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

Being Polite

I am seeing issues with commenting. I want to touch on the topic a bit. Be polite in your comments. Joel and I are open to comments. We do not critique how you write something, its wording, etc. We may agree or disagree. When a comment goes awry, off topic, attacks another or the author, […]

Open Thread September 15, 2023, Will Union Auto Workers Strike?

The deep roots of the UAW’s current dissatisfaction share much with those taking labor actions to fight back after decades of rising inequality: The pay of typical workers has lagged far behind more-privileged actors in our economy, and the reason for this growing inequality is an erosion of workers’ leverage and bargaining power in labor markets. Open […]

Falling Auto Worker Wages and Increasing CEO Pay . . .

UAW-automakers negotiations pit falling wages against skyrocketing CEO pay: U.S. auto companies have the means to invest in EVs, pay workers a fair share, and still earn healthy profits | Economic Policy Institute, epi.org, Adam S. Hersh. Yet they are not paying Labor it’s overdue fair share of wages. United Auto Workers (UAW) members at […]

Jobless claims up 14.6%, 4-week average up 11.8%, and continuing claims up 29.6%

Initial jobless claims maintain renewed yellow caution flag  – by New Deal democrat Some post-pandemic unresolved seasonality may be affecting the weekly claims figures, as just like last year, they are declining sharply compared with early August. But on a YoY basis, they are not nearly so positive. Initial jobless claims rose 3,000 last week […]

Paul Krugman’s “Goldilocks” economy is likely to prove “transitory”

PPI and CPI preview: why Paul Krugman’s “Goldilocks” economy is likely to prove “transitory” – by New Deal democrat Sorry for the lack of posting yesterday. Every now and then, real life intrudes and, well, yesterday was one of those days. All of the economic data this week is going to be crammed into tomorrow […]

The Budget Deficit is an absurd calculation

The budget deficit is the change in the nominal face value of public debt. It is roughly unique (as far as I know) being the change in a quantity which is not corrected for inflation. We do not usually talk about nominal GDP growth or nominal wage growth. The sustainable deficit increases one for one […]

My 9/11 memorial

Today, several folks have posted 9/11 remembrances online. I’m fine with that. We should remember the people who died as a result of the plane crashes, as well as their families and friends. But don’t stop there. Also remember how this tragedy was cynically exploited for political purposes by folks like Rudy Giuliani and George […]

No Free Lunch Ignoring Social Security’s Timely Cheap Fix Costs You

Dale Coberly Talks Social Security . . . For over ten years I have been telling anyone who would listen . . . about ten people . . . that the great “Looming Unfunded Twenty-Two Trillion Dollar Deficit! . . . stealing our children’s future,” reported in all the high-end news sources by all the […]

Integrity Use to Be a Valuable Commodity in New Home Building

Our first new home purchase. I knew we were to have issues and would be working through them. It was new and something we had not had before. Arizona’s Registrar of Contractors says they are seeing an uptick in complaints against new home builders. Residents in Maricopa City is south of Phoenix where state highway […]