Digging a hole which can't be filled

"One thing we have learned from watching some of our highly paid pro sports players - no matter how much you make, if you spend more than you have, you will end up broke. Heads up citizens - that is the path we are on."  

It is after all - the money thing. It always is, always has been. Whose money, how much money, blah, blah, blah. The one question which NEVER seems to get asked is "Was it worth it?" Or what is the ROI on that billion plus expenditure we just spent? Most decisions come down to the question of "whose ox is gored". If not my ox, then who cares? But here is the rub - the money being spend in this country (via tax dollars) belongs to ALL of us. If that is the case, this drunken spending spree by Biden and his handlers during their final days should be offensive to all of us. But alas and alack - it is not.

Now before I hear a collective "so what?", let me first put things into perspective. Especially for those who like to keep their debts well managed. Because of our national debt of over $36T, each and every citizen owes $107,000 to pay it off. But because so many don't pay federal taxes, each taxpayer owes a whopping $272,000 to pay it off. Of course, if you throw in our unfunded liabilities into the mix, each citizen will own over $655,000. WOW! 

Money does matter. I think it is great that Trump and company are starting the DOGE initiative. Get rid of some of the fat and manure which has been layered into our national budget. Will that help? For a while. But as we all know, when you spend more than you make, a time of reckoning comes. Your credit score goes down. You cost to borrow goes up. Inflation goes up. Left unchecked, soon you need a wheelbarrow full of cash to buy a loaf of bread. 

Now I have to play Scrooge for a minute. The bill which passed last night, has over $100B for repair and restoration for those decimated by Hurricane Helene. Where is that money coming from? Our savings? Our checking? If you answered, "Just put it on the card", you win the prize. This is why so many Republicans voted against this bill. The "pay as we go" folks thought this was a personal afront. A betrayal. A violation of trust.

If this bill had $100B in federal offsets (like, from much of the manure than Biden has been spreading), 100% of the Republicans would have likely voted for it, and 100% of the Democrats would have voted against it. Then it would have died in the Senate. Even if it had passed the Senate, Biden would have never signed it.

Where does this leave us? Digging a hole which gets larger every year. Do we have needs to fill in 2025? Oh, yes. Don't get me started on some of the gaps we need to fill in our DOD to catch the Chinese and Russians. Our "Ponzi scheme" programs like Social Security and Medicare need to be re-worked for the next generation. If we don't, there won't be much left to re-work.

Donald Trump will have his hands full. Besides inheriting a gargantuan debt, he will need to "herd the cats" in the House and Senate. A daunting task for sure. One thing we have learned from watching some of our highly paid pro sports players - no matter how much you make, if you spend more than you have, you will end up broke. Heads up citizens - that is the path we are on.  

Oh crap! It's that governing thing again!

"How do I think this will end? The fiscal hawks will once again cave, and we will have a PORKULUS bill of some kind. Who will take it in the shorts? The taxpayers of course. They are the ones who will get stuck with the bill."   

Have I seen this movie before! You bettcha! Not only me, but also most of us reading this blog post. What are the Republicans good at? Ideas? For sure! Implementation of those ideas through governing? Not so much. Now here we sit, right before Christmas, with a broken government and a senile president. What else could possibly go wrong?

Here is a simple analogy on why some Republicans feel the way they do. My wife and I want to buy a new vehicle. It is a fancy one, so the payments (and extra insurance) would be about $1,000/month. We can't afford that vehicle unless we cut $1,000 from something else from our budget. Is that rocket science? No - it is kitchen table economics. Most of us do things this way - but not our government. There is no zero-sum budgeting - it is called debt financing, and now we are galloping towards 40T in debt. 

Every year we do this same stork dance. Wait until the end of the year and go into a full-fledged panic. The only way most Democrats and some Republicans will agree to an omnibus bill which will fund the government as well as shrimp on treadmills, is to load it up like Clark Griswald's Christmas tree. But this year, Congressmen like Chip Roy yelled "ENOUGH! What is the matter with Chip? Does he not want to help the struggling people in western North Carolina and Tennessee? Absolutely he does! But he wants offsets in the budget, so this does not end up in MORE DEBT.

