I have been gone from here for a long time.

A lot has happened.

Today is the first day of 2024

I intend to do a number of posts regarding Leib Shapiro a poet

 

Witch Hunt Catch

If you criticize a witch hunt you become a suspect

Witch Hunt Paradox

If you criticize a witch hunt you become a suspect

Witch Hunt Trap

If you criticize a witch hunt you become a suspect.

Seth Rich murder

Looks like the Seth Rich murder has not been properly investigated.

I would like to suggest a special counsel for this task.

Racism Is Not An Opinion

Racism is not just an opinion...it is a crime against humanity.
Therefore...we need to round up all the racists and reeducate them!
Whatever it takes. Racism must be STAMPED OUT!

Expect Idiocy

The Los Angeles City Council will consider major changes to the city's water conservation rules Tuesday morning At issue: the city's lawn-watering rules, which were cited in a recent report by an independent group of engineers as a factor in a series of water main bursts last year.

For more than a year, residents across the city have been barred from irrigating their yards and gardens on days other than Mondays and Thursdays. The new proposal, backed by the Department of Water and Power, would allow those who live at odd-numbered addresses to water on Mondays and Thursdays and residents at even-numbered addresses to water on Tuesday and Fridays.

The changes were recommended after a panel of experts concluded that the two-day-a-week irrigation rules helped trigger a series of pipe breaks by creating dramatic fluctuations in water pressure. Some water main breaks damaged homes and businesses. One created a sinkhole that swallowed part of a firetruck.

the law of unintended consequences...they make new rules and the new rules do harm...they give you drugs and the drugs harm you...the surgery harms you...the class harms you...and it is always something nobody anticipated....

new rules lead to new problems

Special Counsel To Investigate LEAKS

President Trump should appoint a special counsel to investigate the leaks.
It looks like the FBI is not seriously investigating the leaks and may even be the source of some of them.

Independent special whatever you want to call it...a big investigation of the illegal leaks needs to be done right away!

Fed Not Political?

OK...so the election is over and now the Fed raises rates....OK
not political timing?
Fed did not want to risk the economy with a Democrat incumbent...so so they waited until after the election.
Looks like that is what happened.
The Fed, though, is not politcally motivated, is it?

RIGHT POLITE

the right should be polite

now that the right is in power

there should be a new politeness

let the left be rude

but the right can be BIG about it

without being condescending...

be polite and respectful of all mankind

speak the truth without flinching

the right can be polite

the right will be polite

Did FED Crash Economy In 2008?

they don't talk about it much...but the FED was slow to cut rates in 2007 as the crisis began unfolding  leading up to the GREAT RECESSION
And this was leading up to a presidential election.
It could be argued that there was a deliberate crashing of the economy , orchestrated by the FED...for political purposes...
but that it went horribly wrong....

THE CYCLE
They started tightening way back June 30 of 2004.
They did not cut until Sept. of 2007...at that time things had already begun to collapse.
As the crisis unfolded cuts were made rapidly...but it was too late. They could not stop the collapse.
So with hindsight...they should have begun cutting sooner.

always the question...on purpose....accidental...or just stupid?

The Political Class

So that government of the political class, by the political class and for the political class shall not perish from the earth.

USA carbon emissions vs. Mexico carbon emissions

USA per capita carbon emissions is 16.5 tons.
Mexico per capita carbon emissions is 3.7 tons.

If we could deport 11,000,000 Mexicans back to Mexico, that would reduce emissions by
141 million tons a year.

141 million tons of carbon emissions per year.

So...letting more people into the USA...or failing to deport the ones here illegally...is bad for the climate.
Our current immigration policy is very bad for the EARTH.

More Immigration equals faster climate change.

Immigration Accelerates Climate Change

This is a big one. Most immigration is from low per capita consumption nations to high per capita consumption nations.
When a Mexican becomes an American....the result is more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
USA has the biggest per capita consumption and the biggest per capita carbon footprint. People moving to the USA accelerates climate change.
This is pretty obvious.

American Ideals

Lately I have been hearing about American ideals.
THERE ARE NO AMERICAN IDEALS

that is a myth...the myth of monolithic ideals!

The context I have been hearing is regarding the issue of immigration.
They seem to be saying that opposition to immigration is a betrayal of American Ideals.

