“But then, in 2022“, the Justice Clarence Thomas-authored Bruen decision suggested all gun regulations had to line up with the understanding of firearms the founders had when they wrote the Constitution. “ It seems to me that if Bruen is taken very literally, it implies that the 2nd amendment only applies to muzzle loading firearms: muskets, rifles, and pistols. The founders did not imagine AR15s. How could they have regulated (or forbid...
Read More »Moody’s Analytics; cooling inflation, economic growth of 2.1% v. an economic disaster
AB: I am not sure how Republicans will sugar coat Trump’s economic plans for 2025. June 23, 2024 Prof. Heather Cox Richardson Letters from an American On Thursday, Moody’s Analytics, which evaluates risk, performance, and financial modeling, compared the economic promises of President Joe Biden and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. Authors Mark Zandi, Brendan LaCerda, and Justin Begley concluded that while a second Biden...
Read More »SCOTUS Rulings on Election Districting
This popped on the ABA Journal as written by Attorney Erwin Chemerinsky. Erwin is the guy to follow when it comes to the impact of certain cases on the US citizenry. Today, he is identifying several rulings which may have a bearing of election results. In fact, he is saying such towards the end of his article. Hopefully, he is wrong and the court rejects it if it comes to the court. One could always hope. Commenter Jack usually has a good take...
Read More »Barr Deciding to Endorse trump
What Bill Barr has said about Donald Trump: In May 2023, when asked whether Trump is fit to be president at a City Club of Cleveland event in Ohio, he responded: “If you believe in his policies, what he’s advertising is his policies, he’s the last person who could actually execute them and achieve them. He does not have the discipline, he does not have the ability for strategic thinking and linear thinking or setting priorities or how to get...
Read More »Changing Israel’s self-destructive course
Israel is on a dangerously self-destructive course. The brutality of the Gaza campaign is antagonizing allies and making it difficult for regional players to continue normalizing relations. The prospects for a durable peace are dimming at the same time that the policy of military supremacy that provided a modicum of security over the past two decades looks increasingly unsustainable. Netanyahu clearly deserves much of the blame for what is...
Read More »Medicare Advantage Battling CMS over Compensation
Introduction: It appears HHS and CMS are taking action with Medicare Advantage plans and their payments to brokers selling Advantage plans. They allowed Kaiser Family Foundation healthcare to republish a Modern Healthcare article. I am lucky enough to have access to and republished at Angry Bear. According to the article, “insurers increasingly not only pay commissions to brokers and agents but also contract with field marketing organizations...
Read More »“Trump’s latest notion is both economically and fiscally illiterate”
July 31, 1789, the U.S. Congress passed the last of three acts providing for administering customs tariffs and collecting duties. On the nation’s birthday, the Tariff Act of July 4, 1789, had been passed by Congress followed by the Duties on Tonnage statute on July 20. Mainly, they provided operating revenue for the government. From 1816 they were designed with the additional goal of protecting manufacturing enterprises from low-priced imports....
Read More »Traveling to Visit Brother
Should be back Sunday Night. He was pretty ill and I needed to be there to help him along. Bill
Read More »Snail’s pace of housing market rebalancing, as existing sales remain range bound, and inventory has not increased enough to relieve pricing pressure
– by New Deal democrat Existing home sales have very limited value in economic forecasting, since they are the trade of an existing product rather than indicating growth or contraction in the creation of a new product. Thus my main focus at present on this data is the extent to which it shows – or not – the rebalancing of the housing market. That’s because, unlike existing homeowners, house builders can vary square footage, amenities, lot sizes,...
Read More »AI for the win!
The last decade has seen many initiatives toward clean, green, and low-carbon energy, as well as a global shift toward electric vehicles and automation. Many of these initiatives were enabled rare earth magnets, which is why rare earth magnets are heavily used now and will continue to be used in the future. When my dad retired as a chemical engineer for Martin-Marietta at the age of 62, he started a one-man company based on a patent he was awarded. It...
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