Donald Trump and Joe Biden portrait style Donald Trump and Joe Biden portrait style

Trump v. Biden

Economic Chart Edition.

Why Americans Are So Anxious About Inflation

Prices are way up, even though the CPI is back under control.

This Economic Moment

Continued disjunctures between perceptions and the indicators.

Speaking of the Economy…

…and the perceptions thereof.

The free high-resolution photo of receipt, shop, store, food, consumption, money, shopping, lifestyle, merchandise, label, grocery, brand, customer, supermarket, sale, buy, commerce, economy, consumerism, cashier, buying, payment, retail, shopper, spend, cost, purchasing, price, consumer, broke, budget, pay, purchase, sense, spending, shopaholic, till slip , taken with an Canon EOS 70D 02/14 2017 The picture taken with 100.0mm, f/5.0s, 1/10s, ISO 100 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required. The free high-resolution photo of receipt, shop, store, food, consumption, money, shopping, lifestyle, merchandise, label, grocery, brand, customer, supermarket, sale, buy, commerce, economy, consumerism, cashier, buying, payment, retail, shopper, spend, cost, purchasing, price, consumer, broke, budget, pay, purchase, sense, spending, shopaholic, till slip , taken with an Canon EOS 70D 02/14 2017 The picture taken with 100.0mm, f/5.0s, 1/10s, ISO 100 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required.

Food Prices Under Biden and Trump

We shouldn’t be surprised that Americans have noticed their grocery bill.

4.9% GDP Growth in Third Quarter

Contrary to some public opinion, the economy is in decent shape.

The free high-resolution photo of person, photography, money, child, business, singing, euro, merit, businessman, finance, wealth, profit, performing arts, stock exchange, revenue, investments, speculate, stock broker, speculation, share price, capital market , taken with an NIKON D3200 02/10 2017 The picture taken with 250.0mm, f/7.1s, 10/400s, ISO 400 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required. The free high-resolution photo of person, photography, money, child, business, singing, euro, merit, businessman, finance, wealth, profit, performing arts, stock exchange, revenue, investments, speculate, stock broker, speculation, share price, capital market , taken with an NIKON D3200 02/10 2017 The picture taken with 250.0mm, f/7.1s, 10/400s, ISO 400 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required.

Gratuity Porn

Can generosity be wrong?

Hollywood Writers Strike Settlement

A short-term win for creatives and a longer-term loss?

David Brooks’ $78 Airport Burger

A joke(?) gone a-rye.

UAW Strikes Widen as Biden Signals Support

The President and his predecessor are heading to Detroit.

Deutschland Unter Alles

Germany’s economy is among the worst in the OECD.

Cashing Out?

Americans have largely stopped using checks and are rapidly doing the same with cash.

President Joe Biden drives a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon during a clean cars event, Thursday, August 5, 2021, on the South Lawn Driveway of the White House. President Joe Biden drives a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon during a clean cars event, Thursday, August 5, 2021, on the South Lawn Driveway of the White House.

The Politics of An Auto Strike

The President’s support for labor and aggressive action on climate change are in tension.

Enshittification of Streaming

How something so promising became so frustrating.

When Work Interferes With Work

The push to return to the office comes with domestic consequences.

War on Skiplagging Escalates

The airlines hate hidden city ticketing and are cracking down.

China’s Flailing Economy

Xi’s government is taking a drastically different approach to the slowdown.

The Demise of the Cheap, Small Car

The average new vehicle is now $48,000. And huge.

The Future of Streaming TV

The current business model is collapsing. It’s about time.

Flagship University Arms Race

The oldest state institutions of higher education are spending money to make money.

American Physicians Make a Lot of Money!

They average more than any other occupation and considerably more than their European counterparts.

The Injustice of Place

A new book looks at the confluence of geography and disadvantage.

Teamsters and UPS Reach a Deal

Good news for the economy.

The free high-resolution photo of person, photography, money, child, business, singing, euro, merit, businessman, finance, wealth, profit, performing arts, stock exchange, revenue, investments, speculate, stock broker, speculation, share price, capital market , taken with an NIKON D3200 02/10 2017 The picture taken with 250.0mm, f/7.1s, 10/400s, ISO 400 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required. The free high-resolution photo of person, photography, money, child, business, singing, euro, merit, businessman, finance, wealth, profit, performing arts, stock exchange, revenue, investments, speculate, stock broker, speculation, share price, capital market , taken with an NIKON D3200 02/10 2017 The picture taken with 250.0mm, f/7.1s, 10/400s, ISO 400 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required.

