Arnett P
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arnettpowell.bsky.social
Arnett P
@arnettpowell.bsky.social
Good vibes and decent dialogue.
Federal unions are urging Dems to risk a shutdown and hold the line against cuts. This gives the party a "golden opportunity" to reclaim its identity, stand for public services, and expose GOP cuts as serving only the rich.

#USPOL #EconSky

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Unions are handing Democrats a golden opportunity amid the shutdown battle | Judith Levine
Federal workers’ move offers Democrats a chance to win the budget battle – and their identity
www.theguardian.com
October 1, 2025 at 5:02 AM
What is this? Like what is happening??

MAGA is turning into extreme Lefties.

Doxing and Cancel Culture. Then what, mandatory sensitivity training? I thought that wasn’t their style?

Anything else folding inside-out we should know about??

#USPOL

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
JD Vance backs mass ‘doxing’ campaign to find and harass Charlie Kirk critics
US vice-president encourages ‘calling out’ anyone who celebrates Kirk’s murder, including notifying employers
www.theguardian.com
September 16, 2025 at 2:02 PM
US DOL is stopping enforcement of its 2024 independent contractor rule.

Reverting to an older standard that gives employers more flexibility. See DOL Fact Sheet#13.

Independent contractors don’t receive overtime or benefits. Something often exploited

#EconSky

natlawreview.com/article/us-d...
U.S. Department of Labor Will No Longer Enforce Independent Contractor Rule
On May 1, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced it will no longer enforce a 2024 rule on determining independent contractor status. Quick Hits
natlawreview.com
August 15, 2025 at 11:47 PM
The car crisis is getting worse: 44% are making sacrifices (groceries, bills) to keep their wheels. Even high earners ($150k+) are delaying purchases due to tariff uncertainty.

New US car prices climbed from $30,000 in 2012 to over $47,000 in 2025.

#EconSky

www.fox28spokane.com/driven-to-de...
Driven to Debt: America’s Car Crisis Is Pushing Drivers to the Edge | FOX 28 Spokane
Owning a vehicle has long been a cornerstone of American independence, a rite of passage tied to personal freedom, mobility, and identity. Yet, today, that once-reliable symbol of the open road has be...
www.fox28spokane.com
July 28, 2025 at 10:25 PM
In 2024, US home buyers aged 70+ (22%) surpassed those under 35 (19%) for the first time. NAR data shows median buyer age hit 56.

Younger buyers face high rates & prices, while older buyers leverage cash & equity.

Bottom line, it’s broken.

#EconSky

fortune.com/2025/07/23/b...
Today’s housing market is so upside down there are more senior citizens buying homes than Gen Z and millennials
Home buyers need to make six figures to afford a median-priced home in the U.S.
fortune.com
July 25, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Wow. Record US honeybee die-offs (60% avg. loss) due to mites, climate change & pesticides threatening food security. Costing ~$600M.

Bees pollinate 100+ crops. Losses could be a 'death spiral,' impacting the economy.

Maybe not fire all the scientists??

www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘Could become a death spiral’: scientists discover what’s driving record die-offs of US honeybees
Experts scrambling to understand losses in hives across the country are finally identifying the culprits. And the damage to farmed bees is a sign of trouble for wild bees too
www.theguardian.com
July 8, 2025 at 10:57 PM
“Congressional Budget Office estimates the net effect of the package will be an additional $3.3 trillion in deficit spending over the next decade.”

Wonder how the people who “voted on the economy” feel right now.

$3,300,000,000,000

#EconSky #USPOL

thehill.com/homenews/hou...
House sends GOP’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ to Trump’s desk in major win for Republicans
The “big, beautiful bill” is heading to President Trump’s desk. House Republicans passed the core of Trump’s domestic policy agenda Thursday afternoon — including sweeping tax cuts, a crackdown on …
thehill.com
July 3, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Compelling perspective on how debt is now driving the “appearance” of middle class in the United States.

Key drivers:

* 📈 Rising costs
* 📉 Stagnant wages
* 📱 Social pressure

Huge implications for the American dream.

www.savingadvice.com/articles/202...

