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

Student Loan Debt Forgiveness

Can President Biden cancel student loans? Why not? Newly elected President Trump has every intention to pardon the October 6th insurrectionists. Most of the loans depicted in the graphs have been recast into new loans having the interest rolled into them. It created a misconception of these being new loans instead of older loans. This […]

Elite Rich Americans Often Overlook a Factor That is Key to Their Success

Interesting article on wealth. Sometimes being lucky outperforms talent or intelligence. A recent article including some graphs I included. Sources for the graphs are provided allowing the reader to learn more about how wealth is obtained. Article by Vawn Himmelsbach was portrayed in Moneywise. ‘Moneyball’ and ‘Big Short’ Author Michael Lewis Says Elite Rich Americans […]

The Legacy of a Retiring Senator

Some history on Senator Joe Manchin III. He has never met a lump of coal he did not like. There is money in the almost black gold. Twenty years of supplying the Grant Town power plant in West Virgina with low-grade coal mixed with rock and clay known as “gob.” And stymieing any interest in […]

Good news on real aggregate payrolls, but an additional yellow flag on jobs

 – by New Deal democrat With the update on inflation earlier this week, let’s take a look a real average wages and real aggregate payrolls. Plus there is a significant update to my yellow flag caution on the employment situation. First, nominally nonsupervisory wages rose slightly under 0.3% in November, while consumer prices rose slightly […]

Investing tip

It’s bad enough that RFK Jr, the Trump nominee to head HHS, is spreading lies about water fluoridation. He’s also vetting federal health officials based on their willingness to question life-saving vaccines. “Aaron Siri, the lawyer helping Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pick federal health officials for the incoming Trump administration has petitioned the government to […]

How is my Hair???

Commentary: Trump’s pick for education secretary shows he understands the assignment, Erika Donalds, The Heritage Foundation There are answers to this author’s commentary. I will wait for another time to discuss student loans and private education in the US at the expense of a public education. Commentary: Trump’s pick for education secretary shows he understands […]

Navient Student-loan Borrowers Cancellation Special . . .

Applications are “carefully reviewed” by a legal team to determine eligibility for debt cancellation, yep! What does continuous growing Student Loan Debt look like today? Federal Student Loan Portfolio by Age. The chart below only shows the last 4 years by Quarter. President Joe Biden has been attempting to grant relief to students. This is […]

Jobless claims: seasonality strikes again

– by New Deal democrat As is so often the case this time of year, seasonality likely played havoc with this week’s new jobless claims. Last year Thanksgiving was November 23rd; this year it was the 28th, putting it in a different week for many statistics. So the jobless claims this morning were for the […]