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

Ford UAW Contract Offer Includes Pay Increases, Tiers Eliminated

I am watching the evolution of the American automotive industry from combustion engine driven vehicles to electric driven vehicles. It is interesting to hear about all the potential blood to be spilled as management eventually whacks labor and plants to make the move from combustion to electric vehicles. It is inevitable as a new workforce […]

What makes ultra-processed foods so bad for your health?

Not too much has changed in the process food industry. Baloney, salami, hot dogs, sweet rolls, etc. are still the same. Process foods consists of any “raw agricultural commodities that have been washed, cleaned, milled, cut, chopped, heated, pasteurized, blanched, cooked, canned, frozen, dried, dehydrated, mixed or packaged or anything done to them altering their […]

Impact of low-value care received by Medicare beneficiaries outside of their health systems

The topic is important as too much resource and funds may be being spent on care with little return. Eighty-one percent of combined low value care was by out of network clinicians of which 90% was by specialists. There is some issues here. If I can find more detail, I will revise this short blurb. […]

How Big is a Burger King Whopper?

Burger King Whopper is 4 ounces. A Wendy;s single is 4 ounces. The real question is, can you misrepresent a product in advertising? Everyone may know the product is not what it is claimed to be. It is a sales gimmick meant to entice you. However, does this relieve the seller of responsibility for misrepresentation? […]

Rule Changes Offer Little Relief as Student Loan Payments Resume

If I was new to this dilemma, I would believe this is better news than prior announcements. But it is not good news, it is news coming too late for the borrowers holding exaggerated debt due to penalties, consolidation fees, interest, interest on that interest, and rate changes. If this was said a decade ago, […]

Payday Lenders Gave Millions to Republicans Backing Efforts to Destroy CFPB

These people are the lowest of the scum. They were always a shady type of business. There efforts were to target low-income neighborhoods. There actions are to keep their customers victims on a never-ending cycle of dependence through predatory practices. The high-interest rates and fees makes it difficult for borrowers to repay the loan. It […]

Ford Reveals New Lineup of EV Chargers + a Home Version

This is mostly about commercial charging stations for companies. However, the company does offer a home version which I have added a picture and the pricing. Not cheap. It does solve the issue of where do I charge my vehicle? Not endorsing this as it is early on in the introduction of EVs and barely […]

California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act sets in motion a single-payer healthcare coverage

More detail on California’s Single Payer Bill AB1690. 0223 CA Legal Fact Sheet AB1690 CalCare.pdf, nationalnursesunited.org. Summary Today’s U.S. health care system is a complex, fragmented multi-payer system that still leaves wide gaps of coverage and poses significant issues of affordability. Despite health care spending in the United States far exceeding other high-income, industrialized countries […]

Union Strikes in the US seem big but the numbers of Americans walking off their jobs remains historically low

This is brief commentary is pulled from several sources. It is meant to be an observation. In “Union Booms and Busts,” a new book by the authors Judith Stepan-Norris, Jasmine Kerrissey, a review is taken of the shifting fortunes of U.S. labor, their unions, and of employers and their organizations. This is not meant to […]

Friendly Fire, Allies tangle over single-payer strategy

California Democrat State Senator Scott Wiener’s (SB770) wants to talk more about single payer which some dispute as even being single payer. Health Care 4 Us (Democrats) join with union nurses in California who champion AB 1690. SB 770, establishes a “working group” to advise the Governor in informal conversations with the federal government about waivers […]