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

DOGE goes where the money is

When asked why he robbed banks, Willie Sutton simply replied, “Because that’s where the money is.” DOGE is targeting the IRS for massive cuts. And that’s where the money is, to be sure. But robbing the IRS of personnel will ensure that the wealthy and corporations will keep the money they were supposed to pay […]

Why Healthcare Costs So Much . . .

Having been a part of supply chain for decades, it was left to me to understand more than distribution. knowing the actual cost provides a foundation to negotiate. I would cost-model components right down to the materials. Having such detail and understanding the other costs allows you to have a basis to negotiate. And yes, […]

Could Elon Musk Take on Healthcare and Healthcare Insurers and Lower Costs?

Healthcare and healthcare insurance was not cheap a couple of years ago and not cheap last year either. If anything, prices have increase resulting in higher Commercial Health Insurance costs. Then too deductibles for Medicare increase ~$10. Supplemental also increased. The costs for Medicare and supplemental are less than Commercial Healthcare Insurance. We are talking […]

February jobs report: weak employment gains

but some 3+ year highs in unemployment metrics  – by New Deal democrat My question over the past year has been whether “decleration” would turn into “deterioration.” For a “soft landing,” deceleration would need to end, and the numbers stabilize, vs. continuing to deteriorate towards an actual downturn.  The verdict this month was mixed. On the […]

“Less than 1 percent of Social Security payments are improper”

Yet, Musk and Trump would have us believe Social Security is ripe with waste and fraudulent payments to undeserving recipients. I would not say Musk is ignorant as he knows exactly what he is doing in an attempt to turn people against programs which benefit them. As Dale Coberly and Nancy Altman would tell you, […]

Musk and Trump sell a Bridge to Federal Workers

So they say . . . It was all a bad misunderstanding. So . . . if this is all a misunderstanding, give the fired people back their jobs . . . if they will take them back. “Elon Musk tells Republicans he isn’t to blame for mass firings of federal workers” The Guardian Elon […]

Justice Amy Barrett Caught after Trump’s State of the Union Address

You have to kind of wonder what some people doing the job they are supposed to do and perhaps have a different opinion, think. Perhaps, and I do say perhaps, the honorable Justice Barrett gets the weevy-jeevys when the President is nearby. Watch the clip in the link below. Courtesy of Above The Law. The […]

Medicaid Cuts as Promoted by WSJ

As a subscriber to xpostfactoid, I have access to some excellent commentary by Andrew Spung. This is not a person I would argue with about the ACA, Medicare or Medicaid, etc. Anyway, the WSJ has an article touting Medicaid cuts which did catch his attention and is the basis for his commentary. The link is […]

Jobless claims decline back into neutral territory

Jobless claims decline back into neutral territory  – by New Deal democrat After last week’s big jump, this week initial jobless claims declined -21,000 to 221,000. The four-week moving average increased 250 to 224,250. With the typical one-week delay, continuing claims rose 42,000 to 1.897 million: On the more important YoY basis for forecasting purposes, […]

See no evil

Toddlers will sometimes cover their eyes, thinking they are hiding. They think if they can’t see you, you’re not there. Using that toddler logic at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, the Trump administration at the time tried to curtail reporting of infections and death, on the toddler-tested premise that if you can’t see it, […]