‘Affirmative Action for the Rich’ in College Admissions

After other controls are applied, household income is still a huge advantage.

Europe Becoming Poorer?

The Eurozone is falling further behind the United States.

Pandemic-Induced Inflation Ends

Our long national nightmare is over.

The free high-resolution photo of receipt, shop, store, food, consumption, money, shopping, lifestyle, merchandise, label, grocery, brand, customer, supermarket, sale, buy, commerce, economy, consumerism, cashier, buying, payment, retail, shopper, spend, cost, purchasing, price, consumer, broke, budget, pay, purchase, sense, spending, shopaholic, till slip , taken with an Canon EOS 70D 02/14 2017 The picture taken with 100.0mm, f/5.0s, 1/10s, ISO 100 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required. The free high-resolution photo of receipt, shop, store, food, consumption, money, shopping, lifestyle, merchandise, label, grocery, brand, customer, supermarket, sale, buy, commerce, economy, consumerism, cashier, buying, payment, retail, shopper, spend, cost, purchasing, price, consumer, broke, budget, pay, purchase, sense, spending, shopaholic, till slip , taken with an Canon EOS 70D 02/14 2017 The picture taken with 100.0mm, f/5.0s, 1/10s, ISO 100 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required.

Price Transparency

Should businesses have to include taxes and other fees in their advertised price?

The free high-resolution photo of person, photography, money, child, business, singing, euro, merit, businessman, finance, wealth, profit, performing arts, stock exchange, revenue, investments, speculate, stock broker, speculation, share price, capital market , taken with an NIKON D3200 02/10 2017 The picture taken with 250.0mm, f/7.1s, 10/400s, ISO 400 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required. The free high-resolution photo of person, photography, money, child, business, singing, euro, merit, businessman, finance, wealth, profit, performing arts, stock exchange, revenue, investments, speculate, stock broker, speculation, share price, capital market , taken with an NIKON D3200 02/10 2017 The picture taken with 250.0mm, f/7.1s, 10/400s, ISO 400 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required.

Greedflation?

The evidence is pretty thin.

Working Hard? Or Hardly Working?

What the numbers tell us about remote work and productivity.

Bidenomics?

The President is trying to change perceptions ahead of the election.

The Two-Income Trap

It’s just as possible to live on one income as it was in 1970. But not really.

The free high-resolution photo of hand, white, finger, money, close up, bank, pig, organ, piggy, emotion, save, savings, deposit, finance, save money, sense, save money concept, saving money , taken with an unknown camera 03/16 2017 The picture taken with The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required. The free high-resolution photo of hand, white, finger, money, close up, bank, pig, organ, piggy, emotion, save, savings, deposit, finance, save money, sense, save money concept, saving money , taken with an unknown camera 03/16 2017 The picture taken with The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required.

States, the Feds, and Revenue Transfers

All states but one receive more in federal money than they pay out in taxes.

Whitewashing Juneteenth

It’s becoming just another day off work!

Hidden Cost of Renamings

Getting rid of Confederate tributes is long overdue. It ain’t cheap.

What Constitutes Business Failure?

If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.

Creative Class on Strike

Hollywood and the news media are roiled in labor disputes.

Cash Apps Aren’t Banks!

Who knew?

Corporations and Pride Month

Damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Sometimes both.

The Food is Too Damn High

Get me higher than the grocery bill.

China Calling in its Loans to Poor Countries

Debt-trap diplomacy has finally come home to roost.

Streaming Wars Killing Streaming Dream

Disney is making some unwelcome moves.

Taco Bell Sues over Taco Tuesday Trademark

A regional chain registered it in 1989. Has it become generic?

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Fee-For-Service Cars?

Will consumers put up with monthly fees on top of hefty sticker prices?

Shifting Online Sales Policies

They’re not nearly as customer-friendly as they used to be.

Will AI Kill All the Jobs?

Some predict a fundamental restructuring of the economy.

Writers on Strike

They’re fighting for fair treatment. They’ll likely lose.

Biden Wants 54% of New Cars to Be EVs by 2030

A wildly ambitious goal.

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Does America Have Too Much Parking?

Cities are lowering or doing away with longstanding requirements to provide spaces.

Is a College Education Still Worth It?

Americans are losing confidence in the bargain.