Is there graft in Washington? If so, how much?

"Do I want to see some of these Democrat lifers do the perp walk for what they have done to our country. That is a 10-4. That includes insider trading, Ms. former Speaker. I want real criminals to be put away in lockup with the same abandonment that Biden's DOJ put away some innocent bystanders from the much-ballyhooed J6 event. Time for the real crooks to get locked up!"   

It saddens me to hear of people who were elected by their constituents only to serve, becoming rich beyond measure just for doing a job which pays about $200k/year. How does this happen? How does it work? How have they been able to get away with it for so long? This is what Elon Musk, and the DOGE team are discovering. Astute businessmen and women, they can't understand how a person, living in a high rent city like Washington DC, can parley what remains of a $200K/year job into becoming a multi-millionaire.

I have said for many years now, where there is no accountability or ownership (like of tax money), just about everything which is touched can be considered to be "low fruit on the tree." The many ways even the simplest of schemes and graft can be conjured up is nothing less than amazing. And the longer somebody serves, the more intrenched the graft is. Soon, many different grafts are woven into one, where many "lifers" in Congress benefit (and become enriched) from them.

The fable started by the loony left is that Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, wants Social Security information so he can "steal our money". If that statement was not so sad, it would almost be funny. Somebody on the news put it this way - "A thousand years from now, not one of these whining Democrats will be remembered. Not even close. But Elon Musk, the greatest innovator of our time, will be remembered. And remembered fondly." Bottom line? Musk does not want nor need your money. He has plenty, thank you. Earned by his innovation and guts. But Musk does know the taxpayers are getting ripped off. And he wants to expose the lifer bureaucrats who are doing that vile bidding.

This brings me to the swamp that Trump was out to drain during his first term. Trump fought the swamp, and the swamp almost won. But this time, even though the swamp is enormous, Trump has come prepared. He has the experience and the right team to fight the swamp. Maybe Trump and his team cannot fix the entire swamp, but they can sure make a big dent in it. 

Do I want to see some of these Democrat lifers do the perp walk for what they have done to our country. That is a 10-4. That includes insider trading, Ms. former Speaker. I want real criminals to be put away in lockup with the same abandonment that Biden's DOJ put away some innocent bystanders from the much-ballyhooed J6 event. Time for the real crooks to get locked up!   

Maybe this is gut check time?

"Regardless how this turns out, let this be a lesson to this country which will never be forgotten. It sucks to be 'owned' by another country. It sucks to have just about everything we need, made in a faraway land run by a dictator. And it sucks that country unleashed a killer virus all over the world and was never held accountable." 

Here we are. In a real honest to goodness trade war. With the world? Nope - just China. Most other civilized countries (except Canada) are lining up to negotiate new deals which make sense to everyone. But China? No way, Jose! They think they have the upper hand with us. As the saying goes, they may THINK they have the upper hand with us, but they really DON'T.

Walking around the common American household, it is dang near impossible to find much in the house which is not made in China. And why is that? Over the years, globalists like Obama, Kerry, and Biden have abdicated much of our national manufacturing prowess to the red menace from the east. Why in the world would we do that? To have cheap crap. That might be part of it. To reshape our country into being more of "thinkers" rather than "doers". That might be another reason - even though our education test scores look terrible. Or - China "owns" some of our leadership. Really? Might have to put Hunter under oath (or the Big Guy) to get to the truth on that one.

Some Wall Street economist was flipping out yesterday. "This trade war with our biggest trading partner is going to kill the average American family! It will cost almost $5,000 more a year per family." That statement says so much. It is illustrative of just how far the needle is in our arms. China has us by the short hairs right now, and they know it. They buy very little from us, steal our patents, and we are stuck buying their goods made by slave labor in China. How did we get to this point? By selfish interests. Putting America last instead of first. Now for Trump to fix it, there is going to some pain as the needle is pulled out of our arms.

What is going in in Washington right now? Negotiations - pure and simple. This will be the largest and greatest worldwide trade negotiation - ever. Is China going to be involved? Not right now. Maybe never. If China can't read the tea leaves (so to speak), they could be on the outside looking in. Meanwhile, the beat goes on with the other nations.

Regardless how this turns out, let this be a lesson to this country which will never be forgotten. It sucks to be "owned" by another country. It sucks to have just about everything we need, made in a faraway land run by a dictator. And it sucks this country (China) unleashed a killer virus all over the world and was never held accountable. 

The saying always goes, the people are good, it is just their leadership we can't stand. My response to that is simple - Chinese people, it is up to you to fix your leaders. We can't. All we can do is punish your entire country with this trade war. And that is regrettable so many innocent civilians in China must bear the pain of what their leaders caused. 

 

  

Turbulent water ahead? Maybe...

 

"In unrelated news, Trump signed some orders yesterday letting showers, sinks and toilets go back to where they once were with water pressure. This knucklehead thing that then President Obama signed making our household plumbing almost useless - is now over. What is our new motto? Make America clean again! Let the water flow! Thank you, President Trump! We needed this!" 

Ever feel like you are living your life in a movie? Or in a book? Like a book called The Art of the Deal? Please don't scoff when I say this. Right now, I think most of the country, maybe most of the world, is living through The Art of the Deal. And as such, the author of that book, now our 47th President, is churning up the water a bit. Did Trump just create Frankenstein's Monster? Or is there something else at play here? Keep in mind that Donald Trump is one of the finest negotiators in the world, and he is as dumb as a fox.

More and more experts are thinking that one of the prime objectives of Liberation Day was to lure China into a box canyon. Gode them into retaliatory tariffs, which we in turn could retaliate against. As of yesterday, the tariffs on goods made in China are 104%. And we might not be done as yet.

Meanwhile, back at the White House, the recently announced 90 days pause in tariffs to other countries, has resulted in a mile long list of countries who want to come to Washington to make a new deal. By June, if things go according to Hoyle (or Trump), we should be buttoning up most of the 75 counties with brand new and (dare I say it?), beautiful new trade agreements.

Trump said the first in line to negotiate will get the best terms and the best deal. The last to come will get what is left over. Right now, the odds-on favorite to be the last will be China. Why is this so important to take China out to the tariff "woodshed" and teach them a lesson? Because they are bad actors. Troublemakers. And they have taken advantage of us for years using our very flawed trade agreement with them. Trump said no longer - this ends now. 

Ladies and gentlemen, with all the good things that Trump is going to accomplish in his term, what we are seeing right now will probably be the crucible of his efforts. The fruits that all these renegotiated deals could last for generations. This could (or will be) a total game changer.