Here is the rub. We have many in Congress who say, "Screw it - we will pay for it later" (and later never comes). And we have more and more "kitchen table" budgeters who want to pay as we go. With an evenly divided House and Senate, that leaves the year end funding looking like roadkill, with a broken government (again). 

Now everyone is mad at everyone else. The blame game has started, and Speaker Johnson might be on the verge of "throwing in the towel" or getting removed. I know it is easy to armchair quarterback, but I will do it anyway. It has been months since the storm which brought havoc to the western areas of Tennessee and North Carolina. As soon as we knew the gravity of the cost to repair and rebuild, Congress should have leapt into action. But they didn't. Too many vacations and doing mumbo jumbo to take care of this emergency. Put it off until year's end. So, here we are. The same place we always are at year's end.

How do I think this will end? The fiscal hawks will once again cave, and we will have a PORKULUS bill of some kind. Who will take it in the shorts? The taxpayers of course. They are the ones who will get stuck with the bill.   

The return of PORKULUS!

"Some think the most important thing in our new administration will be DOGE. I am one of those people. DOGE is something whose time has come. Are we too late? Better late than never."  

Old habits are hard to break. Especially the old habits which "stoke the ID" of the Congressional spenders. One would think that after this past election, with the STRONG message the voters sent to Washington, and the establishment of the DOGE to cut wasteful spending, the days of PORKULUS were over. I guess I was wrong. PORKULUS is back, and stronger than ever!

Here we are AGAIN, with the clock ticking down to midnight (on the night before Christmas), and the years' worth of work the Congress was supposed to have done - is not. What is the remedy? Load up a pork filled bill with everything from shrimp on a treadmill to the sleeping habits of the Dodo Bird. Instead of just focusing on emergency items (like helping the flood victims in North Carolina and Tennessee), this small bill grew to 1,500 pages and was a Christmas list for everyone. Goodies, goodies galore!

BUT - there is a new sheriff in town. And there are these two deputies who are in charge of DOGE. I guess many in Congress missed the message that we don't do POTKULUS bills anymore. In fact, Elon put out on X, Republicans who vote for this monster better prepare to get primaried in 2026. And Trump agreed with him. What is the lesson here? You can't cut spending and load up the government with a bunch of crap at the same time.

So now what? Here is what the next President wants to see. Emergency funding only, with a small CR which will take us out to when the new Congress is sworn in. Then by Inauguration Day, President Trump wants to see a final bill for him to sign. No more CR at that time - just a finished bill which is responsible (for a change). 

Oh my! Many in Congress will act like drunks who have taken "the cure" and have a bad case of the shakes. Speaker Johnson has his marching orders. Now to make sure his VERY SLIM Republican majority follows his cue. No more games, no more gambits. This is make or break time to see how well the Republicans can govern in the House. If they continue to look like "Democrat Light" Republicans, heads will roll, and people will be replaced. 

I have said this since I have been politically aware. Both the House and Senate have way too much time off during the year. And then when they are in session, they get bogged down on silly stuff. THE FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT thing that the House needs to do each and every fiscal year, is the twelve pots of funding. Then get it over to the Senate to pass. For some reason, this comes under the way too hard category. But no more - this had got to be done!

Some think the most important thing in our new administration will be DOGE. I am one of those people. DOGE is something whose time has come. Are we too late? Better late than never.  

Maybe they ARE out there!

 

"Maybe when Trump is sworn in, more of the truth will be known. As for now, we will keep one eye on the sky and the other on our government. Both hold secrets which are not being shared."    

When did this all begin? Maybe in 1952, when we had the incursion into Washington DC airspace. When the UAPs did an ariel "dance" over the US Capitol Building. Or was it earlier? Like in southern Missouri or Texas? Or in the now famous "battle of Los Angeles". The bottom line is this - we have seen "things" orbs and lights in our skies for many, many years. But as of late, the proliferation of sightings has been off the chart. Does this have anything to do with the sudden avalanche of "drone" sightings? Unknown at this time.

Sightings have occurred in just about every state and every country in the world. In this country, in recent years, the most famous sighting was in Phoenix in 1997. A monster size "V-shaped" craft, emitting no noise, slowing slipped over the skies in Arizona. All the way to Pheonix and Tuson. It went low and slow, almost like it wanted to be seen. And it was seen by thousands of Arizona residents. What was it? One of ours? Doubtful. Or something from "out there". The mystery still stands today.

