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

Higher Covid Death Rates in Trump States

I was reading the usual MedPage Today articles. One commenter discusses the State of Florida under Governor DeSantis having a high Covid Death Rate. Fourteen of 15 states favored Trump in the election and have the highest Covid Death Rates. The article: “Florida’s Surgeon General Sends a Dangerous Message” | MedPage Today, Thresia B. Gambon, […]

February CPI, Higher Prices for Food and Fuel, etc., Annual Inflation Up

RJS; MarketWatch 666, Covered here is everything having a major price change. This includes the 2.4% increase in the price index for men’s underwear, the 3.8% increase in the price index for women’s underwear, and also prices for what are now more than 40 items having a double-digit year over year increase. CPI Rose 0.8% […]

January Trade Deficit up 9.4% – Record High, December deficit up

RJS, MarketWatch 666, including estimates on the hit to GDP . . . the December deficit was revised up to what would have been a record high at the same time. US Trade Deficit Rose 9.4% to a Record High in January After December Deficit Revised Higher Our trade deficit rose 9.4% in January, as […]

Another Trying Season, La Nina Now Through Summer

The good folks over at the National Weather Service have posted that La Nina, the ENSO negative Pacific Ocean pattern is here to stay for a threepeat. What this typically means for us in the US is that we are looking at drought. More drought. From the Texas South to the Dakota’s. This also means […]

Oil – Everything worse but only nudged the old records out by a week or two

RJS, Focus on Fracking, The Latest US Oil Supply and Disposition Data from the EIA US oil data from the US Energy Information Administration for the week ending March 4th indicated that even after a big drop in our oil exports and an increase in our oil imports, we had to pull oil out of our stored […]

VA health care system treats vets better than private facilities

Coming fresh off of featuring Kip Sullivan’s “Single Payer Health Care Financing Presentation – Three Part Series,” also “Continuing the Conversation concerning Medicare and Medicare Advantage Part 1 and Part 2.” and Kip Sullivan and Ralph Nader Talk Tradition Medicare vs Medicare Advantage; I came across this article by Suzanne Gordon concerning Veteran healthcare and […]

January 2022, Monthly Construction Spend

RJS, MarketWatch 666; January’s construction spending As usual, I estimate the impact of revisions to prior months on 4th quarter GDP, and the impact of the January report on 1st quarter GDP… Construction Spending Up 1.3% on Higher Costs in January after December and November Spending Was Revised Higher The Census Bureau’s report on January construction spending (pdf) […]