In The Theory of the Leisure Class, Thorstein Veblen coined a number of terms that have become terms of art: conspicuous consumption, conspicuous waste, pecuniary emulation, invidious comparison, and invidious distinction. He introduced the latter term as it pertained to different kinds of employment in a “higher barbarian culture”: …the distinction between exploit and drudgery […]

 – by New Deal democrat First, a scheduling note. Several data releases have been made this morning. Several more delayed releases having to do with housing *might* be released tomorrow. Alas, the very late Q3 GDP report is not going to be released at all until the end of December. There will be no releases on […]

My wife and I did our PhDs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It took us five years after we finished undergrad. “Typically, the philosophy department at Boston University funds PhD candidates for up to seven years. Grippo, who uses they/them pronouns, started PhD coursework in 2019, and as of September, still […]

This does not surprise me. Medicare Advantage is more costly. Medicare Advantage plan extends services well beyond what Traditional Medicare provides. Furthermore, the Advantage plans were heavily subsidized with Traditional Medicare funds. How is Medicare Advantage funded? This was a long time coming . . . Some Medicare Advantage funding comes from the enrolled people’s […]

If Congress does not extend the enhanced premium tax credits, older Marketplace enrollees, especially early retirees and the self-employed, would see some of the steepest increases in premiums. The enhanced premium tax credits lowered the share of income enrollees had to pay toward premiums and expanded subsidy eligibility to people with incomes above 400% of the federal […]

An article by Lloyd Alter about the problematic construction of a tall building (NYC) that flexes and bends in the wind. The result of which are cracks in the in the exterior surface of the building which is also load bearing. Too costly for me to live there and I probably would not even if […]

Scenes from the very tardy September jobs report  – by New Deal democrat An opening comment: it is an abomination that the US government treated its statistical agencies as doing expendable work. Thus, after over 85 years of continuity, there will never be an unemployment rate, nor a consumer inflation reading, for October. Which means we […]

Republicans are campaigning for work requirements in order to get Medicaid. According to one report in May: “Between 4.6 million and 5.2 million adults would lose Medicaid coverage in 2026 due to proposed work requirements.” Denying Medicaid does not mean people will not get healthcare if needed. It does mean, hospitals would not be paid […]

Zelensky wrote on social media: ‘It’s important to not forget the main goal, to stop the Russian war and prevent it from breaking out again in the future. ‘That’s why we’re so carefully working on every point, on every step toward peace.‘ Trump had given Ukraine a Thursday deadline to respond to the proposal, which would require […]

If there was ever a thought of returning to a simpler era, we have blown right past it. Tru_p’s crude attacks on society have vacated want took years to put in place legitimately by a Congress. The nation has lost much of its concern for citizens with the exception of a few at the upper […]