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Kitchen Table Kibitzing: Recession Talk & California 2035 Clean Energy Threatened [1]

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Date: 2025-05-01

Have you already been making changes to your budget given the current financial climate?

And a quick question: which generates more fear for you — The seemingly endless talk about whether or not we are already in a constitutional crisis or the financial chatter opining on if we are already in recession territory?

I’d suggest that the economy is more real to us, affecting our the first two levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs — physiological and safety. The threats to our democracy are at the top of the pyramid — esteem needs and self actualization.

After all, as we all know, “it’s the economy, stupid.”

Currently, there’s a meme surfacing on Tik Tok about “recession blondes”, women who are foregoing trips to the hair salon as they cut down on luxuries in the face of a faltering economy.

Vogue reports:

Recession blonde (or recession brunette) refers to the darker, more brown-tinted hue that many are letting grow in with their normally bright, golden strands. TikTok users explain that while it may look like “old-money blonde,” letting their natural roots grow actually points to how the economy is affecting their spending habits; many are opting out of their touch-up appointments to save money. … there have been many times when fashion and beauty trends have correctly predicted a recession. The Hemline Index, for example, is a theory created by economist George Taylor in 1926 that suggested the length of a hemline is closely related to how well the economy is doing. Shorter hemlines indicate a thriving economy (think the Roaring ’20s and the flapper dress or the ’60s and the birth of the miniskirt) while longer hemlines show an economy that is not (floor-length dresses and pants dominated fashion during The Great Depression).

Ari Melber recently did a short on recession blondes.

x Times are tough & people are ditching their platinum blonde hair for dark roots. Here's everything you need to know about the recession trend.

stylecaster.com/beauty/beaut...



[image or embed] — StyleCaster.com (@stylecaster.com) February 8, 2025 at 9:23 AM

In my case, it would be ‘recession gray’ as I no longer have any dark roots but go to the salon every five weeks for touch ups. A friend suggested the other day that I consider doing my roots myself, but I am actually considering letting it grow out and going natural. At my age, it’s pretty obvious that I’m no longer a brunette.

What exactly is a recession

A recession is a period where there is a significant economic downturn lasting for more than are few months.

Key characteristics include a decline in economic activity, negative GDP growth, factors like employment, real income, and industrial production, and job losses, reduced spending, and lower stock market values.

NPR reported last week:



In a Sunday note to clients, Goldman Sachs raised the probability of a U.S. recession from 35% to 45% — and that's assuming the tariffs are rolled back. If the country-specific tariffs take effect Wednesday as intended, the firm says, "we would revise our forecast to include a recession." In a research report last week titled "There Will Be Blood," JP Morgan upped its risk of a global recession to 60% from 40% before the tariff announcement. Its CEO Jamie Dimon doubled down on Monday, writing in his annual letter to investors that the tariffs "will likely increase inflation" and are prompting "many to consider a greater probability of a recession." "Whether or not the menu of tariffs causes a recession remains in question, but it will slow down growth," Dimon wrote.

From USA today Tuesday:

Forecasters are roughly split, with nearly 4 in 10 figuring more than 50% odds of a downturn, according to a recent survey by the National Association of Business Economics. -snip- Confronted with stale economic reports, forecasters typically turn to consumer and business sentiment data for more timely signals on how people will behave. In recent months, confidence measures for both households and companies have tumbled along with the stock market.

California’s Ambitious 2035 Clean Energy Agenda blocked by House

Now ranked the 4th largest economy in the world, California is now confronting national efforts to curtail its ambitious clean energy policy, which would ban selling gas powered vehicles by 2035.

The NYT reports:

Can California make its own air-pollution rules? The House of Representatives on Thursday voted to block California rules that would ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. The vote was 246 to 164, with 35 Democrats joining Republicans to approve the measure. If the Senate also votes to block California’s E.V. plan, the decision could have wide-reaching effects, including for the 11 other states that have adopted the Golden State’s standards. Together, these states make up more than 40 percent of the U.S. auto market. Under the 1970 Clean Air Act, California can receive waivers to pass air-pollution standards that are stricter than the national rules. California’s ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars is one of the most ambitious climate policies in the nation. “The California waiver is very, very important, especially since motor vehicles are now the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States,” said Michael Gerrard, director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University. -snip- The Senate parliamentarian, a nonpartisan adviser to the body on rules and procedures, has also said that Congress cannot use its proposed method to block California’s plans.

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