Angry Bear

IQ. So what?

Joel Eissenberg — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 13:30:37 +0000

I don’t know if my IQ was tested. Needless to say, I don’t know what my IQ is. I do know that I was awarded a BA in microbiology with honors at the age of 22, a PhD in genetics at the age of 27, a tenure track assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology […]

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Money, Power and the Traders who Barter the Earth’s Resources

Angry Bear — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Book Review: The World for Sale The one-handed economist Javier Blas and Jack Farchy (B&F) published this book in 2022, and I decided to read it after hearing them discuss it on a podcast. The book focuses on commodity traders “who barter the Earth’s resources” as it says in the subtitle. On the one hand, these […]

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The housing market continues to be recessionary: repeat home sales edition

NewDealdemocrat — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 12:30:00 +0000

– by New Deal democrat Note: there was a good advance manufacturers’ new orders report for September this morning. I’m going to save discussing it until Friday, when I dissect the regional Fed reports, which are now all in through November. Neither building permits and starts, nor new residential sales, were updated this morning, which means […]

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History About “Thanksgiving” Day

Angry Bear — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 19:15:42 +0000

Reading Prof. Heather Cox Richardson’s take on American history always reveals something I did not know. misunderstood, or what I wanted to know of about. There is a message here which I believe applies to the events occurring in the United States today. I subscribe to Prof. Heather’s Substack and find her words to be […]

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Pete Hegseth hates scouting

Joel Eissenberg — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 10:56:17 +0000

I was a Boy Scout for about three years as a teenager. The troop I was in was sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. Every evening on camping trips we said the rosary around the campfire. I progressed to Star Scout rank before dropping out. One of my younger brothers was in a different troop […]

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Thanksgiving Day 2025

Angry Bear — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 06:06:00 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving to Angry Bear’s readers, writers, and family. Hope all is well by you.

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Jobless claims continue recent trends, do not suggest any worsening of unemployment

NewDealdemocrat — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 14:46:17 +0000

– by New Deal democrat With the end of the government shutdown, jobless claims are fully updated and back on their regular schedule. And this week, there was more of the same. Initial jobless claims were down -6,000 to a very low 216,000, and the four week average declined -1,000 to 223,750. With the typical […]

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The Economies of Biden and Trump . . . Similar?

Bill Haskell — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 13:04:00 +0000

Inherited Economies Biden and Trump, Patreon – by Dean Baker Donald Trump may not be able to remember what things were like five years ago, when he handed the economy and the country to Joe Biden, but it is important that the rest of us do. As in so many other areas where Trump tries […]

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Ah, Tennessee

Joel Eissenberg — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 10:51:34 +0000

I lived in Tennessee from 1958, when my parents moved to Oak Ridge, until 1977 when I moved to Chapel Hill NC to start grad school. While these might be considered my “formative years,” I don’t consider myself a Tennessean. Judged by number of years spent in a state, I’m Missourian, since I lived in […]

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Forever Contaminants Such as PFAS

Angry Bear — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 05:01:00 +0000

This report from Environmental Health News (EHN) is 3= years old. I would regard it as relatively accurate in 2025. In Livingston County Michigan, the lakes were polluted with types of PFAS and many of the fish caught in lakes such as Strawberry lake carried PFAS. Unknown to many, people were eating the fish. I can not […]

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NVIDIA’s Distinction: Is there an AI bubble?

Sandwichman — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 04:05:34 +0000

In The Theory of the Leisure Class, Thorstein Veblen coined a number of terms that have become terms of art: conspicuous consumption, conspicuous waste, pecuniary emulation, invidious comparison, and invidious distinction. He introduced the latter term as it pertained to different kinds of employment in a “higher barbarian culture”: …the distinction between exploit and drudgery […]

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Producer prices in September told a tale of goods vs. services (plus; programming note)

NewDealdemocrat — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 16:44:42 +0000

– by New Deal democrat First, a scheduling note. Several data releases have been made this morning. Several more delayed releases having to do with housing *might* be released tomorrow. Alas, the very late Q3 GDP report is not going to be released at all until the end of December. There will be no releases on […]

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Economics of PhD training

Joel Eissenberg — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 14:13:46 +0000

My wife and I did our PhDs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It took us five years after we finished undergrad. “Typically, the philosophy department at Boston University funds PhD candidates for up to seven years. Grippo, who uses they/them pronouns, started PhD coursework in 2019, and as of September, still […]

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One Million Seniors Lose Their Medicare Advantage Plan

