

Repeat home sale prices may be easing back into their pre-pandemic YoY range  – by New Deal democrat As I forewarned last week, this holiday week is very light on data, so don’t be surprised by me taking some time off. We did get November home prices for repeat sales this morning from both Case […]

AZ Declarants and Builders Fail to Fix Manmade Lakes which They Built

A story that leaves me stumped. What does one do when a defect is revealed in a development that is still building out to completion? The development is controlled entirely by Builders and a Declarant. The community residents are blocked from any access to an AZ Developer run HOA. And daily management is done by […]