Retired engineer. Have had international living experience. Student of history, economics & philosophy. An Independent. Happily married. Polymath.
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Trump’s Fawning Cabinet - saw snippets of the last cabinet meeting with t. It eerily reminded me of the crap we saw coming out of the East European Bloc and Russia back in the 60s and 70s. Hard to believe that the US as a nation has fallen so far. Are we a brain-dead, heartless 3rd world nation now?
I laud Merkel's initiative to bring in over a million immigrants. Her main concern was a declining workforce. And she thought, with time, that the new influx would be Germanized. She was wrong. The ethics that made Germany great in the past are now subdued and enclaves of other civilizations abound.
Get ready for chaos. Can't see even this Supreme Court supporting t on this. It's black letter constitutional law - Congress sets tariffs, not the president. His basis was 'national emergency', which is, in a word, laughable. The republican controlled congress can reset them, but it'll take time.
A lesson from the Katrina not much talked about - 'Don't live near the coast, especially in the south'. Soon any kind of home or flood insurance will be unaffordable, FEMA is basically gone, the states can't afford to take its place, and the world is becoming very uncaring of victims' predicaments.
I don't understand why the democrats gave in. Have they not heard of 'civic duty'?
Wonder if she knew she was making an announcement next week? She's going the way of Senator Portman (Ohio) and Cooker (Tennessee), ie republicans who didn't support t to the extent required or made some other faux pas. She'll be replaced by some other sycophant better able to support the 'agenda'.
My hope is that what goes around, comes around.
This happens when the markets get 'frothy', ie securities seem to be valued at more than they are worth, and traders perceive a downturn coming. Traders are getting out now, even selling (borrowed) stocks that they do not even own (short selling). They are not always right, but more right than wrong
In today's world immigration and asylum-seeking are much bigger issues than the news and polls are indicating. Look at it this way - if asked, are you going to indicate you hold a selfish, non-humane, cruel position? If you have more than half a brain, you're not. But what do you really think?
They should be thinking domino theory. Who's next. I'm betting on the Baltic countries - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania . . . And the Germans are not what they used to be. My think is that they will decline the opportunity to halt Russian aggression through the deployment of troops to the Ukraine.
Thinking here is that t's attempt to overly influence the Fed will probably lead to stagflation and/or hyper-inflation, ie bad bad bad for the value of those long-term government bonds that are being spoken of here. So sell them today, for tomorrow they may not be worth as much as they are today.
I am not sure I would put 'Unconditional Surrender' under the category of 'negotiation'; would have thought Vance better informed re human history. This is the way that most major conflicts have ended other than the very messy ones and this is exactly what Putin is driving for against the Ukraine.
If she's guilty of fraud, then she should resign. I look at this as another case of a democrat thinking the laws and ethics are for other people, and as they get caught, they facilitate the nation's move into fascism. Of course Powell should keep her around, à la Santos, for as long as she's useful.
What happened to the old republican mantra ' . . . that we don't pick winner or losers'?
If you're thinking that only third world countries have armed soldiers standing guard on the streets of their capital, you are not alone.
And now the FBI is going to search his home similar to what just happened to John Bolton. If you're going to tangle with the Bear, better watch out for it's claws!
Mike Pompeo is a disaffected former t buddy (former head of the CIA, and later Secretary of State, t administration #1). Before that, as an army soldier he got all the way to captain, and in my view, he had already reached his level of incompetence. So, I'm a little skeptical of his current views.
There will probably be some sort of agreement with the Ukraine losing territory up to the current battle lines and with the new border guaranteed by Russia and the US. All of Europe knows that these guarantees are pretty well worthless. Europe is the real grantor, and they will find it expensive.
I was curious; asked ChatGBT : these countries are rated at the highest level (AAA) by all three major credit rating agencies - Australia, Germany, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway & Luxembourg. Before the t administration the US was on the list as well, but is no longer.
And of course t for Chamberlain.
Read Munich, 1938. Substitute the US for Britain & France, and Russia for Germany, and the Ukraine for Czechoslovakia. The big question now is if Europe is prepared to continue to support a war that the US won't, and may even start assisting the other side (sanctions reduction or even elimination)?
