Order needs to be restored in Portland now.

WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY TO AVOID ESCALATION CLOSING

NEED TO AVOID REPLACING RANDOM VIOLENCE WITH REVENGE AND RETRIBUTION

The violence last week in Kenosha and now Portland needs to be stopped immediately. This can only be accomplished by an overwhelming police presence and a zero tolerance for violence, looting, arson and vandalism.

Up until this week the anarchists have mostly had a free reign to do as they please at the expense of business owners and citizens of these democrat ruled cities. As in Kenosha, when citizens were forced to protect property, violence escalated and resulted in death. 

In Portland, a large caravan of anti-protesters drove around the city and elicited a response from the those who have had a free ride to create mayhem for the last 3 months, that may have ended in the death of one of the caravan members. 

This situation  needs to be ended now.  It can be ended now, if there is a will by the mayor's and governors involved to stop the looting and destruction of property. The arrest and prosecution of all those who engage in the destruction of property and the removing of those people from the scene. Up until now many of the local and state authorities have refused to prosecute those arrested for criminal acts. They have been immediately set free to create more unrest, violence and property destruction.

Now that the violence has increased to the point of people dying, a new potentially explosive situation will not be far behind. Everyone who has died has relatives and friends who are likely outraged. These are potentially people who may be willing to engage in acts of vengeance and retribution. 

Order needs to restored now. Property needs to be protected now. This can easily be accomplished by an overwhelming police presence and a zero tolerance for lawbreaking. It is not a question of if, but when a large number of people on both sides will die and the situation can explode into outright warfare in these cities. 

This is a pattern we have witnessed in many foreign countries without the means to bring about order. We do have the means but up until now there is no will by these mayors and governors to stop the lawbreaking.

Peaceful protests are supported by the majority of Americans and safety of protesters will also be insured by government protecting people and property. They can do it, if they really want to. 

Trump VS Democrats emotional messaging

TRUMP IS DESTROYING THE DEMOCRATS WITH POSITIVE MESSAGING

PROPHETS OF DOME BECOME PARIAHS, NOT PRESIDENTS

The Democratic party has always been much better than Republicans at emotional messaging. They have now been caught in a strategy trap of being the gloom and doom party.

Take the State of Union speech last week, after spending half the speech on extolling all the positive accomplishments of his administration, low unemployment, rising wages, soaring stock market, stable or declining medical costs. Trump went on to tell tear producing stories about the positive results of the border patrol. The 100 year old Black fighter pilot and his grandson who wants to be an astronaut.  The little girl born weighing less than 1 pound and now grown well and happy.The little girl who has now received a scholarship to the school of her choice. The Army wife who does volunteer work for other military family's while her husband is in extended deployment and then their unannounced reunion on national TV.

All provoking positive emotional responses.

When we watch a movie, go to an art exhibit or listen to a speech, we receive positive messages that evoke positive emotional responses that we have little control over. This is what makes good art in all forms.

Trump has mastered this ability far above any other political leader in recent times. The other enhancing trait is that he believes it, he is genuine in his positive outlook at what can be accomplished by all people everywhere. 

Watch a Trump rally compared to a speech by his Democrat opponents. We see a positive message of what can be done and a list of positive accomplishments by Trump. The Democratic candidates talk about people dying from lack of food, medical care, police and white men brutality, and top it off by predicting that the world will end in ten years if they are not elected. There solution is always to require more of your money and less of your freedom both negatives to anyone with a job. 

We also can see positive feeling in the country, if we are good observers. I see more black employees in my travels than ever before, and they seem to have a positive outlook. What happened to the black lives matter marchers? Did they get a job? I see and feel much better race relations than in the previous 8 years.

The Democrats emotional messaging is always a plea to address some negative event with more legislation. The parents of murdered children in school shootings is a good example in their quest for more government control. What about creating an environment were people feel positive, not a victim, not depressed. The end of the world in ten years is not a positive message.

Back to the State of the Union, one side was happy and enthusiastic, the other looked downright depressed and suicidal. Who do you want to hang around with or be represented by?

Finally, not only did Trump send all those positive messages, but then he gave the medal of freedom to Rush Limbaugh, a cancer victim, in the House that night, in front of the world. It was enough to evoke such a negative feeling from Nancy Pelosi, that she sent a overwhelming negative emotional message to the whole world.

Trump needs to consider one more thing. He should replace the Rolling Stones,"You cant always get what you want"  with Bob Marley's, "Don't worry, Be Happy".


originally published 2/10/20

What nation or movement benefits from Pandemic crisis?

SO FAR, NO NATION IS GAINING AN ADVANTAGE

SAVE THE PLANET MOVEMENT SHOULD BE ECSTATIC

Several months into the global pandemic, the question must be asked who will be the biggest beneficiary of this crisis.

China?  Many have accused China of intentionally orchestrating this crisis for their own benefit. While China has not been forthright about much of their experience with this crisis, it is doubtful that they can really benefit in any way. Economically they will suffer with the rest of the world, as they rely on international trade to sustain their economy. There may also be a movement for countries to be less dependent on China for some products.

Iran? Iran may be the country that is most negatively effected by this crisis. Many deaths, some in the elite ruling class and a devastated oil market.

Russia? Late in having cases from this virus, they are now experiencing a surge of cases. They are also hurt badly by the drop in oil prices.

North Korea? Who knows, they claim they have no cases, that is almost an impossibility. There is no way they will benefit.

European Union? It seems to be in more disarray with more problems on the horizon.

Globalism and the One World government movement? There have been some attempts to claim that is what is needed, but if anything that movement has been damaged.

National Healthcare in the U.S.?  We see calls for that continuing, but we have seen no better results from National Healthcare in other countries.

The global environmental movement?  This crisis is a virtual dream come true. They have been advocating that the global population needs to be reduced by 5 billion people. They view this as the sustainable human population for the earth. They never answer as to how this can be accomplished, but a global Pandemic would be a perfect way of getting to those numbers. This pandemic will not accomplish that end, but it could be the framework for a more deadly event.

