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

Delivering a New Deal to the American People

This is taken from Prof. Heather’s June 15, 2023, Letters from an American. It begs the question of why can there not be another New Deal for Americans? When he accepted the Democratic nomination for president in July 1932, New York governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt vowed to steer between the radical extremes of fascism and […]

Love of the Land and Community Inspired the Montana’s Youth Climate Change Lawsuit Against the State Goes to Court This Week

Love of the Land and Community Inspired the Montana Youths Whose Climate Lawsuit Against the State Goes to Court This Week, Inside Climate News, Richard Forbes. For the plaintiffs in the first youth climate lawsuit to go to trial, finding their voice and inspiring others has been as much a salve for their climate grief […]

Initial and continuing claims edge closer to signaling recession

Initial and continuing claims edge closer to signaling recession  – by New Deal democrat There’s a blizzard of data this morning. I’ll report on retail sales and Industrial production later. But let’s start with initial jobless claims, which were unchanged this week at 262,000, the highest level in over 18 months. The 4 week average increased […]

Here’s what Republicans get Wrong about the Student Loan Debt crisis

What is exciting about this op-ed is not just the topic but the writer Lisa Ansell. Ms. Ansell is the Associate Director at the Casden Institute for the Study of the Jewish Role in American Life. She definitely has the band width in adding to the fight for student loan relief for the 46 million […]

In the aggregate, in real terms, average American households are bringing home more income

Producer prices continue sharp deceleration; real average and aggregate nonsupervisory pay continues to increase  – by New Deal democrat Historically producer prices were more upstream of consumer prices, but since the 1990s and the employment of “just-in-time” inventories, that has been less the case. So I normally don’t pay too much attention to the monthly […]

Properly measured Inflation is no longer a significant issue . . .

CPI less shelter up only 0.7% in last 11 months (0.8% annualized rate)  – by New Deal democrat Let me cut to the chase right from the outset: except for the very lagging measures of shelter; motor vehicle parts, repairs and insurance; and to a lesser and waning extent, food; consumer inflation is now well-contained […]

Recycling Plastics releases Microplastic pollution in the Water and Air

Having purchased healthcare, automotive, etc. components from various molding manufacturers, I can definitely testify to the amount of scrap created from each part. There is no way of avoiding the scrap left from a molded component. Much of this ends up in regrind and what ever is sorted may go into other uses. The story […]

Are personal consumption expenditures a helpful forecasting (or even nowcasting) metric? An overview

Are personal consumption expenditures a helpful forecasting (or even nowcasting) metric? An overview  – by New Deal democrat As I’ve noted a number of times recently, in addition to payrolls the other positive datapoint keeping the economy growing is real personal spending. Here is what it looks like in total, plus broken down by goods […]

A Few Sunday Morning Reads

Niagara Falls: Some things never change, Carbon Upfront, Lloyd Alter. In 1882 Oscar Wilde noted that “Niagara will survive any criticism of mine. I must say this, however, that it is the first disappointment in the married life of many Americans who spend their honeymoon there.” (Calling it the second disappointment is a misquote) I recently […]