One might ask, does our government know about these things? Who controls these craft? Where they came from? Do they present a clear and present danger to the citizens? Good questions all. But as of late, there have been sightings of dozens, maybe hundreds of orbs, just floating in the sky. Or some orbs, acting like they are being controlled. What are they? Who controls them?

I am reminded by that old Navy saying right now - I feel like a mushroom. Why? I am fed crap and kept in the dark. I know the Biden government is especially good at subterfuge, but this is ridiculous. Something is going on in our skies right now, be they drones, orbs, UAPs, lights or whatever. And here is the bottom line - whatever is going on in our skies, IS NOT NORMAL. 

Years ago, I remember talking to a young lady I served with who was on a training session in Florida. She had her mother with her for this TAD, as it was like a vacation for her mom. One evening, my roommate and I invited her and her mother over to our trailer for drinks and snacks after work. As we were talking (it was very dark outside, as our trailer was on the beach close to the water), the subject of UFOs came up. All of a sudden, this lady and her mother got very silent. Why? They had witnessed one up close. Very close. And it still spooked them.

People who have seen a "something" never really come to terms with it. Until it is explained what they saw, it is very disturbing. What do I think? I think the American people are ready to know the truth, no matter what the truth may be. If we are being visited by aliens, demons, time travelers, or (the latest) - interdimensional beings - we want to know the truth. Even if what we are seeing (and photographing) comes from mass hysteria, we need to know. 

Maybe when Trump is sworn in, more of the truth will be known. As for now, we will keep one eye on the sky and the other on our government. Both hold secrets which are not being shared.    

Energy - Our "embarrassment of riches"

"Smart people know our future lies in leading the world in AI. Cold hard fact. What do we know about AI so far? Plenty, including this - to develop AI at the breakneck speed we need to, we need energy, and lots of it to run these AI data centers."

I remember as a young lad reading a story (fictional) about a rich man who wanted to see what life was like as a poor person. With great effort and a shoddy wardrobe, he bought at a discount store, he set out to perform his ruse. It was hard, as he had been wealthy all of his life. Bottom line - he failed. Why? He did not know how to act. All of his life, he had an "embarrassment of riches". It was hard to be something he was not.

Why bring this up? For the past four years, the United States has paraded around the globe as being a nation which is in need of more energy. Oh, we had tons of untapped energy, but we tried to dress up "poor" and beg dictators to supplement our growing energy needs. In just over a month, those days will be over - hopefully for good. We are going to parlay our "liquid gold" (oil and gas) as well as new and exciting energy sources, to be the most energy dominant country in the world.

I remember reading an article about how a civilization can evolve upward to the next step. It has everything to do with energy. For example, right now we are at a "zero" level. To get to the next level, we would need the ability to use every ounce of energy which comes from the closest star (our sun). That means, we would harness every type of energy which is available to us. Oil, gas, coal, nuclear, solar, wind (maybe), tidal, geothermal, and so forth. Guess what? This is what Donald Trump wants to do. Harness every source of energy which makes sense for us to use. Have so much energy, we would be an energy exporter.

One thing Biden and his handlers could not wrap their minds around, is this - with energy comes progress. With energy, comes wealth. With energy, comes growth. With limited energy, comes what we have right now - societal malaise. Donald Trump is going to turn this around on Day One. Just wait...

Smart people know our future lies in leading the world in AI. Cold hard fact. What do we know about AI so far? Plenty, including this - to develop AI at the breakneck speed we need to, we need energy, and lots of it to run these AI data centers. So much energy, people much smarter than I are saying we need to develop "mini nukes", which will do nothing except power that data center. Guess what? We have the technology to build these nukes right now. We just need government and the "greenies" to get the heck out of the way.

But what about the climate Nazis? What will they say? Who cares, is my response. If they could get their heads out of their posteriors, they would know this immutable fact - our energy production is getting cleaner and more carbon free every year. As Donald Trump has told us, we are entering our "golden age". We are ready to live in a period of an "embarrassment of riches". All this, thanks to our abundant resource of energy.      

Drones, droids, whatever!