Carbon emissions have been dramatically reduced, with limited travel and many industries shut down. They could have never had this much success politically.

All of the policies being implemented to stop the virus are just what they have been advocating for years. After all, to them, the planet is much more of a priority than people.


originally published 4/2/20

Professional athletes have an inflated view of themselves.

ATHLETES ARE ENTERTAINERS

IF THERE IS NO ENTERTAINING, THEY ARE IRRELEVANT

It is with some amusement that we see professional athletes attempting to intimidate legislators, team owners or the public, I am not sure who exactly, by their refusal to play a sports game. It is clear they have way over estimated their value to society. 

While owners and leagues may attempt to placate them with some meaningless gestures, they are likely in the process of alienating a sizable portion of their fan base. It is likely that in the long run their actions will result lower salaries, a move away from professional sports viewership and possibly the dissolution of their league. Viewership drops, advertisers pay less, and it may take years to recover, even if they should decide to end such action quickly.

They would possibly be more effective if they would play hard, earn a lot of money and donate to causes that could make a difference. Of course, professional athletes were never accused of being the sharpest when it came to business or politics.

They are entertainers pure and simple. Singers have no leverage if they do not sing. Comedians have no relevance if they do not make people laugh. Boxers are nobody if they do not fight someone. Basketball players are likely to become BLM marchers if they refuse to dribble and make baskets. 

This is just the reality of the free market and their only value is to entertain the masses, by being better players than those who watch.

Sports has always existed to provide a few hours were people could escape the stress and tediousness of everyday life. When it is just an extension of what people want to escape it may very well cease to exist.

 

When cities fail to maintain order the void will be filled by someone.

ARE CITIZENS SUPPOSED TO JUST LET THEIR PROPERTY BE DESTROYED?

MAYORS AND GOVERNORS NEED TO BE RESPONSIBLE

It is not surprising that some people were shot in Kenosha, Wisconsin the other night. In fact, it is surprising the restraint that has been exhibited by business owners in these cities. 

We have been watching the daily reports of vandalism, looting and arson in these cities for weeks. Many of these businesses will never recover from this anarchy. It seems that no one in authority really cares what happens to these law-abiding citizens. The decision to protect the lives and property of a cities residents should never be up for debate. Whatever force is required should be used without hesitation.

We are not talking about protests or demonstrations. The news media and the democrats have intentionally been blurring the line between peaceful demonstrations and anarchy, property damage and theft. There is no excuse for this to be continuing.

It seems the thinking is that this should be covered by some form of insurance, so let them just destroy the city. Is anyone in these cities going to afford the increase in their insurance premiums that will be the result of this mayhem. I suspect insurance premiums will sky rocket for anyone in these democrat controlled cities.

Again there are videos of  the shooting that preceded this rioting. The victim repeatedly refused to obey the lawful commands of the police, who were called to respond to a domestic situation. He was warned to stop, he was shot when he opened his car door and reached into the back seat. Simply respecting the police officers legitimate instructions would have avoided this result.

As for the 17 year old who has been arrested, there is also plenty of video and photos of the second and third individuals who where shot. So far, no record of the first incident. Two people pursued this person, knocked him down, one was clearly armed with a handgun. After being knocked down and assaulted he responded by shooting this person who later died. The other person hit him in the head with a skateboard and was shot in the arm. The suspect then raised his arms and walked toward the police. It is a sad situation for all involved. If the politicians would have maintained order this could have all been avoided.

Again, it is surprising the amount of restraint that has been displayed by the victims of this anarchy. It cannot continue indefinitely without a very violent response.  This should be a wake-up call to elected officials to assume their responsibility to protect and defend the residents.

Political revolution in both parties

SANDERS AND TRUMP - SYMPTOMS OF DISCONTENT

REALIGNMENT  LOOKS INEVITABLE

The Sanders and Trump candidacies are a symptom of the revolution that is engulfing both political parties...we are watching the most widespread political realignment since World War 2.

 In the democrat party we see Sanders supported by the younger, more socialist members of the party. This is where the enthusiasm and the energy lies in the party. Hillary Clinton is supported by the ruling power structure of the party. This revolution really began with Barack Obama, who promised to be the outsider in the party and promised hope and change. He has been a disappointment to many in his party, some of whom believe he was too activist and pushed the country too far to the left and some who thought he did not use his power to push even further. The signs that the coalition that was formed in the 1960s is about to dissolve and be replaced by a different coalition are becoming increasingly clear. This is not happening in a vacuum, but is being accelerated by the revolution in the republican party.

Both Sanders and Trump  have questioned the wisdom of our trade policies, these policies were passed in the Clinton years with the support of the establishment republicans. This policy was resisted, by the likes of Pat Buchanan and Ross Perot in the 1992 election. There was weak resistance by the manufacturing unions, but they failed to exert their power on their party. This has been the primary cause of the stagnant wages of the middle class and the so called income inequality. The second place that both Sanders and Trump have broken with the establishment is on our interventionist foreign policy. This policy has been questioned for years, by Pat Buchanan, Ron Paul, Rand Paul and many others. After 14 years of continuous war without any real positive results, the population is moving for a reevaluation of this policy. This is evident when after questioning this policy and placing blame on G.W. Bush, Trump was able to win a majority of the military vote in South Carolina.

The revolution in the republican party has been the hot revolution, mostly because it looks like Trump may very well capture the nomination for the party. If it looks like Sanders is close to actually winning the nomination in his party, I suspect it will also be a hot war. The visceral attacks on Trump started in the first Fox debate, and continued to accelerate to where it is now - a hysteria of accusations that has now become irrelevant. The enthusiasm and energy of the republican party has been generated by Trump's candidacy. Every time anyone has challenged the establishment, they have been met by character assassination and an avalanche of negative campaigning. I saw this when Buchanan won the 1996 primary over Bob Dole....the next morning Buchanan was labeled an anti-Semite, a racist, and an isolationist. We saw the same thing in 2012. When anyone came close to beating Mitt Romney the same tactics were used against Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich. I believe the voters have now become immune to these tactics to the point even legitimate issues are cast aside.

