by Ten Bears Homeless on the High Desert, August 9, 2024 in g’da said Fifty Years Ago last night, Aug 8th, President Nixon shocked the country & the world in a lengthy address at 9pm est where he announced his resignation, effective the next day. It felt like the system was working. But I’m not sure it […]
by Andrew Sprung xpostfactoid Brian Blase, a conservative healthcare scholar at the Paragon Institute, is out with an analysis of 2024 ACA marketplace enrollment (summarized in this WSJ op-ed) claiming that millions of enrollees have mis-estimated their incomes to claim benefits to which they are “not entitled.” Here are the core claims: In nine states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, […]
Workers across the US rally after string of heat-related deaths. Grist This story was originally published by Grist. Ayurella Horn-Muller For the last two years, Cecilia Ortiz has worked as a passenger service agent at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. She typically has to walk 10 to 15 miles a day, up and down ramps, […]
– by New Deal democrat Last week I pointed out that the YoY increases in initial and continuing jobless claims appeared to be all about Texas in the wake of Beryl. This week there was good news even with some continued hurricane Beryl effects in Texas. Initial claims declined -7,000 to 227,000 for the week, […]
Apparently, JD Vance thinks so.* Not to go all anecdotal here, but in 1981, I bought my first car, a brand-new Mazda GLC hatchback, for $5770. In 2024 dollars, that’s $20,000. It had no radio, no air conditioning and no passenger-side sun visor. I recently bought a 2013 Honda Fit four-door for $15,000, and it […]
by Heather Cox Richardson Letters from an American AB: More dialogue on the less than 3% increase in inflation. The July report for consumer prices from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which came out today, showed that prices rose less than 3% in the previous twelve months. Core inflation has fallen to its lowest rate […]
AB: Run down on the Trump – Musk Get Together by Bill Kristol I’m grateful to Andrew for listening to Donald Trump and Elon Musk last night and sparing me that unpleasantness. But I did listen to some of the clips this morning. Here’s my take: Trump’s awful. This is, I acknowledge, not breaking news. […]
Workers are getting $3/hour. Usually, we tip well beyond 20% of the bill. Maybe it is just because we struggled at times. Some of AZ’s legislators should be working for $3/hour and getting tips if they do a good job in the legislature. It does not appear they are representing people. The last go around […]
Consumer Price Index – July 2024 (bls.gov) The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis, after declining 0.1 percent in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the All items index increased 2.9 percent before seasonal adjustment. The index […]
– by New Deal democrat The CPI for July continued all of the trends I have been writing about for the past year or more: – Headline and core CPI continue to slowly decelerate. – energy inflation is non-existent – shelter inflation remains very elevated but continues to declerate, following house prices. – all prices […]