I remember back during Trump's first term, when a snotty nosed media type asked Trump about his "America first" campaign. "Don't you think that is somewhat egocentric? What do you think other countries will think of us when we want to put ourselves first all the time?" Without batting an eye, Trump looked at her and said, "I want every country to think of themselves as coming first. That is how we all get to be great." Great answer! And true!

Now about the water around us. As we go forward with this great reset on trade agreements, the water is going to be choppy. Some days the market will be way up, some days, way down. Hopefully, we won't have a day like this week, when our treasury bonds started to sell off. That was bad. But the Dow will slosh back and forth as we continue on this journey. 

In unrelated news, Trump signed some orders yesterday letting showers, sinks and toilets go back to where they once were with water pressure. This knucklehead thing that then President Obama signed making our household plumbing almost useless - is now over. What is our new motto? Make America clean again! Let the water flow! Thank you, President Trump! We needed this! 

 

It is the time, it is the place

 

"We really did not want a trade war with China. We just wanted to the reset our trade terms. But Xi is pig headed. So, we are going to end up trying to hurt each other rather than help each other. So be it. If it is a trade war Xi wants, it will be a trade war he gets. Bring it on."  

China. Not our friend, not our competitor. They are our adversary. They are the bad boys of trade. And we have allowed ourselves to be captured by them. To be the masters of our trade destiny. To ship a vile poison called fentanyl into our country (via Mexico) and kill tens of thousands of our young folks. Well, Donald Trump said no more. We are done with the status quo. Our trade deficit is sky high with China, so if it takes a trade war to normalize it, so be it. Trump thinks he is holding a full house right now, and China might only have a pair of sixes.

This is going to sound odd, but the main thing the US has going for it right now is we are the world's largest consumer. That plus our economy is strong - very strong. China knows what Trump is trying to do. He is resetting the trade terms with countries all over the world. It was necessary. With most countries, it was a simple one pin wrestling match and then whammo - a new deal. Not with China however - they have opted for a death match. So be it.

China's way of doing business these days is to use their Belt and Roads Program to develop new trade. Go into another country, promise development for a cheap price (but a price China knows that country cannot adhere to), then when the country defaults, China mandates the country trade with China on their terms. Look at Panama what they were trying to do down there. We are wise to China and their schemes. We are wise to what they have been trying to do to us. No mas! said Donald Trump! 

Except for China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, the world is starting to reset trade terms with the good guys (US). With over 70 countries knocking at our door, Donald Trump will be doing little else but negotiating (with his team in tow) for the next few weeks. Plus, he has plans for Iran. If they can cooperate and ditch their nuke program, Trump will help Iran get their gas and oil markets pumping again. Why would he do that? More oil on the market. More oil = less dollars per barrel. The world will need all the energy it can get as we move deeper into this decade and the next. Why? AI needs more power to run than we have right now.

Speaking of more energy - yesterday Trump signed some EO documents which reversed all the dumb ass things that Biden did to kill our coal industry. Sorry for the language, but what Biden tried to do to our coal industry really was a dumb ass thing to do. No matter - Trump fixed it. Now it is dig, dig, dig as well as drill, baby, drill! As Donald Trump always says, we have liquid gold right under our feet.  

We really did not want a trade war with China. We just wanted to the reset our trade terms. But Xi is pig headed. So, we are going to end up trying to hurt each other rather than help each other. So be it. If it is a trade war Xi wants, it will be a trade war he gets. Bring it on.  

  

Is this Jurassic Park come to life?

 

"With all the changes in science coming at us, this is one I did not see. But I don't mind. I could settle for seeing the Dire Wolves as they grow up. This would be a thrill. Some, however, would say the same thing - these animals are extinct for a reason. They should stay that way. Or should they?"

Do you know what these little cuties are? First hint - they are wolves. Do you know how old they are? Second hint - older than dirt. They are Dire Wolves. Just brought back to life through genetic engineering. Wait - what? How old is that? Third big hint - they have been extinct for almost 13,000 years. And now, through modern genetic engineering, somewhat similar to the book and movie Jurassic Park, they live again. No, this is not fiction. This is as real as real can get.

Come on Bird! Is that the best you can do? These look quite a bit like two little puppy dogs, just born. They do, don't they? As a matter of fact, if I saw these two wandering on the streets of our town, I would not think much of them. Brought back from extinction? Maybe, or maybe not. Is that the best scientists can do these days?

Actually no. The same company is working on something a bit more eye popping. By the year 2028 (a mere three years away), they want to bring Wolly Mammoths back to life. 

 

Wait just a second! Are these things from ancient times almost a step into Dino land? What is next, a T-Rex?

This is where that age old question comes in - just because you CAN do something, SHOULD you do it? If in fact we can recreate the Wolly Mammoth, what else can we do? Or should we do? 

I have seen all the versions of the Jurassic Park movies. In each and every one of them, the plan was to have these mutated creatures confined. And in each and every one of them, that plan did not work well. 

My vote? Go to Wolly Mammoth and then stop. Selfishly, I would love to see a Wolly Mammoth up close. I know they were beasts and dangerous, but I would love to see them in the wild, in something where my family and I could be protected. But on second thought, I also would not mind seeing a Saber Tooth Tiger, should they also be brought back to life. 

With all the changes in science coming at us, this is one I did not see. But I don't mind. I could settle for seeing the Dire Wolves as they grow up. This would be a thrill. Some, however, would say the same thing - these animals are extinct for a reason. They should stay that way. Or should they? This could be the next great debate. Only this time it is not on a movie screen. It is real life. Comments? I would love to hear them.   

The old law from 1798 has some teeth!

"Now Trump can let Tom Homan and Kristie Noem do their jobs, and Trump can focus on resetting our trade agreements. BTW - the tariffs are already starting to work. Over sixty countries now want to make a new deal with us."

Like an old bottle of fine wine, the Aliens and Enemies Act of 1798 was pulled off the shelf, dusted off, and put to use to get rid of some very evil illegal gang bangers out of our country. But then hold the phone - some bozo activist district judge (who hates Trump) decided to come out of his lane and order the Trump Administration to "turn the plane around". The plane being the one headed for the Super Max down in El Salvador. And he wanted a stay in sending any more baddies down to that most appropriate prison. This was going to be a real problem until Trump petitioned the Supreme Court to have this tin horned dictator judge overruled. And overruled he was! 

Some have been asking - where was this judge when Sleepy Joe was letting all these baddies into the country (illegally)? Good question. The judge (Biden lover) said nothing when they came into this country and (a Trump hater) squealed like a stuck pig when the administration tried to remove them. I guess in law school, this judge fell asleep during the lesson on justice being blind. 