While nothing is for sure, it is very possible if Trump wins the nomination, he will begin to win support from policemen's unions, firemen's unions, trade unions and  manufacturing unions. These have been traditionally democrat voters. I would not be surprised to see the leadership of many of these unions deposed  as they have not delivered by supporting democrats.  I could also see many establishment type republicans move over to the democrat party, particularly those who support open borders and trade policies that benefit international corporations over American workers.

This re-alignment may take several election cycles to accomplish, but the status quo is over. The present status is in its last days. With the energy and excitement in the Sanders and Trump campaigns, it is easy to see the Sanders supporters not being too excited about Clinton. Just look at the vote totals in South Carolina - 737,917 votes were cast for republicans, 367,491 for democrats.  In the other primaries there were more votes for republicans than democrats. When Sanders leaves the race the democrat enthusiasm may very well dry up. Today will be a window into who is going to win the nomination. When it is assured, we will see the endorsements start to flow, and see sides being taken in both parties.


originally published 3/1/16

Latest Covid-19 statistics, U.S. vs Europe.

DEVELOPED WORLD HAS SIMILAR CASUALTIES

NO MAGIC FORMULA DISCOVERED YET

As of today it seems the virus death toll has mostly subsided in western Europe, leveled off in the USA and is still rising in South and Central America.

The United States reports 181,117 deaths, 547 deaths per million, with a population of 331,million.

The developed counties of Western Europe report a total of 155,606, with combined population of 335 million.

Spain has   617 deaths per million

UK             610

Italy           586

France        468

Germany    111

Belgium     862

The average death rate for these 6 countries is 542 per million.

The United States has conducted the most tests at 76 million with a rate of 232,078 per million.

Russia 238,448 test per million

UK tested 223,394 per million.

Much of the statistics from less developed countries is likely not as accurate. 

Again, in the western world, this virus started in Italy and Spain, moved to the rest of western Europe. It seems the worst increases run a 60 day cycle. 

It then increased in Northeastern United States, then subsided and moved to the southeast and then toward western USA. It now seems to be leveling off and subsiding in most areas. Again it seems that it reaches a critical point, then increases rapidly for around 60 days and then levels off and declines.

Whether there is really any proven way of eliminating the effects of this virus is questionable, although Germany seems to have had the best results.

Sweden which never engaged in shutdown has had a death rate of 575 per million.

Brazil which also did not shutdown has a death rate of 543 per million, although they are still reporting large numbers of cases

So it seems that this virus has a death rate for most areas around 550 deaths per million, no matter what steps are taken. A study of Germany's response may reveal the best way of responding. A lot may have to do with a small country with a compliant population which likely had the whole population affected simultaneously, rather in spreading incrementally over a large geographical area.

It also may be that it levels off after affecting the most vulnerable populations. It is likely this will be studied for years. Hopefully it will become an objective analysis after it is no longer a political issue.

Statistics from WORLDOMETER

Lets give hand to the electric providers!

I LOVE THE ELECTRIC COMPANY

AMERICA'S ELECTRIC SERVICE IS A GREAT BARGAIN

A few weeks ago we had the first tropical storm of the fall season. We had trees down and some interruptions of electric service. Within a few days everything was back to normal, but the wailing by customers and even some Governors was an example of the misplaced priorities of today's America.

I am a little tired of hearing it is now the 21st century and how is it possible that the electric is off and sometimes even for days. It is another example of the spoiled nature of today's population. 

My electric bill is the biggest bargain in my expenses. I LOVE the electric company! The ability to run all the modern things we now have in our homes is a still a marvel to me. I also know what it costs to run my generator even for a few days and the inconvenience of filling it with gas twice a day. That will run my refrigerator, freezer and TV. On a monthly basis it would be $450 a month.

No one ever considers the infrastructure that has been built for over century, much of it without consumer or government expense. Some people today do not even understand were this electric comes from. The generation plants from hydroelectric, nuclear, coal and natural gas and some are even surprised that those wires and poles deliver electric to everyone. What are they teaching to our children in school?

So next time someone declares that we need to scrape this system and replace it with electric generation from windmills and solar panels, we should remind them that sometimes the wind doesn't blow and the sun, particularly in the northeast, can be scarce for weeks at a time. We may need to have some other fuel for electric but it will be a long time before we will be carbon free, unless the population is willing to give up 50% of the gadgets they have now.

We see governor Cuoma launching an investigation into why the electric was off. All he needs to do is get in the limo and drive around and see why. Maybe he can issue an executive order that trees are no longer allowed to fall on wires.

We hear that governor of California is also launching an investigation into why there have been brownouts in the state. Of course they cannot use hydroelectric, nuclear or carbon fuel. Maybe they should just ration electric to a predetermined number of kilowatts per household or again issue an executive order that there shall be more electric.

This is the state that fined their electric company, $10 billion because wind blew down trees onto electric wires and started some forest fires. That's ten billion that could have added generation or infrastructure rather than a slush fund for politicians.There used to be clauses in contracts and insurance policies referring to acts of God, but since there no longer is a God, it must be someone else's fault.

It is a symptom of society that takes heat, food and basic necessities for granted.  Who spend $200. a month on their cell phone and internet, and at the same time complain about factory farms, carbon emissions, plastic straws and every other cause celeb. They are the,"no nothings" of today's world and they continue  electing other, "no nothings" to run the country.

Glimpse of new Republican party

CONVENTION SHOWS NEW DIRECTION OF REPUBLICAN PARTY

WIN OR LOOSE IT WILL NEVER BE THE SAME

Watching the Republican convention last week several thing became evident. It appears that Donald Trump has had a significant impact on the party. It is evident that the base of the party as well as Trump is moving away from the idea of nation building and intervention in the affairs of other countries that are not in America's Interest.

 There is also substantial support for enforcing immigration laws and re-thinking trade polices. It is also clear that social policies have been put more onto the state and local level. It is true that the president can use the pulpit to try to sway social trends, but the court and public sentiment is much more powerful.