That is a BIG LIE

there is no American Ideal that says we must welcome immigrants!

the US Constitution says congress shall have power... "To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization"

that's it! A rule! The rule could be anything! Nobody allowed in! Only people under the age of 30! Only WHITE people! The rule can be anything!   There is no ideal expressed there.

People try to read ideals into old documents.
There are NO AMERICAN IDEALS
only ideals that Americans have...individual Americans! Not a collective or a hive of Americans.
My ideals may be different from yours.

That does not mean I am VIOLATING AMERICAN IDEALS

take away my right to have my own opinion if you dare...insult my opinion all you want...I believe we each have a right to our own opinion!  That is not betrayal.

Latin America Poor Compared To USA and Canada

Why is the wealth of Latin America so much less than the wealth of USA and Canada?

I don't know...but I have ideas to explore...questions to ask.

Could it be the foundation of religion? Latin America Catholic...USA Protestant?

Could it be latitude?  South America is located on the equator. Around the world equatorial areas tend to have lower GDP.

Could it be government?  There are plenty of problems with Latin American governments...well known...but also they are fragmented into perhaps 20 countries. Better to have one big country...a big free trade zone!

Could it be ethnicity? USA has been largely German and English and Irish. Latin America... Portuguese and Spanish and Native.

And how big is the gap?

it is very big...USA per capita GDP around $55,000. Latin America around $16,000.

OK...another fact...is it babies?
USA percentage of population under 15 is 19%...Mexico percentage under 15 years old is 27%.
that might account for some of the difference...but not all..

Could it be saving and investing?...over the long run a higher rate of saving tends to make you much wealthier if it is invested in productive assets...

anyway...it is worth thinking about and researching...why are some nations wealthier than others?

Take Regime Change Off The Table

Look around...country in trouble...our remedy has been REGIME CHANGE

has not worked very well...

when you see someone in trouble...HELP THEM

help the countries in trouble...work with them...instead of against them

accept them for who they are and work with them

Go back in time...instead of fomenting revolution...work with the sitting government to help the situation.

That is not a stupid idea. It is a wise idea.

Stop the violence...stop the killing...

not the violence and killing of the other guy!!   YOUR OWN VIOLENCE AND KILLING!

just stop it and be peace

and start by forgiving...maybe they did something...but stop saying it is unforgivable and forgive

lack of forgiveness is your responsibility...

who said it?

LOVE THINE ENEMY

climate change or lack of economic freedom?

There is a rumor that the Syrian crisis is being caused by climate change.
OK...sure...but there is more context than that.
Things change...right now around the world the price of oil has dropped and some nations are close to ruin because of that change.
CONTEXT
some nations can't take change because of rigid structures imposed by the government...
Syria has a socialistic economy...as does Venezuela...
That type of economy does not do well with change...
Why not? That is a long and short story...
mostly...government control prevents the reasonable allocation of the factors of production.

so...don't point the finger at weather when the real cause is bad government...

money would fix it...no food? buy food? to buy food you need money? how do you get money? TRADE
you must have something to sell...something other people value...
but government tends to stand in the way...taking a cut...and the cut finally reaches the bone and the heart and kills some people...
the right way to fix the world is to stop trying to fix it...get rid of all the obstacles to trade...the rules and regulations...the subsidies and price controls...the rewards for failure and the punishments for success.

Stepping In Poop

STEPPING IN POOP

Assume our goal is to make it through each day without stepping in poop.

Ways to do that

1. do not walk at all

2. check thoroughly for poop and pick it all up or remember where it is and avoid it.

3. be constantly vigilant for poop and avoid it

4. never walk in the dark or step where you cannot see

5. never assume there is no poop

6. in spite of your best efforts every once in a while you will step in poop

7. don't walk around places where you know there is a lot of poop (if you must go where there is a lot of poop be extra careful)

8. if you are doing a lot of things all at once you are more likely to step in poop

9. if anyone tells you there is no poop, don't believe them

10. you may discover that you have a perverse desire to step in poop. You need to work on that.

11. go ahead and step in it you can probably clean it up

Tax The Billionaires?

Don't!
I think Bill Gates does more good with his wealth than the folks in Washington would do with it.

In fact...people almost always do more good with their own money than the government does when it taxes it away from them.