Yesterday I heard a guest (Jared Bernstein) on a News program provide this brilliant insight: “We have a $900B trade deficit with the world – so we start a trade war with tariffs and it results in $7 Trillion loss in the US stock market. It’s a little like burning your house down because you don’t want to take out the garbage.”
…. couldn’t agree more!
The problem with autocracy is there are no checks and balances against lunacy, and economic suicide.
Yesterday I tried to write something beautiful, I tried to put the ugliness of the world and tragedies of the past week in the rear-view mirror with a brief reflection on the glorious breaking of a new day.
However, today I must explain and implore all of you to think beyond the daily economic challenges, think beyond the stupid statements, and the charged political climate and see what is coming. We need to look into this abyss and be clear-eyed and purposeful that we are fighting for freedom.
“Liberation day” was not on Wednesday, it was something quite the opposite. It was a redefining of the world order, it was enslavement. Declaring a trade war on the world has consequences. The farcical equations used have no basis in economics, they are a way to disguise ignorance while creating a world in which everyone must bend a knee to the Orange King. The intent is not to create jobs, and growth, but to create power. He is forcing all the world, countries and companies alike to negotiate with him. This is a power grab. He doesn’t care who gets hurt as he will never face the voters again (and don’t believe it is because he can’t run again) as he has no plans to give up power.
If you believe companies are going to make decisions to build in the USA, think about the idea of making a decision to disrupt your business for three to five years and spend hundreds of millions of dollars in capital investment. No CEO is going to make decisions for capital expenditures in an environment that is based on capricious trade costs and when the rule of law is dependent on the interpretations of one man. China will see this as an opportunity to recenter the world around Asia. We will become poorer as we lose influence on the rest of the world and bad deals begat worse deals.
The equity markets might recover some, but investors will be moving to other parts of the world, seeking growth. Looking for friendlier environments, based on the capital premise of logical self-interest and mutual gains and less infected by the blind power grab and capriciousness of the Orange King.
The Economy is set on a course of ruin.
International relationships trashed – our friends are Russia and El Salvador it seems.
Courts Rulings are being ignored by the Orange King, under a guise of National Security.
Large law firms, and the Press are being blungened by a weaponized DOJ.
Universities are being bullied to confirm with a MAGA agenda.
Federal workers are being fired.
Health and Science research is being MAGA-fided.
Vaccine studies are being taken over by conspiracy theorists.
Our National Security team and DOD leadership are being decimated by loyalty tests and anti-DEI raids.
The hits keep coming.
With a flourish of the pen, executive orders are replacing the role of congress. … the last and greatest institution. We must rely on congress right now. Congress, our representatives in a representative government is the only obstacle in the way of a Trump taking complete control. He thinks he has them in his pocket with threats of being primaried, with the threat of Musks millions financing challenges against any who rise up to fight for freedom.
We too are the last and greatest line of defense for our democracy. We must give our representatives backbone. We must make our Senators and Representative know that we believe democracy is worth fighting for. Write to them and go to to town halls and make your voices heard. Republican Senators and Representatives especially must know that we need them to stand up to Trump. I write to ours every few days. I tell them we must not abandon Ukraine, I tell them Veterans need support, I tell them keep DOGE away from our Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. I tell them we don’t want trade wars, our economy and our retirement savings are important to us. Take back control of tariffs, as it was before, the domain of congress. I keep it simple and keep the hits coming. They must listen to us, we are their only reason to exist. Tell them do your job!
If they don’t fight for our freedom, then we must replace them in the midterms and pray that it’s not too late.
Fight for Freedom!
I’m outside watching the sunrise as I write to you.
It’s a hazy, breezy morning. the kind where low gray wisps of clouds move rapidly past the sky while the sun still refuses to show more than a glow of its presence.
The birds know. They are making their journey to their respective feeding grounds, the pond ripples with the prevailing southeast wind which is bringing moisture with it, making the air feel heavier than it might otherwise despite a nice coolness.
In the few moments of telling you of this, the sky is changing color, from gray to a burnt orange as the sun asserts itself and the underglow of the drifting clouds reflect its intensity no matter how they try to resist.