Trump has voiced his support to lift the IRS rules that forbid the churches from political speech. This is how it should be, why should any church or pastor or any other group for that matter, have to ask permission from the IRS to engage in political speech. Why should any voluntary contributions be classified as income and be subject to tax. If there are products sold for profit that would be another matter. You cannot tax people to vote, nor should you be able to tax people for engaging in first amendment speech. This would allow social warriors to use speech to convince their fellow citizens of their cause. This is very much supported by church groups.

It is obvious that Trump wants to re-evaluate the priorities of the country, it is time for that, without a prosperous and growing economy all other proposals are irrelevant. It seems that Trumps priorities are to set policies to increase economic activity, enforce immigration law, and reevaluate our trade policies, also to set foreign policies to restore respect from our allies and adversaries.

Immigration is just a matter of enforcing existing law, much of trade can be accomplished by strictly enforcing the terms of the treaties. There is going to be much push back from establishment republicans and democrats concerning trade, they have been getting fat on the policies that have devastated our own manufacturing base in favor of foreign manufacturers. It has been a policy to increase regulation and the cost of doing business in American, then replace work with assistance. This explains the growing income gap. History tells us, this needs to be corrected or there will be civil disorder.

The democrats plan is to raise taxes on those doing well and redistributing it to those less fortunate, this is a failed plan. Overall it seems the convention was a success, in that many felt more comfortable about Trump and his family.

originally published 7/28/16

The Bush's image vs results.

BUSH PRESIDENTS, ARCHITECTS OF MID EAST CHAOS

ELITIST VIEW OF WORLD AND AMERICAN VOTERS

It is interesting that the former presidents Bush, found nothing in 8 years to criticize about the policies of Barack Obama. All the while, Obama blamed everything negative that happened to him on the former Bush presidency. It is true that their policies were very similar, so one can assume that they found little difference in their vision for America.

While it is true that the Bush,s did put on a very good appearance of what a president should look like, speak like, and convey an image to impress the citizens of the country, the results were dismal. They spoke like conservatives, but their policies were really those of a progressive politician. They were the establishment's establishment and governed in that manner. They are the main reason that in the election of 2016 anyone who came across as more of the same were soundly rejected by the voters.

We now hear the former Bush Presidents criticize President Trump, they question his style, his demeanor, his unrehearsed comments and his image as president and his approach to foreign policy. Somehow they consider themselves and their cohorts in the state department as experts on foreign policy.

Lets look at the record. First we have Bush the elder, Mr. no new taxes campaigner, who raised taxes in his first year of office.

Then had his ambassador to Iraq, April Glaspie,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Glaspie   give Saddam Hussein the impression we would not object to an invasion of Kuwait. We had been a supporter and ally of Saddam Hussein in his war with Iran. Of course, after he invaded Kuwait, to retake the oil fields that were cut off from Iraq after WW2, Bush then changed his stance. Eventually invaded Iraq , crushed his army, and permanently stationed Troops in Saudi Arabia. These troops being stationed in Saudi Arabia was the motivating factor for the 911 attack on New York.

Then we have his son Bush 2 who got the bright idea that the path to middle east peace is to establish a democracy in the heart of the middle east. This was to be accomplished by a new Marshal Plan to rebuild Iraq and build a democracy. First Iraq needed to be conquered and Saddam dethroned. The propaganda campaign about weapons of mass destruction was started because we needed a pretext to overthrow Hussein. It required cooperation from the intelligence community and the state department. Anyone who objected or tried to give another opinion was savaged, or like Scott Ritter a U.S. citizen who was a U.N. arms inspector in Iraq was badly beaten and latter convicted of having child porn on his computer. The invasion of Iraq led to the increase in Iranian influence and destabilized the region till today.

Bush2 also made the statement before the invasion of Iraq, that it was part of the,"Axis of Evil", along with Iran and North Korea. It sent a clear message to Iran and North Korea that they may be next and encouraged them to speed up their development of nuclear weapons. Of course, we see were we are with this today.

The whole idea of nation building and their polices in the middle east have been a disaster.

Bush 2 never vetoed 1 piece of legislation in 8 years, but signed campaign finance legislation, later ruled unconstitutional by the supreme court, that would have rigged the elections of the future to both the Democratic and Republican  hand picked candidates of the deep state.

Both Bush's were proponents of unlimited immigration and a global view for America. A world were the United States would just be a piece in a bigger world government.

But now we see that Bush's and the deep state contend that their policies have been successful and that for anyone to depart from the course needs to be criticized, demeaned and overthrown if necessary. They would have us believe their policies were in the best interest of America and has been the proper course. It may be more about preserving their legacy than what is the best course of America.

While I agree that Trump, as president,  does't always act in a manner that many are used to. He may sometimes be blunt and undiplomatic in his statements, but his policies are intended to preserve and protect America and the American people. Far more substance than image. I will take substance over image every time.


originally published 11/24/17

Democrats want to bring their city policies to your neighborhood.

ANARCHY AND CHAOS IS THE FORMULA FOR SOCIALIST REVOLUTION

AMERICA MUST BE TORN DOWN TO BE REBUILT

Well, now that the Democrat National convention is over, we can get to the facts about the Democrat agenda. All we have to do is look at the policy's that have been enacted by the New Democrats in Baltimore, New York, Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland and Seattle.

I could go on and on and mention every American city were the Democrats have elected Mayors and District attorneys. Many of these cities have been ruled by Democrats for decades, but now they have all turned far left and are not just involved in the usual city corruption, but engaged in the goal of reinventing America in the image of the USSR, Venezuela or Cuba. In the last 10 years the focus of the Democrat party has been destruction, not reform.

They believe in order to build a new America it needs to be torn down, burned and its history rewritten. 

They espouse an agenda that will raise the cost of energy and also lead to shortages, rolling blackouts and a need to subsidize energy for the poor at the expense of hard working Americans. They will  decide how much energy you should have access to. More chaos.

They also believe Americans should feel guilty for being more prosperous than much of the rest of the world. Not only does the wealth of hard working Americans need to be redistributed to other Americans, but also to the rest of the world.

Their goal of equalizing the wealth of the world by buying products from other countries and putting American workers on a basic substance income. They believe they should decide how much people should be allowed to make and how and on what it should be spent.

