CPI Report Shows Inflation Eased to 3% in June - WSJ

So-called core consumer prices, which excludes volatile food and energy categories, rose 4.8%

I’ve loved this magic! Media and politicos each month review the difference between core and consumer price index inflation, then trumpet whichever value is lower.

How do we measure inflation? By whichever value makes us look the best!

They Had Great Credit Scores. Then They Retired - WSJ

living on a fixed income and paying off old loans can lower a score, said Ethan Dornhelm, vice president of scores and analytics at FICO.

Deleveraging is a significant credit risk in the funhouse mirror world of FICO logic.

Income and employment data aren’t included in the calculation, but credit scores do reward borrowers for having a mix of different kinds of loans, which can hurt those who have already paid off mortgages and auto loans.

They don’t care about your assets, liquidity, or employment status. It only matters that you have a nice, fat portfolio of debt and that you play by their rulebook which, by the way, you’re not allowed to read because it’s “proprietary.”

Embarrassing: Scientist Invents Lab-Grown Beef Only To Realize Cows Exist - Babylon Bee

“I’m all set to announce to the world that we invented beef, when all of a sudden, it dawns on me - cows are beef. There are literally huge slabs of beef walking all over the place. I’m such an idiot.”

Hottest Days Ever? Don’t Believe It - WSJ Opinion

It isn’t plausible to characterize Earth’s warming in a single average number, especially when we don’t really know what that number is today, much less from 125,000 years ago.

Millions of People Booted From Medicaid After Pandemic - WSJ

Enrollment in the health program for the low-income and disabled grew to 95 million during the pandemic, as states stopped checking to make sure people were eligible. Now states have started checking again, and more than 1.6 million people have been kicked off the program in the past three months

Um, they weren’t eligible, so why the outrage? They maintained benefits that they were not entitled to, and we’re supposed to feel bad for them now that they’ve been caught?

It’s a safety net, not a hammock.

Banks’ Newest Fed Headache: Nonstop Instant Payments - WSJ

Under an existing system called ACH (automated clearinghouse), transactions typically take several days to settle. That can be frustrating for those waiting to receive their funds but often benefits banks that use the money in the interim.

It’s long past time for instant payments. Rather gouche that we sit around waiting for our money, while the banks get to continue to play with something that isn’t theirs.

Consumers to Face New Limits on Private Short-Term Health Insurance - WSJ

Under a proposed rule, the administration aims to limit short-term health plans to three months, or four months if consumers opt to extend them

Isn’t it wonderful when government bureaucrats, who rail in court filings about big corporations limiting “consumer choice,” who never have to worry about facing a job loss, a gap between jobs, or the spiraling cost of healthcare on their mega Cadillac plans, decide that they know what’s best for your family’s healthcare coverage?

Some consumers seek out temporary plans because they are generally less expensive than ACA plans, offer flexible coverage periods such as 30 days or three years, and can be obtained any time of the year rather than just during the once-a-year ACA open-enrollment period.

Huh, that’s weird. These plans are offering options that consumers actually want, and are willing to pay for without making their neighbors subsidize them via tax credits.

Short-term plans could provide coverage with fewer benefits at premiums 54% lower than ACA-compliant plans

They found this one weird trick online to save you money: they don’t charge male subscribers for maternity care.

This younger, healthier demographic is considered important for restraining premiums that could rise if mostly older or sicker people enroll in coverage.

Social Security worked out so well that we decided to bring that successful business model to health insurance!

The Biden administration plans to limit short-term health policies that are typically less comprehensive than Affordable Care Act plans, in part because of concerns the products undercut the Obama-era health law.

This isn’t about you, your family, your economic freedom, or your budget. It’s about them protecting their vanity project.