The uncertain future for many of our youth

"Where is a good place to start? Reading skills. I know - hard to believe that in this day of age, only about one out of three fourth graders are proficient in reading. Why? Screen time for one. Also, the reading and writing thing should go hand in hand. Content, style, comprehension - everything. And speech communication is important. Small group communication. I could go on and on. And all this is important BEFORE the technical skills needed to fit into this workplace with has dizzying new skills and technologies developing before our very eyes."

Here is the good news, bad news thing again. And for the young ones - please pay attention. I have addressed this issue before. I continue to do research on it, as I don't want to be labeled as a "panic merchant". But please hear me out. By the end of this decade (and that is about 3 1/2 years from now), many, many of the lower skilled jobs which we know of will be gone. Not gone as is evaporated - gone as far as being available for humans to do. And how many "knowledge" jobs will be gone? Estimates are about 15% of them. And that number is expected to grow as we enter the 2030's.

With Generative AI coming onto the scene (quickly, I may add), part of the jobs being offered will vanish into the land of automation. Work will start to look a whole lot different than anything we have seen before. With the paucity of lower skilled jobs existing in the upcoming marketplace, many futurists are holding onto a wish and a prayer that new "human type" jobs will also be in the offing. But what will these jobs look like? How can our youth train for them when they are currently undefined?

Now I am really going to set off the alarm for dark days ahead for some. In the next 1,000 days or so, our education system needs to redefine itself as teaching the future, and not the past. I know what is being taught these days and how it is being taught. Hint: Not good enough. Generative AI is being developed to "think" as good as, if not better than humans. And then there is also this. With all things being equal, a humanoid robot (and there will be millions by the end of this decade) loaded with AI can work better, longer, cheaper, and more error free than most humans. It will be hard for a young person right out of high school, tech school or college to compete with that. 

We are coming up to a Future Shock which would make Alvin Toffler turn over in his grave. Whereas Toffler was most concerned with the stress of over selection and information overload, today's stressors will be as basic as "how do I fit into this brave new world of automation and AI"? Are we late to the party in prepping our kids for this once uncertain future which is now looking very certain? Years late. We are preparing our kids and grandkids for yesterday's world, when our new world is changing almost daily. 

Where is a good place to start? Reading skills. I know - hard to believe that in this day of age, only about one out of three fourth graders are proficient in reading. Why? Screen time for one. Also, the reading and writing thing should go hand in hand. Teach more and better content, style, comprehension - everything. And speech communication is also important. Small group communication is a must. I could go on and on. And all these are important BEFORE the technical skills needed to fit into this workplace with has dizzying new skills and technologies developing before our very eyes.

Final thought. Each day, every day for the next thousand days, our kids need to be taught the right stuff in schools. No matter the grade. For crying in the beer school districts, please at least teach the basics! When my kids were in school, at dinner time (the nights I was home), I would quiz them on some basic facts (mostly stuff I remembered from high school). The correct answer got them a desert as a prize. They hated it when I did that.

But that is what our schools need to do today. Teach the right stuff and then push and challenge. The "desert" today will not be a bowl of ice cream. It will be getting a job in a new type of market which is still being defined. 

The time is now. The future is very, very close. We have no days to waste.    

No longer defeat them - now it is time to conquer them!

"The IRGC have done this to themselves. I have not even an ounce of sympathy for them. Bear them until they no longer wiggle. At the end of the day, we will have a peaceful Iran, with a non-theocratic government. We will have a team on site to ensure there will NEVER again be one fraction of an ounce of uranium on site. The Strait will operate and be as free as a bird. When that happens, the price of a gallon of gasoline should drop back to under $3/gal. Halleluiah!" 

You have to hand it to the Iranians. They are a brazen bunch. A dishonest, lying sack of (as the president would say) - scum. This is the part which still has my head spinning. They wanted an absolute cessation of hostilities, so they could honor dead IRGC members and Mullahs who were eliminated on day one of the war. We agreed. No hostilities, and not even any negotiations on the final deal. Everything went very quiet and still out of respect for the ones who never show any respect to anybody else.

And then, just like the scorpion who killed the turtle (who was trying to save the scorpion), the IRGC could behave no longer. In the midst of their "grief", they hit three innocent oil tankers with drones. Color me shocked. That was just about enough for President Trump. He unleashed his dogs of war last night. Hit over 80 targets. Tonight, there will be more. As the old football chant goes, "Hit them again - harder, harder".

Here are the facts on the ground:

1) They will NEVER give up their quest for nuclear weapons. They see having them as their key to upward mobility in the region.

2) They don't give a tinker's dam that the Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway. To the Iranians, this is their "lake" and should be treated as such. Their constant harassment of shipping will NEVER go away. Not so long as the IRGC exists. 

