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

“DEI” is the new “Marxism”

For the past century, Republicans have used the words “Marxist,” “Socialist” and “Communist” as epithets to refer to anything and everything they disapprove of. Now that a generation of Americans that was born after the collapse of the Soviet Union has come of age, those swear words have lost their potency. Looks like “DEI” is […]

The most beautiful word in the dictionary

Trump has said that “tariff” is the most beautiful word in the dictionary. Last Friday, he announced his intention to shine that beauty on the American people. “Outside analyses make clear that Trump’s tariffs would hurt the voters that he intended to help, meaning that he might ultimately need to find a resolution. “An analysis […]

No, F*ckwads, It IS illegal

The least trustworthy name in news, buried in the 13th graf: Democratic lawmakers have argued it would be illegal for Trump to unilaterally eliminate a federal agency without consulting Congress. This is not a question of whether something is blue-green, aqua, or cyan. This is a matter of fact. You might think a news organization […]

Taking semaglutide? Stick with the program

Personally, I’ve never had a weight problem. Always had a BMI under 24. But I’ve known plenty of people who were overweight or obese. For the ones who started taking semaglutides, the results have been transformative and the risks for most have been negligible. But don’t take my word for it. Here’s Dr. McGowan, a […]

MAGA is coming for your paycheck

There are other forms of taxation besides income taxes. Tariffs are really just taxes on consumer goods. And deportations will drive up the prices of produce that’s left to rot in the fields. Call it a “deportation tax.” This link is from 16 January. “The impact of President-elect Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportation is […]

The covid echo chamber is alive and well on the libertarian right

Don Boudreaux has reprinted a few paragraphs from a George Will column under the heading:  George Will explains that RFK, Jr., is what people get “when trust in government collapses.”  Here are the quoted paragraphs, my bold: Indifference to evidence, and an appetite for startling hypotheses, are well-known characteristics of cranks. Kennedy is a man-child […]

What is to be done?

Josh Marshall has a post up at TPM about the current assault on the federal government by unelected Elon Musk and his unelected and unappointed minions. While the Trump cult GOP currently holds the executive branch and slim majorities in Congress for the next two years, there are still things their opponents can do to […]