Sadly, I along with many of my normal countrymen, are perplexed on why any red-blooded American (even somebody with advanced TDS) would fight so hard to have these killers and rapists remain in our country. Then it dawned on me. A total moment of clarity. The great mystery might be solved. With the Trump haters, their antipathy towards our president is so deep and wide, that it is better to hate this man with all your heart than to love our country. That is it! The hatred of Trump eclipses the love for our country! In fact, the Trump haters would "burn it all down", just to get at Donald Trump. Are these sick puppies or what? Most of the citizens and patriots have no idea of what hatred that deep and vile is like.

One other thing the Supremes said yesterday in their ruling on the shipping the baddies out of this country. And this was for the offending judge as well as any other district judge. Stay in your own lane. If something is happening in Texas, and a judge has jurisdiction in New York, shut your pie hole! What is happening in Texas is none of your dang business! No more judge shopping! Period!

Now Trump can let Tom Homan and Kristie Noem do their jobs, and Trump can focus on resetting our trade agreements. BTW - the tariffs are already starting to work. Over sixty countries now want to make a new deal with us. Even the EU said they would agree with a "0 - 0" trade agreement on all industrial goods. That is HUGE! This will all be over before you know it (except for China). For the countries we like to trade with, this will all be over before you can say "President McKinley was right".  

Home of the brave? We better be!

"This is a huge gamble worth taking. This is a time for all good Americans to buck up and be patient. This is the time to ignore looking at your 401K balance every stinking day. As the saying goes, the market is like riding on a roller coaster. Sometimes up, sometimes down. The only people who get hurt when the roller coaster goes down, are the ones who jump off." 

Here are the facts. For many years now, we have had globalist type trade agreements with many nations worldwide. A few were okay, but the majority were lopsided. Net result? High deficits. Loss of good paying manufacturing jobs. Some long-standing industries all but disappearing. Where was this path leading us? To higher deficits. Less national security. More lost (good paying) jobs. In short, the once and powerful America was on its way to mediocracy. 

Donald Trump has been aware of this issue since the 1980's. LONG before he dreamt of running for president. And then in 2016, he had his chance. He became the 45th president of the USA. But the headwinds were strong, and the swamp was deep. Trump could only scratch the surface of this most vexing issue. Then came the mysterious election, Trump loses, and his term was over. But the trade imbalance issue remained. And the globalist who replaced Trump had no desire to fix it.

Now in 2024, Donald Trump is back and filled with a resolve. This time he WILL fix it. What does he require from the American public while he does so? Faith and patience. The short-term pain of turning this battleship around will be replaced by well-deserved gain. But guess what? Many Americans are getting ready to flinch. They might want things returned the way they once were, even though THAT way was caustic to our country. Bottom line? When the time came to be brave for the sake of the union, some selfishly looked at their 401K balance and cried foul. "Put it back damn it! I just lost two grand (on paper) from this tariff foolishness!" 

I know many who are retired who have seen some loss in fortune (on paper) since the tariff wars started. They are fine with looking at the long game of this strategy. Already it was reported this morning that 50 countries have contacted the White House to negotiate a new trade deal. Netanyahu is in town for talks, and some of those talks will include trade. Donald Trump is not out to screw anybody. But by the same token, Trump is not out to have America screwed any longer. Trump has the guts to make this happen. Many of the minions - do not.

This is a huge gamble worth taking. This is a time for all good Americans to buck up and be patient. This is the time to ignore looking at your 401K balance every stinking day. As the saying goes, the market is like riding on a roller coaster. Sometimes up, sometimes down. The only people who get hurt when the roller coaster goes down, are the ones who jump off. 

Stay brave folks. This won't last forever. We will be a better country once it is over.     

Hands off!! Hands off just what, exactly?

"I have said this before, but it bears repeating. We need a national divorce. The left hates us, and we can't work with them. Time to go our separate ways. Our country will be called the Independent States of America, and their country could be called the Depend States of America. The more I think about that, the better I like it."  

Best question of the year so far, was asked by Elon Musk. "I don't understand it. What am I doing wrong? Why is there so much hatred for DOGE?" All I can say is this to Elon - welcome to the swamp. The land where black is white and up is down. But was not Elon the darling of the left just a few years ago when he made the best EV in America? Sure was. But that was before Elon dared to dip his toe in swamp waters. Now he is being called Hitler (or worse). 

The "Hands Off!" movement? I find it amusing at best. Why? I am old to enough to remember that back when Democrats were just the opposition party and not the flame throwers they are today. Back then, things were much different. And oh, that darn video tape! Fox News has been showing clips of prominent Democrats (like Obama) from years past advocating for more balanced trade. To bring back our high paying jobs which had been sent offshore. How about prominent Democrats (like Schumer) advocating for more secure borders. To keep more of the illegals out of the country. Or a much younger Nancy Pelosi advocating for getting rid of fraud, waste and abuse in our government. What ever happened to good OLD Nancy?

But now things are different within the Party of Hate. Killing the unborn by the tens of thousands is just fine with them, but send illegal gang bangers who kill and rape our innocent citizens back home? Oh my, we need to find an Obama or Biden appointed judge to sue the Trump administration! Wait - what? Whose side are these fire bombers on? It sure is not the side of America.

Of all the nutty protests going on right now, the one I find the most interesting are the protests against Trump's tariffs. Back when Sleepy Joe took the helm and started to ramp up "green scam" spending so much and so fast that the country was rocked with inflation, the loony left did NOTHING. Said NOTHING. No protests - nary a peep from them. BUT - for Trump to put tariffs on many of the countries who tariff us, in order to being the price of goods down, the goofballs on the left are screaming bloody murder. Riddle me the logic in that one!

I often wonder how much more effective Trump would have been as POTUS 45 or will be as POTUS 47 if he did not have the caustic left hanging around his neck like a millstone. Like the current humor goes, Trump could cure cancer, and the left would be out protesting to get their cancer back. There is not one thing, not one single, solitary thing, that Donald Trump does which is looked upon as good by the loons on the left. 

One more thing. For the last year of his term, Joe Biden was so incapacitated that he was not running the country. Then who was running it? Where is the outrage in the streets? We could have been nuked by any number of countries. Why? The fact Biden had taken a pass at being POTUS and Harris was no place to be found was known far and wide. We were sitting ducks for months on end.

I have said this before, but it bears repeating. We need a national divorce. The left hates us, and we can't work with them. Time to go our separate ways. Our country will be called the Independent States of America, and their country could be called the Depend States of America. The more I think about that, the better I like it.  