3) This is a big one. They don't give a wit about their Iranian people. For those who are not true believers in the power of the Mullahs or Islam in general, they will shoot, hang or imprison them. Period. End of story.

4) They look at negotiations as a sign of weakness. All they recognize as true power is the power which is on the battlefield. They need to be not only defeated but also conquered.

As much as our president has longed for peace with this group of savages, peace will never happen. Only conquest. And it is time, Mr. President. Take off all the rules of engagement and let our military professionals go into battle to go quick and go harsh. Beat them so bad, that when they cry "uncle", there will be no negotiations. They will sign a surrender letter. 

The IRGC have done this to themselves. I have not even an ounce of sympathy for them. Bear them until they no longer wiggle. At the end of the day, we will have a peaceful Iran, with a non-theocratic government. We will have a team on site to ensure there will NEVER again be one fraction of an ounce of uranium on site. The Strait will operate and be as free as a bird. When that happens, the price of a gallon of gasoline should drop back to under $3/gal. Halleluiah! 

 

  

Looking down from 30,000 feet...

"What is my solution? More taxes, or more tariffs? We have tried the tax thing for decades and it sucks. It stunts growth. Maybe we should have Congress authorize tariffs for a period of ten years. If managed correctly, just imagine how much money we could have in our coffers. Just imagine how much of our debt could be paid off. Or - we could do nothing and await the level of $50T in our national debt. Knowing us - we will do the later."

Every now and again, it is very helpful to get in that imaginary airplane, fly very high, and take a 30,000-foot snapshot of our country. Things would probably look pretty good, until you looked into our underpinnings. Like - our debt. With everything else going on, looking at our debt has not been a hot topic for many of us. I know it has not for me. But holy cow! We are creeping up on $40T in national debt! If that does not give any citizen pause for concern, I don't know what would.

I remember not too long ago addressing our national debt when it reached an astounding $33T. I had no clue on how we would be able to service a debt that high. But now we are on the verge of having a debt which is $7T higher than that previous post. And many economists think we might be on the way towards a $50T debt. That could sink our ship.

I decided to do some deeper thinking on this issue. Like - why is it, no matter who is in office, the debt goes up. I did buy into the Trump tariff plan, where we could garner more funds from an external revenue service (tariffs), than internal revenue service (taxes). But, due to the bifurcation of financial viewpoints in our sharply divided Congress, Congress had SCOTUS remind POTUS that the issue of tariffs was up to Congress, and not the President. Then all those dollars raised in tariffs, some of which to be used in culling part of our national debt, went "poof" - gone. And then our national debt resumed its manic assent.

Here is my take on this very sore subject. Our biggest cause for our sky-high debt in this country is changing administrations. Look at the crap that Biden spent money on which no longer exists. Just like when Biden took over, he killed many of the things that Trump had been working on, when Trump once again took office, he killed just about everything that Biden had been working on.

And look at all the national defense items Biden DID NOT spend money on, which he should have. Like what? Look at our Navy. We are way, way under on many of our ship classes. China now has the largest navy. Thus, the Trump Administration needed to spend gobs of cash just to get us caught up. And raising taxes to pay for it, was a non-starter. It would crash the economy.

I remember when Reagan took office after Jimmy Carter. Same issue. Carter wanted to be a man of peace instead of war. Thus, he cut back on defense. When Reagan took office, our DOD was a mess. The Soviets had gone to town under Carter, and Reagan needed to jump start our military procurement. By the time Reagan's second term was done, so were the Soviets. But our debt was much higher. 

Every time this nation zigzags the economy due to a new administration, our debt goes up. Fact of life. When Trump is done, and if we get another Biden in office, it will happen all over again. Our nation jumps around way too much on priorities. And yet, we need to face the reality in the world in which we live. If America goes weak due to lack of defense spending, aggressive nations will try and fill that void. Just look back on history, how weak the US was before WWII. 

What is my solution? More taxes, or more tariffs? We have tried the tax thing for decades and it sucks. It stunts growth. Maybe we should have Congress authorize tariffs for a period of ten years. If managed correctly, just imagine how much money we could have in our coffers. Just imagine how much of our debt could be paid off. Or - we could do nothing and await the level of $50T in our national debt. Knowing us - we will do the later.     

   

It's over - now where do we go from here?

 

"It is nice to know that many of the guests who have come here from other countries to watch the World Cup have gone home with a large dose of 'American Nice'. No matter if their team had won or lost, many have been impressed with not only the greatness of this country, but also the welcoming nature of many of the Americans they have met while visiting here."

Even with the spotty weather, it was a grand and glorious 250th birthday party! Sunday was a recouperation day, and now that it is Monday, the question which should be asked is this - where do we go from here? How do we continue to make this land into a "more perfect union"? Or have we been at the apex, and the only direction left to go is down? Well - most of us don't think that will happen. And with the FIFA entertainment still going on, maybe we should defer some of the heavy thinking and introspection until that is over.

