I read Michael Klein’s (executive editor of EconoFact) conversation with Roger Lowenstein on the role of government in the economy. It is not terribly long. Maybe 10-15 minutes in listening and a bit longer in reading for me. I like to read as I dwell on what I read. Then I will go back and […]

The post Podcast or Read? “Abraham Lincoln and the Role of Government in the Economy” appeared first on Angry Bear.

As you read Paul Krugman’s commentary on the Slaughter decision by SCOTUS, it is not that hard to understand why he is concerned about the results of the SCOTUS decision. I typically might say (in a normal situation) we could expect a president given this power would decide in a manner benefiting citizens. Not this […]

The post The Stench of Corruption and Dictator-worship is Over-powering. appeared first on Angry Bear.

Weekly Indicators: Still Strong Spending, Tepid Tax Payments Two cross-currents I mentioned in my long piece Friday were very much in evidence in the high frequency data this week: huge gains in aggregate YoY consumer spending, and very weak withholding tax collections. My take on this is that the top end of the income distribution […]

The post New Deal democrat’s Weekly Indicators: Simply Stellar Consumer Spending June 29 – July 4 appeared first on Angry Bear.

Nearly three decades ago, I created a course for first year medical students called “Molecular Biology and Genetics.” Together with a clinical faculty, I co-directed the course for 22 years. There’s a piece over at Medpage about “niche careers” in medicine. Here’s one: “7. Medical Genetics and GenomicsMedical geneticists diagnose and manage hereditary conditions, using […]

The post The future of medical genetics appeared first on Angry Bear.

This is a long commentary. However, it is very detailed. Charles Gaba explains the impact of Republicans allowing the enhanced federal tax credits to expire as well as other Trump Regime policy changes. Quite a few middle and low citizens dropped healthcare policies or took lower costs due to affordability. “How much more are ACA enrollees *really* […]

The post GOP and Trump Policies Increase ACA Insurance Costs appeared first on Angry Bear.

Kroger is looking to acquire Giant Eagle at ~1.7 billion. So far the FTC has not made a peep. The franchise can be found in Ohio, western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana. “Kroger is again Looking to Acquire Otherer Supermarket Chains” Is a Merger and Acquisition (M&A) Strategy good for Kroger? Probably as it […]

The post After the Attempted Albertson’s Merger appeared first on Angry Bear.

 – by New Deal democrat Earlier this week I promised an updated Big Picture forecast and nowcast for the US economy, plus a note about how broad or narrow was the participation.  Most commentators either have a financial or ideological agenda – getting you to buy their stock recommendations, or selling you on DOOOM, cherry […]

The post My Big Picture nowcast and forecast at mid-year 2026 (it may surprise you!) appeared first on Angry Bear.

“I don’t know a soul who’s not been batteredI don’t have a friend who feels at easeI don’t know a dream that’s not been shatteredOr driven to its kneesOh, but it’s all right, it’s all rightFor lived so well so longStill, when I think of the roadWe’re traveling onI wonder what went wrongI can’t help […]

The post Happy July 4th, Bears! appeared first on Angry Bear.

Every Once and A while someone says “I bet” if you compare this with that instead of today’s numbers you would find that such and such was different. Like such and such would have happened also. The occasion has arisen. One of Angry Bear’s readers and also a commenter has tossed down the gauntlet. He […]

The post Did Trump have more Votes than Biden? appeared first on Angry Bear.

All three of mine had student loans which they were capable of repaying. At the same time, we pitched in to pay for them off too. Student loan are like dead weight. They are with you until death. On the other side of the spectrum, there are many other examples of business entities being granted […]

The post Income Driven Student Loan Repayments appeared first on Angry Bear.

I do read Dan Zetland’s site the One-Handed Economist from time to time. He does post interesting commentaries which Angry Bear reposts. This happens to be one of the ones I find to be interesting. Soft money versus hard money? What are the differences between either and especially when it comes to physical labor? From […]

The post Academic Ideas to Working Policies Differences in the Public Sector appeared first on Angry Bear.

“Prolonged, uninterrupted sedentary behavior was associated with a significantly increased likelihood of dying of cancer, a study of more than 90,000 people showed. “Every additional hour of prolonged sedentary behavior per day was linked with a 10% higher hazard of cancer mortality. Replacing an hour of sedentary behavior daily with light physical activity or with […]

The post More activity, less cancer appeared first on Angry Bear.

 – by New Deal democrat My Big Theme for the past few months has been that the AI Boom (or possibly bubble) is counterbalancing a stagnant or even shallowly recessionary rest of the economy. After three good reports in a row, the June employment report was very weak, and in some respects even negative. Below […]

The post June employment report: weakly positive headlines, and important negatives in hours and payrolls appeared first on Angry Bear.

As I explained multiple times. Turn out was less in 2024 that in 2020. 3 million people did not vote, The same numeric of ~ three million who voted for others did similar in 2024 and it had a larger impact. Turn out was less in 2024 by percentage of eligible voters 59.7% as compared […]

The post Leadership and Justice that Looks the Other Way and Ignores Racism appeared first on Angry Bear.

If you have ridden the passenger trains in China. you know what a difference it is compared to passenger trains in the United States. I have and it is impressive traveling at ~200 mph. It is not that we can not have similar in the United States. We could. People are enamored with their cars […]

The post Slashing Funding for Passenger Rail Trains is Not a Solution appeared first on Angry Bear.

I started drinking coffee in high school. Over time, the amount increased, so that by about 15 years ago, I was drinking three pots of coffee a day. It was then that I started experiencing acid reflux. Upon learning that acid reflux is a risk factor for esophageal cancer, I quit cold turkey. Within a […]

The post Great news for coffee drinkers appeared first on Angry Bear.

– by New Deal democrat [Special programming note: Today we begin the second half of the year. On Friday there will be no data due to the federal holiday. Since I haven’t updated my overall nowcast and forecast for the economy, as well as how average Americans are doing economically, I plan to do so then. […]

The post Starting off the second half of 2026 (mainly) positive appeared first on Angry Bear.

Introduction: Nearly one third of all corporate political spending on elections since the 2010 Citizens United decision has occurred in the current election cycle. This is months before the general election, a new report from Public Citizen. I suspect this is more for Republicans then Democrats. “‘A Disaster for Democracy’: Report Shows Surging Corporate Spending in 2026 Elections,” Common Dreams, […]

The post Increasing Corporate Funding and Spending for Candidates Leading up to the 2026 Elections appeared first on Angry Bear.

Some introduction and then explanation. A rather brief take on what is going on with the Electric Car in the United States and why it did not succeed. Think Trump . . . President Trump has ordered the elimination of the EV mandate and termination of federal support for EVs. “Quantifying Trump’s impacts on EV […]

The post The Late Rise of Electric Cars appeared first on Angry Bear.

Trump refused to sign a housing bill passed by bipartisan veto-proof majorities. But if he refuses to sign it and refuses to veto it, it becomes law. “Speaker Mike Johnson says the landmark housing affordability package Congress passed earlier this month will become law — and that Republicans won’t have to take an uncomfortable vote […]

The post Latest TACO? appeared first on Angry Bear.