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

The Convenience Industrial Scam called Recycling

I have known of Lloyd for over a decade and have read his commentary a number of times when he was writing at Treehugger. A parting of the ways came about for Lloyd and other Treehugger writers. Lloyd has his own substack and is presenting his views on recycling, conservation of resources, etc. It is […]

New Deal democrats Weekly Indicators for August 7 – 11

Weekly Indicators for August 7 – 11 at Seeking Alpha  – by New Deal democrat My Weekly Indicators post is up at Seeking Alpha. For the moment we are in something of a holding pattern, in particular with the coincident indicators. Buoyed by the big downturn in commodity prices, and somnolence of consumer prices ex-fictitious shelter, […]

COVID reminders

Now that COVID seems to be surging again, some timely reminders are in order: • keep your vaccination status current. The vaccine won’t keep you from being infected, but it will most likely keep you out of the ED and the morgue; • the outcome of COVID infection isn’t binary: death or survival. A third […]

July CPI: almost everything except fictitious shelter costs are getting close to the Fed’s comfort range

July CPI: almost everything except fictitious shelter costs are getting close to the Fed’s comfort range  – by New Deal democrat Gasoline prices and fictitious shelter prices are once again moving in opposite directions, in a direct reversal of what the situation had been in the past 12 months. During late 2022 into this year, energy […]

AUGUST 11, 2023, Letters from an American

AUGUST 11, 2023, Letters from an American, Prof. Heather Cox Richardson As I try to cover the news tonight, I am struck by how completely the Republican Party, which began in the 1850s as a noble endeavor to keep the United States government intact and to rebuild it to work for ordinary people, has devolved […]

Why Go with Solar Panels Now . . .

Commenter SW who has a background in Solar Panels technology talks about them in response to a posted commentary First generation of solar panels is wearing out – A recycling industry is salvaging them. SW gives a good perspective on why we should go with Solar Cell powering our needs now. Exploring this website, https://lowenergysupermarket.com/product/150-1000w-solar-panel-electricity-generator-kit/, […]

Rethinking the Relative Value Scale Update

Rethinking the RUC, Center for American Progress, Maura Calsyn and Madeline Twome The point being made in this commentary is the purposeful inaccuracy of the RUC. Much of the time determined for treatment too large which in turn drives the patient fees charged and the prices in Medicare Advantage to which CMS adds a percentage, […]

Initial jobless claims: a little soft, but continued expansion signaled

Initial jobless claims: a little soft, but continued expansion signaled  – by New Deal democrat I’ll put up an analysis of this morning’s CPI later. In the meantime, initial jobless claims rose 21,000 last week to 248,000. The more important 4 week moving average rose 2,750 to 231,000. With a one week delay, continuing claims […]