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

A Reflection on Memorial Day

This needs no introduction. Robert Reich takes on the issue correctly in his latest piece. Sunday thought: The problem ISN’T that we’re “divided and polarized” I keep hearing that one of America’s biggest problems is we’re “divided and polarized.” For example, New York Times columnist David French: “We’ve known for a long time that America is deeply polarized, […]

Increasing Unemployment Due to Deportation

Trump’s Immigration Enforcement Hurts All Workers “Unemployment has increased for U.S.-born workers in the face of mass deportations,” Economic Policy Institute During the 2024 campaign, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance stated mass deportations and a crackdown on immigration would open up more jobs for unemployed U.S. citizens. The removal of immigrant workers would cause opportunities […]

How mass immigration raids might explain the historic lows in jobless claims

– by New Deal democrat I want to write an extended discussion of the April retail sales report released this morning, to tease out the effect of the spike in gas prices, but first let me do my usual weekly update on jobless claims. These have historically been a good short leading indicator for the economy, […]

AI’s impacts on learning

The one-handed economist Sometimes you just want the answer David Zetland “AI’s impacts on learning“ AI is changing nearly everything digital around us, for better (search; analysis) and for worse (cybercrime), but its impacts on education are, I think, much larger than many people understand. Learning is more about process than output. I wrote this […]

Sonia Sotomayor on Tuesday criticized another member of the high court

Unusual for one SCOTUS judge to criticize another judge openly. Justice Sonia is correct though as Justice Kavanaugh did not take everything into account as to the temporary stops. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Tuesday criticized another member of the high court for failing to understand the consequences of an order issued last […]

Immigration Enforcement Harms all Labor

Unemployment has increased for U.S.-born workers in the face of mass deportations: Trump’s draconian immigration enforcement is harming all workers. Economic Policy Institute, April 3, 2026 During the 2024 campaign, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance promised that mass deportations and a crack-down on immigration would open up jobs for unemployed U.S. citizens. The theory was […]

population is growing at the rate of almost 1 percent per year

The following statement appeared in the Smithsonian in 2006. “The United States’ population is growing at the rate of almost 1 percent per year, thanks in part to immigration and its secondary effects. Not only does the United States accept more legal immigrants as permanent residents than the rest of the world combined, but these […]

“Denying American Citizens and Migrants an Education”

“it leaves entire communities worse off.” and for that matter countries are worse off if the United States closing the doors to immigration whether legal or illegal. There is always a path to citizenship. The nation does need population growth to sustain its productivity even with robotics in place. “The nation is aging. By 2040, […]

SCOTUS Opinions on Stops based upon race, ethnicity, language, location, or occupation

Newsweek article by Jenna Subdel. “Sonia Sotomayor takes swipe at Brett Kavanaugh over Supreme Court dispute.” I can not find the link to it. It is a Newsweek article which says a lot about arbitrary stops of people who look Hispanic, etc. because they may be in the United Sates illegally. Or you look like […]