Angry Bear — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 13:00:00 +0000

This does not surprise me. Medicare Advantage is more costly. Medicare Advantage plan extends services well beyond what Traditional Medicare provides. Furthermore, the Advantage plans were heavily subsidized with Traditional Medicare funds. How is Medicare Advantage funded? This was a long time coming . . . Some Medicare Advantage funding comes from the enrolled people’s […]

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Expiring ACA Tax Credits Cause Higher Premiums Due to Age Rating

Angry Bear — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 12:30:00 +0000

If Congress does not extend the enhanced premium tax credits, older Marketplace enrollees, especially early retirees and the self-employed, would see some of the steepest increases in premiums. The enhanced premium tax credits lowered the share of income enrollees had to pay toward premiums and expanded subsidy eligibility to people with incomes above 400% of the federal […]

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Flawed Construction of NYC Tower

Angry Bear — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 21:19:24 +0000

An article by Lloyd Alter about the problematic construction of a tall building (NYC) that flexes and bends in the wind. The result of which are cracks in the in the exterior surface of the building which is also load bearing. Too costly for me to live there and I probably would not even if […]

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An Ongoing War by this Administration against Knowledge manifested by the higher education community, medical, and scientific research

NewDealdemocrat — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:52:38 +0000

Scenes from the very tardy September jobs report – by New Deal democrat An opening comment: it is an abomination that the US government treated its statistical agencies as doing expendable work. Thus, after over 85 years of continuity, there will never be an unemployment rate, nor a consumer inflation reading, for October. Which means we […]

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Economic Impact of Medicaid Work Requirements

Angry Bear — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 12:39:00 +0000

Republicans are campaigning for work requirements in order to get Medicaid. According to one report in May: “Between 4.6 million and 5.2 million adults would lose Medicaid coverage in 2026 due to proposed work requirements.” Denying Medicaid does not mean people will not get healthcare if needed. It does mean, hospitals would not be paid […]

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Just Some Notes on Ukraine

Angry Bear — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Zelensky wrote on social media: ‘It’s important to not forget the main goal, to stop the Russian war and prevent it from breaking out again in the future. ‘That’s why we’re so carefully working on every point, on every step toward peace.‘ Trump had given Ukraine a Thursday deadline to respond to the proposal, which would require […]

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Recovery from this Presidency

Angry Bear — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 17:48:24 +0000

If there was ever a thought of returning to a simpler era, we have blown right past it. Tru_p’s crude attacks on society have vacated want took years to put in place legitimately by a Congress. The nation has lost much of its concern for citizens with the exception of a few at the upper […]

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Tru_p Skips Global COP Summits

Angry Bear — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 16:05:55 +0000

How some of the world looks at the United States and its leadership . . . “Trump says US to skip G20 summit in South Africa,” Nikkei Asia. And the reasoning? “No U.S. government official would attend the Group of 20 summit in South Africa later this month, because of what he said were “human […]

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PPACA Presently and After it Expires

Angry Bear — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 12:30:00 +0000

I placed the 2025 Poverty Level Guidelines on this post so readers could get an idea of what salary qualifies them for ACA subsidies. Everyone talks about 100 percent of this or 400% of that without knowing exactly what the numbers are based up the Federal Poverty Level. Hence the chart below. It stops shy […]

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US Sells Ukraine and People to the Russians for Assets and Natural Resources

Bill Haskell — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Such a noble guy Donald Tru_p is. Where does the list start and end with what he has done? Does the word coward fit here somewhere? November 21, 2025 by Heather Cox Richardson Letters from an American Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Ukrainian people today. The current moment, he said, is “one of the […]

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Boost your brain power with fluoridated water

Joel Eissenberg — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 10:02:04 +0000

Artificial fluoridation of public water supplies, which reduces dental caries, tooth decay, and dental health disparities, is one of the 20th century’s great public health achievements. The idea began with the observation that communities where the natural levels of fluoride in the water is high had unusually low levels of dental decay. When I was […]

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NVIDIA replaced ENRON on the S&P 500 in 2001

Sandwichman — Sat, 22 Nov 2025 20:06:21 +0000

From the Los Angeles Times, November 30, 2001: “Enron, which had been a component of the S&P; 500, was removed at the end of trading Thursday and replaced by Nvidia Corp., a Santa Clara, Calif.-based maker of computer-graphics chips. As index funds sold Enron and bought Nvidia, Nvidia jumped $2.25 to $53.61 on Nasdaq.” Blowout […]

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October existing home sales, prices, and inventory continue to show slow progress towards rebalancing

NewDealdemocrat — Sat, 22 Nov 2025 18:24:45 +0000

– by New Deal democrat Although the government shutdown is over, most data points – including all having to do with housing – have not been updated, which means that alternate data sources, including the NAR’s existing home sales report, have temporarily become our best look at the housing market. As per my context all this […]