 

Tornado resistant houses? Why not?

 

"My heart goes out to people who have lost everything due to a fire, an earthquake, a hurricane or a tornado. But there are ways to build houses which can withstand some earthquakes. Houses which can withstand some fires. Houses which can withstand some hurricanes. And houses which can withstand some tornados." 

Another week of strong storms down in tornado alley - more houses destroyed, and more importantly, more innocent people are dead. Most of the houses which are destroyed by the average twister, look just like the houses in any neighborhood. Beautiful, classy, and vulnerable to the strong winds from a tornado. And to make matters worse, because many houses down south don't need basements, if a F3 or stronger tornado happens to hit your house - there will be nothing left, and no place to hide when it hits. 

The biggest complaint the folks in Florida have about their homeowner insurance is the cost. It just keeps going up and up. Why? Every year it seems there is some kind of wind and or rain event which damages or destroys houses in Florida. And every year there is the call to make a different kind of house in Florida. One which can withstand hurricane strength winds. Soon, the homeowners in Florida might be in the same jam homeowners in fire ravaged CoCal are. Uninsurable.

Who will be next in the eyes of the homeowner insurance industry? Maybe the homes in "tornado alley". But here's the thing folks (as Sleepy Joe would say), there already IS a solution to a normal tornado taking down a beautiful and expensive home. A home which could survive a strong EF 4 or EF 5? Maybe not yet. But weaker tornados for sure. Then why are not building companies building nothing but tornado resistant homes right now? Looks. They don't look as nice as today's Parade of Homes styles. Thus, home builders keep rolling the dice that their homes will never get hit.

I remember years ago when in Florida over the winter, we were staying at a nice condo in a VRBO. One day, the weather was particularly unsettled (normal down there for the month of February), and a strong tornadic storm system was headed east over Mobile Bay. This had the weather folks very nervous, and they told the folks in Pensacola to take cover and get ready for bad things.

Being Minnesota folks, we normally would just head for the basement. In this condo, there was no basement. Most folks in Florida with no basements or storm shelters just hide in the bathrooms and cross their fingers. To me, that was a sad substitute for a good old basement. Anyhow, the sirens went off, the wind, rain and hail hit, and it was bad. However, no tornado hit our condo. We were lucky, but it was a nail biter for sure!

My heart goes out to people who have lost everything due to a fire, an earthquake, a hurricane or a tornado. But there are ways to build houses which can withstand some earthquakes. Houses which can withstand some fires. Houses which can withstand some hurricanes. And houses which can withstand some tornados. 

How about you Mr. Bird? Can your house survive a natural disaster? Not even close. Was not in the calculus when we build forty years ago. Today however, if we were young and starting over again, those thoughts would be in my calculus. Convincing my wife, however, might be another issue!

 

Suck it up, buttercup!

"We owe Trump the opportunity to let these tariffs play out. As Americans, we need to be strong. Be resolute. But that might not be in the cards. Why? Many of us live only for today, with no vision of tomorrow. Fixing out trade imbalances will not only benefit us, but also our kids and grandies. Final words - suck it up, buttercup! This won't last forever." 

One of the Company Commanders in Navy boot camp would always say the same thing when thing got hard - "Suck it up, buttercup!" The hidden meaning of that phrase was things might be tough right now, but they will not be forever. So, set your jaw, and put up with the pain and discomfort. For those in boot camp who came out of a life of relative ease, this was strong medicine to take. But for those with the long view, that this was only to make them hard and resolute, it was all good.

In our ongoing trade disputes with other countries, one industry which does not get much press, yet really takes it in the shorts if our agribusiness. Sure, we produce enough to feed our population, and many times have "bin busters" at harvest time, but there is another side to this story. The producers themselves. The farmers and ranchers. Making enough of a profit to keep on going. For that, markets greater than the United States alone are needed. Yet, our "friends and allies" often times put tariffs and other trade barriers up to stunt our trade with them.

The morning on the news was the head of the Cattlemen's Association. He said something which I had not thought of before. I have had beef all over the world. Japan, Australia, the UK and Spain. It was all good but not like at home. I always thought our beef was the best. The man from the Cattlemen's Association said (this might be a bit biased), we produce the best beef in the world - hands down. Yet, we have trouble selling it outside our country. Donald Trump thinks this is unfair - so unfair that it is worth the temporary discomfort of tariffs. To fix this injustice, we all might have to "suck it up, buttercup".

I hate to say this about my fellow countrymen, but we are a nation of financial wussies. Seriously. The Dow goes down for a few days due to the "shock and awe" of tariffs, and it is as bad as getting nuked by Russia. I mean, come on - this too shall pass. I loved Trump's statement on the discomfort coming out of the post Liberation Day announcement - "this is like going to the doctor to get better". And Congress? They are the worst of the bunch. They are trying to write legislation to strip Trump of his tariff powers. If they did that, we would be back at square one. 

We owe Trump the opportunity to let these tariffs play out. As Americans, we need to be strong. Be resolute. But that might not be in the cards. Why? Many of us live only for today, with no vision of tomorrow. Fixing out trade imbalances will not only benefit us, but also our kids and grandies. Final words - suck it up, buttercup! This won't last forever. 

  

  

This is why labor loves him...

 

"Why does labor love Donald Trump? For the same reason the richest man in the world (Elon Musk) loves him. He is good for America. He has vision and knows how to mold that vision into action. For those who are squeamish, hold on tight. For those who are not, enjoy the ride!"

It is not easy, is it? Going from the globalist nation that Joe Biden and Barack Obama help make us into, back into a land of free traders. But here is what happened in the past few decades. America, once a powerhouse of manufacturing, has become neutered. We have become a huge nothing burger. We have rusted out cities all over our steel belt. And our proud union workers, who once were inseparable from the Democrats, felt like helpless orphans.

But then came this billionaire builder named Donald Trump who really understood labor. He understood fairness. And he understood how globalism had hollowed out our entire manufacturing base. Most importantly however, Donald Trump understood how many of our international trade agreements were screwing us. Causing huge deficits. With the status quo, the fat cats on Wall Street were doing just fine, thank you. But main street was dying under the crush of Biden's inflation.

Trump and his team knew what the fix would be. Tariffs. It had worked before in our history, and Trump is positive they will work again. But to turn this ship around, even to implement "gentle yet reciprocal" tariffs, was going to cause some shock and awe in the markets. The Democrats, once lovers of making unions strong, folded like a deck of cards once these tariffs were announced. They voted lock step in the Senate to have Trump's tariff authority taken away. They even managed to talk four RINOs to vote with them. Their solution? Get back to go along, get along. Accept the fact that high deficits will be a part of us forever. Rely on China for just about everything we use.

