Many things can be accomplished when you have a majority in Congress, Well. almost. For Democrats, Sinema is still growing up and trying to decide what she wants to be. Being a Democrat is boring. Sitting with Repubs is more exciting as Dems notice. There is no excitement in going along with the crowd. Gotta mix it up and grab the attention by being a decision maker or a disruptor. “I can’t deny the fact that you like me. Right now, you like me!”...
Read More »Credit conditions in Q4 were recessionary
Credit conditions in Q4 were recessionary – by New Deal democrat While we are still in our lull concerning monthly data, on Monday there was a significant update of one long leading indicator that is only reported Quarterly: the Senior Loan Officer Survey. This survey has an excellent history of over 30 years telling us about credit conditions. Loosening of credit, and an increase in demand for credit means expansion ahead. Credit tightening...
Read More »Democrats, let’s turn the debt ceiling standoff into a referendum on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid
President Biden has so far insisted he will not negotiate over the debt ceiling. This makes sense on one level. The Republicans are threatening to blow up the economy to get the Democrats to agree to – and share the blame for – unpopular budget cuts. It is easy to see why Democrats want to resist going down this path. Just saying “no” to negotiations may not work But in the real world things are not so simple. The House Republicans may pass...
Read More »Interesting(?) Stuff from My In-Box, January 31, 2023
Mixed Bag Today. Police Actions are making the news. Not just on the street. Major story is police beating a man to death. It was very discouraging to read this. Cop City being built and one protestor dead. Oklahoma prison murdering imprisoned prisoners. Talked with a Police Captain the other day. He was insisting he be called captain. Should I have angered him and insist I be called Sergeant USMC. I had a Communications platoon reporting to me....
Read More »From Deficit to Debt
In the real world, if someone spends more money than they make, they run a deficit. Income – Spending = Deficit. Accumulatively, deficits become debt. In order to avoid the accumulation of debt; they need to either reduce spending, increase income, or both; a lessening of income would require a reduction in spending, an increase in spending would beg an increase in income, and so forth. Governmentally, spending stays spending and income becomes...
Read More »Oh The Cost Of It
The 2nd that is. If there was ever anything that cried out for a cost-benefit analysis it is surely the more recent Supreme Court interpretations of our ‘Second Amendment Rights’. On The Benefit Side: The right to protect our family and selves at all times and in all places from all dangers both real and imagined with deadly force. The right to experience any pleasure one might get from firing automatic and semi-automatic weapons...
Read More »Gun Violence vs Democracy
California Ranked #1 for Gun Safety, Death Rate 37% Lower than National Average In 2021, California was ranked as the #1 state for population and gun safety by Giffords Law Center, and the state saw a 37% lower gun death rate than the national average. According to the CDC, California’s gun death rate was the 44th lowest in the nation, with 8.5 gun deaths per 100,000 people – compared to 13.7 deaths per 100,000 nationally, 28.6 in Mississippi,...
Read More »Saying No to Insurance Company Medication Switches
I can not say I have been exposed to any of this switcheroo as my meds are older technology. We are also on regular Medicare and not Medicare Advantage. I have a larger say with the former. Part D works mostly except the pharmacies in my area are less helpful than they were in Michigan. And these drugs do seem to work to my needs for now. Doctor Pelzman does have a major point. The insurance companies, PBMs, distributors (McKesson, etc.) have...
Read More »Earnings inequality continuing growth in the pandemic labor market
“Inequality in annual earnings worsens in 2021.” This report is a couple of weeks old. Still relevant and supports what NDd has been saying as well as others here at Angry Bear. This is taken from EPI. Partial read of a larger report. Details from year twenty-one finds annual wages rising the fastest for the top 1% of earners (up 9.4%) and top 0.1% (up 18.5%) Those in the bottom 90% saw their real earnings fall 0.2% between 2020 and 2021. Workers...
Read More »What News Was in My In-Box, December 21, 2022
I am not sure if you experienced similar. A year ago getting Delta Airlines customer service on the line took hours. And if you left a phone number, they never called back. I found calling them when they first opened up seemed to work. 6 AM? One time we even got better seats. Getting airline help is an issue. Minnesota is moving forward with their version of single payer for residents and those who work in Minnesota. It will be interesting to see...
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