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Global Warming and Climate Change

Bill Haskell — Sat, 22 Nov 2025 16:30:00 +0000

Interesting topic. I believe many of us could learn a bit more about the impact we have on our environment. The COP30 climate conference was held this year. This is where world leaders try to hammer out solutions to the growing climate crisis. This year the U.S. also boycotted that gathering. Tru_p is all in […]

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Employer Health Benefits Survey for 2025

Angry Bear — Sat, 22 Nov 2025 12:30:00 +0000

This is a good take by KFF on Healthcare Insurance in the United States. It is a bit long; but, it is worth spending a few minutes to read. It can be a very good reference for understanding what is taking place in the United States for healthcare. The cost of healthcare is increasing which […]

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“Fossil Fuel Producers and Green Energy Advocates”

Angry Bear — Sat, 22 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

“Global Battle Royale at COP30 between Fossil Fuel Producers and Green Energy Advocates,” Informed Comment – Juan Cole Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) . . . Fiona Harvey at The Guardian reports from the COP30 climate conference that a bloc comprising such countries as India, China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt and Bolivia (under its new right-wing President Rodrigo […]

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President Unchained

Angry Bear — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 18:11:33 +0000

When do the adults take control and establish a normal order for the government and the public. Tru_p is becoming like lose cannon board ship. With each wave of public announcement, he is crashing from side to side causing more damage with his threatening verbal attacks. The rest of the world must be laughing at […]

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Exercise can reduce risk of dementia

Joel Eissenberg — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 14:04:03 +0000

There are plenty of good reasons to maintain high levels of physical activity throughout your life. In addition to reducing risk of heart disease, diabetes and clinical depression, we can add reduced risk of dementia: “Physical activity in both midlife and late-life was linked to substantially less dementia risk, a long-term analysis of a large […]

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September jobs report: a positive – if stale – report

NewDealdemocrat — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 12:30:00 +0000

– by New Deal democrat First things first: the jobs data we received this morning, like the official data reported earlier this week, is “stale news.” The period canvassed giving rise to this data was over two months ago. As such, aside from the fuller texture which it provides to us, the most important question is […]

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Why Would Increasing Sales Be an Indicator for a Poor Economy?

Angry Bear — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

More likely than not, buying at WalMart indicates such because the costs are less. Even now when prices are up, WalMart may still be the place to shop. People may be buying off brands and poorer cuts of meat, Spaghetti may be on the menu more often. “Walmart Q3 earnings show a distressed American consumer,” […]

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Jobless claims: new four year high in continuing claims

NewDealdemocrat — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 19:12:54 +0000

– by New Deal democrat While this morning’s much delayed September jobs report was the big news of the day, the DoL did resume their normal weekly reporting of unemployment claims, so let me in turn resume my normal weekly note of them. Initial claims declined -8,000 to 220,000 while the four week moving average […]

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Does Government Military Spending “Fund” Shareholder Dividends, Buybacks, and Concentrated Wealth?

Steve Roth — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 18:12:11 +0000

Short answer: yeah. The long answer is . . . longer. – by Steve Roth Originally posted at Wealth Economics There are a lot of pathways and mechanisms in the US and worldwide that deliver wealth to assetholders, and that have perennially concentrated that wealth (hence power) into the hands of dynasties over millennia — notably over […]

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Partially updated jobless claims data suggest unemployment rate at or near top end of 2025 range

NewDealdemocrat — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 15:30:00 +0000

– by New Deal democrat There was no new official data reported this morning, including the normal monthly report on housing permits, starts, and construction. Yesterday the Department of Labor did partially update several weeks of jobless claims data, which helps us estimate what might happen with the unemployment rate when the September jobs report is […]

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What is There to Understanding the Need for Healthcare Insurance?

Angry Bear — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Paul Krugman on a November Thursday talking insurance. We have mandatory auto insurance. We have life insurance, unemployment insurance, home owners insurance, travel insurance, etc. Yet for some reason the nation can not get into their head the need for healthcare insurance for all whether it is commercial or government backed. The person in the […]

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Forget about the Epstein files

Joel Eissenberg — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 10:49:47 +0000

Trump announced he’ll sign a bill demanding the release of the Epstein file, something the White House has resisted for months. But if that’s the case, why doesn’t he just release them all now and dispense with legislation? BWAHAHAHAhahahaha!!! Did you fall for that one? “In his social media post suddenly declaring he didn’t care […]

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August factory orders rebounded from early summer lows

NewDealdemocrat — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 18:19:12 +0000

As with yesterday, the good news is that important official economic data is being reported again. The bad news is that it is very stale, as in covering last August. – by New Deal democrat Still, one important area that private data did not cover well during the shutdown was orders and spending on durable goods, […]

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Women Wanting to Leave the U.S.

