Thomas “Mustache of Understanding” Friedman assured us that globalization has leveled the economic playing field, facilitating competition and collaboration, making the world “flat.” So how’s that going? “Thousands of U.S.-bound packages shipped by UPS are trapped at hubs across the country, unable to clear the maze of new customs requirements imposed by the Trump administration. […]
The Trump White House has proffered a “contract” to US universities that, in exchange for the universities giving up 1st Amendment rights, curricular control and staffing criteria, offers . . . nothing. The offer is all sticks and no carrots. It does define the financial penalties schools will face if the administration deems they are […]
Looks like cuts in Government workforce has taken place. Not a large number. Trump and Vought decided to cut workforce during the government shutdown. “Trump’s promised shutdown layoffs lead to at least 4,200 cuts at seven agencies,” Government Executive The Trump administration began issuing significant layoffs on Friday, the White House budget director said, following […]
I know that Trump news is generally demoralizing and frustrating. But for me, when we talk about it openly and share our thoughts, it makes it less overwhelming because we have others who are just as outraged. Classic horror movies love to have the characters split up to search for the killer so they can […]
“Look at the Democratic governors who are standing up to Trump . . . “ Robert Reich If you wish to find the next president of the United States? Look to the governors who are pushing back on Tr_mp. At least, some politicians are willing to speak on the behalf of citizens. I can not […]
Letters from an American “October 10, 2025” All of President Donald J. Trump’s lobbying for the Nobel Peace Prize came to naught today as the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded this year’s prize to María Corina Machado of Venezuela. Machado has led a movement to challenge Venezuela’s authoritarian leader, President Nicolás Maduro. The committee cited “her […]
Just information . . . mostly . . . Trends and Patterns in Firearm Violence, 1993–2023, U.S. Department of Justice In 2023, the rate of nonfatal firearm violence was 2.0 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older, down 72% from 7.3 per 1,000 in 1993 (figure 1). Nonfatal firearm violence includes rape or sexual […]
EPI has a good article on Teacher salaries. I stole part of it to paste on Angry Bear The Teacher Pay Penalty reached a record high in 2024: Three decades of leaving public school teachers behind, Economic Policy Institute Over the past three decades, stagnant weekly wages of public school teachers have fallen further and […]
In his quest to find an environmental “cause” for autism, RFK Jr has honed in on acetaminophen. Initially, it was gestational exposure. Now it’s acetaminophen exposure in newborn boys who were circumcised: “While Kennedy did not cite specific research, he appeared to be referencing two older studies. “One was likely a 2015 Danish national cohort […]
– by New Deal democrat We are well into our data blackout, as no federal economic data whatsoever was released this week. Even sites that functioned in previous shutdowns, such as the Treasury Department’s “Daily Treasury Statement,” have been taken offline. This is simply not the way a functioning country works. So let me conclude this […]