by Bill Gale EconoFact The 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA) was the most sweeping realignment of the U.S. tax code in over three decades. It lowered tax rates, simplified taxes, raised the government debt, and was regressive, benefitting people who are well off more than the middle-class and the poor. Many provisions of the TCJA expire […]
As I posted yesterday, Medicare Advantage, which now covers more than half of the Medicare-eligible population, is a rip-off for taxpayers and for policy holders. Apparently, this is finally sinking in for hospitals and health systems across the country: “In 2023, Becker’s began reporting on hospitals and health systems nationwide that dropped some or all […]
An excellent take on taxing the Black poor and the poor in general. It and its attachments are a good read which is why it is here. Taken from an advertisement. Tell the House and Senate: It’s time to make our tax code more equitable. The racial wealth gap has become wider during the past […]
Bit of an Introduction ; The above chart shows the extent of the consolidation of PBMs which also portays the growing lack of competition. The chart comes from the Oklahoma petition filed in the Cleveland County District Court. Cleveland County is the fifth fastest-growing county, encompassing vibrant communities such as the southern part of Oklahoma […]
I am confident many of our moms had Tupperware in the house. High density molded soft plastic which could withstand cold temperature and some degree of heat coming from hot water. Came with lids which could seal food within the container and also burp them to release some air and create a tighter seal. A […]
– by New Deal democrat There are some economic and financial indicators that aren’t classic leading or lagging indicators. Rather, they are “over-sensitive” in one direction or another. Two good examples are heavy truck sales and the unemployment rate: they are over-sensitive to the downside: they lead going in to recessions, but lag coming out. […]
September 19, 2024 Letters from an American “Democracy depends on at least two healthy political parties that can compete for voters on a level playing field. Although the men who wrote the Constitution hated the idea of political parties, they quickly figured out the party’s tie voters to the mechanics of Congress and the presidency.” […]
– by New Deal democrat You may recall that last week I wrote that beginning this week and for the next 6+ months, initial claims would be up against some very tough comparisons from 2023 and would be the ultimate true test of whether there has been unresolved post-pandemic seasonality in the numbers. Well, this […]
“The Fed Makes a Large Rate Cut and Forecasts More to Come” Jeanna Smialak Writes “The Federal Reserve cut interest rates on Wednesday by half a percentage point, an unusually large move and a clear signal that central bankers think they are winning their war against inflation and are turning their attention to protecting the […]
– by New Deal democrat Residential construction permits and starts bounced back from their July Hurricane-Beryl affected decline, but housing units under construction declined below the threshold for hoisting a yellow “recession watch” flag for this sector. At the same time, I continue to suspect that we are rising from lows in the most leading […]