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

Producer Price Inflation

The November PPI report was released today. It came in a bit above expectations: The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods advanced 0.5 percent in November, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This increase followed a 1.7-percent gain in October and a 0.1-percent rise in September… […]

The Apprentice

Not to turn this into a TV blog, but seriously, in what sense is Jenn more capable than Kevin? (And no, being on the cover of Maxim does not count.) AB

Inside the Army on Humvee Protective Plates

The company that produces Humvee Protective Plates has on its webcite this press release dated August 30, 2004, which noted: Some in Congress have accused the military of being lax in its provision of adequate protection equipment. During an April House Armed Services Committee hearing, Chairman Duncan Hunter (RCA) rebuked Army officials for not moving […]

The Onion on Social Security Reform

So Bush is looking for a plan to squander our Social Security retirement funds? The Onion has a plan that the fans of the Seattle Seahawks might rejoice as is not squandered on another tax cut for Bill Gates. OK, the Hawks are a game behind the Packers and the Vikings and tied from the […]

Rumsfeld Redefines Full Capacity

We noted yesterday where Secretary Rumsfeld claimed the DoD was producing as fast as it can and supply is dictated by “a matter of physics, not a matter of money.” Via Julia at American Street comes this Bloomberg story: Armor Holdings Inc., the sole supplier of protective plates for the Humvee military vehicles used in […]

Housing Market Optimism

Jonathan McCarthy and Richard W. Peach of the New York Fed paint a relatively optimistic picture of the US’s housing market. From “Are Home Prices the Next Bubble?” FRBNY Economic Policy Review, Dec 2004: Home prices have been rising strongly since the mid-1990s, prompting concerns that a bubble exists in this asset class and that […]

Lost

Anyone else think that having Jack revive Charlie was pretty much the low point of the show so far? AB

Name that Quote

Yesterday PGL covered the surprising news that Snow will stay on at Treasury. From the news conference yesterday: “The president’s pleased that Secretary Snow agreed to continue serving as secretary of the Treasury,” McClellan said. When I heard this one of my favorite quotes immediately popped into my head: “I don’t think any of us […]

The Next Civil Rights Movement

The New York Times reports that the leaders of the gay rights movement are debating how to alter their strategies and tactics in the wake of the apparent recent backlash against homosexuals. Apparently some groups are moving away from trying to legalize same-sex marriages and toward more moderate, inoffensive, and uncontroversial policy stances. This strikes […]

So War is Expensive After All

Rumsfeld was in Kuwait hoping to cheer up the troops but faced a few tough questions: One soldier, identified by The Associated Press as Army Spc. Thomas Wilson of the 278th Regimental Combat Team, a Tennessee National Guard outfit, asked Rumsfeld why more military combat vehicles were not reinforced for battle conditions. “Why do we […]