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

What difference did the COVID vaccine and masking make in the US?

The US economy appears to be emerging from the recent recession (pace the Fed interest rate decisions). There’s a general consensus that that recession was largely caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent supply chain disruptions. What lessons might be learned on how to maximally blunt the impact of future pandemics while minimizing negative economic […]

Why the leading elements of the Establishment Survey in the jobs report still forecast expansion

– by New Deal democrat Continuing my catching up this week, let’s take a look in some further detail about why I didn’t think Friday’s jobs report portended recession – at least, not yet. As I always point out, the jobs report does contain some leading numbers. These are generally employment in more cyclical industries […]

Public transportation needs to be part of the global warming solution

There’s a lot of attention being paid these days to EVs and solar power, but there are plenty of other ways to decarbonize human activity. Public transportation is one. I’m certainly no stranger to public transportation. I didn’t have a car in college, so when I visited my grandmother in Johnstown or my sister in […]

FTC’s Lina Khan taking on Big Business

Commentary by Robert Reich popped up today in my mailbox. It is interesting to read. Apparently, Joe Biden’s appointment to the FTC is taking on corporate entities who have great influence in their portion of the economy. Or what Angry Bear and myself would call big business monopolies. The courts agreed with FTC’s Lina Khan, […]

Credit Conditions Improved, typical of an economy coming *out* of recession

Credit conditions in Q2 improved, and are typical of an economy having come *out* of a recession, not going in to one  – by New Deal democrat The Senior Loan Officer Survey, the premier quarterly measure of the loose- or tight-ness of bank lending, was published yesterday for Q2. And since lending conditions are a […]

A grim anniversary

Today is the 75th anniversary of the Hiroshima bomb. I grew up in Oak Ridge, TN, a city that was founded in secret for the purpose of enriching uranium for atomic bombs. The Hiroshima bomb was a uranium fission atomic bomb. The idea of immolating thousands of civilians was not novel at that point. See, […]

Democrats and Maybe some Republicans in Congress Act to Rein in SCOTUS

Finally, some or most of Congress may do something to Rein in SCOTUS and the rogue Justices. The question here being can they nullify Congress’s act in some fashion. No Kings Act WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced legislation Thursday reaffirming that presidents do not have immunity for criminal actions, an attempt […]