With China making much of our steel, aluminum and meds, what happens if we go to war over Tawain? What about the Rare Earth minerals we need for green energy? Want to know? As we would say in the Navy, we would be "screwed, blued and tattooed". Here is a headline for the globalists. This is as much of a national defense issue as it is a financial issue. Period. Trump did not just talk big on the campaign trail and then once elected, take 4,000 days of vacation like Biden did. No, with Trump it is promises made, promises kept.

Many of the liberals are screaming bloody murder about Canada. "How in the world can you treat our best friend this way!?!" You mean, our best friend who has shut us out of their markets by charging outrageous tariffs on us? Like almost 300% tariffs on dairy? Canada is just part of the load we have carried for years now. Can Canada go it alone if they divorce us? Good luck with that one! I hope Canadians can speak Mandrin as well as they speak French!

The Democrats also say, "America first does not mean America alone!" News flash - if America ever did have to go it alone, we could do just fine. And here is the part which really is the finger down the throats of the globalists - the world needs America more than America needs the world. In other words, we would love to work with other nations as partners, as fair traders - but no longer patsies. And it will take a guy who is tougher than nails, and resolute to the end, to get us there. Thank you, Donald Trump!

Why does labor love Donald Trump? For the same reason the richest man in the world (Elon Musk) loves him. He is good for America. He has vision and knows how to mold that vision into action. For those who are squeamish, hold on tight. For those who are not, enjoy the ride!

The good, the bad and the ugly of April 1st

"Now it is April 2nd - Liberation Day. What does that mean? Democrats hate the fact Trump is going to impose reciprocal tariffs on countries who tariff us. Is there outrage for the countries who tariff us? Heck no! But when we do it? Oh, how the Democrats would love to impeach Trump for the third time!"

Yesterday was a big day for politics. Why? Was it a general election? Nope. An off-year election? Nope. But for some reason, April Fool's Day was picked to be the day of a special election. As people are struggling with getting their taxes done, living through the odd season of "sprinter" (spring and winter combined), and trying to enjoy the opening of the MLB season - some were also asked to vote for some very important people and/or issues. How did that turn out?

THE GOOD - Two seats in Florida were up for a special election yesterday. The money came (once again) pouring into Florida. Florida may be a safe "red" state under Governor DeSantis, but the Democrats did not care. They wanted to put a couple of arrows in the heart of the Republican Party. To pick up these two seats, could have really changed the equation in Washington. Pulled the tracks up from the Trump Train. But alas and alack for the Democrats - all that money was not enough. The Republicans took both seats by big margins. Now Speaker Johnson can breathe a bit easier.

One of the votes in Wisconsin was to enshrine Voter ID into the state constitution. That was a huge win for fair elections. Even though Democrats hate Voter ID (please don't ask me why), this was a huge victory for the people who love fair elections.

THE BAD - Wisconsin also had a vote for a state supreme court justice yesterday. At one time, justices and judges were supposed to be non-political. That ship has left our shores years ago. Today, we don't ever pretend that judges and justices are neutral. The person who the Democrats backed for this position is a hard-core leftist. The person the Republican backed was not. The leftie won by a large margin, and there goes a neutral court for the Badgers. Too bad, so sad.

THE UGLY - Now that Wisconsin has a Democrat style Supreme Court, what does that mean? It means if the Democrats want to redistrict the state and thereby "tilt the board" in their favor, there are no roadblocks stopping them. Even though everybody knew that before the vote, everybody knew that when Soros corrupt money came flooding into Wisconsin - the minions did not care. Not a bit. Why? Many in that state still think they are "Prairie Populists". In reality however, many in Wisconsin are like the voters in Minnesota. They vote like idiots.

There was April Fool's Day at a glance. Sorry, no jokes here - all is true. Now it is April 2nd - Liberation Day. What does that mean? Democrats hate the fact Trump is going to impose reciprocal tariffs on countries who tariff us. Is there outrage for the countries who tariff us? Heck no! But when we do it? Oh, how the Democrats would love to impeach Trump for the third time! Why? To repeat - those who vote for Democrats vote like idiots. 

    

The real St. Paul exposed

"What is the real St. Paul like these days? Kind of like what the real Minneapolis is like today. As bad as these cities are, the disillusioned minions who live there, keep voting Democrat, hoping things will get better. But they never do. Democrats have ruined both cities by trying to make them into a faux utopia. What they really ended up with is a dystopia." 

My last trip around the block (last employer) was the Ecolab company when it was located in St. Paul. It was a great job, and I enjoyed it. But getting there and back was rough. Many days, it took me almost two hours to get there and two hours home. Four hours out of a day is a lot to ask, just in commute time. But that being put aside, it was a great job.

My job was close to the Aliance Bank building. I would walk over there and have lunch in the cafeteria. It was always busy and lots of hustle and bustle around the noontime. But that was just over 15 years ago. Last night on the news, was an article about the Aliance Bank building getting ready to shut down. What? Why? Seems most of their tenants are leaving. Is there a structural problem with the building? Nope. There is a structural problem with the crime in St. Paul.

Both of the Twin Cities have the same problem right now. Neither city offers a good environment to work in. Some may blame the aftereffects of Covid, and that is fine. But the real problem is crime. The aftermath of the Floyd riots. The neutering of the city police by liberal and clueless Mayors and City Councils. What is left of both Minneapolis and St. Paul? Cities which are becoming more and more "hollowed out". Did I mention that both city governments are almost 100% Democrat?

If you are one of the remaining folks who work in downtown, just finding a place to go for lunch is getting to be more of a challenge. Finding good and safe mass transit getting to and from is also becoming harder. The excitement, the pizzaz of working in a large metropolitan area - those days might be over. Now it is like a war zone. A poverty zone. Not a safe zone. I have not talked to anybody for a long, long time who likes going into St. Paul or Minneapolis. For anything.

What is the real St. Paul like these days? Kind of like what the real Minneapolis is like today. As bad as these cities are, the disillusioned minions who live there, keep voting Democrat, hoping things will get better. But they never do. Democrats have ruined both cities by trying to make them into a faux utopia. What they really ended up with is a dystopia. 

The great tariff balancing act

"The bottom line with both Mexico and Canada is simply this. Life will go on, we will again be friends and neighbors, and nobody is going to be absorbed by anybody. We will however, live on a more level playground. 