They now have expanded from city control and city chaos to state control and state chaos. We see State attorney generals drop charges against looters, arsonist and people who assault police and those who they disagree with. While at the same time prosecuting police and citizens who attempt to protect themselves and their property.

We see them espouse disarming law abiding Americans, disabling the police and corrupting the judicial system all in the hope that they can gain national power and bring those policies to the rest of the nation.

They have nominated a figure head who will espouse a moderate agenda. Who will run a campaign directed and enhanced  by the media. They will tell everyone what they think they should hear, but make no mistake, judge them by their results where ever they have power, not by a false image produced to win an election.

Economy strong, just different.

LONG LASTING SHIFT IN PRIORITIES EVIDENT

SPENDING SHIFTS FROM SERVICES TO HARD GOODS

If you would watch the media debate about the economy you would believe we are in a deep recession or even a depression. While this may be true for the sit down dining, travel and hospitality business the spending seems to have just shifted to other areas.

Real Estate is booming with houses selling over the asking price and a new trend in virtual Real Estate sales. This is being fueled by low interest rates and a mass Exodus out of the major cities to suburban and even rural areas. There is much more demand than inventory of existing homes.

New Construction and expansion must also be booming because lumber futures have increased dramatically with shortages of building materials. Home improvement and hardware stores are having the best years as more people upgrade and work on their homes.

There are year long waiting lists for pole buildings and in ground pools.

Used car sales are also thriving with a shortage of good used cars. These prices have also risen recently.

Leisure recreation items are also in short supply, with boats, kayaks, bicycles, fishing and other outdoor equipment sales doing well.

Internet sales for all items is likely to become a permanent supplanting of brick and mortar retailers. People are buying, just in different ways.

Fast food is doing extremely well and these outlets have upgraded and adjusted to offer quick service. While the lines are long at places like Chick-fil-A they get the products out quickly.

While Nascar is running without spectators, local racing bleachers are jammed and participation by teams is as good as ever.

The stock market has regained all of its losses and indicates a positive view by investors of the future. Those 401K's and pension funds are again in sound condition.

The money that used to be spent dining out has just been reallocated to other areas. Many people who have continued to be employed have more disposable income with their changes in lifestyle. Those businesses who are in a position to provide for those changes are doing extremely well.

It may be a long time for business at sit-down restaurants, hotels and the travel industry to recover, if 

ever. Business travel has been reduced dramatically and has been replaced by Zoom meetings and other virtual formats. Much of that may never return.

Major cities economy's are going to be in dire straits. Between the covid outbreaks and the political unrest, their future is dim indeed. They are in the process of losing large parts of their tax base. This will be followed by business also leaving and the loss of that real estate and sales tax revenue.. They may be left with a large population of those who cannot afford to leave. 

While covid has disrupted the economy in a major way, it is evident that an adjustment and transformation has also occurred. Humans have always adapted well to changing environments. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention.

Not all " Vote By Mail" plans are the same.

SOME PLANS CAN WORK AND SOME WILL BE A DISASTER

EXPECT BOTH SIDES TO USE TO THEIR ADVANTAGE

Much has been made of the plans to have an unprecedented amount of voting by mail. Some plans have been thought out and can work much like absentee voting, but some are a recipe for chaos and corruption.

Plans that have the voter request a ballot and is then checked to see if they are qualified are much like previous absentee balloting. While they are more secure, they are already pushing the limits of election officials to be able to check and get these ballots out.

Plans that just send ballots to all registered voters that are presently on the rolls are subject to more mischief, as no one knows if they are alive, moved, or are placing ballots into other hands.

The worst are just dumping ballots to all addresses and letting everyone vote who can get their hands on the ballots. This is not really a legitimate vote. Maybe it is time for some sort of federal standard for voting in federal elections. It is unlikely anything will happen with that as long as the democrats believe that this gives them an advantage. Just wait until they realize that both sides will, if they can, abuse mail in voting.

Then the problem of getting the ballots to the election counters is going to be a problem, you can anticipate suits claiming that ballots did not get there on time and extending the post marks etc. Some judges will give them months to get more votes if they can.

Then the final counting, good luck with that.  How many will have errors or be incomplete? We will need a army of watchers on both sides to hope to make sure there are no shenanigans.

In effect we are making a simple, tried and proven system of voting into a recipe for chaos and an undermining of our faith in our elections. This is probably just what is the hope. Destabilize and sow seeds of distrust in another foundation of the country.

Congress created Post Office problems.

POST OFFICE MUST COMPETE WITH CONGRESSIONAL MANDATES

RATHER THAN SUBSIDIZE, FIX THE LEGACY PROBLEMS

In 1970, congress supposedly privatized the U.S. Post office. They were mandated to become self sufficient on their postal fees and do without government subsidies. This sounded good, but congress also mandated rules for health care and pensions that place the Post Office at a competitive disadvantage to UPS and Fed -EX. 

In 2006 congress passed the Post office accountability and enhancement Act. This mandated that the Post office have a health care reserve Fund that requires them to place $5.5 Billion a year into reserves. This money is to used to provide health insurance for post retirement employees. Employees can retire after 20 years of service with a reduced rate, but it seems they can continue to collect health insurance benefits. 

When they so called privatized the Post Office they should have allowed them to set up their own pensions and healthcare plans to be competitive with the private sector. Both UPS and Fed-ex have good benefits but they are not like the Federal government benefits that have little accountability. Most government benefits are financed by just raising taxes, without any attempt to modernize these benefits. The Post Office competitors are continually changing and adapting to the times.

I have shipped hundreds of items a year for the last 20 years with the post office and they do a good job. All the horror stories about how bad the post office is exaggerated. The Post office must compete with ever changing competition. The Post office dominates in letters and small light weigh packages. Fed-Ex regular overnight and Fed-Ex ground heavy bulky items. UPS is sort of the middle between the two. There also other providers that specialize in oversees. 

