Dan Crawford: The passing of Barkley Rosser is terribly sad news. Angry Bear has had connection to Barkley since 2006 at least. He was also instrumental for helping Bruce Webb and the topic of Social Security gain traction nationally.

Tyler Cowen posted a link to his profile “Man in motion,”- JMU at James Madison University. “What economist J. Barkley Rosser can teach us about how we adapt to a changing world.“

Tags: Barkley Rosser

Economist David Zetland lets us know our place of birth has a much larger impact on our success or failure globally than what we suspect. It is not solely up to us to be successful. The country of our birth has a great impact.

The understanding of our luck to be where we are globally impacts our view of people’s success who our born into other countries.

“Born (un)lucky?” The one-handed economist, David Zetland

I was born an American and gained British citizenship (through my father) in my 20s. These two passports have allowed me to travel, live and work (until Brexit) in 20+ countries — all of them in the richest quartile of countries in the world.

People in the other three-quarters of the world’s countries have had fewer options in

Some history and knowledge about the House by Weldon @ Bad Crow Review. Known Weldon for a while now. He writes some good words. And this topic fits right in his wheelhouse of knowledge. Enjoy . . .

“How Long Before This Wears Off, Doc?” Weldon Berger, Bad Crow Review, “Could be a year, could be a lifetime . . .”

Links are at the end.

I’m pretty sure some of the fireworks which look white to me are actually some feeble shade of green. Taking matters into my own hands.

Nothing is unacceptable, for most people, in the sense that they’ll throw their brain and body into overcoming whatever it is. “This is unacceptable!” should be retired.

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Elect Someone

Infidel753: The ten most important events of 2022, Infidel753 Blog

1. The Ukraine war.  It’s sometimes hard to judge which event ranks most important in a given year, but this time, there was no question.  Putin’s invasion of Ukraine showed that his regime aspires to territorial expansion by crude, naked military force, a throwback to the pre-1945 order which we thought the world had cast off forever.  It showed that a medium-size nation determined to fight for its independence can mount a formidable resistance against a far larger invader.  It showed that democracies will rally together in the cause of resisting aggression by gangster-regimes, even leading Sweden and Finland to join NATO.  And it showed that the gross corruption and incompetence

15+ Websites to send great free New Year cards to friends and family (updated for 2021) (prwave.ro)

Angry Bear Readers and Writers 2023

US to purchase more oil to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).

DOE Announces Repurchase of Oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Department of Energy, DOE.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Petroleum Reserves, December 16 announced that it will start repurchasing crude oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). This repurchase is an opportunity to secure a good deal for American taxpayers by repurchasing oil at a lower price than the $96 per barrel average price it was sold for, as well as to strengthen energy security. 

President Joe Biden announced a plan to replenish the SPR using updated authorities allowing for fixed-price purchases of crude oil. The only thing I wonder about is whether the oil

AB writer, commenter and Social Security expert, Dale Coberly provides a different take on whether “President Biden Should Direct the Social Security Administration to Stop Penalizing Marriage.”

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Nancy Altman wrote the following piece, which appeared in PROGRESS AMERICA, on December 16, 2022 as well as Common Dreams.  I thought it needed a response because I regard it as dangerous to Social Security.  I have inserted my responses interlinear below embolden. 

Nancy Altman Begins here: 

Altman: Friend, I want to tell you a story―it’s a little long, but I think when we get to the end, it will be clear: President Biden should direct the Social Security Administration to stop penalizing marriage. 

Me: Social Security does not

Dale Coberly: Commentary on an article by Nancy Altman that I read yesterday:

“Senator Warnock’s Re-Election Is a Victory for Social Security,” Portside, Nancy J. Altman.

Nancy Altman wrote a pretty good book about Social Security [The Battle For Social Security (2005)] which I recommend. It’s readable and tells a story better than I can. In it, she explained the difference between worker paid insurance and welfare. And she told a story about how FDR intervened personally to keep his Committe on Economic Security, who wrote the plan, from turning it into welfare (“the dole”).

