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

Caribbean Boat Strike

An interesting column by The Washington Post‘s Alex Horton and Ellen Nakashima. “Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: “Kill them all.” The longer the U.S. surveillance aircraft followed the boat, the more confident intelligence analysts watching from command centers became that the 11 people on board were ferrying drugs. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave […]

NVIDIA’s Distinction: Is there an AI bubble?

In The Theory of the Leisure Class, Thorstein Veblen coined a number of terms that have become terms of art: conspicuous consumption, conspicuous waste, pecuniary emulation, invidious comparison, and invidious distinction. He introduced the latter term as it pertained to different kinds of employment in a “higher barbarian culture”: …the distinction between exploit and drudgery […]

An Ongoing War by this Administration against Knowledge manifested by the higher education community, medical, and scientific research

Scenes from the very tardy September jobs report  – by New Deal democrat An opening comment: it is an abomination that the US government treated its statistical agencies as doing expendable work. Thus, after over 85 years of continuity, there will never be an unemployment rate, nor a consumer inflation reading, for October. Which means we […]

Does Government Military Spending “Fund” Shareholder Dividends, Buybacks, and Concentrated Wealth?

Short answer: yeah. The long answer is . . . longer. – by Steve Roth Originally posted at Wealth Economics There are a lot of pathways and mechanisms in the US and worldwide that deliver wealth to assetholders, and that have perennially concentrated that wealth (hence power) into the hands of dynasties over millennia — notably over […]

Trump’s Claims for Thanksgiving

#1. Trump’s ‘Irrefutable’ Thanksgiving Claim Hit With Brutal Fact Check (Daily Beast): “President Donald Trump boasted the price of a Thanksgiving dinner from Walmart had dropped under his administration. He conveniently leaves out the catch behind the bargain meal . . . ‘Walmart just announced that Prices for a Thanksgiving Dinner is now down 25% since under […]

South Carolina Representative Supporting Trump Gets an Answer from a Constituent

The feedback by Chuck is on the mark as usual . . . Former Michigan Planning Commission member Chuck Fellows answering South Carolina Congressional Representative Sheri Biggs. My Representative in Congress, Sheri Biggs, responded to my objection to the Trump administration’s. My response to her is: “Your response is documented evidence of your malfeasance in […]

Donating to Trump’s White House East Wing Demolition

Much of this might not be so bad if Tru_p had any taste for architecture. I suspect the Beverly Hill Billies might have better architectural taste than our president. Probably best to get used to it and correct it after he is gone. ~~~~~~~ “I Asked My Cellphone Service Provider T-Mobile What the Deal Was […]

Maybe Crime is Not as Serious in the US Now?

The perception being, citizens are viewing it as not as serious for a second year. “Crime in U.S. Seen as Less Serious for Second Straight Year,” GALLUP WASHINGTON, D.C. — Building on last year’s less-negative assessments of crime in the U.S., Americans’ perceptions have again improved in 2025. Less than half, 49%, now say crime is an […]