Brooks is in error. He's not correct that opportunity, respect & power has been concentrated among the 'educated' but rather amongst the 'moneyed' class. The working class is gullible & receptive to conspiracy theories and fake news and are basically being lead by the nose down the garden path.
This is probably being looked at in 2 different ways. My guess is that about 2/3rds of the population say either 'good riddance' or don't care. That's the world we live in today - shades of Germany in '30s'.
The famous quote: "There are three kinds of lies - lies, damned lies, and statistics" is often attributed to Mark Twain (maybe Benjamin Disraeli). Then there's the t administration - if the statistics don't conform, fire the messenger and appoint one who knows what side his bread is buttered on.
I would bet that Texas has somewhere a law making it illegal to disrupt governmental proceedings. This is similar to the law used against the Jan 6 rioters and/or patriots. This would give the FBI the basis for arresting democratic Texas legislators when found and then extraditing them back to Texas
Nature News 'Quote of the Day': “Nuclear weapons and the risks they present are back on the agenda. It’s time for us all to recognize that, and act accordingly.” - Security Expert Ankit Panda. What planet did this pundit get borned on? Nukes are a part of today's life and that ain't going to change
The t administration is readying fresh sanctions on these Russian shadow fleets in an effort to force the opening of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
Good for t - imports are down. Bad for t - consumer spending is also down. Data not conclusive yet but the decrease in consumer spending is more than the drop in imports. Need to consider other factors but the bottom line is a decrease in economic activity. The general result of this is a recession.
You may be wondering what Abbott can do? He can charge/hassle the dem House members with some trumped-up (pun intended) charge. It'll be hard though getting them extradited back to the State. And if pursued after they return, getting convictions near impossible especially at the higher court levels
Is she playing the 'race' card. Je ne sais pas. But I have seen it done and know that it exists.
Think '36 Berlin Olympics. From the internet - "The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XI Olympiad, were held in Berlin, Germany, from August 1 to August 16. These games are remembered for both their sporting achievements and their role as a propaganda tool for the Nazi regime." T is.
These words of possible recognition sometime in the future by proactive governments such as Canada, Great Britain, France, etc, plus $3.00 might, just might, get you a decent cup of coffee . . .
It appears that hamas is listening to their own propaganda and thinking the world is going to save them. In reality they are doing exactly what Netanyahu wants them to do.
I erred. Powell is a t appointee, from t's first term.
The democratic left wing just doesn't get it; they only have limited support for their policies. This opens up the prospect of continued right wing dominance in America. Democrats need to move to the center, breaking the grip of the 'money grows on trees' people while such movement is still possible
More than expectedly - by how much? And by whom? Are the answers behind the paywall? Guess what? I’m not paying to find out if the journalism is any better on that side. I suspect not.
Anyone who believes this should contact me; I have some land in Florida I want to sell. It’s criminal, but in this age of t, these legal risks do not exist. We are dependent now on economic forces to bring climate change under control. Don’t hold your breath.
"Tariffs are working" is like saying 'money grows on trees'. Where does the tariff money come from? The supplier may cover some. Most likely the importer picks up most, if not all the tab. They may eat some of it in turn. But, if you think this through, the end buyer, us, ends up paying the piper.
The mentality that supports this kind of nonsense, ie speed cameras, is a main reasons why myself, and more importantly our tax base, no longer resides in Canada. If I am driving unsafe, by all means lock me up. But, importantly, the mere fact that I'm speeding doesn't mean that I am driving unsafe.
Brazil, former leader Jair Bolsonaro; why doesn't t just pardon him?
But the republican plan is to drive the debt to those unsustainable levels at which point, ah gee, were going to have to give up the social programs - the rest of Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, etc. That's their end goal. If you can't afford to live without those programs, well that's too bad.
One of the povs of the silent majority in Germany in the early 30s was that civilized, worldly, aware, Germans would never let themselves be taken over by that bombastic low-life Hitler.
Disappointed in many, many of our so-called leaders who spend more time worrying about their pocketbooks than ethics, and doing the right thing. Apparently, 'the right stuff' is no longer part of our culture. Redstone has joined that growing list. Worse, she's probably not giving it a 2nd thought.