It would we be nice to get this mess in Iran taken care of, sooner rather than later. Now we are in another "pause" as the IRGC hold a weeklong funeral for the Mullah who was killed in the first moments of the war. How have things changed in Iran since we took him out? Not much. The IRGC still has the minions chanting "death to Israel" and "death to America" and "kill Trump and Netanyahu". It is still a boiling caldron over there, and we are far from over with them. This Middle East "forever war" that we tried to avoid, might have come home to roost after all.

Putting the Middle East war in Iran aside, our biggest problem at home is the rise of the DSA - Democratic Socialists of America Party. Or as President Trump calls them - Communists. Somehow, as we continue to strive to make a more perfect union, the idea of taking this country down the ruinous path to socialism does not make any sense at all. Why? Socialism and Communism have been tried many times in many places and landed with a thud. Freedom and liberty, which we cherish in this land, have NO PLACE is lands which have devolved into the chains of Socialism or Communism.

Meanwhile, despite of a do nothing Congress, the wheels of progress continue to roll on in America. Good things are happening all over this land. Just the other night I saw a YouTube on how agriculture is changing due to AI and robotics. That with a dose of new chemical technology is making sure that America continues to not only feed its people, but also many other people worldwide. And that is just one of the many things which are changing for the better this decade.

It is nice to know that many of the guests who have come here from other countries to watch the World Cup have gone home with a large dose of "American Nice". No matter if their team had won or lost, many have been impressed with not only the greatness of this country, but also the welcoming nature of many of the Americans they have met while visiting here. My feelings on that point? Well done fellow citizens! That is just a small yet very important part of making us a more perfect union.

 

Everything but the weather...

"This was not the first 4th of July which was a bust due to the weather. Not just with us, but also with many other events nationwide. But good weather or bad weather, fireworks or no fireworks, the significance of the day still stood out bravely against the weather. 250 years young. We are a great nation with a great heritage. That is something to celebrate, rain or shine, light or dark."  

When our kids were small(er), and we were going to do some fun family outdoor event, my wife and I could make sure all the random variables were under control to ensure a smooth and fun time. That is - everything except the weather. Many times, I would have to tell both daughters that dad can control many things, but not the weather. Did that help mollify the masses? Not much.

The main event, the frosting on the cake (so to speak) for our 250th birthday, was the big show on the mall, a speech by POTUS, and then the final fireworks event. Months and months in the planning, many dollars spent, and then - nada. Why? There was an unwelcomed visitor who showed up at the event. Who? Mother Nature, bringing storms, winds, lightening, and so forth. The event was postponed and then cancelled. Why? Everything was controllable - except the weather.

As for my family, the air started going out of the holiday tire in the very early hours of the fourth. I had checked the radar before we retired the evening of the 3rd, and even with that, my wife was concerned. Why? Everything, and I mean just about everything we usually keep covered and tarped was left out, unprotected. It was such a drop-dead gorgeous evening, I thought - why not? We went to bed, and everything was fine. Then it happened. Out of a sound sleep, it sounded like somebody was spraying the trailer with machine gun fire. At 2am, for a bit over an hour, it rained so hard, all other noise was blotted out.

I was the first one up in the morning. I looked outside. Everything was soaked. The other guests were coming in at 10am, so I had my work cut out. I did have some dry chairs in the shed, but still - it was a mess. But the day happened, and we made the most out of it. The kids? They always have fun, so that part was fine. But then in late afternoon, the skies got dark again. We had a quick taco meal, and my daughter, husband, kids and dog were going to get while the getting was good. They left, and no more than five minutes later the skies once again opened up. All those parties and events scheduled for the evening of the Fourth? Kaput. Why? Everything is controllable, except the weather. 

We were going to stay the night on the Fourth and come home sometime during the next day. But the rain was pounding (again), and the radar was all lit up. We saw a small opening in the storms, decided to pack up and get out of Dodge (so to speak). We loaded a few essentials in the truck and hit the road. About ten minutes into our trip, the skies once again opened up. I was once again reminded of that old Bob Dylan hit; A hard rains a going to fall. And it did - all the way home.

This was not the first 4th of July which was a bust due to the weather. Not just with us, but also with many other events nationwide. But good weather or bad weather, fireworks or no fireworks, the significance of the day still stood out bravely against the weather. 250 years young. We are a great nation with a great heritage. That is something to celebrate, rain or shine, light or dark.  

A red, white and blue type of day, to celebrate a wonderful country!

 

"Tomorrow, our national party will be in full swing. East, west, north or south - that is where the celebrations will be. Those who do not care to indulge in our national celebration, because living here is no longer what they want - I have some excellent news for them. In this bastion of freedom and liberty, the door out is always open for those who want to leave."

