Recession?
I noticed a lot of discussion in the Open Thread comments about whether or not we’re headed for a recession. That’s the sort of thing on which my knowledge base is small, so I won’t make a prediction. I’ll just … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Finance and economics
An argument for passing a continuing resolution bill …
… can be found here: … [T]he only realistic alternatives to a “clean” CR are a CR-plus or omnibus appropriations package. Either option could only be passed with Democrat support, which means they would be loaded up with expensive nonsense … Continue reading →
All those entrepreneurial 11-year olds and 115-year olds: ain’t America great?
It’s heartwarming: DOGE announced on Saturday night that the Small Business Administration had loaned hundreds of millions of dollars to small enterprises during the COVID pandemic. Sounds fine, right? Except for the fact that the business owners in these cases … Continue reading →
SCOTUS rules that the government must pay the $2 billion …
… because the district court judge said so. This is a disturbing ruling: If you thought the Supreme Court would act to halt the propensity of District Court Judges to overstep their constitutional boundaries by substituting their own policy and … Continue reading →
Tariffs again
Trump has imposed more tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China: The extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl, constitutes a national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Until the crisis is alleviated, President … Continue reading →
Ukraine War, Vietnam War
Two different countries, two different wars, two different times. And yet I keep thinking of comparisons and even parallels. Here are some of my thoughts. (1) The US parties have switched sides since Vietnam days. At the end of the … Continue reading →
The art of the Ukraine minerals deal
Well, well, well: President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are set to sign a landmark mineral deal Friday that represents a breakthrough in their relationship, but leaves the work of hashing out the financial details for a later … Continue reading →
Democrats for waste and fraud
As far back as I can remember, people considered the federal government wasteful and inefficient when it wasn’t being actively intrusive and confiscatory, as well as subject to fraud and corruption. It was the sort of thing just about everyone … Continue reading →
Will Trump lift sanctions on Russia?
And if so, why? Commenter “mkent” offers this idea: Trump has said as a part of the ceasefire he’ll lift Western sanctions against Russia. It’s these sanctions which have ground Russian war production to a halt. They are having great … Continue reading →
Trump’s not fond of Zelensky
I find some recent Ukraine moves of Trump’s potentially alarming. Are we looking at an example of Trump’s mutable opening negotiation positions, meant to make Putin think he’s with him all the way, but expected to change? Or is Trump … Continue reading →
Bookkeeping: this isn’t even good enough for government work
And yet apparently it was considered just fine: The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said on Feb. 17 that a total of $4.7 trillion worth of payments from the Treasury Department are almost impossible to trace because of missing account … Continue reading →
Why are Democrats protecting government waste and fraud, when most voters are against it?
PALANTIR CEO ALEX KARP DELIVERS PAINFUL TRUTH TO DEMOCRATS 'Fighting against Elon Musk and DOGE is political suicide.'pic.twitter.com/heRJlnZ4hj — Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) February 18, 2025 The most simple and obvious reason is that it is Democrats who profit most … Continue reading →