A flock of fast moving small birds whiz by in a formation which changes as it passes, they are moving at high velocity for just the thrill of it I suppose, because of what could they be late? The day is just beginning.
And now, in just these few moments, the sky is bluing and the clouds are changing to pink, the marsh hens are twittering away a distant woodpecker is pecking and the sun is alighting the trees and the ripples on the pond.
Good morning!
Maybe the signal is bad?
the deranged Orange King muses,
trying not to show he’s mad.
No, dude, it is the noise
of all the clowns you
call your boys.
It is the privileged kiss-asses
pumping chests, exclaiming
Opsec and their successes.
While they violate laws
and all common sense
and obfuscate their flaws.
In front of oversight
in front of the people
claiming wrong is right.
Demanding suspension of belief
as they stick stubborn to the lie
waiting for next-news-cycle relief.
But the signal is cutting through
beyond the noise of arrests, cuts and
Greenland, and what’s said by fools.
Our friends, are becoming wary
as people are awakening to tariffs
and the pain they’ll be asked to carry.
The Orange King cannot find
the signal with all the noise created
and he clearly has lost his mind.
And the people will rise from sleep
with clarity that his dark-mad plans
are bringing us ever closer to the deep.
The signal must not be lost in the noise
and our freedoms, values and wealth
shall not be sacrificed to an Orange King
and his tech-bros.
Rise-up I say again, resist… write to
Senators, write to Representatives
tell them we hear the signal despite
all the noise.
Here it is Sunday morning. I have no clue what I will write as of yet… I have poetry in my heart, but in my mind I have the worry of democracy fading and the rise of autocracy, and the crazy ambivalence of those who will feel the greatest loss. There is the romantic me, with feelings at my fingertips and then there is the raging realist with fire at my fingertips, and there is no resolution of heart and mind, there is no reconciliation possible other than to say it to you as clearly as I can, that the rage must be satisfied to make room for the poet. That the press of real life on so many people cannot be consoled with the wonders of nature, the grandiose of existence in a universe of great possibility when there is the coming oppression of thought, of all things we hold dear, including our Dignity.
We must not be satiated with the joys of life alone for those who will come after us must find that we left the world better than we found it, and not in the hands of those who would plunder the wealth of their futures.
Precious Dignity
Where have you gone?
Why do we have none?
Were you stolen along with the aid
from all the people who prayed
for help from those with plenty
of everything, except now our dignity?
How can we find you within us?
Are you now with Lady Justice?
For it seems she’s flown away with you,
both of you denying there was a coup.
We are not who we claimed to be
without Justice and Dignity.
For the sake of power, we lost our affinity
for both Lady Justice and Precious Dignity.
Hate is nasty and Cruelty her sister
as they work together to blister
our senses, as our world is undermined
and Justice and Dignity is redefined…
As Imperial Hate and Blatant Cruelty
become the new tools of power!
I was thinking about the march we are on toward autocratic rule and dominance of oligarchies with a diminishment of the institutions of government, the scattering to the winds of the free press, and the pending attack on others as we move from stated isolationist objectives to imperial expansion…
Sure, Americans voted to move away from the status quo… we expressed a “need” to shake things up. We voted against bloated institutions and the expressed wisdom of those more educated than ourselves, we decided that we are the Americans of the 1950s, with our I exceptionalism in tact, our conservative values preserved… and yet I wonder how the resulting diminished government, failing free press, tariffs, and conflicts with nearly everyone will square the circle for Americans?
I have no doubt, that Trump and his minions, as they celebrate their presumed mandate, will think they have the support to change our system of government, to change information flow, to muck with our reputation in the world, and ultimately impinge upon the ideals we have long held of ourselves. As they overplay their hand, how will this set with Americans who have known a working government, no matter its flaws, have known the freedom of vote, and representative government, who have relished fair play and equal opportunity?