Unfortunately toward the end of the book she seems to have forgotten all of this and says, essentially,

“Social Security is not broken because it is paid for by the

Infidel753: No complacency after the election

Democrats have every right to celebrate the results of this month’s election.  The red wave fizzled out.  The Republicans took the House majority by only a tiny margin, which will be rendered unworkable by their own flaming-nutball fringe.  Democrats held the Senate and will probably get to 51-49 after the Georgia runoff.  Election denialists lost almost every race, and except in Arizona, there has been practically no “stolen election” nonsense.

Nevertheless, they should avoid complacency.  There are still reasons for concern going forward.

1.  Holding the Senate in 2024 will be very difficult.  Every Republican senator who will be up for re-election in 2024 is in a safely red state (with the

“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 the Oath Keepers, guilty of seditious conspiracy and other charges related to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. It found Rhodes guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding and tampering with documents and proceedings, and found Meggs guilty of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging duties, and tampering with

Book Review: “Slouching Towards Utopia,” J. Bradford DeLong, (foreignaffairs.com), Liaquat Ahamed

I am not going to put all of the review of Brad’s book Slouching Towards Utopia here. I thought I would alert AB readers to it and point to the freebie (for me at least and I believe you too) review at Foreign Affairs.

Brad DeLong’s highly anticipated economic history of the twentieth century, Slouching Towards Utopia, begins with the reminder that economic growth is overwhelmingly a twentieth-century phenomenon. According to the best estimate, between the birth of Jesus and the beginning of the eighteenth century, the living standard of an average person rose by barely one third—1.5 percent every 100 years. Even after 1750, when the economy began

I hope this finds you well, with friends and family, or at least with strangers to celebrate. Be safe.

We will catch up with you on Friday. Feel free to chat below.

Regards.

Dan

Tags: Thanksgiving

“The Bell: When Economic Distress Becomes Terrorism,” thebell.blogspot.com, “Tom Dinger”

What has changed since February 24, 2010? Have things gotten any better since then or 911? Are we still looking at an economic sinkhole for many people? In the last two years, programs were put in place to rescue people in spite of politics. What do you see?

Tom’s point, I believe, is people can be driven to do irrational things. The anger coming when they feel they are deliberately disadvantaged.

I could never duplicate Tom’s eloquence. Of course not, I am a numbers guy. This post is worhty of a rerun as a classic.

Poverty, Rather Than Anti-Anything Ideology, Is the Common Thread

Joseph Stack is not a terrorist in the sense that we apply this

I think I am sitting in the worst possible place one could be pre-election . . . Arizona. The potential insurrectionists were trying to take over the state. We prevailed only by a few votes. People I know are angry Democrats won. By all intents and purposes this is not over. We still need to resolve January 6.

Annie has a good message of hope on this Sunday. I hope you enjoy the read.

“Post-Election Day Musings…The Sun Begins to Shine” – annieasksyou… November 11, 2022

I watched an ebullient President Biden, with spring in his steps, mount the podium Wednesday night to face the press that’s been dismissing him for so long. For an hour, he cheerily responded to questions.

One commentator fondly called it an hour-long “humble-brag.” The

Infidel753: “Immediate post-election observations,” Infidel753 Blog

There was no red wave.  There was no blue wave.  Most incumbents got re-elected.  Whichever side ends up controlling the House and Senate will have a razor-thin margin.

Turnout was very high on both sides and the process ran smoothly pretty much everywhere, so it was a big win for democracy.

If the Republicans get the House majority, the margin will be small and the faction-riddled caucus will be difficult to keep unified.  It may be that Democrats will still be able to pass occasional decent legislation by peeling off a few Republican votes.  The really loopy stuff, like holding the debt ceiling hostage, may not work since just a few Republican defectors could undermine

“Postal workers and allies to protest DeJoy’s Ten-Year Plan at BOG meeting, Save the Post Office, Steve Hutkins

I missed this announcement at Steve Hutkins “Save The Post Office” blog. Apparently a large number of US Post Office supporters went to the Governor’s meeting and expressed their opinion on Postmaster Louis DeJoy’s plan to centralize sorting away from the neighborhood post offices. In effect, this action places a much larger burden on postal workers who will have to travel to these centers, sort their mail, travel back to their routes, and then deliver that mail. It is a cost shift to Labor without compensation for costs and time.

Obviously, I missed the meeting, You may want to listen to the meeting on the link below and the public

This seems appropriate three days before an important election. Are we going to take back our right and not allow a minority to force their will upon a nation. Denying women, the right to decide was just one step in the process.