Bill Haskell — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 12:30:00 +0000

With all the issues going on with this presidency? I can understand why women may feel the way they do. It would be nice if my wife and I could escape also. Every day, there is a crisis brewing mostly because of what is being said coming from the presidency. I would not say I […]

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U.S. Citizens Wishing to Leave the US

Angry Bear — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Another commentary on people who would leave the United States. A Vice article on November 9th. I am not going to post it and I will supply the link. Not a terribly long commentary “America’s biggest export might soon be its own citizens according to the American Psychological Association’s Stress in America 2025 survey. Sixty-three percent (63%) […]

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Is MTG for real?

Joel Eissenberg — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 10:18:46 +0000

As we say in the south, I was born at night, but I wasn’t born *last* night. In my dictionary, if you look up the word “whackjob,” you’ll see a picture of Marjorie Taylor Greene. So what to make of MTG’s apostacy over the Epstein files and Trump’s attacks on her? So far, I’ve seen […]

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August construction spending: strong nominal headline masks neutral real trend in the deep rear view mirror

NewDealdemocrat — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 16:43:23 +0000

– by New Deal democrat The good news is, with the end of the government shutdown, economic data reporting resumed this morning. The bad news is, we are now in the latter part of November, and the construction spending report issued this morning was for all the way back in August. In fact, the last time […]

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Healthcare Spending

Angry Bear — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 12:30:00 +0000

Spending on Healthcare as a Part of GDP I realize I’m being impolite (Dean Baker), but we’re facing fascism and the NYT is saying things are clearly untrue and very detrimental to those of us who care about democracy. A piece on the problem of healthcare costs in the United States told readers: “The Affordable […]

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A Booming Economy and Lower Prices?

Angry Bear — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 12:03:00 +0000

Trump claimed last week on social media that “Our economy is BOOMING, and Costs are coming way down,” and that “grocery prices are way down.” Rubbish. How do I know he’s lying? Official government statistics haven’t been issued during the shutdown — presumably to Trump’s relief (the White House said Wednesday that the October jobs […]

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The art of no deal

Joel Eissenberg — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 10:08:34 +0000

Trump screwed his farm belt voters with his China tariffs. While China had been a reliable buyer of American soybeans, it retaliated by buying Brazilian soybeans instead. Brazil is expected to have a record soybean harvest next year. Recently, Trump announced a “deal” in which China would resume American soybean purchases. “A U.S. Department of […]

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Jobless claims continue slightly elevated YoY

NewDealdemocrat — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 23:41:59 +0000

– by New Deal democrat Hopefully for the last time . . . As I have done since the beginning of the government shutdown, the unadjusted number of initial and continuing claims can be calculated based on reporting by the States, plus DC, and Puerto Rico. Then, by applying the same adjustment as was used for […]

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States Mitigating Lost Federal Tax Credits

Angry Bear — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 12:30:00 +0000

Excellent commentary and explanation by Michigan’s Charles Gaba. Charles has been writing on the ACA and healthcare for years going back to when I lived in Michigan. He offers up excellent knowledge and explanation on the topic of states reacting to the lack of tax credits for their citizens, “There Will Be Graphs: A deeper […]

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Trump’s Claims for Thanksgiving

Angry Bear — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

#1. Trump’s ‘Irrefutable’ Thanksgiving Claim Hit With Brutal Fact Check (Daily Beast): “President Donald Trump boasted the price of a Thanksgiving dinner from Walmart had dropped under his administration. He conveniently leaves out the catch behind the bargain meal . . . ‘Walmart just announced that Prices for a Thanksgiving Dinner is now down 25% since under […]

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Don the con

Joel Eissenberg — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 11:11:27 +0000

Trump says affordability is “a con job by the Democrats.” Who ya gonna believe, The Donald or your lyin’ eyes? When Trump speaks of cons, we should listen. He should know, he’s the king of cons. But like all Republicans, Trump accuses others of what he himself is doing. “During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump […]

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New Deal democrats Weekly Indicators November 10 – 14

NewDealdemocrat — Sun, 16 Nov 2025 18:18:46 +0000

– by New Deal democrat My “Weekly Indicators” post is up at Seeking Alpha. The trends of strong retail spending, a weak US$, and strength in commodity prices all continue. But in recent weeks withholding tax payments have waned. While there can be a number of causes for that, it definitely merits a caution flag as to […]