Americans believe their country has been a force for good in the world, no matter our mistakes. As a nation of immigrants we have always had a warm heart for those in need and the downtrodden (well not always and not so much),
I think there will be a backlash. I don’t believe we are like the beaten down and weak Germans of 1934, or the Hungarians of 2010, when Orban won his second, “for life” round in the role of Prime Minister, or for that matter we are unlike the Russians of the 2000’s ready for Putin’s strongman rule. No, we have a vibrant economy, regardless of the price of eggs. We have a long tradition of freedom. We remain unconquered and are not vulnerable as other societies were… no, we will not allow our institutions, our free press and our voting rights to be trampled upon.
We will wake up and realize we are going in the wrong direction and the disruptor in chief will be disrupted. The midterm elections will be a chance to say, hey wait a minute, this is not going as we expected. Then the battle for years 3 and 4 will be a battle for our future. Americans will win, must win. The pendulum will swing back toward the middle… the far right satiated they won the imagined war against wokeness (whatever the heck that is) and the far left will be satisfied with the survival of democracy.
I imagine we will be nostalgic for George W… Bush that is.
Count on overplayed hands to bring us back to the middle. I choose optimism as the second Trump administration begins this week. I choose optimism that the extremists will go too far causing a backlash. I choose optimism that Americans will start seeing they really did mean what they were saying. Americans will bring us back to the sensible middle. I am choosing optimism… for the alternative is freaking ugly.
God Bless America!
… please!
I have a friend who is a school teacher in England. He was telling me a story of an event at school the other day, specifically:
His observation, is right on, the only difference between Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and Trump’s musing that he wouldn’t rule out force taking over Greenland is if it were to happen it would be the same, but over a lot quicker…
I thought , why not ask AI the following question:
The difference between a hypothetical U.S. invasion of Greenland and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine lies in several factors, including legality, historical context, geopolitical circumstances, and the motivations or justifications for such actions. Below is a breakdown:
In both cases, the lack of consent from the relevant sovereign authority makes the act a violation of international law.
While the motivations differ, in both cases, geopolitical ambitions drive the aggressive actions.
The historical context doesn’t justify invasion in either case but influences the narratives used to rationalize aggression.
The primary difference lies in context, geography, and the specific nations involved. However, in both cases, an invasion would violate international law, disregard sovereignty, and have significant global repercussions. The hypothetical U.S. invasion of Greenland would likely receive similar condemnation to Russia’s actions in Ukraine, though the specifics of each situation would color the international response.
God help the free world over the next four years!
Some say they were better off under Trump than Biden, they say that the test “were you better off four years ago?” favors Trump because of the price of eggs… REALLY?? But do you remember the mismanaged COVID response which lead to more than 1.1 million deaths of Americans?
Do you realize COVID was worse than it needed to be because of Trump? In fact, with similar cultures and population our death rate per 100,000 population was 2.5x that of Canada? (Source- John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center)
Do you realize the US economy today has 2.1% Inflation, Wage growth is 4.1% and GDP is 4.95% year over year… easily the strongest economy in the world?
Do you realize how women’s rights have been degraded by Trump’s three Supreme Court picks? There are 21 states where woman cannot get life-saving reproductive care, due to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. How many bleed-out deaths of young women are needed to reach you?
Do you realize a much needed conservative bill was put forward to fund dramatic improvements in border security this year and Trump had it killed because it would undermine the wedge issue he needed?
If this is not enough, consider character – A serial liar, convicted felon, a sexual molester, a fraudster and failed businessman (6 bankruptcies) who appeals to white nationalist vs. a successful prosecutor and state attorney general who spent her entire career in service to the people. Who would you prefer?
And what of the future based on what both are saying…
If you think that autocracies are dangerous and they take freedom from their citizens, then Harris is your only choice. If you are the preferred candidate by fascists, maybe it is because they can relate to you, and Trump is a fascist (definition: a populist political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual, is associated with a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, and is characterized by severe economic and social regimentation and by forcible suppression of opposition – The Enemy Within, remember?)
If you think the DOJ should operate independent of the Administration, then Harris is your choice.
If you know that Jan 6. 2021 was an attempt at a violent insurrection with the purpose of keeping Trump in office, your only patriotic choice is Harris.
