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

Labor has gained and Corporations have been sucking up the lion’s share of all gains

Labor has gained since the pandemic, but corporations have been sucking up the lion’s share of those gains . . .  – by New Deal democrat I neglected to add a link to my Weekly Indicators piece at Seeking Alpha on Saturday, so here it is. Also, I’ve been trying to understand why, with all of the […]

Why are so many long-shot Republicans running against Trump?

As of today, Trump seems well-positioned to win the Republican nomination.  The basic dynamic is familiar from 2016 – Trump has a strong base of committed supporters, the opposition will likely be divided, and many Republican primaries are winner-take-all or winner-take-most.  Couple this with the bump in support Trump got after his indictment in NY, […]

Scenes from the April employment report: the Fed just can’t kill the employment “beast”

Scenes from the April employment report: the Fed just can’t kill the employment “beast”  – by New Deal democrat There’s no economic news this morning, so let’s take a closer look at some important trends from last Friday’s April jobs report . As I and many others wrote, an important theme was that the deceleration […]

How to end the debt ceiling stand-off democratically:  set fiscal policy through elections, not hostage taking

The Biden administration and congressional Democrats have so far refused to negotiate with House Republicans over spending cuts to resolve the looming debt ceiling crisis.  This tactic has successfully pressured Republicans into passing a bill with unpopular spending cuts that Democrats will quite rightly use to their advantage in the upcoming election.  But now that […]

The Costs of the Defragmentation of the Global Economy

by Joseph Joyce The Costs of the Defragmentation of the Global Economy The integration of markets across borders has slowed down, and in some cases, reversed. These changes come in the wake of the global financial crisis, Donald Trump’s embrace of trade restrictions, Great Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union, the disruptions in global supply […]

The last dissent of Thurgood Marshall: the Rule of Law vs. the transitory Edicts of 5-4 Court majorities

The last dissent of Thurgood Marshall: the Rule of Law vs. the transitory Edicts of 5-4 Court majorities  – by New Deal democrat Daniel Kiel at the TPM Cafe, on the supreme differences between Clarence Thomas and his predecessor, Thurgood Marshall, writes: “Thurgood Marshall, … in his final opinion before retiring after a quarter century on the […]

International Mother Earth Day April 22, 2023

Thank you Fred Dobbs and a Happy Mother Earth Day to You also. International Mother Earth Day, United Nations Mother Earth is clearly urging a call to action. Nature is suffering. Oceans filling with plastic and turning more acidic.  Extreme heat, wildfires and floods, have affected millions of people. Even these days, we are still […]

What percent of our Atmosphere is CO2?

“Congressman proves global warming scare is just silly.” Commentary by Dale Coberly.  [from Forbes Breaking News] House Transportation Committee Holds Hearings On Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act …..in which Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) gives master class in lying without telling a single lie . . . all in a calm and reasonable voice  He asks […]

Financialism

Back before, municipal and state governments, pension funds, etc. mostly invested in financials of the manufacturing sort. Then, America was in the manufacturing business. An issuing manufacturer was contractually bound to hand over the return owed. The investors were entitled. If they didn’t get their entitle, it was, ‘”see you in court.” In 2023, in […]