American universities are the envy of the world—for now. If President Musk’s cuts to the NIH budget hold, that will likely change*. But for JD Vance, that’s a feature, not a bug: “When President Trump and his allies think of the idealized version of higher education, they don’t look to the Ivy League or the […]
AB: I apologize as this is way too brief. Women should have and need the right to decide what is correct for themselves without dictates by outside influences. It appears the outside influences want control of the rights of women to decide and are willing to punish them for exercising that right. There’s a new […]
Three charts and some explanation on net interest payments on debt for 2024 and higher in 20525 and 2026. Much of this is due to the pandemic and Biden paying out funds in support of the constituency. The result is higher interest rates as the Fed attempts to stabilize the economy and gain control of […]
Rust Belt cities reborn? – The one-handed economist Guest Post by Student Sara Pittsburgh and Detroit, known as Rust Belt cities because of their proximity to areas of heavy manufacturing, were two of the wealthiest American cities in the 20th century (Warda, 2016). Yet today, while one city is said to be a model for […]
The question? How much Federal Public School Funding comes from the Feds? The answer is here and you have to read it for yourself. Not a lot of reading to stymie you. Not terribly difficult. Not even 30 minutes of reading. The first question that comes to my mind? What would happen to schools if […]
Data drought continues – by New Deal democrat There is no new significant economic data today, and I am on the road. Meaningful reporting should resume tomorrow with housing permits, starts, and construction. In the meantime, here is a look at a high frequency series I keep track of: Redbook retail sales, for the past […]
February 15, 2025 – by Prof. Heather Cox Richardson Letters from an American After World War II, the vast majority of Americans (Democrats and Republicans alike) agreed that the federal government should regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, promote infrastructure, and protect civil rights. But not everyone was on board. Some big businessmen […]
“Education is meant to be the great equalizer for our children, not a great investment opportunity for the billionaires ransacking our federal government.” Getting rid of the Department of Education will take an act of Congress. Republicans are more than willing to approve all of Trump’s requests and nominations. This appointment is an interesting pick. […]
Trump administration drafting executive order to initiate Department of Education’s elimination | CNN Politics The Trump administration has begun drafting an executive order that would kick off the process of eliminating the Department of Education, the latest move by President Donald Trump to swiftly carry out his campaign promises, two sources familiar with the plans told CNN. The […]
Sometimes, even a seasonally-adjusted picture from FRED is worth a thousand words. In three years–three good economic years–the number of Software Developer jobs listed on Indeed has fallen just over 70%. If there were ten jobs listed three years ago, there are almost three listed now. Note that most of the drop was before all […]