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

The Legacy of a Retiring Senator

Some history on Senator Joe Manchin III. He has never met a lump of coal he did not like. There is money in the almost black gold. Twenty years of supplying the Grant Town power plant in West Virgina with low-grade coal mixed with rock and clay known as “gob.” And stymieing any interest in […]

Good news on real aggregate payrolls, but an additional yellow flag on jobs

 – by New Deal democrat With the update on inflation earlier this week, let’s take a look a real average wages and real aggregate payrolls. Plus there is a significant update to my yellow flag caution on the employment situation. First, nominally nonsupervisory wages rose slightly under 0.3% in November, while consumer prices rose slightly […]

How is my Hair???

Commentary: Trump’s pick for education secretary shows he understands the assignment, Erika Donalds, The Heritage Foundation There are answers to this author’s commentary. I will wait for another time to discuss student loans and private education in the US at the expense of a public education. Commentary: Trump’s pick for education secretary shows he understands […]

Navient Student-loan Borrowers Cancellation Special . . .

Applications are “carefully reviewed” by a legal team to determine eligibility for debt cancellation, yep! What does continuous growing Student Loan Debt look like today? Federal Student Loan Portfolio by Age. The chart below only shows the last 4 years by Quarter. President Joe Biden has been attempting to grant relief to students. This is […]

Pete Hegseth knows nothing about Marxism

“Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, has repeatedly criticized policies allowing gay people to serve openly in the US military, calling them part of a “Marxist” agenda to prioritize social justice over combat readiness.” LOL! I’m absolutely confident that Hegseth hasn’t read a word of Marx or Marxist economics. I’m equally […]

‘Crushing Blow to the Labor Agenda’

as Joe Manchin, Sinema Block Biden NLRB Nominee AB: I never had much respect for Joe Manchin. Just another rich guy out of West Virgnia. Perfect article about Joe’s reign in WV since 2010 “What has Joe Manchin done for West Virginia?” The answer to that question is not much unless it benefited him or […]

Half of U.S workers Will Live in States with at Least a $15 Minimum Wage by 2027

Nearly half of U.S workers will live in states with at least a $15 minimum wage by 2027, Economic Policy Institute In the 2024 election, Alaska and Missouri voters approved ballot measures to increase their state minimum wage to $15 an hour in the coming years. Now 15 states and Washington D.C. either have or […]

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 […]