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

Alleged Hypocrisy and Virtue Signalling

Heads I win tails you lose. There are criticisms of alleged hypocrisy and alleged virtue signalling. I am convinced that most who criticise “virtue signalling” are, in fact, criticizing virtue. My guess is that there the selfishness and altruism of different people is different and the relatively selfish suspect (correctly) that the relatively altruistic disapprove […]

GM Releases 2024 First-Quarter Results

Results taken from Company Reports: “GM Releases 2024 First-Quarter Results and Raises Full-Year Guidance,” General Motors Company GM Story Reported by William Gavin at Quartz: beats Wall Street’s expectations again for third-quarter earnings and raised its outlook for the full year GM is having a great year as it posts Q3 earnings beat General Motors […]

Are corporate profits stalling in Q3?

– by New Deal democrat One of the well-established long leading indicators is corporate profits. Typically they peak a year or more before the onset of a recession. And the reason makes sense: if there is profit pressure that lasts longer than a single quarter, i.e., it looks like it may be forming a trend, […]

Can Retail Business Implement Primary Healthcare?

The question here is whether primary care can be commercialized more so than what it has been to date? Will profitability deliver a better healthcare model? Who will it serve? Can it survive without large healthcare institutions and hospitals supporting it? It might given where its location and the costs of utilizing it. Can Primary […]

Pennsylvania canvassing report

I am canvassing near Pittsburgh this week with a group of around 30.  The first few days have been relatively uneventful.  The weather has been beautiful.  A few of my co-canvassers reported useful conversations, like one woman who wanted to vote but wasn’t sure who the pro-choice candidate was.  I have had one conversation with […]

Medicare Part D Increases

A heads up on changes to Part D in 2025. Some you already know as a $2000 cap on Meds Part D. Premiums may increase. There is a chance for subsidies. Read on . . . These increases in Medicare part D premiums are for 2025 Medicare, a federal health insurance program, is vital for […]

The only force holding Trump accountable for trying to interfere in the last election is the voters in the up coming one

SCOTUS: Actually, Presidents Are Kings – by Joyce Vance Civil Discourse One of the last lines in Joyce Vance commentary at Civil Discourse is the title I used for this lengthy (and it is) Post of hers. Why is it the men on SCOTUS are a bunch of cowards when it comes to Trump? What […]

Opinion Piece “China’s One-Child Economic Disaster”

Recent WSJ subscription article on China and it trying to reverse its one-child per couple policy. Evidently the policy is leaving the country with a growing elderly population with no younger replacements to follow. It will now implement subsidies to encourage larger families to reverse the demographic decline of its own design. The Communist Party […]

A closer look at (why I’m not terribly concerned by) the recent elevated initial claims

– by New Deal democrat This week is another light one for economic data, so let me discuss a couple of points explaining why I am cautious, but not DOOOMing. Basically, because there are a lot of asterisks. Today let me follow up on initial jobless claims. The typical best way to look at these is […]

Changes at Angry Bear

Many of you have noticed unwanted occurrences at Angry Bear. We have had four occurrences of down time. I am not sure why this is happening. Each time, Joel and I have alerted our present Server staff without being demanding or obnoxious. The latter serves no purpose. We need their help while we transition to […]