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

ISM services for November generally positive and improving

 – by New Deal democrat Probably the most important economic news this entire week was this morning’s ISM services report. Services are about 75% of the economy, and this report was for November, which means it is the most wide-ranging and current datapoint we have at the moment. And the news on this front was almost […]

Wealth and Income

Just some basic information and explanation. A few notes on wealth and income and the growth for a few since 1989 K-Shaped Recovery A K-shaped recovery occurs when, following a recession, different parts of the economy recover at different rates, times, or magnitudes. It’s called K-shaped because the path of the different parts of the economy […]

Production weakens while private employment declines

 – by New Deal democrat Although not published by the federal government itself, the Fed’s measure of industrial production relies on some federal data, and thus it was not updated during the government shutdown – which means that this morning’s update is likewise stale, being for September. Industrial production has been much less central to the […]

Bet on science

Biblical literalists have struggled since the time of Galileo to reconcile their reading of the Bible with the facts and evidence that have emerged since then. Somehow, it is inconceivable that a novel written by Iron Age pastoralists in the Levant could have been allegorical. As I’ve told medical students, science tells us *how* the […]

Still Incomplete Economic Data and . . .

If I am reading New Deal democrat’s commentary correctly today , we definitely are flying blind. We are not getting all the economic detail we need to know which way the wind is blowing economically. Not a good situation to be in and Republicans appear to be ok with this scenario. It can because they […]

Republican ACA proposal is Worse than I thought

Charles Gaba assessing Republican and Trump’s mandated changes to the ACA. One sure thing the Congressional Republicans are resisting is the thought of extending the enhanced tax credits. Without which, most people could not afford healthcare insurance. Keep in mind what this is all about also. Just in case you forgot, the program cuts is […]

If his lips are moving, he’s lying

Trump is borrowing from the Zohran “Socialist” Mamdani playbook to brand himself as the affordability president. ““I AM THE AFFORDABILITY PRESIDENT,” Trump wrote in the Saturday morning [Pravda Social] post. “Trump based that proclamation on his claim that “DRUG PRICES ARE FALLING AT LEVELS NEVER SEEN BEFORE, 500%, 600%, 700%, and more.” He also suggested […]