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

May 30, 2023 – Letters from an American

What looked like it could be catastrophic for the nation, its people, and its economy, the results coming from a so-called too old eighty-year old man negotiating the US budget appears to be far better than expected. And far better than what Repubs are offering up. Now it is up to the House to put […]

Weakening federal child labor laws

April 28, 2023, Letters from an American, Prof. Heather Cox Richardson According to the nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute (EPI), legislatures in at least ten states have set out to weaken federal child labor laws. In the first three months of 2023, legislators in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and South Dakota introduced bills to weaken […]

Since January 6, How Far Has America Come?

April 3, 2023, Letters from an American, Prof. Heather Cox Richardson. On Saturday, April 1, the emergency measures Congress put in place to extend medical coverage at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic expired. This means that states can end Medicaid coverage for people who do not meet the pre-pandemic eligibility requirements, which are based […]

Rules and Regulations for Thee and Not for Me

“The very men who were arguing the government should protect all the depositors’ money, not just that protected under the FDIC, have been vocal in opposing both government regulation of their industry and government relief for student loan debt, suggesting that they hate government action…except for themselves.” March 12, 2023, Letters from an American, Professor […]

When Confronted By the Truth . . .

“Jawboning, the moral suasion in the context of economics and politics. In action such is the use of authority to persuade various entities to act in certain ways. It can sometimes be underpinned by the implicit threat of future government regulation.” President Joe Biden uses the bully pulpit during the State of the Union address to call […]

February 15, 2023 – Letters from an American

The President, Joe Biden, talking about the economy. In many ways, he made the right moves in protecting us from a reoccurrence of a similar 2008 event. This came after WallStreet blew up the economy by gambling, could not ante up, and government did not put enough on the table to rescue the economy. Main […]

Jury Findings for the January 6 Insurrectionists

I am waiting to see what the courts dish out for the insurrectionists who thought it was kind-of-“kool” to attack the Senate and House while in session certifying the 2020 presidential election vote. The insurrectionist sitting at Nancy Pelosi’s desk was sentenced last week. He claimed he was looking for a bathroom. So far, I […]

Letters from an American, December 7, 2022

More security documents were found in trump’s possession by a trump discovery team. Maybe his mind is so fried, he is forgetting? Doubtful. trump’s lawyers insist trump still has presidential immunity even though out-of-office. A new crook emerges in Jared Kushner enlisting the aid of foreign interests to pressure another foreign country for donations to […]

Three days of deliberations after Eight Weeks of Trial . . . a Conviction

“November 29, 2022,” Letters from an American, Prof. Heather Cox Richardson Today, after an eight-week trial and three days of deliberations, a jury of five women and seven men found Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, 57, the founder and leader of the right-wing Oath Keepers gang, and Kelly Meggs, 53, who led the Florida chapter of […]

Letters from an American – November 9, 2022

“November 9, 2022,” Letters from an American, Prof. Heather Cox Richardson, (substack.com) Yesterday was a good day for democracy. Americans turned out to defend our principles from those who denied our right to choose our own leaders. There was little violence, the election appears to have gone smoothly, and there are few claims of “fraud.” […]