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World’s Largest Kite Generating Electric Power in Mongolia

Angry Bear — Sun, 16 Nov 2025 12:30:00 +0000

We should be wondering where the United States is in developing similar technology. “China lets fly world’s largest kite in Inner Mongolia for electric power generation,” Bangkok Post Originally published South China Morning Post. Republished Bangkok Post China has successfully deployed the world’s largest power-generating kite, capable of harnessing the potential of energy-dense, high-altitude winds […]

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Medicare Advantage

Angry Bear — Sun, 16 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

“Medicare premiums are being pushed by rising payments to Medicare Advantage plans,” Social Security Report In 2026, Americans who use Medicare Part B to pay for their doctor’s visits can expect to see premiums increase by nearly 12% to $206.20 a month, according to a Medicare Trustees report. Yet while the government-run health program’s premiums are expected […]

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Tariffs and Prices

Angry Bear — Sat, 15 Nov 2025 13:05:00 +0000

Short commentary on what is going on with US prices. With Trumpian on and off policies, economic stability is difficult to maintain. Pulled this graph from a Tax Foundation article from October 21, 2025. “Trump Tariffs Raising Prices for Consumers, New Evidence Shows.” As you can see. prices did increase for domestic product just as […]

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Healthcare in the United States

Angry Bear — Sat, 15 Nov 2025 12:30:00 +0000

Dean Baker discussing healthcare costs in the United States. Not something we have not heard before. In this case, Dean is adding a lot more detail to explain the issues. The PPACA is also known as the ACA. It is most commonly known as Obamacare. That is so as to assign blame for any shortcomings […]

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What People May Think about Donald Trump

Bill Haskell — Sat, 15 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Just some data for which I thought Angry Bear readers might be interested. It is about 4 months old and “probably” has some bearing to what people are thinking. This article from August 2025 was originally published in The Surveyor, YouGov America’s weekly email newsletter. It has been revised for publication. The Surveyor has regular updates on YouGov’s polling. David […]

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Trump to save Americans from Trump

Joel Eissenberg — Sat, 15 Nov 2025 10:23:44 +0000

Looks like Trump is finally seeking tariff reductions to lower the price of groceries. “The White House on Thursday during a background call with reporters announced framework deals with Argentina, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Ecuador that it hopes will bring down the costs of certain groceries. “These deals come after President Donald Trump and some […]

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SNAP Funds

Angry Bear — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 21:02:53 +0000

For Some Reason, the wording disappeared off of the SNAP site which basically says the Gov. has to provide the funds which are available. “Administration Won’t Spend All SNAP Funds It Says Are Available, Leading to Deep Benefit Cuts for Low-Income Households,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities The courts affirmed that the Administration could […]

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The student loan shock

NewDealdemocrat — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 15:31:30 +0000

– by New Deal democrat Earlier this week, I wrote about 4 current shocks to the US economy (tariffs, medical insurance increases, SNAP payments, and AI related layoffs), but I should have included a 5th as well: the effect of the end of the student loan repayment moratorium. As a quick refresher, the Biden Administration enacted […]

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Hospital CEOs

Angry Bear — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 12:30:00 +0000

Hospital CEOs Pay Is Too Damn High, MedPage Today President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act — otherwise known as the “Big Beautiful Bill” — is projected to magnify economic inequality in the U.S. By 2034, the top tenth of U.S. households will see an estimated $13,600 increase in “household resources” (annual income), while the bottom tenth […]

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Verdict of History

Bill Haskell — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

I did not want to scare you so I downsized it. I believe this is actually supposed to the new penny to replace the old Lincoln pennies. However, it is labeled as a $1 dollar coin. Given the nature of the person, we can be sure the coin will be accepted for the value stated. […]

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College Republican does racial profiling

Joel Eissenberg — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 10:33:52 +0000

I understand why this gets ignored by the MSM. Republican racism isn’t news. “The president of Boston University College Republicans wrote on X he called the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement requesting it detain employees at Allston Car Wash, the site of a Nov. 4 raid where nine employees were arrested.” *snip* “The nine detained […]

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Light vehicle sales and transportation of goods: the next recession caution shoe may have dropped

NewDealdemocrat — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 18:41:45 +0000

– by New Deal democrat Although the temporary continuing resolution was signed last night, reopening the Federal government through January, needless to say the reporting of economic statistics has not yet resumed, meaning that this morning’s scheduled reports on consumer inflation and retail sales for October were not released. So we must continue to rely on […]

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House of Plastics, the Future in 1957

Bill Haskell — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 16:53:50 +0000

