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

Trump as Chance the gardener

In the film “Being There,” Chance the gardener is a simple-minded gardener who had never left the confines of his employer’s Washington D.C. townhouse. When the elderly man he worked for dies, Chance is forced to leave the house for the first time in his life. He encounters Eve Rand, who brings him home to […]

Population Outlook 2026 to 2056 which Includes Immigration

Keep in mind, as the Baby Boomer population decreases there will be a population shrinkage. Indeed, it is shrinking as I write this short introduction. Replacement rate is at ~1.6 today. Without immigration, the economy could be short of labor as well as other issues. In spite of what Trump believes immigration is an important […]

Moving Student Loans to the Treasury Department

While living in Michigan, I was invited to a Garden Party featuring Senator Debbie Stabenow. Being the person I am, I asked on behalf of student having such loans what she was going to do to grant relief to students who are behind, experiencing economic issues, swindled into taking loans to achieve capabilities which do […]

Salary by Gender has Spread further Apart

The equivalency of education for women and men in the same disciple is not a guarantee of equal pay. This is true even if both went to the same school for their education. Also. more likely than not, a woman from a highly rated school may still get paid less than a man who graduated […]

Healthcare in the United States

Some rather easy facts and numbers to understand what is going on in healthcare. The data and graphs originate from USA Facts. USA Facts makes government data easier to access and understand. as the assert, “we don’t tell you what to think. We give you what you need to make informed decisions.” Three topics are […]

Can China poach US-trained scientists?

There were few if any Chinese students in my college classes and none in my graduate program. There was only one Chinese postdoc in the lab where I did postdoctoral training, and no Chinese grad students. But two of the four grad students who started in my department when I started as a faculty in […]

Trade Deficits, Tariffs, and Rare Earths

Having read the part of processing rare earths in China when the United States has a sufficent supply of rare earths to sustain US Processing. It may make sense to process rare earths in the US. The possesses significant rare earth element (REE) deposits estimated to be > than 3.6 million tons. There are major […]

Many Generic Medications can be Sold at a Fraction of Current Prices

“Pharmaceutical Pricing: JAMA Talks with Mark Cuban on Public Health,” JAMA, JAMA Network Dr Bibbins-Domingo: You’ve basically shown that many generic medications can be sold at a fraction of current prices. In health care terms, what does this tell us about the market? Mr Cuban: It tells you that it’s not an efficient market…You mentioned [Cost Plus […]