All shippers offer discounts to large shippers, who process and label all the items and either drop off at the post office or have Trucks parked at customers to be loaded with  these pres-labeled and sorted items. This saves all of them costs. These services are available to anyone with an account.

The solution is not for the Post Office to raise their prices as they will be killed by the competition. They need to be given the ability to compete in their cost of benefits. Instead the Post Office is now attempting to close their deficits by becoming more efficient. While this is always good, they cannot do that weighted down by noncompetitive legacy costs. 

Congress needs to allow the Post Office to be truly competitive without subsidies. They should be given certain guidelines and then let them work it out. 

The Post Office is unique in that they are mandated to ship to the furthest places in the country and provide access in many locations. I believe they do a good job.

Is Biden depending on the media to run his campaign?

NO POSITIONS, NO PLAN, JUST HATE TRUMP

DOES HE HOPE TO HIDE UNTIL THE ELECTION?

While Joe Biden has not yet received the official nomination of the Democrat party, it is obvious what his campaign strategy is going to be. Stay as far away from any ad lib or unrehearsed appearances as possible. All appearances are going to be controlled and no interaction with any not approved and orchestrated press. It is likely to be a very fake campaign.

We will see if this will work, he has not yet given an interview with any media, not even those who will throw the softballs and edit out any unfavorable answers. It is unlikely that he will do any live interviews with anyone.

While the democrats and media are touting Biden's substantial lead in the polls, this may be a blessing for Donald Trump. It is always best to be the underdog.

We saw similar strategy from Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney, who both believed they were ahead and tried to hide the last 30 days of the election, both lost. Hillary was jiving in Philadelphia with Obama, Bionce and Jay-z, while Trump was personally campaigning in Wisconsin and Minnesota and Michigan.

It seems Biden believes that with the Media campaign that has been ongoing for the last 4 years he really just needs to run out the clock. 

Can a campaign win with out a detailed plan or positions on important issues.?

Do they believe this is going to be an election about a virus?

Are they going to publicly support open borders, the new green deal, medicare for all, gun confiscation and continued unfair trade deals with the world. Or are they just going to hope the media can damage Trump enough to make them look like the best of bad choices. And engage in a plan of ballot harvesting for weeks after the election.

At least Bernie Sanders was not afraid to take his case to the American people, he was an honest candidate who did not hide from who he was or what he would do if elected. We will not see anything like that from Biden. 

It may be that even he doesn't really know what those who are running his campaign will do to the country if he is elected. Is he just a cardboard cut-out of a would be president?

Biden's first position! national mask mandate.

BIDEN CALLS FOR NATIONAL MASK MANDATE

ARE FEDERAL TROOPS GOING TO ENFORCE MANDATE?

Joe Biden's first stated position in his run for president is a federal mandate for the whole country to wear a mask everywhere, even outside. This is a typical one size fits all remedy that would not only be unrealistic for some parts of the country, but unenforceable. Such a federal mandate would create a likely push back including protests and civil disobedience, just because it is a federal mandate.

How would this be enforced? Would they call on the police to enforce this mandate or withhold federal funds form those that refuse to enforce this federal overreach? This is the same thinking that was instituted with blanket shut-downs of even outside workers. It is lazy, unthinking reaction to calls from the media and other big government types that a national policy is needed.

At present the governors of the states are in the best position to decide what is needed in their states. Most everyone agrees that masks are reasonable inconvenience that should be used by those who are vulnerable. The best way to accomplish this is reasoned persuasion, not a heavy handed mandate. Would he also recommend a total shut down of everything in the country? If the media put enough pressure on him, he likely would.

It is interesting that his mandate would be for the next 90 days, until just after the election.

The fact is, those who are vulnerable are wearing a mask, many others are not, and a federal mandate will not really make any difference without penalties and enforcement, which is not going to happen. So, in effect this is  just another political statement, without any real thought of the consequences of such a mandate. Much like blanket shutdowns.

It is time for the so called experts to admit that they really don't know a lot about this virus. So far, their recommendations have not eliminated the virus and any other action will likely not make a difference. This virus is going to run its course, there is no government action that will eliminate this virus. People who are vulnerable should face up to the fact, it is up to them to do their best to take care of themselves. 

We see workers who have masks positioned below their nose or so loose to be virtually ineffective. I get it, to wear a mask all day in hot weather is not pleasant. They are doing what is mandated but it is meaningless.

Its time people realize we are going to be living with this virus for another year. We are just prolonging the increase in cases that will likely not end until there is a vaccine or most people have had this virus. So far, extreme measures has not, nor will it, eliminate the virus.

Is Telephone polling becoming obsolete?

WHAT CAN REPLACE TELEPHONE POLLING AS AN ACCURATE GAUGE OF PUBLIC OPINION?

ARE POLLING COMPANIES THE NEXT CASUALTY OF THE DIGITAL AGE?

A lot of questions asked, but is polling even now possible? Many people no longer have a land line phone and those that do rarely answer calls that are not recognized. Most rely on an answering machine to screen calls and only return those that they really want. Cell phones all have an ability to indicate the number calling, many do not answer unrecognized callers. Leave a message if you want to talk to these people.

It is very likely that polling companies are mostly winging it in the hope to survive in today's environment. They are likely to go the way of stock brokers. Maybe they can find a way of obtaining accurate information, but the old telephone based polling methods are likely to become a thing of the past. 

Same goes for political calls at election time. I believe they have become a big waste of time. You are lucky to get a 10% answer rate and that is when you are calling friendly party members. 

Emails are now going in the same direction, we are all overloaded with emails and text messages, which result in a numbness to it all. We have become overwhelmed by information. Please, we don't need any more information that we don't really want.

It appears that the information age has brought political communication fully back to the old tried and true door knocking and personal communication. This is still very effective, but very time consuming and hard work. In a local election even up to U.S. Representative it would be wise to scrap all the media and knock on doors night and day. 

Television is still a formidable tool, but even this media is not quite what it used to be. In conversations with many, on both sides of the isle, they are tuning out news and commentary shows and switching to streaming programming like Netflix.  Many have just had enough of it all.

The only true poll will be at election time, lets hope that we can keep that honest and accurate.