There is a personal interest here. I had studied architectural design in high school as my main interest. Some of my plates did win mentions. I could design a house. My designs were black and white. An artist, I am not. We went through wood shop, house framing. and drafting in high school. There were […]

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Spending Cuts Over More Taxes to Cut Deficit

Angry Bear — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Some of what people favor is ok until they are impacted by increased taxes, spending cuts, and reducing programs. Suggestions politicians and political interests are looking over. Some are unlikely to ever pass Congress. Although, whacking Medicaid recipients was largely supported by Republicans and Tru_p. Eleven to fifteen million citizens will lose coverage. “Americans Favor […]

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Penny RIP

Joel Eissenberg — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 09:51:14 +0000

I see where the Philadelphia mint yesterday pressed the last penny. This holds a little nostalgic interest for me in that I collected pennies when I was a kid. Back then, there were three mints—Philadelphia, San Francisco and Denver—so a complete set for any given year meant getting pennies from each mint. The coins minted […]

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Important thought for the day: lessons from SuperNanny “about Caving”

NewDealdemocrat — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 17:51:26 +0000

– by New Deal democrat From Avika M. Cohen, “Litigation Disaster tour guide”: ——- Ppl need to understand what’s happening here. The GOP response to the shutdown was: You’re gonna cave, or we’re going to hurt vulnerable people by shutting off SNAP. The Dems, unwilling to let that happen, caved. Having watched that, the GOP is […]

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Money where their mouth isn’t

Joel Eissenberg — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 16:46:11 +0000

The Republican Party and the American right-wing (but I repeat myself) has been predicting for over 100 years the doom of the US if liberals or moderates are elected. Yet somehow, these absurd prophecies are evergreen. “Fox News host Sean Hannity on Tuesday ranted about the supposed dangers of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, […]

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Why is the housing crisis global?

Angry Bear — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 12:30:00 +0000

Demand, Costs, and Regulation . . . The one-handed economist Gary @ YouTube gives one good answer: the rich are buying all the houses. So go watch that, to learn about one shift on the demand side. Shifts in demand are caused by, among other things, changes in income or taste. The rich have more income so they […]

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Average Tariff Rate Under Trump is Highest Since 1940s

Angry Bear — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

In 2024, before the renewed trade war, the US tariff rate stood just under 2.5 percent. Between the new emergency IEEPA tariffs and national security Section 232 tariffs, we estimate it will rise to 13.0 percent. That’s the highest tariff rate since 1941. The government has been shut down for 40 days, delaying key federal […]

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The 4 shocks jolting the US economy towards recession

NewDealdemocrat — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 21:29:00 +0000

– by New Deal democrat This week the normal empty period for new data after the monthly jobs report is of course compounded by the government shutdown. There is no noteworthy new private data coming out until Thursday, so don’t be surprised if I play hooky tomorrow. But today let me follow up on some macro […]

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Did Democrats Really Win the November Election?

Angry Bear — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 14:30:55 +0000

Commentary by J.P. Jefferson @ “J.P. McJefferson Thoughts,” Substack In response and adding to “Thoughts on the election and the state of politics,” Eric Kramer Democrats just supposedly had a huge victory on November 4, 2025, but are we any closer as a country to making the critical decisions that must be made? Or are […]

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Democrat Shutdown Capitulation

Angry Bear — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 12:30:00 +0000

Rather than post one commentary, I took multiple commentaries and assembled them in one post at Angry Bear to read. I believe you can get into most of these or sign up free of charge too. Some good reads on the recent event. Read about the Dems folding like a cheap suit. When they had […]

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High on Security . . . Low on Reform

Angry Bear — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

I have been inside of Level 4s on down visiting people I know and helping them survive. Hell of a way to spend eight hours plus travel time. I was given the task of chasing prisoners in the USMC also. Hell of a way to waste a Friday. U.S. Prison System Rated High on Security, […]

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50-year mortgages won’t solve the housing problem

Joel Eissenberg — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 10:14:37 +0000

Trump is pushing 50-year mortgages as an answer to home affordability. Given his track record, it’s a safe bet that anything Trump is selling is a bad investment. “The appeal of a 50-year mortgage is simple: Home prices are near all-time highs, leaving many aspiring buyers priced out of the market. A longer payback period […]

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Tabulated state level jobless claims continue neutral trend

NewDealdemocrat — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 19:10:07 +0000

– by New Deal democrat As I have done since the beginning of the government shutdown, the unadjusted number of initial and continuing claims can be calculated based on reporting by the States, plus DC, and Puerto Rico. Then, by applying the same adjustment as was used for the same week last year, the seasonally adjusted […]

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Thoughts on the election and the state of politics

Eric Kramer — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 13:56:20 +0000

The election results might pressure Republicans in congress to distance themselves from Trump, and they might pressure Trump himself to change course. I would not expect either factor to lead to an immediate course correction in the short run, but minor course corrections seem possible. The main reason not to expect immediate change by Republicans […]

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No Victory Laps to Be Taken Here . . .

