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

Jobless claims suggest our recent good news has been more unresolved seasonal quirks

AB: This is an excellent NDd recital on a not so good jobless claim report. Employment is not improving and as NDd states it appears to be remaining the same. The tariff game Tr__p is playing is not helping the economy and is just another burden in cost which we will all pay. This is […]

Republicans are quietly rolling back Obamacare

Mildly (temperament) rewritten CNN piece on the Affordable Care Act and how Republicans are changing it instead of repealing it. Republicans are claiming increased fraud. No so much with the recipients using the ACA but with the various brokers selling the plans. I am not sure how taking healthcare away from people has a positive […]

No Change in the Fed Rate

Federal Reserve officials believe risk of inflation outpaced labor concerns, Minutes Since Tr__p has been fumbling around with tariffs July 2025: Majority of Federal Reserve officials believe the risk of higher inflation outpaces concerns about the state of the labor market. This is according to the latest minutes released by the central bank. Inflation and the health […]

Is sovereign debt finally catching up?

For decades, the American right has prophesized (a) the takeover of America by socialism/communism and (b) hyperinflation due to US debt. Neither has happened yet. America is as firmly as ever in the grip of plutocratic capitalist oligarchs, and while the GOP-fueled national debt is skyrocketing at their behest, US treasuries are still selling. So […]

Real nonsupervisory payrolls and income in danger of tariff-driven stagnation

 – by New Deal democrat Let’s take a look at the “real” purchasing power of average working and middle class Americans. The July jobs report showed that average hourly earnings for nonsupervisory workers rose a little under 0.3% (blue in the graph below). Consumer inflation (red) rose 0.2%, so “real” average hourly earnings rose 0.1%. […]

Something, I Probably Would Not Do – Chicago

I believe I would wait a few years more (after being declared safe) before swimming in the Chicago River. If you grew up in Chicago like I did, you would know the river was in bad shape from all the stuff being dumped into it and street run off. The redeeming qualities of the area […]

August 18, 2025

A nation and a presidency in trouble. All of this due to people being afraid of electing an intelligent woman to the presidency? So, they voted for Tr__p, a person who was definitely showing signs of dementia then and is moreso now. I believe know we are in trouble. Prof. Heather has a good take […]

Housing remains recessionary. Why hasn’t one happened yet?

 – by New Deal democrat The post pandemic period has been an exception to many past relationships. This morning’s data on housing construction raises the issue as to whether housing is going to be included in those exceptions as well. That’s because the data has been classically recessionary for a number of months, and yet the […]