Political chess game of Covid relief continues.

TRUMP MAKES A MOVE, NOW DEMS NEXT

PROBABLY NOT LAWFUL, BUT WHO WANTS TO SUE TO DENY BENEFITS?

The political maneuvering over a fourth round of Covid relief intensifies with Trump extending some benefits by executive order. The democrats have been advocating a huge 4th round even before the ink was dry on round 3. They want a package of over $3 Trillion, near the annual budget of the Federal government. It has always been unlikely that they will ever get that much, especially when much of the spending is not directly related to the unemployed or those damaged by the shut down.

The order extends suspension of payment on student loans, since most of this is now owed to the federal government it is unlikely to be challenged.

Extending unemployment benefits of $400 per week, still a large incentive not to go back to work. The fly in this ointment is the states will need to contribute $100.  But, if they don't they may not get the other $300. More chess for sure.

Suspension of the pay-roll tax for the rest of the year. These are federal taxes and in an emergency maybe this can fly. It applies to wages under $100,000. This will be a huge pay increase for those that are working. It will be some incentive to be back at work. It will also provide direct economic stimulus without any paper work or checks to write.

Some incentives to suspend evictions, it is questionable that the federal government can do this. It is much more a state matter. They will soon need a bailout of landlords or banks to cover these losses.

What is not included is liability protection for employers, schools or anyone due to the virus. The democrats refuse this protection. Such lawsuits will hamper any economic recovery. It will be another windfall for the trial lawyers and redistribution.

The biggest thing missing is blanket grants to the states. While they have received aid concerning the virus, it will be unlikely that any bailouts of states with a mismanagement problem can be expected.

This is likely meant to encourage the Democrats to now bargain for a relief bill that will be supported by both sides. It is now their move. Do they want to sue to stop these measures? That would be used as a political weapon by the republicans. We will likely see the new talking points today, as of this AM, they have yet to fashion a good response.

Police need the support of all communities now

NATION ON VERGE OF DOMESTIC DISASTER

LEADERS NEED TO RESTORE CALM NOW

The point may be coming when restoring domestic order may not be possible. Leaders have used race relations to advance their political agenda and it may very well have gone beyond what they had hoped.  It started with the Zimmerman/Martin incident in Florida in 2012. The local district attorney looked at the evidence and did not think there was sufficient evidence for charges. Public outcry and intervention of the federal attorney general made it into a national story during a presidential election year. When the evidence was presented to the jury, Zimmerman was acquitted. But much political hay was made. The Michael Brown incident was similar;  it was hyped by the federal authorities and the media. "Hands up don't shoot", is still chanted in rallies today even though it was not true. Ferguson burned, riots went on for weeks, many lost all they owned, and some died, but the political advantage was worth it. The Garner case in New York was another sad story. Many of these incidents could be avoided if people would just respect the authority of the police. When the police decide they are going to handcuff you, you cannot change their mind by resisting, they must follow through, it then escalates and someone gets hurt. Of course police sometimes act beyond the law and are reprimanded or punished after due process.  There are many thousands of interactions between police and citizens every day. It usually not an experience we enjoy. I would assume all parents instruct their children how to respond to authority in tense situations. Whatever you do, do not threaten, run, act erratic or hurl insults upon a policemen and definitely do not assault a policemen - these actions raise the adrenaline and puts everyone on a hair trigger. Today it is even worse - regular assassinations of policemen have made it more like a continuous combat situation. This will not end well for anyone. We have groups like "Black Lives Matter" that have encouraged the assassination of police officers. These people have not been condemned by the black leaders of the country and often encouraged. Anything for political advantage.

If this situation is not calmed now I would expect to see large numbers of experienced policemen retiring and moving to private security positions, for which there may soon be a large demand. I also can foresee that police will be reluctant to enter certain neighborhoods. If they do not have support of those communities how could you blame them.  Police will need to go back to armored clothing, equipment and heavier firepower in crowd control. I would not be surprised to see incidents where after taking fire from within a crowd, many will be hurt. This needs to be avoided now. We will see if Obama and his race hustlers will now see what they have created and attempt to lower the tension or if they will decide there is more political advantage in more chaos.

Gun sales have been escalating since the 1990's. Some started directly after the LA riots where the only stores that were spared were those of Korean immigrants who manned positions on their roofs with heavy weapons. The riots in Ferguson, Baltimore and the increasing race tensions have added to the fear of suburban and rural residents. Many more have bought guns for protection. When you see the same politicians who have stoked racial tensions and increased divisions by their policies and words now demand restrictions on honest citizens' gun rights it is just more proof that their intentions are not good.  What is needed is a sincere attempt at calming the divisions in the country. A sincere attempt at encouraging private sector real jobs in inner city neighborhoods. If that means no city, state or federal taxes for 10 years, it would still be a good deal.  Not more welfare, food stamps, etc. Jobs create self worth, dignity and self respect. It also earns respect by other citizens. While government policies that encourage private jobs to grow in these communities would be a good start, the dialogue that white people are the problem will not be productive for anyone. I sincerely believe that many white people would volunteer to mentor or help with English, or teach minorities, but I don't see an environment that would allow that in the near future. It would more likely be a demand for more money for the established groups to hand out the benefits.

I did not vote for Obama, but after his election I proclaimed to my young son that if he was a good president he could be the best thing that has happened for race relations and for black citizens in general. His presidency has set race relations back 50 years. I don't know if this is by accident or from his own demons, being an African-American, or if from his ideology. It's clear that the "why" does not matter at this point. His presidency has been a dismal failure for race relations in this country.




Originally published 7/9/2016

Russia to register Coronavirus vaccine in next week.

MASS INOCULATIONS TO BEGIN IN OCTOBER 

HEALTHCARE WORKERS AND ELDERLY PRIORITY

Russia has announced that it will register its first vaccine for corvid-19 by august 12, 2020. It expects to start vaccinations shortly thereafter and begin mass inoculation in October. Many are skeptical that this vaccine has been adequately tested. There are reports that some of the researchers have inoculated themselves in an effort to speed up the process of testing. These methods are not approved by the world health community.