Wow! At long last, tomorrow, it will finally be here. But from a historical point of view, this time 250 years ago, our Declaration of Independence (DOI) was all over but the signing. The votes were taken, and mutual oaths were pledged. In the next couple of days, on the fourth of July 1976, all of these agreements were to me memorialized into a formal document called the Declaration of Independence. For many who signed it, it could have been their death wish. For if the colonies quest for independence fell flat, many would have either hung as traitors - or been shot. 

But we did win the war - our Revolutionary War. Instead of the signatories on the DOI being traitors, our first national heroes were made. But now that we won the war, and had this new country, how do we make it work? How do we keep from falling short and failing as a young nation? For the next eleven years, the young upstarts in this new country worked hard, negotiated with each other, and finally agreed with each other on a set of principles. Our Constitution was ratified in September of 1787. An agreement fitting of a more perfect union. 

During the past 250 years, this country has not had an easy ride. Thinking back, we have had many "but what if" type moments. I already mentioned what would have happened if we had not prevailed against the British in our Revolutionary War. What if we had lost the War of 1812? What if we had lost World War I? Or if we had lost World War II? How about our bloodiest war, our Civil War? What if we never really recovered from that war, and the entire nation devolved into something tribal? 

Our entire history is replete with ordinary men and women who did some extraordinary things at just the right time. Some died while serving this great nation, and others lived to go on to accomplish even greater things for the greater good. Is it over now? Can we sit back and relax? Like is the worst part over? Absolutely not! Our vigilance must be absolute, as threats to our freedom and liberty will never be over. 

We are always only one generation away from losing our Republic. And based on some of the new upstarts coming up today who eschew our way of life and want to change it to socialism - our battle for freedom and our way of life is not yet over. As Bono once said, if we lose America, there is no place left to go. In other words, this is it folks. Not just love it or leave it - but protect it or lose it.

Tomorrow, our national party will be in full swing. East, west, north or south - that is where the celebrations will be. Those who do not care to indulge in our national celebration, because living here is no longer what they want - I have some excellent news for them. In this bastion of freedom and liberty, the door out is always open for those who want to leave.

In other words, for reasons which I will never understand, some may hate it here. Good news for them - there is an old saying - "Don't let the door hit you where nature has split you". But don't worry - your place here will be taken by future lovers of liberty. And that is what makes this great nation - great.

   

Wait - what? A civil war in the Democrat Party?

 

"As the political system continues, and the Democrats duke it out with the DSA useful idiots, what should the Republicans do? Nothing. Zip. Nada. Find a comfortable chair, pop up some popcorn, and enjoy the show. The Democrat Party is going to rip itself to shreds and we had nothing to do with it." 

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Don't look now, but the worm is starting to turn. The long awaited (and sometimes feared) civil war in America might be happening right now. Only instead of red verses blue (or something like that), it is "traditional" Democrats against the new and upstart DSA (Democrat Socialist of America). And so far, this new DNC has been like a magnet, sucking up all the fruits and nuts who want to take a wrecking ball to America. I think these are the folks who Lenin referred to as "useful idiots".

Last night, I had a real juxtaposition experience. Having just watched the news earlier and seeing a couple more of these useful idiots who won primaries for a Democrat (now maybe a DSA) nomination, I watched some of the very patriotic folks at the soccer match. Trying to square that circle was very hard for me. On one hand, we have all kinds of America lovers watching the World Cup we are hosting, coupled with the wonderful 250th anniversary of our country. On the other hand, we have useful idiots bellyaching that our country is unfair and basically sucks. It is a head scratcher for sure.

But back to the brewing civil war in the Democrat party. Many of the long-term Democrats are not going to go quietly into the night. They may have swung a bit far to the left, but they are still coloring within the lines of traditional Democrats. But this new batch of "socialists" (or as the president often says - Communists), they color way outside the lines. What do they want? They want what you have. If they think you have too much, they are coming for you and your wealth. And for the recent (legal) immigrants who came here to escape socialist countries? Suprise! We now have part of the electorate who wants us to become socialists - or worse. 

How do the Republicans feel about this civil war on the other side of the fence? Many feel this may be the end of the Democrat Party and what is left on the floor will be unelectable. That would be good for our side. Here is the ray of hope for America to continue on for the normal folks. We are a nation of "mouse trap builders". Meaning, the American dream has always been to "build a better mousetrap". That is why Elon Musk, and others lead the world in innovation. And with risk, can come reward. Or failure, if you guess wrong or don't work hard enough. But our system of capitalism allows ALL the opportunity to take a risk to get a reward. The DSA offers none of that - only to confiscate what you have.

As the political system continues, and the Democrats duke it out with the DSA useful idiots, what should the Republicans do? Nothing. Zip. Nada. Find a comfortable chair, pop up some popcorn, and enjoy the show. The Democrat Party is going to rip itself to shreds and we had nothing to do with it.