I am going to go out on a limb and say something unkind about the Trump administration. And it has to do with tariffs. Tariffs are not new to us - we have seen them for years. But this new round of tariffs, starting on Wednesday, could shock our economic system - until they work. Are they going to be bad? Hopefully, not. But here is where I think the Trump team needs a "do better". Explaining more in detail "the why" we are doing this. 

Are we adjusting our tariffs on Canada and Mexico to get their attention on illegal immigration and the flow of fentanyl over our borders? I think yes - do a degree. But more than that, we have a huge imbalance of trade between our two neighbors - Mexico and Canada. Some of the tariffs that Canada has put on our dairy products has shut us out of the Canadian market. Is that fair? I thought Trump's solution had merit - reciprocal tariffs. Whatever we get charged, we also charge them. Period. If that is not fair, somebody smart needs to explain that to me.

If tariffs will lead to more onshoring of our products, I really understand that. Globalism has hurt us from a national security standpoint. We found that out in spades during the Covid shutdown. Trump found out also, that many of our meds are made offshore. Many by unfriendly countries. In addition, much of our manufacturing is done offshore. We have become assemblers, not manufacturers. The Trump team wants this fixed and fixed soon.

Here however, is the "bump" in the road. Some of our offshored manufactured items are made at slave labor wages - like $3/hour. When we bring them back onshore and build them with union labor, we might be paying $30/hour to build the same item. The plus up, is getting good paying labor jobs back in the USA. The downside will be paying more for some items which will be made here again. Trump wants anything made here to pay zero tariffs. Things which continue to be made overseas, will pay high tariffs. This - is the great tariff balancing act. 

In the meanwhile, we seem to be having a spat with Canada over how things are changing. The fact of the matter is, we have been playing "big brother" with Canada for some time now. Or as some call it, Canada's "Sugar Daddy". Why is that? Canada is inches away from pure socialism, and it is not working well for them. That is why Trump has teased them about becoming our 51st state. Life would be better for Canada as part of the USA. With Trump, that was tongue in cheek. With Canada, them were fighting words!

The bottom line with both Mexico and Canada is simply this. Life will go on, we will again be friends and neighbors, and nobody is going to be absorbed by anybody. We will however, live on a more level playground. Everybody is going to have to adjust to that. We are not out to screw anybody (especially our neighbors), nor do we want to be screwed. This is the new reality. We all need to get used to it.  

No going back now...

"By 2035, humanoid bots will be everywhere. In the factories, in the military, in education, in the fields, and in the homes. What does this mean? As one futurist put it, we are coming to end of the age of work as we know it. Will that be a good thing or a bad thing? Stay tuned. We are on this road, and there is no going back now."     

Just when you think you have had a chance to catch your breath, you hear about something else which could be changing sooner rather than later. I recently learned about a man who is helping to make AI humanoid bots for the military. Before you start having nightmares about Android soldiers carrying 50 caliber machine guns shooting the place up - relax. These bots are to take care of things that are done in a non-combat setting. At least, that is what the plan is for in the beginning.

This is progress. This is the road we are on. AI in everything. I ask my wife yesterday after a news story came on the radio about AI, if she was tired of hearing about AI. Immediately, she said "YES"! I then (gently) told her to get used to it, as we have really just started down this road. AI in everything will be as common as plastic in most things. AI is here, and there is no going back now.

AI is going to be part of our military just like MREs are today. And it is not just us who are looking to infuse AI in as many things as possible. Here is the part which is really insane about where AI is going. Now that quantum computing is off and running, AI and quantum computing will go together like peanut butter and jelly. Both right now are "tiger by the tail" technologies. What is meant by that? There are a whole lot of "ifs" and "maybes" as we continue to develop both of these new technologies. Danger? Maybe. Opportunities? Hope so.

But the biggest change that many of us will notice by 2030 is a four-letter word - work. How many jobs will be replaced by AI loaded bots who can do our jobs better and cheaper? More than you think. There will not be some people thrown out of government jobs like the DOGE committee is doing right now. Instead, there will be entire industries which will be automated from head to toe. And housework and yard work? Relax - there will be bots for that also. Then the question begs to be asked - what are we going to do? No working for a living, and less and less work to do around the home. And this will only be by 2030. Just imagine what life will be like in 2040. There is one thing about progress - there is no going back now.

It is estimated that by 2030, there will be over a quarter million humanoid bots in the country. Most will be used in manufacturing. That means, most will be replacing human type jobs. By 2035, humanoid bots will be everywhere. In the factories, in the military, in education, in the fields, and in the homes. What does this mean? As one futurist put it, we are coming to end of the age of work as we know it. Will that be a good thing or a bad thing? Stay tuned. We are on this road, and there is no going back now.     

 

A vastly unserious man

 

"Can this state survive back-to-back governors like Dayton and Walz? Probably will. And after Walz, who will the chattering class elect? Maybe Keith Ellison? But that is Minnesota for you. Land of 10,000 lakes and over 1,000,000 morons."    

One of my left leaning friends once accused me of not agreeing with Tim Walz on anything. Let me set that record straight. When Walz referred to himself as a "knucklehead" after the VP debate, I agreed with him. So there.

I also think that if anybody can turn this state red, it will be Tim Walz. Already, since he has taken his comedy act into other states, Minnesota has demonstrated we are a bunch of morons because we voted for this guy. Twice.

Just like Joe Biden knocked Jimmy Carter out of his position as worst president ever, Tim Walz has knocked Mark Dayton out of our worst governor ever. And we had these two guys, back-to-back! Why? The inner part of the Twin Cities. Especially the Cedar Riverside area. Once you go there, you understand. But this little part of Minnesota, seems to dictate how our statewide elections go. Every time. Every candidate. If they are a jackass, they get elected. MNGOP - not so much.

Tim Walz is a perfect example of the Peter Principal. If not for being a teacher or elected to the House and then Governor's chair, he might just be unemployable. Why? He is all hat and no cowboy. Or as President Trump would put it, a very low IQ person. But here he is - here he still is. How in the world could he get re-elected after watching part of Minneapolis burn down? Just ask the voters in Cedar Riverside. Out state, we know this guy is a moron and has wasted our tax money on pure crap. In the Twin Cities, this "knucklehead" is a rock star.

After Walz was cheering on the mutts who are burning Tesla's and torching Tesla dealerships, Elon Musk called Walz an "evil man". Maybe more stupid than evil, as the state has big investments in Tesla. So, to cheer against Tesla is really like cheering against your own state.

