The Angry Bear

About ten years ago, we had 22 solar panels installed on the roof of our St. Louis house. Half the cost was paid by Ameren, the electric utility, and we got a 30% tax rebate on the balance. But even with reversible metering, we hadn’t made back our cost when we sold the house two years ago. At that time, ours was among only about a half-dozen homes in our neighborhood with rooftop solar. Here in Rumford RI, there are at least twice as many.California...

 – by New Deal democrat In the paradigm popularized by Prof. Edward Leamer 20 years ago, motor vehicle sales are the 2nd domino to fall, after housing, in the procession of sectors that turn down prior to recessions. I haven’t updated this in a while, so let’s take a look. As an initial matter, the cycle in this sector was particularly hard hit by supply chain kinks during the pandemic, as electronic parts in particular were not produced at...

There should not be political issues with or in healthcare. Healthcare is a social responsibility to be brought to all people in this nation without regard to citizenship. Yet we still find many citizens resistant to healthcare availability. And why should there not be? If they are sick, why not cure them so as to prevent the spread? Healthcare is not a privilege; it is a right for every person who walks this nations grounds. The following to...

It Doesn’t have to.” make people sick. Elizabeth Allen of Vera Institute of Justice talks to one prison head Michael Capers. To get visitors, meant a prisoner would have a chance to buy snacks out of the visitor vending machines. If you ever go, bring a couple of rolls of quarters to feed the machines. The prisoner will be grateful. At level ones and twos, a prisoner can stand on the line and point to a treat they might want. A smart level 4...

Producer prices remain tame  – by New Deal democrat Producer prices for final demand (blue) rose 0.1% in July, while upstream raw commodity prices (red) rose 0.7%, close to their highest monthly increases in the past two years: In the larger pre-pandemic scheme of things, the one month rise in commodity prices is not a matter of concern at this point. On a YoY basis, final demand producer prices are up 2.2%, while raw commodity prices...

I have been picking up more healthcare commentary which depicts the difficulty in providing healthcare at a sustainable cost. This brief commentary depicts one of the problematic issues for people. I believe this sentence makes the issue very clear. Copay accumulators are programs health plans use to prevent copay assistance from counting toward patients’ deductibles or out-of-pocket maximums. They do not count towards a deductible which the patient...

I am a recipient of the SwissInfo (SWI) news and have been for a long time. Out of southern Germany I would duck down to Switzerland to tour when I was not working. A different economic outlook in Switzerland as compared to the US. Maybe someone can add to the story of the European economy? Swiss Franc rally supercharged? by Georgios Kefalas SWI swissinfo.ch, The wave of risk aversion that ripped through markets at the start of the...

by Sheela Ranganathan, Maanasa Kona Health Affairs There is a growing interest among policymakers to protect patients from medical debt and its negative downstream effects, in April 2023. Three of the three credit reporting agencies (CRAs)—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion voluntarily agreed to stop reporting any medical debt under $500. In April of this year the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) found that, despite these changes,...

 If you have been keeping up with New Deal democrat’s reports on the economy. He is not yet quite sold on the US slipping into recession. The Establishment Survey numbers are still positive. Numbers He believes and the numbers support his beliefs we are in a slight expansion mode. NDd also believe it is time to turn lose on the FED rates as it is in a slight expansion. Frustration of Claudia Sahm As Her Recession Indicator Triggers From the...

What if you had an accident and the closest Emergency Room was over 30 minutes away or what if you were sick and there were no physicians or hospital beds in your community? Millions of Americans are facing this situation because rural hospitals are being forced to close. Why More Than 30% of Rural Hospitals Are at Risk of Closure, MedCity News As told by CHQPR, more than 700 rural hospitals in the U.S. are at risk of closing due to their...