I think we will take that right back.

Professor Heather Cox – Richardson has a post tonight on women achieving the right to vote and “deciding.” making decisions, determining their future . . . The right to decide for themselves on issues has been taken from them. I am hoping they will turn out in numbers so we can regain the freedom to decide again. Some Sunday Reading.

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November 5, 2022, Letters from an American, Professor Heather Cox Richardson, (substack.com).

Winning the Right to Decide

One

Kind of what I been reading is what Infidel is writing about in this post of his. NYT has a detailed opinion article about the complexity of polling on the 24th (freebie). Even they see polling results as complex.

I believe Roe v Wade will still play a part in how women and others will vote. I am also hoping Alito will keep flapping his lips. It stirs the crowd up and reminds people he was the instigator in Roe V Wade. Six days off now to the election. “Vote!“

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Infidel753: “Polling uncertainty,” Infidel753 Blog.

I’ve never been one of those who dismiss polls as meaningless.  Political parties and campaigns, and the media, pay millions for polls during each election cycle.  If the polls weren’t giving them useful information,

Infidel753, Putin’s war comes home.

For most of the duration of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the majority of Russians have either supported the aggression or at least not objected too energetically.  The war did not affect them much, except insofar as Western sanctions did.  That is now changing, thanks to Putin’s ill-advised and stunningly incompetent mass mobilization.

Authorities are now simply grabbing men more or less at random off the streets, in workplaces, at railway stations — anywhere groups of men can be found.  The victims of these pressgangs are being sent to the front in Ukraine with negligible training, often mere days after being “recruited”, often with grossly inadequate weapons and supplies.  This is a recipe for mass

October 25, 2022, Heather Cox Richardson, (substack.com).

There are quotes, and then there are quotes.

Tonight, in the debate between Democratic candidate John Fetterman and Republican candidate Mehmet Oz as part of their campaigns to replace Republican Pennsylvania senator Pat Toomey, who is retiring, Oz said he wanted abortion decisions to be made by “women, doctors, local political leaders, letting the democracy that’s always allowed our nation to thrive to put the best ideas forward so that states can decide for themselves.”

His answer seems likely to have been carefully crafted to lead with women and doctors—a signal to pro-choice constituencies—before pivoting to the state’s rights argument at the heart of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s

“They can only “win” by cheating …,” Homeless on the High Desert, Ten Bears.

October 7, 2022 in g’da said

Your Daily Chaos, Morning Digest: Elections ~ Here’s something you don’t see often—or ever: Republican Mike Erickson released an internal poll showing him leading his Democratic opponent, Andrea Salinas, the very same day that he filed a lawsuit demanding Salinas take down an attack ad by citing a law that he recently threatened to use to overturn the election should he lose.

To pick apart this strange turn of events, we’ll start with Erickson’s survey from Cygnal, which shows him beating Salinas 44-39 in Oregon’s brand new 6th District, a seat Joe Biden would have taken 55-42. The last polls we saw out of this district, which is based

Two of the most knowledgeable economists discussing events leading up to this year’s high inflation and the resulting interest rates. Of course, the Fed is reacting to the high inflation rates. If we look out into the future, probably early next year for a recession.

OER should not be used by the Fed in setting policy. The Fed is currently chasing a phantom lagging menace.

“Actual* rents and house prices lead the CPI measures by about a year.” In our neck of the woods, home prices are dropping, sales are down, and mortgage rates are about 6%. Inflation remains high. Hat Tip to New Deal democrat for sending this conversation. Thanks NDd..

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Larry Summers projects his thoughts on Inflation.

Paul Krugman Responds . . .

If you have not seen this application, you will now. I would urge you to quickly apply for loan relief. Apply for it at the link provided before politician asses find some way to block this. The sooner it gets approved, the quicker the relief. It is not much. Once they approve your application, I doubt they will block the relief to you.

Use this Link Debt Relief | Application | Federal Student Aid to get to an Application for Debt Relief.