"Watch out for gaslighting, subterfuge, and out and out lies during the next month. Team Biden are like caged animals who will do anything to vanquish the winning team. Why can't they go quieting into the night? Good question. Maybe you can get a straight answer from the not so straight Biden Press Secretary. Just saying..."  

Drones, droids and planes, oh my! Our government is insistent in telling us to "pay no attention to those droids" - I mean drones. Or planes. Or UAPs. When truth is hiding, that is when the conspiracy theories come out in waves. The one I like is Project Blue Beam. Fake an alien invasion so the current government can do something nefarious. Wait - what! The Biden government? Doing something underhanded in the midst of all this confusion? Oh, yes - and it is happening right now.

Joe Biden, who is no longer running the place, has been relegated to be the puppet on a string for a committee of haters. They want Biden to take the remaining time of his term to "scorch the Earth" before Trump gets sworn in. Things like giving more money to Iran. Make it much harder for Trump to control or neuter Iran once he takes over. Why in the world would Biden give our tax money to our enemy? Because in the eyes of the lefties running our government, the real enemy is Donald Trump.

Are some of Biden's shenanigans making the news cycle? Not many, as everybody seems to be looking skyward these days. Like - what are those things? Some in the government told reporters they are only planes, coming in for a landing. Or they are privately owned drones, just sightseeing. Or are they from another country? Our government says NO. But if they ALL belong to citizens of this country, who are they? Meanwhile, the cabal running our country right now has convinced three lifetime appointed leftie judges, who were retiring - to unretire. Why? Make things harder for the enemy Trump.

My advice to the news reporters is to ignore the drones, droids or planes in our skies. Why? To quote an iconic Star Wars line - "These are not the droids you are looking for". Focus not on Trump's cabinet picks, focus not on the skies - focus on the treachery which is going on in Washington right now.

This churlish and childish behavior of Team Biden reminds me when G.W. Bush was getting ready to take the oath. Team Clinton was busy removing the "W" from all the typewriters, just to make it harder on the incoming team. Why? Team Clinton hated Bush for beating (by a whisker) ALGORE to be our next POTUS.

Watch out for gaslighting, subterfuge, and out and out lies during the next month. Team Biden are like caged animals who will do anything to vanquish the winning team. Why can't they go quietly into the night? Good question. Maybe you can get a straight answer from the not so straight Biden Press Secretary. Just saying...  

Broken Arrow?

"The federal government keeps telling the citizens not to worry - there is no national threat here. Okay, we will bite - then what are they? All of a sudden, there is silence on the line. Nil heard. Nada." 

By this time, most of us have heard them all. All what? All the theories as to what in the world is going on in the skies. I have heard they come from a "mother ship" from Iran, just off the East Coast. I have heard they come from China. Or Russia. Maybe from the Planet Zork. The federal government keeps telling the citizens not to worry - there is no national threat here. Okay, we will bite - then what are they? All of a sudden, there is silence on the line. Nil heard. Nada. 

But yesterday I heard a theory which was much different from the others. Plausible? Maybe. Because these drones seem to be following some kind of grid, maybe there is a purpose. Maybe there are our drones. Maybe they are NEST (Nuclear Emergency Support Team) drones, with NEST "sniffers" on board. Maybe they are up every night because we have a Broken Arrow. (Broken Arrow is the term used for missing nukes). 

Thinking about it, if this were true, the government for sure would want to keep this under wraps. The panic it would cause folks to know the government is looking for a lost nuke which might be in their neighborhoods, would be off the charts. Or, if they are not looking for nukes, maybe it is some other kind of WMD which they can "sniff out". In any event, it might be the reason for all this clandestine behavior by the federal government.

As a side note, on the news this morning there were interviewing some man who sees these drones most every night. He said the other night, he saw one which was huge - bigger than all the rest. When asked how big, he responded like this - "As big as a school bus". Wow! I sure would not want that flying over my house! 

Will there be an answer to this nightly puzzle or will this go on until Christmas. Or the New Year. In any event, it sure has sucked all the oxygen out of the news cycle. Drones, drones, drones - all we hear these days. The drones story even eclipsed the HUGE news of Navy beating Army yesterday - and that was HUGE NEWS!