It will be interesting to see if this mass inoculation will occur that soon or is it just an attempt to be the first to announce they are going to start vaccinations on a mass scale.

No matter, it will be a step in the process of testing and approving a workable vaccine. Any problems that may develop will be a setback to the Russian government.

It may be like everything else in the world today, a political opportunity. Hopefully it work out well and hasten a real vaccine to put an end to this pandemic.

Political War casualties mount.

WILL MEDIA, SPORTS AND GOVERNMENT EVER BE THE SAME?

POLITICAL BIAS PERMEATES EVERYTHING

While Donald Trump has been blamed for much of the division in the country, the reality is that the organized opposition to Trump is the real source of the division.

The first casualty was the establishment media, when this election is over, many of them will  succumb to their damage. Newspapers will be the first to go, their is little hope that they will be in existence 10 years from now. Their bias has increased dramatically in the last decade. While they always leaned in one way or another, but when the newspapers consolidated under the control of just a few major corporations they lost any objectivity that they may have had.

The cable and major news networks have been severely damaged, many have become nothing more than propaganda outlets for the Democrat socialist party. They are obsessed with damaging Trump and his supporters in any way possible. There is very little objectivity left. Much of this can also be attributed to the news outlets being consumed by entertainment companies, who now control what is reported and what is intentionally overlooked. If we look at the casualties on the staffs and on the programming of these companies it is amazing at the slaughter that has occurred, from Bill O'Reilly on Fox to now Ellen Degeneres. No one is safe. The list of people forced out under the guise of political correctness is pilling up with no end in sight.

Social media companies have taken sides and blocked opinion and free speech of those they do not endorse or support. It is time for a large media company with their own satellite system that offers news, internet, entertainment and social media with a strict policy of free speech and objectivity. There is thirst for such an enterprise. It would be very successful.

The politicization of the Department of Justice, the State department and the Intelligence communities and other federal offices under the Obama administration is a sorry indictment on our government. There is a long list of employees retired or fired due to their partisanship, likely it is just the tip of the iceberg. Can anyone now have faith in the FBI or intelligence community?

Even funerals have become an opportunity for a political statement.

Sports is likely to be the latest casualty. The professional sports leagues will regret the day they folded to political pressure to become involved in political issues. Sports was always a haven from the cares, stress and monotony of every day living. It united people in support of their home team. It was fun. Is it all over now? They should have united in their staying away from all politics.

Presidents and others often attended games or threw out the first pitch, it was not a political policy statement, but just a point of unity for the nation. Much of this also has to do with the media tycoons who control the coverage of these events. Without coverage their revenue dies. It will also die as a growing number of people will refuse to watch.

Corporations have also succumbed to political pressure for some political cause. I am sure it is being taken noticed by many. They, as sponsors, have pressured teams and others to take political positions. There was a day when corporations and business stayed clear of political issues, it was a good policy.

We have been in an all out political war for the future of the country. Many hate everything about America. They are determined to discard everything that made this country a place of opportunity for everyone who did what was required to be successful. It has been a tactic of divide and conquer. In any war there are casualties, there will likely be many more.

2020 election, flash-backs of 1968,1972

SAME ISSUES, MANY OF THE SAME PLAYERS

WILL IT RESULT IN SAME OUTCOME?

Having been around at the time of the 1968 and 1972 elections,  I am struck by the similarities of the issues and tactics compared to this election.

The 1968 election was between Richard Nixon of California, and Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota. It was turbulent time with protests and rioting opposed to the Vietnam war. There was also many civil rights protests and the Black-Power movement. This election marked a dramatic shift and re-alignment of the states supports for political parties. 

Nixon promised to end the War with honor and Humphrey called for an immediate withdrawal and to continue the social policies of the Johnson administration who refused to run for re-election. There was also a third party run by George Wallace who opposed much of the civil rights agenda.

Earlier in the year there was the assassinations of Martin Luther King and  Robert Kennedy, who had won the California primary that day. This was followed by rioting in many of the largest cities in the country.

Nixon ran on Law and order and ending the war but on honorable conditions. He ran to appeal to the democrat voters in the southern states, which were locked up by the democrats since the FDR era. This was a time of serious social unrest much more widespread than today.

This was the time of the founding and growth of the "Students for a democratic society" and then the   "Weather Underground"  both adherents of  Marxist Leninist ideology of revolution and implementing a socialist government in America.

Nixon was not exactly well liked, he was hated by the media and had been labeled "Tricky Dick" by many. Nixon went on to win 32 states, Humphrey 13, and Wallace 5.

In 1972, the contest was between the incumbent Nixon and George McGovern of South Dakota. The war was still going on but had actually been escalated and there were peace talks being negotiated with North Vietnam. Nixon had opened up relations with China as a counter to the USSR. He ran on a foreign policy platform and also on law and order. McGovern ran on ending the war and a guaranteed minimum income.

Nixon first used the term ,"Silent Majority" to appeal to mainstream America.

McGovern was the favorite of counter culture who assumed he would work to legalize marijuana, end the draft and institute more social policies.

The time was marked by the violent action of the Weather Underground. SDS, and the Black Panthers, all Marxist organizations. They engaged in bombings, arson, and attacks on police and government buildings. They financed their movement with bank robberies and other theft. Today they can extort finances from american corporations.They protested  against white privilege, capitalism and U.S. imperialism. Some of the young leaders of that time are the same leaders of the present movement.

Barack Obama began his presidential campaign in the home of Bill Ayers a Weather Underground founder and convicted of numerous bombings. Many knew what he was talking about when Obama hoped to "Fundamentally Transform America".  Bob Avakian was also around at that time and is now the head of the U.S. Communist party and endorsed Joe Biden Yesterday.

Nixon won 49 states and McGovern 1, Massachusetts. The southern realignment that began under Nixon is still pretty firm for Republicans, the coasts have now mostly succumbed to the lure of left wing ideology. The cities are now mostly populated and ruled by adherents to that same socialist ideology, the results have not been pretty. It is unlikely that the landslide of 1972 will ever be repeated.