Another report in the PBS NewsHour series on what’s happening with hospitals in Massachusetts and beyond.
My Tariff Test
After Trump’s tariff announcement yesterday I placed a small order for turntable belts with an outfit in Germany.
The total with shipping is 42,67 EUR. With the package arriving after April 5, I’m wondering if I will owe extra as the importer.
We have received your payment. (except for cash on delivery)
“Six or seven trillion dollars coming into our country.” Yet another lie he keeps repeating as if that will make it true. There will be NO money coming into the country from the tariffs. It’s a TAX that will be taken out of the American economy.
WordPressure
Hmm. There’s a layoff at Automattic, the WordPress company.
Adolescent Music
Felix Mendelssohn was only 16 when he wrote this masterful piece.
Play Your Numbuh!
As an Economics major in college I learned that the Massachusetts State Lottery, then less than five years old, is regressive. Meaning the people who can least afford to play are the ones who spend the most money. But at least the money goes to the state, rather than to organized crime.
The Boston Federal Reserve Bank recently published an analysis of the lottery. If you don’t want to read the article, this graph shows how big the Mass State Lottery is compared to other states.
Many years ago, on a lark I once bought a (losing) lottery ticket. The lottery is a voluntary tax, and people are okay with that. Trump’s proposed additional tax cuts will require new revenue. His tariff taxes, that are supposed to go into effect today, will serve that purpose. They won’t be voluntary and they will be regressive.
Boston’s GBH presents this exhaustive history of the Massachusetts State Lottery. It’s a story of Math, the Mob, the Church and, of course, Politics.
The complete series is available as an audio podcast.
Public Hospitals, Private Money
One of my later technical projects, before retiring eight years ago, had me driving to Carney Hospital in Boston. The place is now closed, as explained in this report on the PBS NewsHour, which is continuing its coverage of the crisis in healthcare.