Tag Archives: politics

“Student loan repayment pause extended while waiting for debt relief,” (qz.com), Ananya Bhattacharya Student loan repayments were set to restart in the new year of 2023 if not forgiven. Another six more months breathing room has been granted before those repayments start again. The US Department of Education (DoE) announced the extension on November 22. The original moratorium was to coincide with the Biden administration’s student loan...

“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...

I get freebie articles from various publications on the internet. They solicit me for a subscription to their publication. I can not find fault with any of them. If I did subscribe to all of them, read them all; I would find myself at my desk 100% of the day. I do need to get up and walk a few miles each day. It is good for my body, mind, and the German Shepard. In this publication of The New Republic? The Cherokee Nation has the Congressional...

What matters most to families, moms who have to make things happen, and dads who struggle to provide for their family. This is a rerun from “Annie Asks You” emphasizing our job is not done. The work is unfinished and for a brief moment we came close. We are not done. I hope you enjoy the read. “Moms, Kids, and the Makeup of Congress,” annieasksyou…, August 12, 2022 In this intolerable heat, I’ve been thinking a lot about poor single moms and...

Peter Dorman at Econospeak The Anti-Racism of Fools Antisemitism has long been intermingled with movements against injustice and elite control.  This is because the most widespread image in the mind of antisemites is the existence of a secretive cabal of Jews who control global finance and promote liberal-sounding ideas only because it serves their nefarious goals.  Hatred of Jews therefore deflects radical inclinations that might otherwise...

(Dan here…lifted from One handed Economist by David Zetland’s Interesting Stuff) Read: “…because of how people actually use Twitter, the lines between “comedy club” and “town square” and “room full of monetizable user data that drive advertising revenue” aren’t always apparent.” Related: “From being asked to review every product you buy to believing that every tweet or Instagram image warrants likes or comments or follows, social media produced a...

“Social Security and Medicare finances bolstered by growing economy,” (axios.com), Neil Irwin. Two different pieces of information going on here. The pie chart below shows were we were in 2021 for Medicare. I have not compared the pieces of information to see if they conflict. I do not have charts for Social Security, I can only imagine in my head the outcome. A million people died so the funds go to the living. The trustees of the programs...

Existing home sales decline to recessionary levels; prices have clearly turned down; low inventory still a problem  – by New Deal democrat As I wrote earlier this morning, my primary interest in existing home sales at this point is prices. [Note: graphs below for sales and prices does not include October] For the record, existing home sales fell to a new 2.5 year low (i.e., since the teeth of the pandemic lockdowns) of 4.430 million...

Other things were on the ballot this election also. In Maricopa AZ, Proposition 469 failed. The proposition would have raised the sales tax a half a cent to fund roads in two counties. In the City of Maricopa, the increased half-cent tax passed. In the county (Pinal), it failed. Meanwhile city residents are whining about road conditions, accidents, and drivers. Speed limits, stop signs, and red lights are just a suggestion. A statewide...

October retail sales: consumers: “We’re not dead yet!”  – by New Deal democrat Retail sales, my favorite consumer indicator, was reported this morning for October. And it was a good number, up +1.3% nominally, and up +0.5% after adjusting for inflation: On the bright side, this was the highest absolute number since April. On the down side, retail sales have still gone essentially nowhere for the last 18 months.  As a result, YoY retail...