Michael Meeropol

On Tuesday, April 7, the moment of truth was at hand. After a number of postponements of a deadline by President Trump, the Iranians were confronted with a demand that they give up their one piece of leverage in this war --- the control of the Strait of Hormuz --- in return for a cease fire. Working indirectly through Pakistan as an intermediary, Trump and the Iranians presented positions that seemed completely irreconcilable.

Over the 20 years of these commentaries, I have almost never talked about American military adventures abroad but President Trump’s decision to take us to war with Iran has brought me back to that topic.

This is an expanded version of my 300th commentary over WAMC-FM (My first one aired back in 2005).In this version I revisit an issue that I introduced in one of my very first presentations --- the independence of the U.S. Central Bank, the Federal Reserve System or Fed for short.

So which is it? Is the US economy doing extremely well and we are about to have a “great” year in 2026? Or are there signs of serious problems in the economy, especially for middle – class and working class people who are not in the top ten, five or one percent of the population in terms of income and wealth?

I recorded the December 19 commentary before President Trump gave his speech on Wednesday, December 16. I discussed the reason why the public sees inflation as a continuing problem and pointed out that in general, the rate of inflation had remained near 3 percent since he took office last January.

When I launched this set of commentaries back in 2005, I identified two poles of economic analysis --- one which might be called “libertarian, right-wing, a/k/a “conservative.”

I stayed up to watch the election results and was rewarded with evidence that the “sleeping giant” --- the American people --- had finally awakened to the danger that Trump and Trumpism poses to our society.

Last Saturday (October 18, 2025) I attended a NO KINGS DAY rally in Brewster, NY at the eastern end of Putnam County where I live.

I believe the government shutdown is analogous to a major labor dispute --- say between the United Auto Workers and General Motors that results in a strike.

This commentary was broadcast on Friday September 26. By October 1, either Congress will have agreed on a spending bill or the government will have shut down. Now before everybody panics, remember a federal government shutdown does not mean the armed forces will go home and social security checks will stop being mailed.