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

Medicare Advantage Draft Letter making the Rounds in the Senate

Once again, there are efforts being made in the US Senate urging Senators to support Medicare Advantage plans. The facts against Medicare Advantage being beneficial for seniors have been stated over and over again by Kip Sullivan, myself, and others as well. PNHP President has authored a counter letter to the Senate explaining some of […]

New Deal democrats Weekly Indicators January 29 – February 2

Weekly Indicators for January 29 – February 2 at Seeking Alpha  – by New Deal democrat My “Weekly Indicators” post is up at Seeking Alpha. One week ago many of the high frequency indicators hit an “air pocket.” This week some – but not all! – resolved. At present there is one of the more anomalous situations […]

Betting it all on a Constitutional Loophole

Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern has posted a good commentary about Oregon politics, “Oregon Republicans bet it all on a constitutional loophole. They lost big-time.” The topic? What happens to in-office politicians who attempt to block legislation or function by not being in attendance. For some years, Oregon suffered from politicians who decided to just not […]

What’s holding back Alzheimer Disease therapy?

My dad died a few years ago with dementia. The diagnosis was Frontotemporal Lobe Dementia (FTD), based on a psychiatric evaluation and brain imaging. After he died, we had a brain autopsy done, which returned a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease. So which was it? As far as I know, it could be both. But what […]

Biden, A Master of the Oil-Trade?

Originally published at Benzinga Biden The Master Oil Trader Part III? President Refills Emergency Stash as Crude Price Slides – United States Oil Fund, Benzinga, Aaron Bry, Editor. ~~~~~~~~ The Biden administration has been slowly replenishing stocks in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) as oil prices fell in the fourth quarter, buying crude at prices that could […]

Just One U.S. GDP Chart to Talk About

U.S. winning world economic war, axios.com, Neil Irwin. The United States economy grew faster than any other large, advanced economy last year, by a wide margin, and is on track to do so again in 2024. Why it matters: America’s outperformance is rooted in its distinctive structural strengths, policy choices, and some luck. It reflects a fundamental resilience […]

Open Thread February 2 2024 federal judge tosses disinformation superspreader Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s lawsuit

Last September, Kennedy—who has lambasted social media platforms’ attempts to contain his fact-free rants about vaccines as unforgivable infringements on free expression—brought suit in New Hampshire to squelch a blogger who posted anonymously on the Daily Kos website about a speech that the late Sen. Robert Kennedy’s son delivered in Berlin to a group called Querdenken. “Free Speech Lover RFK […]

January jobs report: a very strong report, but with pockets of significant weakness

January jobs report: A very strong report, but with pockets of significant weakness  – by New Deal democrat As per usual, the Establishment and Household portions of the jobs report gave somewhat different impressions, complicated by annual revisions to each. In general, not only was January excellent of the Establishment report, but most months in the […]

A Primer to the Use of Alternatives to lithium-ion batteries

This is taken from a more detailed and longer write-up on alternatives to lithium-ion batteries. It has been edited and comments have been added. Sometimes when you write a long piece, people just quit reading halfway through it. My point here is to get people to read what is out there and where we are […]

New month’s data starts out with leading indicators in both manufacturing and construction indicating expansion

New month’s data starts out with leading indicators in both manufacturing and construction indicating expansion  – by New Deal democrat As usual, the new month’s data starts out with information on manufacturing and construction. The ISM manufacturing index has been a good leading indicator in that sector for 75 years. The difference over time, especially […]