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

We’re Happy, Free, Confused, and Lonely at the Same Time

Then I really was going to skip today, even as–indeed, because–it is the 50th anniversary of 11 September. The original 11 de Septiembre, that is. Once is history, twice is parody. Feuerbach, as with Marx, was an optimist. Chile took only 17 years to get rid of Pinochet, and they did it at the ballot […]

Medicare Spending Curve Bent

In 2010 Congress passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Acts (there were 2) from now on called the ACA. One of the aims was to bend the Medicare spending curve and, they hoped (or dreamed) stop the increase in spending per beneficiary. The spending per beneficiary ceased increasing. Oh crap Chrome refuses to upload […]

Despite 6+ month low in initial claims, yellow caution flag remains

Despite 6+ month low in initial claims, yellow caution flag remains  – by New Deal democrat Last week the initial claims numbers justified restarting the yellow caution flag. This week initial jobless claims declined -13,000 to a 6+ month low of 216,000. The 4-week moving average declined -8,500 to 229,250. With a one-week lag, continuing claims […]

No Labels, no fables, no third-party betrayals

In 2016, we had the Clinton v trump election. And trump won via three states swinging to the Repub vot via the anybody but trump or Clinton. There is not argument here and I have presented the data several times. Disney characters, other nonliving entities, pets, and other characters were voted for in the national […]

Marking my Beliefs About Weapons to Market 4/N

I have written about my disagreements with the pentagon about military procurement here, here, and here, April 11 2022 I wrote “5. some relatively cheap weapons are highly effective. They include Javelin, NLAW, Stinger, and StarStreak shoulder fired missiles. They also include Bayraktar drones. They may include Switchblade suicide drones (not depoloyed yet). They have […]

Too Important to Pass-Up . . . the story of Labor Day

This is a great story which should be told each year. Labor and the importance of it in society and manufacturing. Labor adds the vale to manufacturing product. September 3, 2023, Letters from an American, Prof. Heather Cox Richardson. Almost one hundred and forty-one years ago, on September 5, 1882, workers in New York City […]

Why the Democrats’ love affair with ‘free trade deals’ is over

I believe the key words here are taking a break from free trade. Mostly too, I believe the free-trade-motif (so to speak) has been used enough times to line the pockets of the upper income percentile. Time for a change. While labor has disappeared to overseas facilities, the nation has not moved in a direction […]

Rule Changes Offer Little Relief as Student Loan Payments Resume

If I was new to this dilemma, I would believe this is better news than prior announcements. But it is not good news, it is news coming too late for the borrowers holding exaggerated debt due to penalties, consolidation fees, interest, interest on that interest, and rate changes. If this was said a decade ago, […]

Building a Mixed City Use Concept from Scratch

To pull off the project, the company will almost certainly have to use the state’s initiative system to get Solano County residents to vote on it. The hope is voters will be enticed by promises of thousands of local jobs, increased tax revenue and investments in infrastructure like parks, a performing arts center, shopping, dining […]