11 thoughts on “Big Data on Trump’s War on Consumers

    1. baffling

      texas is an interesting case. the market in texas has embraced renewables. texas is a world class leader in producing renewable energy. but the politicians are literally attacking the hand that feeds them, with anti renewable policy after policy. they have literally passed laws that force the construction of natural gas plants that only operates minutes per day, while complaining that the government should not be in the business of helping renewables in the marketplace. what a bunch of hypocrites. in the mean time, my electric bill gets costlier each year.
      funny thing is republicans have controlled all of texas for decades, but have the nerve to blame democrats for energy price hikes. kind of like when republicans control all branches of the federal government, but it is the democrats fault that the government is shut down. republicans could offer up a plan that keeps the government open (and they are the only ones that can offer a plan), and yet they refuse to offer up a plan that can pass. just blame others for their failures.
      republicans at this point in time lack any integrity in their governing ability.

  1. Macroduck

    Off topic – state-sponsored terrorism in the Caribbean hits Colombianvessel:

    https://abcnews.go.com/International/colombian-president-us-military-struck-colombian-boat-killed/story?id=126348450

    The U.S. military has reportedly killed Colombian citizens inone of its attacks on vessels in the Caribbean. The White House has denied it, but the White House lies about all kinds of things, and is not really in position to know the citizenship of the people murdered on those ships.

    If simeone other than sociopaths are in charge, this little eye-opener may put an end to our policy of murder on the high seas.

  2. Macroduck

    On the other side of South America, we haven’t coughed up the cash for Milei’s salvation yet:

    https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2025-10-08/delay-in-us-financial-support-for-argentina-rattles-markets.html

    The peso ain’t likin’ it:

    https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/ARS%3DX/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9kdWNrZHVja2dvLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAACCL2EjsVVSUxURBL-EAZ_0QC-ZNfBpFSpNsNnVzq5ehICLxpDybe80sHBw-qGnR3wPs4c90jKBAY9yP8AMhIII4BpWRfjpKsQCn7D9j51LD0-WXb25OJx4zayKPJuHSEO2eOnWxIfZPMaCJZWXP0MbdjwquT3JymlVgrYtO_gPz

    1. Macroduck

      Oh, and, the Treasury bailout of Argentina is apparently a baout of hedge funds which piled into Argentine assets when Milei made approximately libertarian noises and again when the felon-in-chief win last November:

      https://theovershoot.co/p/what-should-the-us-try-to-achieve

      So while $20 billion* is not enough to stabilize Argentina’s economy or funances, it is another $20 billion that can flow out of Argentina and into the pockets of private interests. They’re the ones who’ve been selling Argentine assets and they need to sell more, but they’d like to do it at a more favorable exchange rate. So the Argentine bailout amounts to a $20 billion transfer from the Treasury to private investors. And while perhaps not legal in the old-fashioned meaning of the term, the courts will not be able to strip private their gains.

      By the way, which of the felon’s cabinet members is a former hedge fund manager? And which of the felon’s first-term cabinet members made it all the way to the end and came out with a billion-dollar wad of investment cash from Saudi Arabia. Ah, yes, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin. Treasury Secretary is proving to be a very special job in the felon administration.

      * Treasury has pledged $20 billion, but is also strong arming the IMF into lending to Argentina against $178 billion in U.S. special drawing rights. So $20 billion may turn out to be a tip-of-the-icebergish sum in the final tally. In the extreme case this could prove to be the largest raid by private interests on the Treasury ever. Keep in mind, Tteasury and the Fed made money in their Great Financial Crisis operations. The public sector always loses in Argentina.

        1. Macroduck

          Yep. That’s where I first saw the “Overshoot” link. Another daily read added to the list.

      1. baffling

        bessent is not doing the Argentine bailout for his own pocketbook. he already is out of the trade. but he was a hedge fund guy who jumped waist deep into the Argentine debt trade. if it blows up, he suffers a pretty big financial reputation disaster. but if he bails them out, his days as a financial trader look like genius. hence the interest in a bailout. saving his financial reputation only cost $20 billion of taxpayer dollars.

        1. Macroduck

          If you look at what Mnuchin did, you can see the possibility of Bessent making money on this after he leaves office. Bessent is not, after all, in the same class as Lutnick, but has a powerful urge to display wealth and to dominate those around him. So maybe there’s a payoff in his future, if not from Argentina, then from other managers. Showing future policymakers the value of handing out candy, don’t ya know.

  3. James Harold McClure

    Bruce Hall’s solution to the rise in coffee prices. Drink half a cup. After all he can buy 4 pounds for the same price he used to buy 8 pounds.

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