The economy is doing wonderfully. Someone should tell the people participating in it.
The Riff. October 4, 2026
I have never tried to pay a bill with a positive economic outlook. I suspect Nevada Power would have questions.
“Your payment appears to be a speech.”
Yes, but a very encouraging speech. There were flags. There were red hats. Someone pointed at the crowd. Surely that covers the air conditioning.
I read an Associated Press story about nearly 1,400 people losing their jobs at a truck factory in Springfield, Ohio, three days before Donald Trump’s rally nearby. Meanwhile, at a Texas truck plant on Thursday, Trump said manufacturing was coming back and, “The only thing we’re doing badly at is public relations.”
Well, there’s your problem.
Those people thought they’d been laid off. Apparently, they’d received a poorly communicated opportunity to spend more time at home.
Public relations is a fascinating profession because it can arrive at the scene of almost anything carrying a better adjective. Your flight hasn’t been canceled. Your travel experience is evolving. The restaurant isn’t understaffed. It’s offering a more intimate relationship with waiting.
And your job hasn’t disappeared. The economy needs you to understand the bigger picture.
I’m a photographer. I work with the bigger picture. Sometimes the bigger picture reveals a water heater, three extension cords, and a laundry basket somebody hoped I wouldn’t notice.
Changing the angle can help the photograph. The laundry basket is still there.
That’s what gets me about telling people the economy is better than they think. Most people aren’t forming their opinion from a complicated spreadsheet. They’re forming it at the grocery store, where they’ve picked up four things and somehow qualified for financing.
I don’t need a chart to tell me whether something costs more. I have the old receipt. It’s somewhere in the car, slowly becoming part of the upholstery, but I have it.
There’s always a number available to explain why your experience is incorrect. An average. A projection. A percentage adjusted for something you didn’t know required adjustment.
Apparently, I’m struggling in unadjusted dollars.
Could someone adjust them before the mortgage comes out?
Political rallies must be strange events to organize when the local news has failed to cooperate. You booked the venue. Ordered the signs. Found the music. Then reality wandered in with a cardboard box full of desk items.
Reality is terrible at staying on message.
You can picture a campaign staffer asking whether the layoffs could have waited until Monday. Not canceled, necessarily. Just moved beyond the balloon drop.
The AP report does include some potential good news: the company buying the plant says it plans to protect the workforce and eventually expand it. Workers are hoping to be rehired in six to twelve months.
I hope that happens. But six to twelve months is a substantial amount of time when the bills have remained committed to their monthly format. As far as I know, those hats are inedible.
My mortgage has never said, “We understand you’re in a transitional phase. Circle back when the industrial outlook improves.”
It says the first.
Every month. Very little imagination over there.
Yesterday, I wrote about the things people say before saying the opposite. “No offense.” “I’m not judging.” “With all due respect.”
Maybe “The economy is doing great” belongs in that collection, depending on what the person hearing it has just been through.
It’s difficult to receive reassurance about your livelihood from someone whose microphone is working better than your paycheck.
And I don’t think the answer is a more effective slogan. People have heard slogans. They’ve got hats, bumper stickers, and a drawer full of campaign mail that could insulate a modest garage.
They’d probably welcome something less inspiring and more direct.
A start date.
A shift.
A deposit.
You can announce those without entrance music. People will still be pleased.
Until then, I’m going to try this public relations theory on my own finances.
The next time a bill arrives, I’ll explain that my bank balance is actually doing tremendously. The numbers have been misunderstood. We need to improve the messaging.
Then I’ll put the receipt under better lighting.
Maybe photograph it from the other side. Maybe Photoshop out the laundry basket.
Don’t Pick What I Pick
Yesterday went 3–1–1. Both unders won, the Dodgers handled their first-five assignment, and the Brewers finished theirs in a tie. The Kings took us into overtime before disappointing us, which feels like an unnecessary extension of the customer experience.
Yesterday’s autopsy — October 3
- Navy–Air Force Under 45.5 — WIN. Air Force won 14–9. Twenty-three combined points left plenty of room.
- UCF–Houston Under 51.5 — WIN. Houston won 27–17. Forty-four points, another under home.
- Brewers first-five moneyline vs. Padres — PUSH. It was 2–2 after five innings. Milwaukee eventually won 3–2, but our ticket had already clocked out.
- Kings moneyline at Sharks — LOSS. San Jose won 5–4 in overtime. An overtime loss still loses a moneyline wager.
- Dodgers first-five moneyline vs. Braves — WIN. Los Angeles led 2–0 after five and eventually won 5–3.
ALL SPORTS: 1,120–1,124–8 — four net losses from .500.
TENNIS: 1–1.
Today’s picks — October 4
Packers moneyline at Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield is out, and rookie Jalon Daniels makes his first NFL start. Green Bay has offensive-line problems of its own, but I favor Jordan Love in this quarterback matchup. Taking the moneyline gives us room for an ugly, narrow win.
Rams −3.5 at Eagles
Philadelphia is missing DeVonta Smith, Marquise Brown and Dallas Goedert, while Puka Nacua returns for Los Angeles. That favors the Rams’ offense. Aaron Donald’s absence gives Philadelphia’s running game a chance to make this uncomfortable.
Aces moneyline at Valkyries
Golden State brings an excellent defense, but Las Vegas won all three regular-season meetings. I favor A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young’s ability to create a basket when a playoff game gets tight.
Dodgers moneyline vs. Braves
Blake Snell starts at Dodger Stadium, giving Los Angeles another left-handed look against Atlanta’s lineup. The Braves had not confirmed their starter at the morning check, so this is a full-game moneyline selection with that uncertainty acknowledged. Fandom does not get to submit its own supporting evidence. I have also independently confirmed that Dodger Stadium does not have a roof.
Lions −3.5 at Panthers
Detroit’s running game anchors this pick. Carolina is without Xavier Legette, and Jalen Coker is reportedly unlikely to play. The Lions’ vulnerable secondary remains the concern, particularly with D.J. Reed questionable.
This isn’t called Pick What I Pick.
It’s called Don’t Pick What I Pick.
Please wager accordingly.
