Month: August 2013
The Friday File: Mexico, where 32.8% of the adult population is obese (BMI of 30 or higher), has edged out the US where 31.8% of the population is obese. The tragedy is that in Mexico, obesity is frequently associated with…
Read MoreAutomobile regulation that improves fuel efficiency raises the price of new cars. That in turn raises the price of used cars, as some buyers avoid higher new car costs by buying used ones. This unsurprisingly reduces the number of used…
Read MoreAs of 7/31/13, the FY2013 federal budget deficit was $607 billion, down from $973 billion on 7/31/12, and the full year FY13 deficit is projected to be $759 billion, down from $1.089 trillion last year. Revenues to date are up…
Read MoreManufacturing employment first hit 10 million in 8/40 and quickly hit a record 16.4 million in 1/44. The next manufacturing employment peak was 18.7 million set in 8/69, then 18.8 million in 12/73. The all-time high was 19.6 million in…
Read MoreDespite spending 18% of GDP on healthcare, or $9,356/person, Americans are falling behind other countries in overall health. In 1990, US life expectancy was 75.2, by 2010 it was 78.2, yet the US ranking fell from 20th to 27th. Worse,…
Read MoreIn 1980, a record 8,070 pedestrians were killed crossing streets. By 2009, the number hit an all-time low of 4,109. Since then it has been rising, to 4,280 in 2010 and 4,432 in 2011. Pedestrians account for 14% of traffic…
Read MoreThe GOP threat to close the government on 10/1 if the 2014 budget contains any funding for Obamacare is laughable. Obama will veto any bill that defunds his signature achievement and a veto override is impossible as it requires a…
Read MoreA proposal to increase capital ratios for the biggest financial firms to 6% for bank subsidiaries and 5% for bank holding companies while good, presents a huge loophole. A $150 billion bank would need $7.5 billion in capital. But if…
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