This showed up as a comment in the “Loss of Confidence” commentary. The author (John) admits he was off topic. And he is off topic to the topic of that post. Rather than trash a good comment, there is enough of it to make a post out of John Hofer’s comment. Read on . . […]
Self-sufficiency does not mean stable pricing in the United States as Paul Krugman explains in his earlier March commentary. There is no allegiance to US citizens by oil companies. Give the tax breaks and citizens still pay. “The Impotence of Drill, Baby, Drill,” Paul Krugman, March 10, 2026 America produces a lot of oil. It […]
AB: A review and forecast of what is happening and what will happen over the next few weeks due to the oil shortage brought on by Trump’s attack on Iran. The impact of which, Trump’s blunder will cause many more issues economically. This is not Venezuela. “The Economy Doesn’t Have the Room to Absorb This […]
I read this piece at Health Affairs. Liked it, thought I could shrink it down with a bit of a rewrite, failed on the latter. It is a 10 minute easy read on health care, deductibles, and why the ACA is in trouble . . . think deductibles. They do not solve the use of […]
– by New Deal democrat Prepare for the CPI to increase over 1.5%, and perhaps even 2.5%, just by the end of April. That’s the message conveyed by the huge spike in gas prices so far this month due to the war with Iran. Let me start with the blockbuster graph. This is the monthly […]
Before you start to believe this administration cares about in country’s manufacturing and people working more hours for less pay, think about it first. Do you really believe this administration cares about either? It is all about giving an edge to him to play the nation’s economy to fill his pocket. Guest Commentary by Erica […]
– by New Deal democrat This week, in addition to my usual look at jobless claims, especially in view of my post earlier this week breaking down the components of aggregate nonsupervisory payrolls, I want to compare them with several other indicators of increased joblessness in terms of their expansion and pre-recession dynamics. First, let’s look […]
What Andrew Sprung is discussing is the impact of Republicans and Trumps’ change to the funding for ACA healthcare. To explain premium tax credit improvements expired at the end of 2025, causing 2026 premiums to spike for all marketplace enrollees, whether or not they receive premium tax credits. The expiration of the enhanced tax subsidies […]
I posted earlier about my interest in whether higher oil prices would favor freight trains over trucks. Now, not only is the Trump administration driving up fuel prices, it’s also cutting truck drivers. “About 200,000 immigrant truck drivers – virtually all of them in the U.S. legally – will begin losing their commercial driver’s licenses […]
When I was working for one international company, we booked a train trip from Shanghai to Hangzhou. It was not the fastest train (G). It was a slightly slower train (D). Pleasant ride. No clicky-clack and roomy seats, You were not shoehorned into an area or seat. You could recline the seat. Distance was ~125 […]