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

Achieving historically ‘normal’ GDP growth rates will be impossible

The U.S.-Born labor force will shrink over the next decade: Achieving historically ‘normal’ GDP growth rates will be impossible, unless immigration flows are sustained Economic Policy Institute Reduction of net immigration flows would lead to much slower labor force and GDP growth If we assume that any changes in population levels do not change labor […]

Being Seized by Homeland Security and Border Control Agents

It used to be said, “If you were not doing anything wrong, what do you have to worry about?” Today, just being on the street going home, to a store, walking to church, etc. is not guaranteed to being safe anymore. Authorities can target you, just because you look different than what they perceive a […]

Consumer spending has continued to increase

– by New Deal democrat I concluded my post yesterday with the conclusion that “while housing and trucking are plainly recessionary, the broader manufacturing orders outlook and consumer purchases of vehicles are not.”  Today I want to expand on that by taking a broader look at the main coincident measures of expansion vs. recession, and focus […]

“Fixing” Social Security

If nothing is done, the Social Security Trust Fund will be depleted by ca. 2035 and projected retirement benefits will drop by ca. 20%. What are the alternatives? The favorite alternative on the right is to increase the normal retirement age to 70. “Increase the normal retirement age (NRA) 3 months per year for those […]

Tyler Cowen’s no good, very bad post on Affordable Care Act Subsidies

We are in the middle of a government shutdown, and one point of contention between Democrats and Republicans is the extension of “enhanced” premium subsidies for policies purchased on the exchanges set up under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Yesterday Tyler Cowen put up a blog post titled “The unraveling of Obamacare?”.  I haven’t followed […]

Auto and truck purchases give conflicting signals on expansion vs. recession

 – by New Deal democrat The typical post-jobs report lull in the data is amplified this month (of course) by the fact that there was no jobs report this month! If there is a tiny silver lining beginning to appear, it is that the Administration is making noises about reinstating the health care subsidies that has […]

Political Commentary with a fringe of Economics

As a commentary goes, I consider this one to be a good one.It is on target with what we are facing today. Whisky Pete’s Triumph Of The Swill, Bad Crow Review As fascist productions go, the Whisky Pete and Trump show fell well short of the standards established by Albert Speer and Leni Riefenstahl. An auditorium full of stony-faced […]