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

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 […]

The AAP childhood vaccine schedule

Since the secretary of HHS is a vaccine denialist who cannot be trusted, the American Academy of Pediatrics has this week published its own authoritative, comprehensive, science-based vaccine schedule for children and adolescents from birth to age 18. The link provides: – the schedule for routine immunizations from birth to 18 years of age; – […]

Robert Reich Talking Politics

This short YouTube will eat up less than five minutes of your time. I believe Robert is mostly correct in his regard for our current president and a failed Republican party which appears to be bought, sealed, and delivered to do his bidding. The same as in the sixties and seventies, the answer to this […]