The Angry Bear

It is unfortunate we do not possess a “Wayback Machine” to fix the issues we are experiencing with banks since 1986. Instaed we bumble again and again, making the same mistake over and over with banks. In a cartoon series called Peabody’s Improbable History, Mr. Peabody and Sherman would open the door to the past, speak in English to everyone they met (even if they could not speak English). The translation was a part of the machine. Both Mr....

We recently received a letter from the City of East Providence water utilities division asking us to check whether our service line contains lead. Since our house was built in 1935, this was a reasonable possibility. In the event, our line is galvanized iron or steel, not lead. But this ongoing effort to purge lead plumbing reminded me again of the impact of environmental lead on public health, including crime.I’ve been following the gasoline...

This article can not get any easier to read and explain how the economy survived a pandemic from 2020 onward and even into 2024. With the right actions by a president and supported by a Congress, the nation survived and it grew. In summation? The “economy has had a remarkable four-year run, judged against both its own history or the international competition.” If you disagree, this one has few technical details to confuse the issues. Make your...

First, this report (GDP and Income) is almost three months old. The latest release: will be June 28, 2024. “Gross Domestic Product by State and Personal Income by State, 1st Quarter 2024.” Some detail establishing a base for the June 28, 2024 report which will cover 1st Qtr. 2024. Briefly: The BEA has updates on population which I will have to check out. If you remember from New Deal democrats report, there has been a discrepancy between...

Post-pandemic Latin American immigration and the unemployment rate (and it’s implications for the economy)  – by New Deal democrat One week ago, in analyzing the jobs report, I noted the continuing severe disconnect between the Establishment Survey, which continues to show strong growth, and the Household Survey, which has been downright recessionary. I expanded on that analysis Monday and Tuesday, noting that “At the end of Q4 2022, the...

I am sure borrowers having to use Payday Lenders are thrilled to wait till March 2025. Supreme Court ruling in May, the federal government is expected to get tougher on regulating payday lenders and other firms that offer high-interest, short-term loans. This type of lending — which often targets low-income borrowers — has long drawn fire from consumer groups on grounds that these small-dollar loans quickly balloon when they’re not repaid,...

by Merrill Goozner GoozNews Hospitals are pushing back on an experiment that would put providers on budgets. CMS should ignore their lobbyists and consultants playing games with numbers. Changing the way hospitals and doctors get paid is central to reforming our dysfunctional health care system. Payment reform can achieve better health outcomes, improve the patient experience and help keep overall health care costs in check, the three goals...

by Lawrence O. Gostin and Sarah Wetter MEDPAGE TODAY — A slew of cases this term could reshape health policy. Undecided Issues still before SCOTUS which should be decided this month. The Justices will then take off for a bit to reconcile the decisions they made causing issues amongst the population. Nothing unusual here, it happens every year. This group of 6-3 appear to be more partisan (right-wing) than prior Justices. Abortion as...

Extract from Thomas Jefferson to “Henry Tompkinson” (Samuel Kercheval) “I am not among those who fear the people. they and not the rich, are our dependance for continued freedom. and to preserve their independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt . . . if we run into such debts as that we must be taxed in our meat and in our drink, in our necessaries & our comforts, in our labors & our amusements, for our callings...

One of the climate change denialist memes is that, since plants inhale carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen during the day, then increased CO2 will be *good* for trees. Setting aside the facts that increased desertification and increased coastal flooding are decidedly *not* good for trees, a recent study suggests that it more CO2 doesn’t necessarily result in more/faster tree growth:“Why not? Our new research, published today in Nature, shows it comes...