Tag Archives: Hot Topics

This is a pretty good take on what the administration is attempting to do in the US with regard to manufacturing. With some help from Republicans, this could be a change in the US for labor. Labor’s input in manufacturing raw materials and finished product would result in increased income. Much pf Labor could be classified as skilled Labor. “Why Biden’s Domestic Content Incentives Matter,” Roosevelt Institute. Todd N. Tucker Today, the Biden...

I’ve had a lifelong fascination with New York City in general and with Manhattan in particular. My dad grew up in Brooklyn, and my paternal grandparents lived on Long Island (Hempstead) when I was growing up. I went to the 1964 Worlds Fair in Flushing Meadows, and once ate at an automat in Manhattan. When my folks lived on the East Side for two years, I enjoyed visiting them between quarters in college. The Battery, Wall Street, SoHo, Central Park,...

Real hourly and aggregate wages update; plus further comments on consumer and producer inflation  – by New Deal democrat Let’s update some inflation-related information. First of all, real hourly wages for non-managerial personnel increased less than 0.1% in April. They are up about 3% from just before the pandemic, and also up a little over 1% since their June low last year: Note the graph above is normed to 100 as of the long-time...

This post is kind of a commercial. I am detailing another way you may be able to fulfill your pharmaceutical prescriptions. The catch right now is having common drugs. Mark Cuban has said he will add more of he less common drugs as they negotiate with the pharmaceutical companies. I have the United Healthcare – Walgreens plan. They issue a 90-day supply of my generic drugs. Up till this year, they would containerize them properly. These were...

Yellow flag from initial jobless claims turns a little more orangey  – by New Deal democrat Initial jobless claims rose 22,000 to 264,000 last week, while the 4 week average rose 6,000 to 245,250. Continuing claims, with a one week lag, rose 12,000 to 1.813 million: Note that both measures of initial claims are at their highest levels since late 2021. Continuing claims are also at those levels, although slightly down from three weeks ago....

I wish Biden’s advisors had given him some dialogue rebutting McCarthy’s plan for cuts in programs. It is this type of jawboning which make convince some, not all, citizens the need to change their minds. What is the harm, Republicans will bring to the economy over and above what the FED will incur on Labor. Joe Biden’s remarks on the first meeting with Republicans and their holding United States citizens hostage to protect the 1% of the taxpayers...

This is an interesting piece done by Dahlia Lithwick. Basically taking up the history of why judges do not take gifts from commoners. Unless of course, the commoner has money and is influential. Ok, so Justice Clarence Thomas is getting a few greater than normal bucks and gifts on the side. Problem two arises in his failure to report the thousands of dollars and the generous gifts. I told the story of being invited to the EOY Jim McMahon Chicago...

“An Ominous Warning to the E. Jean Carroll Jury,” The Atlantic, Juliette Kayyem Interesting but foreboding piece in The Atlantic. In the dismissal of the jury, the judge took a moment to suggest the jury not engage in conversation or be publicly identified. Typically and after trials, the judge will dismiss the jurors by thanking them for their time and public service. These words of gratitude are usually a formality, a polite nod to a key feature...

Inflation ex-shelter increasing at 1.0% annualized rate since last June; core inflation with actual house prices only up 3.0% YoY  – by New Deal democrat Two months ago, I “officially” took the position that inflation had been conquered, and that, properly measured, the economy had actually been experiencing deflation since last June. With revisions, the “actual deflation” is no longer the case; but for the second month in a row since then,...

In an effort to slow down the severe recession as well as the persistently high unemployment rate following the 2007-08 Financial Crisis, the government increased federal spending. As a result, the federal debt reached its limit on multiple occasions from 2008 to 2011 which led to a series of increases of the debt limit. In 2011, the Treasury asked for its borrowing capacity to be extended. The 2011 U.S. Debt Ceiling Crisis led to a contentious...