Inflation
Commentary
Government Drug Price Negotiations Offer A False Promise
With inflation rising and midterm elections just months away, Democrats are desperate for something they can pitch to voters as a reason to keep them in control of Congress. They’re hoping a watered-down version of their Build Back Better Act could do the trick. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., who helped shoot the bill ...
Agriculture
Fourth of July cookouts are a costly proposition
Monday is the annual celebration of freedom from the tyranny of an absentee monarchy. In 2021, the White House tweeted that a Fourth of July cookout would cost Americans $0.16 less than in 2020 and touted it as a victory. Will there be a similar tweet for 2022? As the ...
Commentary
Health Care Is Not a Right, No Matter What the Left Says
At the recent unveiling of his latest plan for Medicare for All, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., evoked a familiar theme. “Health care,” he said, “is a human right that all Americans, regardless of income, are entitled to.” But health care is neither a right nor a privilege. It’s an aggregate ...
Blog
Despite Sunday Late Night Tax Rebate Deal, Gas Tax Still Going Up
Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature’s Democratic leaders announced Sunday that they had finally reached agreement on a tax rebate plan. How to give Californians relief from high gas prices and rising inflation had been a key sticking point holding up the budget’s enactment. The unusual release of the plan ...
Blog
Fighting Inflation – Is the Fed “Bluffing?”
“The way to crush the bourgeoisie,” said Lenin, “is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.” So, it would have put a crocodile smile on Lenin’s face to learn that May’s inflation data showed that Americans’ wallets were worn down even further. The year-over-year inflation rate came ...
Business & Economics
Rounding Up The Usual Suspects Won’t Alleviate Inflation
Doing his best Captain Renault impersonation, President Biden is trying to alleviate the troubling inflationary environment by “rounding up the usual suspects”. In this case, that means blame a problem that can only be caused by errant government policies on politically convenient targets such as rising drug prices, Russia’s invasion of the ...
Blog
No Investigation Needed – Government Energy Policy Fuels Record-High Gas Prices
Angry drivers paying record gas prices this year – surpassing $7 per gallon in parts of California – are demanding action from elected officials to lower gas prices. Surprisingly, Sacramento Democrats have hung onto this scorching hot political potato for months. Democrat legislative leaders have rejected pleas from Republicans and ...
Blog
Dysfunctional Department Store Demonstrate Health Care Hoodwinks
Recently, a storewide sale sign lured me into a local department store. I meandered the aisles until I found a birthday gift for my toddler: a cute magnetic fishing pole toy. But to my surprise, I couldn’t find the item’s price anywhere. Not on the box, not on the shelf. ...
Blog
Lawmakers Pass a Budget Bill, But No Deal Yet on Gas Price Relief
On Monday, Senate and Assembly Democrats passed their version of the 2022-23 state budget. While patting themselves on the back for adopting “a budget that puts California’s wealth to work for individuals, families, and businesses throughout our state,” there was one thing missing from their announcement – the support of ...
Housing
Wayne Winegarden Offers His Comments on Another Steep Rate Hike Coming in S&P Global
The Federal Open Market Committee is considering a 50-basis-point rate hike mid-June. Wayne Winegarden discusses the likelihood of elevated inflation persisting through the end of 2022: “Assuming the fiscal pressures subside, it will likely take until the late third quarter to start feeling some relief,” Winegarden said. “I think the ...
Government Drug Price Negotiations Offer A False Promise
With inflation rising and midterm elections just months away, Democrats are desperate for something they can pitch to voters as a reason to keep them in control of Congress. They’re hoping a watered-down version of their Build Back Better Act could do the trick. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., who helped shoot the bill ...
Fourth of July cookouts are a costly proposition
Monday is the annual celebration of freedom from the tyranny of an absentee monarchy. In 2021, the White House tweeted that a Fourth of July cookout would cost Americans $0.16 less than in 2020 and touted it as a victory. Will there be a similar tweet for 2022? As the ...
Health Care Is Not a Right, No Matter What the Left Says
At the recent unveiling of his latest plan for Medicare for All, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., evoked a familiar theme. “Health care,” he said, “is a human right that all Americans, regardless of income, are entitled to.” But health care is neither a right nor a privilege. It’s an aggregate ...
Despite Sunday Late Night Tax Rebate Deal, Gas Tax Still Going Up
Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature’s Democratic leaders announced Sunday that they had finally reached agreement on a tax rebate plan. How to give Californians relief from high gas prices and rising inflation had been a key sticking point holding up the budget’s enactment. The unusual release of the plan ...
Fighting Inflation – Is the Fed “Bluffing?”
“The way to crush the bourgeoisie,” said Lenin, “is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.” So, it would have put a crocodile smile on Lenin’s face to learn that May’s inflation data showed that Americans’ wallets were worn down even further. The year-over-year inflation rate came ...
Rounding Up The Usual Suspects Won’t Alleviate Inflation
Doing his best Captain Renault impersonation, President Biden is trying to alleviate the troubling inflationary environment by “rounding up the usual suspects”. In this case, that means blame a problem that can only be caused by errant government policies on politically convenient targets such as rising drug prices, Russia’s invasion of the ...
No Investigation Needed – Government Energy Policy Fuels Record-High Gas Prices
Angry drivers paying record gas prices this year – surpassing $7 per gallon in parts of California – are demanding action from elected officials to lower gas prices. Surprisingly, Sacramento Democrats have hung onto this scorching hot political potato for months. Democrat legislative leaders have rejected pleas from Republicans and ...
Dysfunctional Department Store Demonstrate Health Care Hoodwinks
Recently, a storewide sale sign lured me into a local department store. I meandered the aisles until I found a birthday gift for my toddler: a cute magnetic fishing pole toy. But to my surprise, I couldn’t find the item’s price anywhere. Not on the box, not on the shelf. ...
Lawmakers Pass a Budget Bill, But No Deal Yet on Gas Price Relief
On Monday, Senate and Assembly Democrats passed their version of the 2022-23 state budget. While patting themselves on the back for adopting “a budget that puts California’s wealth to work for individuals, families, and businesses throughout our state,” there was one thing missing from their announcement – the support of ...
Wayne Winegarden Offers His Comments on Another Steep Rate Hike Coming in S&P Global
The Federal Open Market Committee is considering a 50-basis-point rate hike mid-June. Wayne Winegarden discusses the likelihood of elevated inflation persisting through the end of 2022: “Assuming the fiscal pressures subside, it will likely take until the late third quarter to start feeling some relief,” Winegarden said. “I think the ...