What this looks like when you get to the Application

What the “Student Loan Debt Relief Form” Looks Like:

More Information needed, a Signature and How To Submit Directions:

Do NOT use this form. Go to the Link Debt Relief | Application | Federal Student Aid and fill out the form there. These pictures

I guess I am going to lose some of my writer reputation now as I look at the aspect of how certain “legal” migrants in San Antonio, Texas were treated by the governor in Florida. These people did not sneak into the US. They were granted asylum after presenting themselves to border guards, registered in the system, and released to a shelter. In turn they were scammed by a representative sent by Florida’s Governor DeSantis to go to Massachusetts where jobs, additional money etc. supposedly waited for them.

Of course, DeSantis used Florida taxpayer funds Covid funds (illegally) to pay $600,000 for the plane trip and also fund other needs besides promises of jobs, etc.. At Martha’s Vinyard, the one who convinced them to go, Perla abandoned them. The

The title is not from Letters from an American. It is just my perception of what I envision having happened to the Republican party. Republicans are acting strangely to say the least. Could it be they slept next to some pods pre-January 6th? I had thought and according to the movie related facts, they would be short lived. Yet here we are two years later with strange thinks occurring. A lack of moral compass, etc. Read on. It is a good recital by Prof. Heather.

October 11, 2022, Letters from an American, Prof. Heather Cox Richardson, (substack.com).

Last Thursday, October 6, the Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee tweeted: “Kanye. Elon. Trump.”

On Sunday, October 10, after his Instagram account was restricted for antisemitism,

Nobel Peace Prizes were awarded most recently. “The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 103 times to 140 Nobel Prize laureates between 1901 and 2022, 110 individuals and 30 organizations. Since the International Committee of the Red Cross has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize three times (in 1917, 1944 and 1963), and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize two times (in 1954 and 1981), there are 27 individual organizations which have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.”

Winners

Nobel Prize for Peace

Jailed Belarusian activist Ales Byalyatski, Russian rights group Memorial and Ukraine’s Center for Civil Liberties won the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize amid a war in their region that is the

Dale Coberly; USA Today Report of Biden Speech not as bad as it might have been. It still amounts to a lie by Misdirection. On September 27, USA TODAY published an article which AB suggested I review.

“Biden vows to save Social Security and Medicare in face of shortfalls, but offers few details,” Maureen Groppe, USA Today

It has been said that looking at the face of the devil is one of the chief torments of hell. That is the way I feel when I look at the so many lying and ignorant articles about Social Security.

This is going to be my belated review of the USA TODAY article, much shortened for your reading pleasure and my sanity.  Easiest for me to use quotes from USA followed by my ( coberly ) comments.

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USA TODAY: “Biden vows

One Handed Economist David Zetland reviews a review by The Economist of the book Superabundance. I admit I did not read the book or even scan it. I will do so later when I have some time to do so. The subtitle kind of gives it away as it promotes (“The Story of) Population Growth, Innovation and Human Flourishing on an Infinitely Bountiful Planet.”

In the US there is a lot of noise about legal immigrants coming to the US. Our replacement rate has dropped to 1.7 which implies a decreasing population. The population did increase less than 1 million for the first time ever as recorded. It is the lowest increase there has ever been.

However, this does not imply nothing should be done. Carbon extraction should be minimized to where we are more

“Did Biden Lie About Social Security or is Washington Post’s Fact Checker a Damned Liar?“

Dale Coberly:

Well. you won’t find out from me.  I only read about it third hand, and because the “fact checker” …Glenn Kessler….is behind a paywall you are going to have to find it for yourself.

So, I don’t know but I been told that Kessler gave Biden “Four Pinocchios” for saying that the Republicans want to destroy Social Security…just as the Democrats have lied about the Republicans wanting to destroy Social Security every election for as long as man can remember.

I checked on Biden’s speech.  I can’t find any lies about Republicans wanting to destroy Social Security.  Biden did read from a pamphlet that Republican Senator Ron Scott wrote calling

“Computer experts urge Georgia to replace voting machines,” (msn.com), Kate Brumback

Should Georgia replace present voting machines with paper ballots?

CNN — A Republican County official in Georgia escorted two operatives working with an attorney for former President Donald Trump into the county’s election offices on the same day a voting system there was breached, newly obtained video shows.The breach is now under investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and is of interest to the Fulton County District Attorney, who is conducting a wider criminal probe of interference in the 2020 election.

Since this occurrence, computer and election security experts are urging Georgia election officials to replace the state’s touchscreen voting