I also blame Walz for being asleep at the switch while Feeding our Future was robbing us blind. Some liberal white gal and a bunch of Somali cohorts robbed this state of millions upon millions of dollars. Even though some have already been found guilty in a court of law, where is the money? That is our money. Can we get it back? Probably not. This is all on you Timmy, you knucklehead! 

Can this state survive back-to-back governors like Dayton and Walz? Probably will. And after Walz, who will the chattering class elect? Maybe Keith Ellison? But that is Minnesota for you. Land of 10,000 lakes and over 1,000,000 morons.    

 

Want Elon to go away? Then quit giving him fodder

 

"For those who hate Trump, hate Musk, hate DOGE and most of all, hate the good things this team is doing for America, I feel for you. It is not easy living with all that hate. Here are the facts - even if Elon goes away, DOGE will not. Why? Our eyes have been opened on how much deep cleaning this country needs. What do I say to DOGE? You go boy!"

Elon and part of this DOGE team were on Fox with Bret Baier last night, discussing just exactly what they are doing. Guess what? It is not to rip off people's money nor private information. Actually, to find paydirt, they don't have to dig very deep at all. Most of what they have found so far has been "low fruit on the trees". In other words, because the cleaning team has not been present for decades within the federal government (forget about the GAO - they did not do much), all kinds of financial fodder is there for the discovery. 

I will now quote (paraphrase) that very flawed Jasmine what's her name out of Texas - "Our government is a hot a** mess". Please - no hate mail from the government lovers out there. I will put it in vernacular that we can all understand - Elon and the DOGE team are only doing surface cleaning right now. But on some very important areas, they are doing a deep clean. If - Elon and DOGE had the time and funding to do a deep clean on all parts of our federal government, the results would be stunning and jaw dropping. Our DOGE dividend checks would be rather large I would say.

Who hates Elon and his team the most? Government loving democrats. They hate Elon so much, they are setting EVs on fire. Wait - what? Are we not building EVs to help with climate change? And is not Tesla the number one EV in America? And if we burn an EV, won't that put more unwanted carbon in the atmosphere? Yes, yes, yes - they know all that. But they don't care. What? Why not? Because the hatred of Donald Trump (and now Elon Musk to boot), and their love of this failed government system, is more important than results.

Did you know one of the unpaid people on the DOGE team is a multi-billionaire? The man who came up with Airbnb? He too, is not trying to steal anybody's money. What he has seen has shocked him. The backwardness of some of our government systems. He has volunteered to replace the handwritten system of the government retirement system and make it digital. Why? Two reasons: he hates inefficiency and also and more importantly, he is a good American. You see, many of the DOGE team are working for nothing when with their skills, they could be using this time to make oodles of cash on the outside. But they are patriots, and they care.

BTW - If you get a chance, every now and again check in on the Telsa YouTube site. It seems that when you stock up on good employees in your organization, and have them share your vision, you don't need to be onsite for good things to happen. Tesla is coming out with a Tesla cellphone and Tesla table. Both of which are cheaper than what is on the market right now, and much better. Tesla is also building humanoid AI robots like crazy. Most of what is being built this year will be used in Tesla's factories. Oh yes - Tesla keeps popping out EV cars like gangbusters. All this while Elon is working on DOGE.

For those who hate Trump, hate Musk, hate Tesla, hate DOGE, and most of all, hate the good things this team is doing for America, I feel for you. It is not easy living with all that hate. Here are the facts - even if Elon goes away, DOGE will not. Why? Our eyes have been opened on how much deep cleaning this country needs. What do I say to DOGE? You go boy!

  

Are the days of milk and honey on the horizon?

"What does this really mean? Think of Elon Musk. How many thinks he is going right now for the good of our country. For the good of the world. Trump is the same way. Think big, do big. Don't be afraid of the cliff; learn how to travel on it. The days of milk and honey are within our grasp. We just need the collective courage to get there."      

When the term the Great Reset was used during the Biden debacle, many thought it was the completion of what Obama had started. A reset of our economy from free traders to globalist slaves. From a republic (not democracy Democrats!) to a socialist gulag. But thanks to millions of citizens and patriots, that never happened. Came close but never happened. Why bring this up? Because I think the real Great Reset is happening right now.

Our new president, who has been in power now for just over two months, has a vision which is going to reshape America. How much so? These will not be changes which will tinker around the edges. These changes will change everything. Some will be easy changes; some will not be. Some changes will happen with not so much as a ripple, others will cause us to hold on tight. 

I don't want to dwell on this, but it needs to be said one more time. When Biden came into office, he stopped everything good that Donald Trump had started during his first term. Not because what Trump did was bad for America - it was only because of the visceral hatred this old man with a black heart had for his predecessor. But - when Trump came back into office and had to put out numerous fires, it was not due to hatred of Biden. It was due to the fact the nation (and world) was on fire. Many immediate changes were needed. The train was about ready to go off the tracks.

What is Trump's vision with many of his changes? Peace for starters. Right now, the world is tinkering with WW III. Trump wants us to back way, way away from that cliff. Trump also wants the suffering middle class to taste the same winning wealth the fat cats have tasted on Wall Street over the past few years. He wants America to be a fair trader on the world market - reciprocal tariffs are a good place to start. He wants to onshore what has been offshored over the past few decades. He wants more of an ERS and less of an IRS. In short, this Golden Age of America can also be called the coming land of milk and honey.

History is being written each and every day. Trump's vision is clear, and his goals are reachable. His team shares those goals. I think an easy way to describe this remaking of America through the eyes of Donald Trump is like this - for way too long, America has been a minimalist. Sure, great things have happened, but the great things could have been greater. During this term, Donald Trump wants America to think big and bigger yet. We should no longer be minimalists. We should embrace positive change.  

What does this really mean? Think of Elon Musk. How many thinks he is going right now for the good of our country. For the good of the world. Trump is the same way. Think big, do big. Don't be afraid of the cliff; learn how to travel on it. The days of milk and honey are within our grasp. We just need the collective courage to get there.      

We don't know what we don't know

 

"Many of us were attracted to watch the Star Trek series on TV when we were younger. Some of us still watch it. Why? The Enterprise was full of explorers. To go where no person has gone before. Even though that show was fiction, here is the truth. We are by nature, also explorers. And now in this Golden Age of America, much will be discovered. Much will be learned."

By now, many of us have seen the suspected towers which lie under the Gaza Pyramids. State of the art ground penetrating radar shows "something" that might be buried underneath these great and powerful structures. Many scientists are about jumping out of their skins over this discovery. Others are saying - not so fast. It might just be a glitch or a "nothing burger". Or - it could be something which would have us re-evaluate the past 4,000 years of our history. Bottom line - we just don't know what we don't know.