Bill Haskell — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 12:22:15 +0000

As taken from Joyce Vance’s Civil Discourse “No one should be surprised that the man who orchestrated the January 6 insurrection sees a permanent takeover of the country in the Republican party’s future. There is word tonight of a possible path to ending the shutdown. A deal in the Senate that would apparently fund the […]

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South Carolina Representative Supporting Trump Gets an Answer from a Constituent

Angry Bear — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

The feedback by Chuck is on the mark as usual . . . Former Michigan Planning Commission member Chuck Fellows answering South Carolina Congressional Representative Sheri Biggs. My Representative in Congress, Sheri Biggs, responded to my objection to the Trump administration’s. My response to her is: “Your response is documented evidence of your malfeasance in […]

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Democrats cave again?

Joel Eissenberg — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 10:55:42 +0000

Looks like the Democrats traded the shutdown for a vague promise, rather than insisting on reversing the GOP Medicaid subsidy cuts. “The bill will keep the government open until Jan. 30 of next year, fund some federal programs like the Agriculture Department for the entire year, and put limits on Trump’s ability to fire federal […]

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October employment situation: stagnant hiring, increased firing, continued wage growth

NewDealdemocrat — Sun, 09 Nov 2025 20:28:00 +0000

– by New Deal democrat On a normal first Friday of the month, I would be crunching the official jobs report data to try to provide not just a coincident report on the jobs market, but also to focus on the leading indicators within that report, such as the manufacturing and construction sectors and also […]

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Telling the Senate to Work Across the Aisle on Health Care Affordability

Angry Bear — Sun, 09 Nov 2025 20:00:27 +0000

Commentary by TaxFairness Open enrollment on the Affordable Care Act Marketplace is underway. Millions of Americans are logging on to renew their health coverage and finding that the cost of their premiums has exploded since Congress has not extended the enhanced ACA premium tax credits that helped tens of millions of people afford their health […]

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ACA Enrollees Can Expect Big Increases in Premium Payments

Angry Bear — Sun, 09 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

A bit of a rewrite at Angry Bear. Lets be open here. I have listened to Senator Kennedy’s moronic opinions enough times to know much of what he says is a political attack rather than factual. Senator Kennedy makes it an issue of taking money from the budget to pass healthcare subsidies and funding higher […]

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Listicle

Joel Eissenberg — Sun, 09 Nov 2025 10:22:48 +0000

The passing of Jim Watson, co-discoverer of DNA structure, got me thinking about the other great discoveries of the 20th century. Without consulting Google AI, I came up with these: General relativityPlate tectonicsABO histocompatibility blood typesPenicillinStructure of DNA Here’s what Google AI said: “ . . . the discovery of penicillin and other antibiotics, the […]

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Reflecting Reality

Bill Haskell — Sat, 08 Nov 2025 17:16:13 +0000

If you are in management, typically you will not know everything going on in a department. You may have to ask for clarification. You don’t panic and you do have to answer a comment or a question. Trump could not answer or rebut the reporter’s easy to answer question or remark. When you do not […]

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Long leading indicator Senior Loan Officer Survey for Q3 was neutral to slightly positive

NewDealdemocrat — Sat, 08 Nov 2025 16:08:17 +0000

– by New Deal democrat The Senior Loan Officer Survey is a long leading indicator, telling us about credit conditions that typically turn worse a year or more before the economy turns down, and improve just at the economy is ready to turn up. Fortunately, since it is reported by the Federal Reserve, it is unaffected […]

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Voters Are Starting to React

Angry Bear — Sat, 08 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Reacting to a runaway, incompetent president, and a rogue political party backing him; people decided a different path to take. This occurred in California, New Jersey, Georgia, New York, Virginia, Maine, and Colorado. Mayors and Governors were on the ballot as well lunch programs. The present, some history, and how to turn the table. “What […]

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Jury rejects border patrol BS

Joel Eissenberg — Sat, 08 Nov 2025 11:53:38 +0000

In the annals of Trump administration whining, the outrage over a protester flinging a wrapped sandwich at a border patrol officer must surely rank as among the silliest and most childish. “Jurors showed no appetite for the Justice Department’s case against “sandwich guy,” the D.C. resident who chucked a Subway sandwich at the chest of […]