#EconSky
Debt Is the New Middle Class: Why Everyone Looks Rich But Owes Everything
Everyone looks wealthy in 2025, but debt fuels the illusion. Here's how debt replaced true financial security for today’s middle class.
www.savingadvice.com
May 29, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Top expat locations Americans are interested in.

1. Portugal
2. Spain
3. UK
4. Canada
5. Italy
6. Ireland
7. France
8. Mexico
9. New Zealand
10. Costa Rica

www.cnbc.com/amp/2025/05/...
The No. 1 country Americans want to move to most, says survey of over 100,000 people
Over 116,000 Americans visited the Expatsi website to research moving abroad in 2024. Popular destinations include Canada, Spain, and the UK.
www.cnbc.com
May 23, 2025 at 8:34 PM
We need to fix this. The avg rent for approx. 690 sqft is ~$1375 after removing the below states:

NY: $2927
MA: $2515
DC: $2305
CA: $2182
NJ: $2050

$100 has a different value depending on your state.

No wonder emigration is growing.

#USECON #EconSky

www.patriotsoftware.com/blog/account...
2025 Average Cost of Living by State | Chart, List, & Tools
Knowing the average cost of living by state can help you set product or service prices, salaries, and budgets. Find out more here.
www.patriotsoftware.com
May 20, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Sure. Come on in. Once they realize the price of a nice 2bdr in Johannesburg basically gets you a ticket into US poverty, I’m sure they’ll be ecstatic.

#USPOL

www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/whi...
U.S. plans to receive and aid White South Africans granted refugee status as soon as next week, document shows
The Trump administration is planning to soon receive the first group of White South Africans​ it says deserve a safe haven in the U.S.
www.cbsnews.com
May 9, 2025 at 10:00 PM
NAHB recent cost of SFH construction survey:

Interior finishes 24.1%
Major system rough-ins: 19.2%
Framing: 16.6%
Exterior finishes: 13.4%
Foundations: 10.5%
Site work: 7.6%
Final steps: 6.5%
Other costs: 2.1%

Construction makes up 64.4%

#EconSky

www.usatoday.com/story/money/...
Is it cheaper to build or buy a new home? Here's what 'costs of construction' survey shows
If you're choosing whether to build or buy a home, interior finishes, HVAC and plumbing are construction costs you have to consider.
www.usatoday.com
April 22, 2025 at 10:21 PM
More backwards logic. 64% of Medicaid recipients under the age of 65 work FT or PT.

Workers sacrifice themselves everyday. Pay barely pays the bills. SBEs can’t shoulder the burden alone.

US col. is becoming unbearable for most people at this point.

#EconSky

www.yahoo.com/news/young-m...
Young men are 'playing videogames all day' instead of getting jobs because they can mooch off of free healthcare, claims congressman
To justify Medicaid cuts, House Speaker Mike Johnson says the healthcare program leads to "able-bodied young men" playing videogames instead of working.
www.yahoo.com
April 15, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Politicians do everything backwards. If the US fixes the affordability crisis, then reshoring works and people can live on modest wages reducing welfare.

In China’s big cities, ~$2.5k-$3k/mo USD covers a family of 4. That’s what we are competing with.

#EconSky

apple.news/A_DL2DcnoQs-...
Trump tariffs won't bring manufacturing back to US: CNBC supply chain survey — CNBC
President Trump's U.S. manufacturing boom is unlikely result from tariffs, with costs too high and a global hunt for low-tariff regimes coming: CNBC survey.
apple.news
April 14, 2025 at 10:26 PM
You gotta be kidding me. They used an inaccurate formula!

“A conservative think tank found the White House measured retail price elasticity when it should have used import price elasticity”

“…the formula…relied on has no foundation in…economic theory”

#EconSky

fortune.com/2025/04/07/t...
Trump’s tariff formula ‘was rigged’ to get higher rates— and it used the wrong value for one of its variables, conservative think tank says
A report from the American Enterprise Institute showed the White House used the wrong number in its tariff calculations.
fortune.com
April 8, 2025 at 4:15 AM
Revenue for online learning platforms is expected to reach ~$60bn, with a 2025-2029 CAGR of 5.8%.

Given mounting debt and a cost-of-living squeeze, are these courses driven by genuine utility, or are they fueling an unhealthy cycle of overconsumption?