However, it this does have a grain of truth in it, what we see on the surface is only the tip of the iceberg (so to say). These columns (or whatever they are), stretch down over 400 meters. Some are speculating they might be a giant battery, that the ancients had the knowledge of how to build. Others say they are supports for these very heavy surface pyramids. Whatever they are, they are massive. Or they are just a blip in the radar. We simply don't know what we don't know.

On that subject, the research which is going on with quantum computing has hit a bit of a roadblock. This too, has evolved into a mystery. When a souped-up quantum computer at Google was working on a complex problem, something unexpected and scary happened. The computer started to print out things which were not a bit a part of a solution to the problem. In fact, they repeated, and seemed to have some kind of intelligence behind them. It was so unnerving, that Google stopped the computer midstream. Why? Some scientists think we might be tapping into places we should not be. Another realm or another dimension. Or it could just be a glitch. Bottom line again - we don't know what we don't know.

Finally, did you hear about the Microsoft discovery? They made a discovery which could rock physics to the core. Ever since we were at the age of awareness, we have known there are three states of matter. Solid, liquid and gas. Microsoft might have discovered a fourth state. And it is strange. Somewhere between solid and liquid and has memory. What does this mean? This could be a real breakthrough in better materials and in super conducting. Or - it could just be a mistake. More research is needed. Right now, we know very little. Again, we don't know what we don't know.

Many of us were attracted to watch the Star Trek series on TV when we were younger. Some of us still watch it. Why? The Enterprise was full of explorers. To go where no person has gone before. Even though that show was fiction, here is the truth. We are by nature, also explorers. And now in this Golden Age of America, much will be discovered. Much will be learned.

Soon, the expression of "we don't know what we don't know", will be changed to be "Now we know". Get ready - the ride is just starting. 

 

Is there life after government work? Absolutely!

"To those government workers who have lost their job, here is what I will say to you. Take some time, get it together, and shake off the fact that you lost a job. There is life after government employment. Heck, there is life after any kind of employment. Losing a job is just a bump in the road - but the road goes on. Focus on the long view. You will be fine."  

True confessions. I was a government worker. Employed by the US Government for 21 years. And now, for the past 15 years, I have been drawing a government retirement check. Okay - my 21 years was in the United States Navy - part of the US Government. As nice as it was to be in the Navy, as nice as it is to draw a very modest retirement check - neither were guaranteed to me. I know a lot of folks who for a variety of reasons, did not make their twenty years. They left the Navy with some memories, and zero retirement.

As nice as it is to get this modest retirement check from the Navy, I could not live on it alone. Not even close. I also had a career in defense contracting, where I got some retirement benefits. I also had a shorter career towards the end of my working days at IBM. Again, I got some retirement benefits. Why bring this up? The Democrats are screaming and crying like banshees that government folks are being RIFFED and will receive no retirement. Most are new hires. Wah, Wah, Wah. Go find a private sector job like I did. Life will go on.

ICYMI - President Trump is bringing back hundreds of industries which will employee tens of thousands of people. As one economist puts it - we will soon have way more job opportunities than available people. It is really as simple as this - it you want a job; you can find one. Period. If you don't want to work, it does not matter how many jobs are available.

Here is the long and short of it. Was every job I worked at a blue-chip job? An "A" job? Not even close. Some were, most were not. But they were jobs. Something to do which brought in money. Paid the rent. Kept food on the table. Most folks when working at a "B" job or even a "C" job, always have their antennas out. Waiting for that better job to reveal itself. That is what the American dream is all about. We are only limited by ourselves - the opportunities are always out there.

Do I feel bad for those government workers who have been RIFFED. Sure do. I feel bad for anybody who has lost a job. But that is part of life these days. When I worked at Control Data in the 1980's, the company was going through a huge downsizing. Every week, another group of people were let go. The standing joke was, we all gained five pounds from all the cake and coffee farewell parties we went to every Friday. The people left, but the work remained. Those who survived the RIFFING, ended up with a lot more work. Same money, more work. But at least it was a job.

To those government workers who have lost their job, here is what I will say to you. Take some time, get it together, and shake off the fact that you lost a job. There is life after government employment. Heck, there is life after any kind of employment. Losing a job is just a bump in the road - but the road goes on. Focus on the long view. You will be fine.  

     

The real enemy of the state - largess

"Largess is now and always has been the real enemy. But just like a spoiled child, taming this beast might end up being a bridge too far. Why? Way too many pet rocks. Spoiled children do not like to have their pet rocks taken from them."       

CEOs, like Donald Trump, are accustomed to running organizations which are structured and accountable. Even with that, there are times when any organization can become large and unwieldly. But even the worst of the worst in the private sector, does not hold a candle to the mess in our federal government. Why? Way, way too large. Way, way too unaccountable. And in the past, way, way too many untrained and unaccountable idiots pulling the levers of power.

I can't even count the number of times I have heard over the years - "Let the feds pay for it." Most of the time, that little voice in my head (which I obtained from going to business school), asks, "I wonder if that is in the budget". The answer is most always - "No." But because of the largess of the federal government, and the lack of synchrony that exists therein, tons of money is spent and wasted, and nobody knows about it nor cares about it. That is - until now.

"Government efficiency". Now that is a phrase which ranks right up there with "jumbo shrimp" or "Naval intelligence". Is it even possible to have a government which is efficient? Even more efficient than it is now? To hear the screaming and caterwauling from the left every time DOGE tries to cut or reduce something, reminds me of the old days - when people would have lifesaving surgery with minimal pain killers or no anesthesiologist present.

How bad is the cure for this out-of-control spending spree we have been on with our government? Lefties, who have for years worshipped at the altar of EVs and everything green, are now torching and keying Tesla cars and trucks. In fact, the phony senator from Arizona who has a twin astronaut brother, recently sold his "life-giving" Tesla just to spite Elon Musk. Then to make matters worse, this phony senator bought a gas guzzler GM truck instead! Why? This guy, like many of his peers, are addicted to sucking on the teat of government, more so than their own phony convictions.

What is the real enemy of our state right now? The left? The right? Elon? How about the largess of government. As much as I would like to vilify the left and indemnify the right, both sides are guilty of growing our government into this untamed behemoth. Largess is now and always has been the real enemy. But just like a spoiled child, taming this beast might end up being a bridge too far. Why? Way too many pet rocks. Spoiled children do not like to have their pet rocks taken from them.