If you believe a growing opportunity-based economy is better than an Oligarchy then Harris is your choice. If a Harris’ growth economy is good for America (and the world) then you must know that wide use of tariffs and the costs of detaining and deporting 11 Million people will put our economy in a severe depression. Your only logical choice is Harris.
What more is there to talk about? Were you really better 4 years ago??? Will you have a chance of being better in 4 more years???
My calendar told me today that tomorrow is “Indigenous Peoples Day”… so I looked up a definition of Indigenous Peoples. Of course I know the intention, however, I found the United Nations has no specific definition, but rather a multi-page paper to describe the apparently undefinable. I guess, as I see it, they are peoples who descended from peoples who arrived before the peoples who arrived later. And then view themselves as natives, as we then view ourselves as civil members of the society for which we claim ownership. Because we defined it as so, and those others coming after us are immigrants which most of us were at one time, and which are distinguishable, I suppose, from most recent migrants… at least for the purpose of conserving some cultural heritage which we supplanted over the top of some previous peoples and their heritage.
There does seem to be some truth to the notion that the winners of conflict and migration and supplantion write the history, and define thus the place for all of us. So tomorrow, cheers to the peoples who came before the peoples before us… and their culture which we continue to supplant… I guess they deserve a day!
Maybe those defined as migrants and refugees will get a day sometime in the future?
As Emily Dickinson said there is “no frigate like a book which could take us away” … A writer writes from their imagination, something from the soul which is ever in motion, and can take a reader to faraway places and different times, and expose us to experiences and truths we might not otherwise fathom… and the words live-on, once they are written. We can experience these words, and truths a thousand years later, we can understand the wisdom and morality from Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo, written a hundred and eighty years ago, or experience the transcendent oneness with Rumi from the thirteenth century…
Oneness
by Rumi
There are many languages in the world —
but all with one meaning.
Water becomes one
when you break the jars.
The soul will send news to all
possessed of spiritual vision,
when you break
the heart
from words.
The words, the ideas, the poetry never ends as long as someone still finds the truth and beauty of such works. Author’s can find a form of immortality through such virtuous creations.
But words are not restricted to the domain of truth tellers, they are also the tools of those who would deceive and lie for their own entertainment. And even worse, are the unvirtuous who would lie and manufacture facts for some devious purpose, or self-aggrandizement. Sadly, lies can live long healthy lives, as well as, beautiful poetry or virtuous books. Generally, the authors are and often desire to remain hidden, for they know they are lying.
Conspiracy theories today seem to have a life of their own, they may have been born in satire and humor, but when promoted by those who know better, they begin to find favor and instead of taking us smoothly to new places, they create turbulence, and to those willing to believe, they promulgate dangerous beliefs… and worse they leave a legacy which allows the weak to trust no truths, to believe nothing. Regardless the facts, they will choose to believe the wildest conspiracy theories.
I met someone a couple weeks ago, a young man who thought the moon landing was a fake, that it never happened… I think with all the real stories to be read, for all the truths to be understood, what a waste of intellect, imagination, of soul to believe such nonsense… This was a conspiracy born in the 1970’s which should have been long-disabused and died, and yet it survives. I told him I worked in the space business for 40 plus years and I knew Apollo astronauts and I understand what it takes to go to space, and I answered some of his questions and tried to write over a wrong in his heart, but who knows if truth can take root in such salted soil? He said, well “at least I’m not a flat-Earther” as if this was some level of virtue.
Imagine now, the lost souls who will believe and pass to their children and beyond the stories of immigrants stealing pets to eat them? Lies may live long lives… words are fragile things, which should be treated with care by responsible truth tellers, and those who would abuse these words should be banished to the hells they seek to create.
I’m continuously amazed, at such a time as ours, with untold riches of information available, millions and millions of worthy books, poetry, history, and legitimate fact-based news we are a society which produces millions of people who will keep the words which should die alive. They will believe, regardless of the truths available, the most outlandish lies, because they want to… I imagine they would even be willing to believe the Grimm’s Fairy Tales are really history.