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

“lawsuits alleging that OxyContin sparked an opioid epidemic”

I have been writing on the Opioid epidemic for years. I was asked to write on it by some organizations. SCOTUS tossing the settlement may be due to the settlement releasing the Sacklers from any liability in promotion and the sale of Oxycontin, etc. Supreme Court tosses opioid settlement worth billions for states, victims, USA […]

The taxing difference, Biden’s is progressive. Trump’s is regressive

I am the recipient of Robert Reich’s commentaries which I have posted here on occasion. Mostly, this is to introduce other information which may differ than mine, to seek comments from people who read it, and to seek on topic comments here. It may seem like we are grouchy at times. Much of which is […]

The Rising Burden of Government Debt

By Daniel Bergstresser Econofact Second of two commentaries on Government Debt. This commentary does mention tax policies since 2000 which reduced revenue. The latest passed in 2017 as advocated by trump and supported by Congress. It passed under Reconciliation. The failure to balance out the debt created by the tax reduction with revenue achieved through […]

How can getting food into Gaza be up for debate?

From the NYT: I am not sure what the claim is here.  If the idea is that Hamas will get political credit if people do not starve, this is a totally unacceptable reason to withhold food.  Maybe the worry is that Hamas will gain political leverage by monopolizing the distribution of food aid and distributing […]

Five Men at Atomic Ground Zero

This popped up. What not to do on a sunny day in the Nevada desert. The F-89 Fighter Fired ‘Mini’ Nuclear Bomb Rockets to Make Russia Freak, msn.com A new design F-89J flying overhead was carrying a different and altogether deadlier payload. An approximate three-meter-long rocket with a 1.5 kiloton nuclear W25 nuclear warhead in […]

did Thomas Ram a Ramrod into his Opinion

“But then, in 2022“, the Justice Clarence Thomas-authored Bruen decision suggested all gun regulations had to line up with the understanding of firearms the founders had when they wrote the Constitution. “ It seems to me that if Bruen is taken very literally, it implies that the 2nd amendment only applies to muzzle loading firearms: muskets, rifles, […]

Barr Deciding to Endorse trump

What Bill Barr has said about Donald Trump: In May 2023, when asked whether Trump is fit to be president at a City Club of Cleveland event in Ohio, he responded: “If you believe in his policies, what he’s advertising is his policies, he’s the last person who could actually execute them and achieve them. He […]

Changing Israel’s self-destructive course

Israel is on a dangerously self-destructive course.  The brutality of the Gaza campaign is antagonizing allies and making it difficult for regional players to continue normalizing relations.  The prospects for a durable peace are dimming at the same time that the policy of military supremacy that provided a modicum of security over the past two […]