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

The case for accelerating inflation is weak

 – by New Deal democrat No economic news again today. Tomorrow we will get the CPI report for November. As to which, I have read a few posts in which the claim is made that inflation, especially core inflation, is picking up again. It certainly could happen, but in my opinion the evidence for such a […]

The Trump-Muskrat plot to kill Social Security

The Trump-Muskrat plot to kill Social Security, Robert Reich Sorry to intrude on your inbox for a second time today, but Elon Musk has revealed the truth about what he plans to do with his so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE): Gut Social Security and Medicare. Musk retweeted a series of posts by Utah’s Republican […]

The Government Efficiency Chopping Block

10 programs that could be on the ‘government efficiency’ chopping block, Washington Post The programs without separate spending authorization that Ramaswamy would do away with represent more than $516 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The 10 largest make up $380 billion. Here’s a look at what some of those programs do (click on […]

CBO: Not extending IRA subsidies . . .

CBO: Not extending IRA subsidies will cause 3.8M to lose coverage, ~7.9% avg *additional* premium hike | ACA Signups, Charles Gaba Not that this should surprise anyone, but it’s good to have the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) formally chime in: It’s important to keep in mind that the 4.3% average premium hike in 2026, as well […]

Lies, damned lies and RFK Jr.

RFK Jr continues in his crackpot crusade against fluoridated water. There is *zero* evidence that artificial fluoridation of water at or below the approved level (0.7 mg/liter) has any pathological consequences. Why do we fluoridate public water? “Bacteria in the mouth that serve to break down food also create acids that degrade the enamel on […]

A Measure of Poverty in the United States

We often talk about poverty and people living in poverty as measured by the government, Then, we set policy with regards to them. We never quite realize the impact of the programs on the people on the receiving end. A brief recital of facts and figures in charts. I also do not believe we get […]

Believing Donald Trump Supports Reproductive Rights

Elon Musk Was Behind Effort To Gaslight Americans Into Believing Donald Trump Supports Reproductive Rights, Above the Law In the waning days of the 2024 presidential election, a curious political action committee, named after the late Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, ran ads in support of Donald Trump. It, bizarrely, claimed RBG and Trump were […]

Fear of Losing Medicaid and the ACA Healthcare When Trump Takes Office

What state government were to do for their citizens they began doing in 2010 with the expansion of healthcare in the form of Medicaid. The 2010 Affordable Care Act encouraged states to expand Medicaid programs to cover more low-income Americans who did not get health insurance through their jobs. Forty states and the District of […]

The Day Of . . .

I forgot, today is December 7th, The day in 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in a surprise and unexpected attack. As many other men did, my dad served in the military onboard a destroyer escort. I can only imagine what he and others went through even though I am ex-military myself. Prof. Heather’s message […]