The fix was always in. The hardest part was deciding who was going to be allowed to vote 'no' while still assuring that 'The Big Beautiful Bill' still passed.
In my office on 9/11, NPR on. I knew it was terrorism. Invested in mutual funds at the time; one of my main goals being to diversify. ETFs were new. Mutuals only trade at the end of the day; etfs anytime. If I had been invested in them, I could have sold early & saved a fortune as the market tanked.
Apparently the Supreme Court sees the same 'out' that was identified here. As I understand it, litigation can continue but I believe in the end those born in the US to illegal immigrants are going to lose their citizenship, and quite possibly will be deported.
In the Senate this is the regime that he used every semi-legal, semi-moral trick to bring about. His main goal was to make sure Obama did not succeed and was quickly replaced by a republican - ANY republican. He's complaining they don't know history. He needs to reread German history from the 1930s.
My people were slaves of the Romans some 2000 years ago. Where are my reparations?
It's interesting to know that we weren't suppose to know that the US bombing in Iran was only partially effective. And it's also interesting to know that after all the money that's spent on the US military, these are the best results they could achieve.
I'm in 2 minds. One, this is cruel and unusual punishment for asylum seekers who were let in and are now being kicked out. Two, I hold the view that if they didn't like the regime where they were, they were obligated to try and change it. Letting them into this country doesn't help save the world.
Behind this is as long as t is president, and maybe longer, the US cannot be trusted to live up to their NATO obligations. I think Europe understands now that they have to look to themselves for their own defense. T can object to the inclusion of Ukraine all he wants, but it will eventually happen.
I'm looking behind the headlines for an indication that Israel wants to continue the conflict because the American bombing was not so nearly effective as said. This meaning that Iran retains the capability of churning out an A-Bomb in the near future - something abhorrent and dangerous for Israel.
Does t supports this position? If Putin walks into the Baltic States, or Finland for that matter, after finishing off Ukraine, how would the US react? Is the US going to go to war over Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia or Finland? Is the US going to live up to their NATO obligations? Probably not.
T's bad month. He asked Putin for a cease fire in Ukraine - didn't happen. He gave a parade and nobody came, and it was overshadowed by many simultaneous anti-t protests. He came back from the G7 early because the other leaders were being mean to him. Now Israel is carrying on the war to spite him.
Couldn't be more wrong. Progressives ARE the reason that Donald Trump is in the Whitehouse.
Fed governor Chris Waller is making a case for a July cut in the Fed rate. I believe it's in a self-interest attempt to get a t nomination to be the next Fed governor. His argument is based mostly on the premise that the tariffs will not be inflationary. Huh? Why else would Toyota be raising prices?
Stories is not over. The t admin has just hit a roadblock. There are still avenues to proceed. They will charge them with 'inciting violence', a felony, and if they win in court, they can be deported. We can hope that the admin's attention will be diverted elsewhere but I wouldn't hold your breath.
T left early because the other leaders were being mean to him. And it was at a bad time for him. Imagine how you'd feel if you'd given a parade and nobody came?
The rich (people & companies) like to think they can leave a country if in their mind taxation becomes too burdensome. But they still make their money in the country they've left. Tax that. And add an onerous tax if they make money in a country where they do not reside. Sounds simple. Maybe it is...
Countries currently hold US debt as reserves. Risk of this has been considered low. ECC wants to displace these reserves with Euro denominated reserves. To do this they have to flood the market with Euro bonds (debt). Since these might now be less risky, it might work, to the detriment of the US.
Couple of rules. Don't believe anything until it's actually policy. Half of what's said is for the purpose of fifth estate disorientation. If anything said is really dumb, right wingy, there's a good chance it'll come to pass. Decisions are based upon last person spoke to. Congress will back it all.
The democratic party is filled with progressives and progressives can never provide an effective alternative to t and his like in this country. They need to move to the center. Or we need a new centralist party. As long as Sanders and OIC remain the face of the party, they'll be sucking hind tit.
I'm not sure this is a trend but I think it might be. Airbus seems to be selling planes everywhere. The only news I read about Boeing is that the Chinese are sending back planes and cancelling existing orders. Could be really bad for Boeing especially if the crash in India was the plane's fault.
