Sunday Roundup: Economy, Ukraine Offensive? "Gender Affirming Care", Chuck And Caesarism

This morning Karl Denninger picks up on the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics - Productivity and Costs, First Quarter 2023, Preliminary. The stats are almost startlingly bad—the worst since these stats have been kept, starting in 1948—despite the neutral bureaucratic language. KD strikes the note:

UR Hosed

KD’s two excerpts tell the story:

Well I hope you enjoyed the monetary speedballs because now comes the hangover, and if you try to demand that any more speedballs are administered the nation's heart will explode and die.

Let me point out something you won't see reported in the lamestream media:

The 0.9-percent productivity decline is the first time the four-quarter change series has remained negative for five consecutive quarters; this series begins in the first quarter of 1948.

Of course we didn't have this series in, oh, 1930.

Can the news get worse? Yes, says KD:

It gets worse.

Unit labor costs in the nonfarm business sector increased 6.3 percent in the first quarter of 2023, reflecting a 3.4-percent increase in hourly compensation and a 2.7-percent decrease in productivity. Unit labor costs increased 5.8 percent over the last four quarters. (See chart 2 and tables A1 and 2.)

What's the common definition of "progress"?  Do more with less.

What's this?

Do less but pay more.

MishTalk explains how these stats are derived—which I won’t quote—and also suggests what the underlying factors are that put us in this fix:

Wages are soaring but year-over-year productivity is sinking the most in history.

Mish begins with a picture—always a good idea:

There’s more, of course, but here’s the bottom line:

What's Going On With Productivity?

1. Biden rules and regulations

2. Biden's clean energy push including the ridiculously-named Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)

3. Retiring baby boomers are replaced by less skilled workers

On to Ukraine!

For the last week—or maybe month? year?—all we’ve been hearing about is the coming Ukrainian Spring Offensive. Now that it’s supposed to start coinciding with Russia’s Victory Day (May 9) festivities, Ukraine promoters are starting to get cold feet and are trying to tamp down expectations:

Senior Ukrainian officials fear counterattack may not live up to hype (WaPo)
The Washington Post ^ | May 6, 2023 | Siobhán O'Grady, Isabelle Khurshudyan, Laris Karklis and Samuel Granados

KYIV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian military has spent nearly 15 months exceeding the world’s expectations. Now, senior leaders are trying to lower those hopes, fearing that the outcome of an imminent counteroffensive aimed at turning the tide of the war with Russia may not live up to the hype.

“The expectation from our counteroffensive campaign is overestimated in the world,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in an interview this past week. “Most people are … waiting for something huge,” he added, which he fears may lead to “emotional disappointment.”

The planned counterattack — made possible by donated Western weapons and training — could mark the most consequential phase of the war, as Ukraine seeks to snatch back significant territory and prove it is worthy of continued support.

...

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...

I think that last bolded passage is the bottom line, as discussed previously (Ukraine Under The Gun: Launch Offensive Or Else?). Will Schryver, who has been pretty prescient over the course of the war, is forthright in his predictions:

Will Schryver

@imetatronink

In my view, there is effectively zero possibility the Ukrainians can sustain a credible offensive against Russian forces, and when it fails, the Russians will then move to seize the remainder of the four oblasts that have already approved referenda to join Russia.

1/4

7:32 PM · May 4, 2023

Go to Simplicius for lengthy prognostication:

Emergency Evacuation of Zaporozhye, Offensive Imminent? - Video Roundup + SITREP

For my part, I see merit in Alex Christoforou’s prediction: The offensive will possibly be delayed for another week due to rainy weather. If and when it gets started it will heavily target the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant—a goal that would be strongly symbolic of progress and achievement, rather than occupying obscure villages. However, unlike in certain previous situations, this time there will be no tactical withdrawals by the Russians, trading territory for Ukrainian casualties—the Russians have built up significant defensive lines and positioned large reserves for a purpose.

OK, would you be surprised that ‘gender affirming care’ is heavy on psychiatric medication? Nope, not me either. Or that there’s money—and lots of it—in them thar ills? Nope, again:

Study: 'Transgender' Youth Prescribed MORE Psychotropic Drugs After 'Gender-Affirming Care,' Not Less
PJ Media ^ | 05/06/2023 | Ben Bartee

Researchers who recently published their work in the Journal of Sexual Medicine examined the prevalence and efficacy of “gender-affirming” mental healthcare provided to trans-identified children.

Right. Shouldn’t “gender-affirming” mental healthcare come before chemical and surgical mutilation? In a sane society?

…

In layman’s terms (I wish medical journals would use more accessible language in their public-facing publications), they looked at the rate at which “transgender” kids sought mental health counseling and how often they were prescribed psychotropic drugs as part of their treatment compared to a non-trans control group comprised of their siblings.

Yeah, knock me down with a feather:

Here were the results:

…

More diagnoses, more therapy, more drugs.

The goal from the perspective of the pharmaceutical and medical industry is clearly to hook children as young as possible on a lifetime supply of drugs and surgeries in order to extract as much profit from them as possible.

(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...

The people inflicting the chemical and surgical mutilation are precisely the people with the background to understand exactly what’s really going on. But they’re getting rich.

Finally, … I like to see a guy enjoying himself:

Big Serge

@witte_sergei

King Charles should dissolve the parliament and declare himself the living embodiment of Britain’s political life, proclaim his will to be the guiding animus of the nation, and rule by decree.

9:13 AM · Oct 20, 2022

Democracy had its chance and has proven to be the rule of petty scleroticism. The tyranny of money can only be overturned by blood! The man of charisma and great vital energy must overcome the techno-bureaucratic tyranny!

Only Caesarism can save the nation that rots from within. Where the rule of money results in the dominion of the weak, the spiteful, and the dying, Caesarism heralds the ascent of the man of power, as the manifested will of the nation’s strength! Hail the sun and the lightning!

King Charles calls the Anglo to return to his piratical roots and reclaim his place as lord of the northern seas. He is not a docile subject of suffocating bureaucratism, he is the scion of Norman and Woad, Viking and Roman. Charles is the King of the ash and iron spear!

I’m being informed that Charles is a goofy mediocrity. Never mind, false alarm.