The last thing or person the USPS needed was Louis DeJoy who lacked in knowledge of how the Post Service works. He then took it upon himself to implement change(s) before learning about the USPS systems and its people. We did not do such in manufacturing facilities. Lacking the knowledge of how the USPS works […]

Policy uncertainty, business investment, and consumer spending  – by New Deal democrat There’s no significant new economic news today, so let’s take a look at something of a topic du jour. In case you haven’t seen it elsewhere, “economic policy uncertainty” has spiked to a level never seen before aside from the moment the pandemic […]

One problem confronting the Trump agenda is that they treat the US like a closed system. That’s a problem for tariffs, since there are plenty of other markets for foreign goods besides the US. And it’s a problem for the recruitment and retention of the world’s finest minds. Until now, US universities were a magnet […]

Two cheers for a great February industrial production report! With a gigantic *  – by New Deal democrat Two cheers for the very good industrial production report for Feburary! Total production increased 0.7%, and manufacturing production increased 0.9% to the highest level in over two years: But the biggest news is that the headline number wasn’t […]

February housing construction rangebound, but at recessionary or near-recessionary levels  – by New Deal democrat As usual, the month’s important housing data starts out with construction.  For a quick refresher, I follow this because housing typically leads the rest of the economy by a year or more. After the very leading, but very noisy and […]

Lots of the food on your grocery shelves is imported. It has to be inspected, both for safety and to prevent the importation of agricultural pests that could destroy domestically grown crops. Fire the inspectors and you put everyone’s food future at risk. ““It’s causing problems left and right,” says one current USDA worker, who […]

– by New Deal democrat Let me start out this month with a historical review of why I have always paid so much attention to real retail sales. Going back almost 80 years, real retail sales have always turned down in advance of a recession, and they have almost always turned negative YoY simultaneously or […]

Walgreens does not set drug prices; the Insurance companies do. And there is the issue. Insurance company’s contract the PBMs to negotiate with the pharmacy chains such as Walgreens or CVS. They establish the pricing contract on covered drugs and what portion those pharmacies get reimbursed in return servicing their customers. Walgreens felt it did […]

Elon Musk’s DOGE Cuts Fail to Stop US Spending from Hitting Record, Newsweek. Instead for a $2 trillion increase in tax income, repeal the 2017 tax break. It will hit the upper 10% in income the hardest. Aggressive efficiency push failed to curb soaring federal spending, which hit a record $603 billion last month, according to […]

Professor Heather Cox-Richardson gives a perspective on an ugly stopgap bill passed by the Senate after the House sent it over. It was a pass it or to kill it and leave the government unfunded move by The House. So it was passed when Schumer and other Dems joined with Repubs in a 62-38 vote […]