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

Five Charts, Numerics, and some Explanation on Home Ownership in the United States

 Individual economic circumstances will influence political beliefs and behavior. Such can be said about homeowners and potential homeowners who desire to be homeowners. For example. higher mortgage interest rates will restrict those who have lower incomes. In the end, the inability to afford a home will have an influence in American politics. Home ownership and […]

Trump Returns from China after Giving Them What They Always Been After From the U.S.

Yes, I also subscribe to and read Professor Heather’s site. If you do not know of Prof. Hearther. The Prof. is a political historian who uses facts and history to make observations about contemporary American politics. In my humble opinion, Professor Heather typically gets it right. I have not found a reason to disagree. In […]

Constitutionally

Then, it was a new nation, a revolutionarily new kind of nation, in the late 18th century.  People rode on horseback, in buggies, wagons, stagecoaches, and on shanksmare; sailed, rowed, and poled the water(s); and communicated via letters carried on these means of transportation.  A new nation formed up of 13 (newly wed) former colonies […]

Newscast Discussing Trump and Iran

Kerry told MS NOW’s Jen Psaki on “The Briefing” that the president’s Truth Social posts –– an expletive-laden post on Sunday and a Tuesday threat that Iran’s “whole civilization will die” –– left him “as shocked as I’ve been by anything that I have seen or read by this administration, in the first administration and now in the second.” […]

Mothers Day

My mom led an extraordinary and full life. The youngest of three, she was raised in Johnstown PA, northern Appalachia. Her dad died when she was a teenager. Her mom, who never finished high school, went to work as a domestic. She was able to attend William and Mary thanks to money provided by an […]

February and March construction spending show two leading sectors in decline; only AI spending holding up the economy

 – by New Deal democrat Tomorrow, Angy Bear will have New Deal democrat’s April jobs report up. I believe you will find it somewhat different than what others are posting. ~~~~ It has become increasingly likely that the Boom (or maybe Bubble) in spending on the construction and operation of AI data centers may be […]

Tennessee, evolution and Cinco de Mayo

From a PBS post on Facebook yesterday: “On May 5, 1925, Dayton, Tennessee high school teacher John Scopes was arrested for teaching evolution. “It all began when the state of Tennessee passed a law making it a crime to teach evolution in public schools. The newly-organized American Civil Liberties Union responded immediately, placing an ad […]

“administration tried to blame Democrats and the media”

April 28, 2026 Letters from an American – by Heather Cox Richardson There is a frenzied feeling to the news coming from the White House these days. Yesterday, the administration tried to blame Democrats and the media for the incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night, when Secret Service agents apprehended a […]

Money beyond borders: a book review

I’ve read over 200 history books and biographies. The two great drivers of history are war and money. For a dose of military history, I recently read “The Dark Path” by Williamson Murray. A big take-home of that book was how often victory depended on superior finances. For economic history, I’ve read “Money: The true […]

politics and the economy . . .

A rundown of the politics and the economy . . . April 28, 2026 Letters from an American Prof. Heather Cox Richardson There is a frenzied feeling to the news coming from the White House these days. Yesterday, the administration tried to blame Democrats and the media for the incident at the White House Correspondents’ […]