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

Why vilify the oil and gas industry? Because It Deserves to Be . . .

by Emily Atkin Heated World The richest man in the world has a new message about climate change: It’s real, but don’t knock the industry most responsible. “I don’t think we should vilify the oil and gas industry,”  Elon Musk said while speaking about climate change during his two-hour conversation with former president Donald Trump last […]

Real hourly wages, median income, and aggregate payrolls: update for July

– by New Deal democrat It’s a slow economic news week, so don’t be surprised if I play hookie tomorrow or Wednesday. In the meantime, now that we have July’s inflation data, we can update some “real” consumer well-being indicators. First, real average hourly wages for nonsupervisory workers rose 0.1% in July to a new […]

That’s one small step for carbon capture

The existential crisis of our time is global warming. The planet is already in deep trouble, with polar ice melting, permafrost thawing, sea level rising, increased desertification and more violent storms. The hour is late. “The quest for net zero needs to be fought on many fronts. You have your vanguard offense: simply reducing the […]

Ford delays EV plans to make more Super Duty trucks as demand booms

AB: That the US is still playing around with costly old technology and pollutes the environment is unbelievable. In the end, it will come back and haunt the later generations as energy and resources become more expensive. Ford Motor Co. is ramping up production of its F-Series Super Duty pickups with a $3 billion investment to keep […]

Challenges of Poverty

The Chronic Challenges of Poverty – Public Health Post Having empty pockets can impact long-term health. Poverty has been linked to obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, among other chronic conditions. The symptoms of chronic diseases are caused by inflammation, part of the body’s immune response. Obesity, stress, autoimmune disorders, and other chronic diseases involve a constant state of […]

Tariffs and Trade

by Joseph Joyce Capital Ebbs and Flows The Republican nomination of Donald Trump as its nominee for President ensures that international trade will be a major issue in the campaign. Trump views trade as a zero-sum game and the existence of U.S. trade deficits as proof that other nations have taken advantage of U.S. openness […]

The Week Ahead: Conventions Past

by Joyce Vance Civil Discourse Twenty twenty-four finds the Democrats nominating a Black woman to run for president. Said another way, a woman will be nominated by a major party as its candidate to be the president of the United States. The first time in our history in either instance. This will all take place […]

The totally predictable economics of climate change

Back when we were grad students at UNC-Chapel Hill from 1977-82, my wife and I made several trips to the Outer Banks. One reason was to visit her uncle and his family, who lived in Buxton, just north of Hatteras lighthouse. What struck me then was how many people lived in homes on the coast […]

New Deal democrats Weekly Indicators August 12-16 2024

– by New Deal democrat My “Weekly Indicators” post is up at Seeking Alpha. With the bond market anticipating Fed rate cuts ahead, it has already lowered mortgage rates somewhat on its own. That has led to a jump in new applications, and to an even bigger spike in refinancing. As usual, clicking over and reading […]