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Jim Watson RIP

Joel Eissenberg — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 21:25:23 +0000

I see where Jim Watson, famed for the Watson-Crick double helix structure of DNA, has died. Watson was certainly very smart by conventional metrics. He entered the University of Chicago on a scholarship at 15, graduated at 19 and earned a PhD in zoology at Indiana University three years later. He and Crick published the […]

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ISM services index rebounds, indicating moderate expansion, but with “stagflation”

NewDealdemocrat — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 19:53:45 +0000

– by New Deal democrat With the shutdown of the official government sources, along with the regional Fed indexes, the ISM manufacturing and services indexes have become especially important. To recap, because of manufacturing’s diminished importance to the general economy, the services index has become significantly more important. For forecasting purposes, I assign a 75% weight […]

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“Rising Productivity in Manufacturing Reduces the Need for Industrial Workers

Bill Haskell — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 12:30:00 +0000

Such has been going on for decades. Some history on how much of this evolved historically on the planning side. Equipment efficiencies made planning easier and decreased costs. I started to work in industry late seventies and did so until 2020-something. Fresh out of the service in 71, three years to gain a math-driven BA […]

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Inequality Researcher David Splinter Really Doesn’t Like (or Understand) Haig-Simons Income

Steve Roth — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

– by Steve Roth Originally posted at Wealth Economics Economists have widely ignored it, even while dubbing it the “preferred” measure of income. “The greatest trick capital-gainsincome ever managed was convincingthe world that it doesn’t exist.”—Carlos Mucha (inventor of the Platinum Coin) This post draws on a far lengthier and more detailed paper — including support for […]

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Gunboat diplomacy

Joel Eissenberg — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 10:35:56 +0000

The US has a long and sordid history of military extortion. The latest example is Trump’s saber-rattling movement of Navy battle groups off the coast of Venezuela and the extrajudicial assassinations the administration has been conducting off the Venezuelan coast in the name of drug interdiction.* Writing for the Boston Globe, Stephen Kinzer, a senior […]

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Good news for a change

Joel Eissenberg — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 17:58:27 +0000

In addition to mRNA vaccines and CAR-T cell therapy, semaglutides and tirzepatides offer transformative therapies, in this case for obesity and associated type-2 diabetes. But the drugs aren’t cheap, so access is a problem in the US. “Medicare will cover semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Zepbound) for their weight management indications for people with obesity, President […]

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Republicans say VA patients can get equivalent private-sector care anywhere in the U.S.

Angry Bear — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 15:57:57 +0000

Here’s a 50-state reality check of whether that is true or not as discussed by Veterans Healthcare Advocate Suzanne Gordon The Illusion of Choice Republicans say that VA patients can get equivalent private-sector care anywhere in the U.S. Here’s a 50-state reality check. At his confirmation hearing in January of 2025, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins, […]

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Tabulated initial and continuing state unemployment claims continue rangebound

NewDealdemocrat — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 12:30:00 +0000

– by New Deal democrat As I have done since the beginning of the government shutdown, the number of initial and continuing claims can be calculated notwithstanding, because it is based on reporting by the States, plus DC, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Then by applying the same adjustment as was used for the […]

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Veteran’s Administration has Lost Thousands of ‘Core’ Medical Staff under Trump

Bill Haskell — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

This piece is over two months old. It still has relevance to the current issue of an understaffed VA and still pertinent. The issues with the VA have been ongoing for years. It is not something new. However, the situation has worsened under the Tru_p administration as they have taken a more aggressive role to […]

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It’s Medicare hunting season

Joel Eissenberg — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 10:17:01 +0000

Probably the best analogy is duck hunting, where they use decoys to fool the ducks. “If the past is any indication, sellers working for insurance companies, some with household names, others not, will snare new recruits into Medicare Advantage plans, possibly omitting in their sales pitches that they will be locked into an MA plan […]

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ISM manufacturing confirms regional Feds’ reports: prices up, production improves slightly, employment contracting

NewDealdemocrat — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 18:46:24 +0000

– by New Deal democrat The ISM manufacturing and services reports assume heightened importance this month in view of the continuing federal government shutdown. These two, along with the regional Feds’ manufacturing and services reports, are our best sketch of the economy until the more thorough federal reports resume (hopefully?) We already have the regional Feds’ […]

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Wages and Benefits, Public and Employer

Angry Bear — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 15:52:29 +0000

The embolden part is emphasis by Thom and not by myself. This does make sense in that employers are sharp enough to know they can cut wages so as to profit from what is paid to Labor through government aid to it. It becomes a trade off with government assistance trade off to company labor […]

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