#EconSky

www.statista.com/outlook/emo/...
Online Learning Platforms - Worldwide | Market Forecast
Worldwide: Revenue in the Online Learning Platforms market is projected to reach US$60.25bn in 2025. Definition: The Online Learning Platforms market encompasses digital platforms that offer a wide ra...
www.statista.com
March 26, 2025 at 8:17 PM
LoL…DOGE left their database open

Sounds like these “top” brains skipped mysql_secure_installation

#USPOL

fortune.com/2025/02/14/e...
Elon Musk's DOGE launched its website. It was hacked within days
“this is a joke of a .gov site,” one hacker published to the DOGE site.
fortune.com
February 14, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Trump admin tried to downplay per usual as just one big misunderstanding.

Let’s see if Rubio does the salsa combo when answering this letter.

#USPOL

apple.news/ApzRUiZaZRke...
Senator demands answers on possible federal $400M Tesla Cybertruck deal — CBS News
Elon Musk's
apple.news
February 14, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Soo $82,000 tax payer funded Tesla’s are not considered waste, fraud, and abuse; but providing medical supplies to poor nations and offering consumer protection services are? says the car sales man lol

It’s like waking up and the world is spinning backwards.

#USPOL

www.npr.org/2025/02/13/g...
Trump administration was set to purchase $400 million worth of armored Teslas
That's according to a public State Department procurement document. It comes as ethics experts raise conflict of interest questions about the chief executive of Tesla, Elon Musk, who is a top White Ho...
www.npr.org
February 13, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Insane, the fate of the CFPB rests on some of the most unknown tasks outside the industry—in this case, setting the weekly APOR tables.

#USPOL

apple.news/AoKCLqnP6Qau...
Vought Restores CFPB Procedure That Sustains Mortgage Markets — The American Prospect
The situation reveals that sometimes, even arsonists need the building they’re burning down to stay upright.
apple.news
February 12, 2025 at 4:36 AM
H.R.25 sounds attractive. Anything to free up the crushing cost of living.

However, don’t let those common sense teachings of lore evaporate. If it sounds too good to be true…it probably is.

It smells fishy…

#EconSky

www.americanprogress.org/article/the-...
The ‘Fair Tax’ Act Would Radically Restructure the Nation’s Tax System in Favor of the Wealthy
The Fair Tax Act would replace federal income and payroll taxes with a national sales tax, slashing federal revenues and cutting taxes on the wealthy.
www.americanprogress.org
January 29, 2025 at 4:15 AM
Follow up to my last post:

“Buckley’s fundamental thesis has been integral…In order to identify as a conservative in the United States, one must ravenously consume explicitly branded conservative news, while the same does not necessarily hold for liberals.”

#USPOL

slate.com/culture/2024...
Why Are So Many Right-Wing Podcasts at the Top of the Charts? It’s Grim.
There’s a reason conservative-leaning figures like Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, and Charlie Kirk have taken over the podcast charts.
slate.com
January 25, 2025 at 5:08 PM
This is a new type of game. Many thought people would do the right thing. They did, in their mind. In this game, it’s about volume. It’s about winning the narrative by any means. They did this for years, pumping endless alternative content, and it paid off. People have been sold.

#USPOL
January 25, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Drill, baby, drill!! They yell.

The thing is, we produce a lot of sweet crude; but our decades old refineries process sour crude. There are economic, infrastructural and geopolitical challenges.

You can deny theory, but you can’t deny reality.

#econsky

www.fuelstreamservices.com/why-the-u-s-...
Why the U.S Can’t Use the Oil it Produces
The reason the U.S. can’t fully utilize the oil it produces boils down to a mix of economic, infrastructural, and geopolitical factors.
www.fuelstreamservices.com
January 24, 2025 at 12:25 AM
While not a technical read. Eye opening Altman’s insurance agent told him that 90%+ of people are heavily underinsured in the Pacific Palisades area.

At $1,000 per square foot, 65-70% won’t return due to the astronomical costs and a likely increase on premiums.

nypost.com/2025/01/18/u...
‘Million Dollar Listing’ star Josh Altman says up to 70% of Palisades residents will not return after devastating LA fires
“I just don’t see people going back there,” Josh Altman said.
nypost.com
January 18, 2025 at 3:06 PM