Too bad, so sad. The face of the US at the moment is our fearless leader and his erratic foreign policy embracing America First (Isolationism). Would you want to be dependent upon the US for weapons if push came to shove? I think those defensive firms are going to see a lot of cold shoulders.
If Iran threatens the Persian Gulf shipping lanes they will be signing their own death warrant. I can't think of a faster way of bringing the Saudis and the US into the conflict. With that, total destruction of the whole country will follow. Russia and China will wring their hands, but do nothing.
Can't say that I understand the essence of this issue. I'm perplexed by it. It disturbs my morality. But, I have a rule - 'live and let live'. Unless this community directly effects my 'pursuit of happiness', I follow the rule.
As long as the rainbow coalition and the plight of illegal alien's remains the face of opposition to the current regime, t position gets stronger. The real fight concerns the fate of democracy in this country, a much larger issue that these sub-issues. It's not the battles that matter, it's the war.
Iran backing down, as would be required to bring about the end of hostilities, would not be in Russia's best interest. I think t will have just as many problems bringing about peace here as he did/does in Ukraine. Iran is a staunch Russian ally, a source of weapons and a thorn in Israel's/US's side.
I think this is the way they were thinking in Hong Kong just before the takeover. However, the Chinese have draconianly handled all the opposition. I perceive the same will happen in Taiwan. All those that openly resist will soon find themselves in prison. The rest will be too meek to resist further
I also like the North Korean type nuclear deterrent. It's more expensive, requires a intelligenza and much research and development. But they are a power with the ability to deliver a nuclear attack on anybody foolish enough to invade them. Not so moral a solution, but works well as a deterrent.
I like the Swiss deterrent - a well-trained and well-armed yeomen populace with cache of arms and munitions stored throughout the country such that any invader would be faced with a 5th-column of fighters whose sole objective would be to cause maximum damage in men and material of the invader.
Does Carney think that 2% of GDP will flick anybody's bic? Canada continues to want to drink from the trough it thinks it gets from its geographical position. Look to the vulnerable north. Canada can either look more internally for its own security or learn an new language. And I don't mean French!
Recently visited Koeln. It's where I lived for a year and a half and where I met my wife. The city has totally changed and is now emphatically not the German of old. Dirty, graffiti and garbage about, beggars on the streets, and at least half the people you see are not ethnic Germans. Merz will fail
Newsom is quite right, it's an assault on democracy. The t admin is looking for an excuse to declare a state of emergency so they can forego, or 'curtail' (to safe districts) the upcoming elections in Nov of 2026. I see it as a admin policy to create an emergency so they can declare one. Hyperbolic?
There's only 1 way the Taiwanese could have assured their independence from mainland China - through deployment of a nuclear deterrent. The US has spent the years since WW2 discouraging just such an eventuality offering an American defensive umbrella instead. Too late now - their fate is sealed.
2% of GDP is unrealistic in this day and age. Anybody that wants to can envelope Canada anytime they want to, and, obviously, the US, if it's not doing the envelopment, is a poor source of defensive aid. Canadians have been living beyond their means for decades. It may now be time to pay the piper.
I like being ahead of the news . . .
Mainstay of GOP economic theory is belief in the 'Trickle Down Theory' - give the rich more money - even though it has failed to materialize every time the GOP has promulgated legislation to bring it into effect. Biden was right. You should give money to people that are actually going to spend it.
It's my view based on having watched the GOP throughout the t years is that it's all for show. Buckle up. These guys are actually going to pass the legislation anyway. And the really disconcerting part is that many of them haven't got the mental acuity to figure out that it's the wrong thing to do.
Most important thing I read this week was Musk's comment - 'Be Careful! T's only going to be around for another 3 to 5 years whereas I'm going to be alive and kicking for another 40 years or so.' I was quite heartened by the first part. T is making a mess of it now, but the end is already in sight.
Taiwan isn't the only friction-point - Chinese incursions in and around the South China Sea are friction-points as well . . . I especially like the ones where the Chinese build islands and then claim them as Chinese territory. One of these 'islands' was just east of a major Philippine military base.
