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

Massive chain of crumbling safety-net hospitals described as a “Ponzi scheme

I was going to finish this up two days ago. Except I got sick and was sweating for two nights in a row. And slept most of the first day and some of today. I had been fighting this for a about 5 days and then it came om stronger. Today, I feel I am […]

Turning Retirement Accounts for the Middle Class Into a $5 Billion Tax-Free Piggy Bank

Each year in retirement, we take a certain amount of funds from our retirement accounts and it can become income and taxable. This is a bit different than when we were paying regular income taxes on our yearly income minus investments. Social Security can be taxed after certain income level percentages. I was curious about […]

Sorta a book review “Wall Street’s War on Workers”

By Les Leopold Chelsea Green Publishing Interesting book I just started to touch upon. Book review by Paul Prescod. Last section touches upon why layoffs may happen . . . Stock Buybacks and Deregulation. Across the political spectrum, it seems as if the right to decent employment has disappeared from the agenda. Wars, natural disasters, […]

Where the 2024 Presidential Election Voting Integrity Will Be Fought

Atlanta USPS Regional Processing and Distribution Centers crashes on launch by Steve Hutkins Save the Post Office This is a long post. It is the only way Steve can get it across the issues created by Louis Dejoy’s incompetence. Look out 2024 Presidential Election, we will have a battle on our hands. Think of SCOTUS. […]

More for Them, Less for Us, Talking Taxes and Deficits

Ran across am Americans for Tax Fairness article last night. Corporation tax dodging and executive pay has both is far out of control. A significant number of major U.S. corporations are paying their top executives more than they’re paying federal income taxes.  Matters have worsened with trump taking office in 2016 and the TCJA Making […]

The Lie Banks Use To Protect Late-Fee Profits

Hal Singer at Lever News wrote a commentary explaining how banks (mostly) are upset with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau capping credit card late fees at $8. One would think this covers every bank. It does not and only covers banks with more than 1 million card holders. Any bank or organization with less customers […]

Fixing Social Security

If nothing is done, the Social Security Trust Fund is currently projected to run out in about 2033. At that point, projected benefits will fall by about 20%. The Boston Globe has an opinion piece about the coming Social Security crisis/crunch. It talks about how Canada deals with the problem. I have a subscription and […]

How health insurers profit by hoarding your data

A comprehensive All-Payer Claims Databases would help the health care system become more effective and efficient. The Department of Labor could do something about that, but hasn’t. Merrill at GoozNews is depicting why providers and software vendors closely guard patient information, maintaining exclusivity so as patients have to rely on them. Insurance companies follow suit […]

Biden Says Billionaires Pay an 8.2% Tax Rate. What Do Other Households Pay?

Let’s compare apples to apples here. Originally Published at Wealth Economics Uncle Joe has thrown out this 8.2% figure a couple of times, including in last night’s SOTU. Multiple folks have unpacked it; it’s not the standard “tax rate” measure. The usual “tax rate” is taxes divided by personal income, which doesn’t include accrued holding gains. The alternative […]

Addressing Credit Card late fees and Supply Chain Pricing

My beef has been with the Supply Chain. Yep, you can be forced into manufacturing less product due to part shortages. Unless you are air freighting that stuff or running OT, costs do not necessarily increase due to producing less. Another situation? In 2008, the calls would come in about raising prices in a take […]