Russia's Bryansk region borders Ukraine. Coincidence? Also saw stories of bridges blow up in other regions proximate to the Ukraine. Russia calls at least these latter 2, terrorism. I've yet to wrap my head around to this pov especially since Russian missile attacks on Ukrainians civilians are not.
Put the Chinese response aside. Hegseth is telling the nations of Southeast Asia to 'gear up'. If the Chinese invade / takeover Taiwan, the t administration is very likely not to do anything. In other words any response to China must come from them amplifying current US laissez-faire aussenpolitik.
Found that bond issuers write rules that do not benefit the ordinary investor. Eg, some bonds are 'callable'. They're paying a good interest rate - issuer calls them back - ie buys back the bonds & you lose that good interest rate. Best to buy bonds if you're a Buffett - then you can write the rules
Bond investments are considered safer investments - supposed to get your money back when the bonds mature. Main risks are 'issuer' and 'inflationary' risks. Issuers can default leaving you holding the bag. Inflation can eat away at much of your original buying power. Considered safer only by others!
In 1914 Germany backed Austria's play vs Serbia leading to WW1. There is now the risk that the US will back Israel's play in Iran, ie their use of military force to prevent Iran from developing nukes. In the age of guaranteed mutual destruction total war can't happen, but things will be very tense.
How does a bond market crack? When the government tries to sell bonds to meet its cash needs but there are no takers for those bonds at even close to reasonable interest rates. The government's alternative is to print money increasing the 'money supply'. Too many dollars in circulation = inflation.
So what else is new? If you don't like the truth, make up your own. Seems to be in vogue these days . . .
Government bonds are easy to understand. They are issued when the government needs money. On sale there is an auction. Buyers offer, and the sale is completed when the offer is bought out. If there is not enough buyers to complete the sale, or the interest rate too high, the auction fails - NOT GOOD
I deal with the TD Bank not because I want to, but because I have to. Their raison d'être is 'if it moves, put a fee on it'. I also deal with US banks and it's a whole different world. They understand that banking is a service and (for the most part) not a method of just feeding cash to the execs.
I hate 'teaser' crap posts. They seldom deliver on their tag lines. I just ignore them now, and hope that the issuers will eventually wise-up.
Not too early to start planning for a world affected by global warming. Much too early to panic. Get away from the coasts. Find location where water is plentiful, but flooding not. Get north of the Mason-Dixie Line. Unfortunately, the most important things to have are guns. I like Mi, Wi and Canada.
Noise, Using recent history as a guide, the bill will pass. Immediate effect will be higher inflation. Best financial planning recommendations: 1) reduce cash holdings to a minimum, 2) hold no bonds, if owned, sell, &, 3) hold a dividend paying, liquid, well diversified portfolio of premium stocks.
If the past is any indication as to what might happen, the repubs in both the House and the Senate are in the midst of trying to figure out which of them can vote against the bill without endangering its passage. The well-off are going to be winners and those not so well off are going to be losers.
When will the Canadian administration pull a 'Regan' and fire all the posties? Both there, and in the US, mail is a function best carried out by private entities. Only they can bring the org skills and the pursuit of new tech to perform this required function properly and at a reasonable cost.
I'm curious. If all these people, corporations, countries are selling american assets, what are they buying? I've seen lots of news about the selling. Haven't seen anything yet about where the money is going. However, I do know that the US stock market seems to be unaffected, at least for us so far.
Years ago I read about and studied the 'Warren Buffett Way'. Using basically his system we have done very well and are comfortable in our old age. I would highly recommend it to all that read this. The one particular book that I found most helpful was: Buffettology (Buffett & Clark - 1997).
If you believe in global warming or not; more particularly, if you believe it to be man-made or not, it doesn't really matter. It's happening. The most dire consequences I see are rising sea levels and extraordinarily high environmental temperatures. Millions of people are going to die. Buckle up.
There is something wrong here with the system that has always bothered me. This $50 million will be paid by the shareholders who had nothing to do with the wrong-doing. Those that did have something to do with the wrong-doing are most likely not going to be penalized in any way. How is that justice?
Dems are more than partially responsible for the current state of affairs. They've failed almost totally to offer a viable alternatives. People voted republican because the was NO REAL choice. Dems have been captured by the left (and I know what that sounds like) in a country that doesn't vote left.