2025-05-04
2025-05-03
2025-05-01
2025-04-30
Something insane happened today
Spain, Portugal, and part of France lost power for ten hours.
2025-04-29
2025-04-26
2025-04-25
2025-04-23
America’s Silent Inheritance: The Hidden $150 Trillion
I am hearing radio advertisements for this. Maybe they are trying to get people to invest. Maybe it is a scam.
I don't know how accurate this is. If there were natural resources that could be used to pay off the National Debt, then that would be a good thing.
What's Actually Hidden?
According to Rickards, the "silent inheritance" includes an enormous supply of strategic materials—copper, lithium, silver, rare earths—buried beneath government-controlled land across the western United States.
"We have all these essential materials right under our feet," says Rickards. "Incredibly, insanely, however, the United States is the only nation in the world that locks them up."
The sheer value is hard to fathom:
"It's enough to pay off the national debt four-times over… enough to take a 100% stake in every company listed on the NASDAQ… and buy every private home in the United States."'
2025-04-22
2025-04-20
What If China Wins the Trade War?
'The Trump administration believes that it has the upper hand in this fight. "We export one-fifth to them of what they export to us," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently remarked, "so that is a losing hand for them." That view has things backwards. The fact that the American economy is hooked on Chinese goods is a massive weakness for the U.S., not an advantage. For many categories of goods, China is not only America's top supplier but also the world's dominant supplier, meaning that the U.S. can't simply get them from other countries. According to data gathered by Jason Miller, a professor at Michigan State University who specializes in supply-chain management, China produces more than 70 percent of the world's lithium-ion batteries, air conditioners, and cookware; more than 80 percent of the world's smartphones, kitchen appliances, and toys; and about 90 percent of the world's solar panels and processed rare earth minerals, the latter of which are crucial inputs to cars, phones, and several key military technologies.
Pivoting to producing these goods at home would take years, if not decades: It would involve forming new companies, building new factories, creating supply chains from scratch, and training fleets of workers. For it to happen at all, companies would have to be confident that the tariffs would be in place for the long term. China, meanwhile, is only heavily dependent on the U.S. for a small fraction of its imports, and most of those items, such as soybeans and sorghum, can be imported from elsewhere.
Chinese businesses will be hurt by losing access to the American market, but that is an easier problem to solve. China can redirect some of its exports to countries in Europe and East Asia, whose citizens also need phones, toys, and toasters. Beijing could also give money to its own citizens to create more demand for its products at home and provide subsidies to its businesses to help them remain solvent. This asymmetry gives China what the economist Adam Posen calls "escalation dominance": the ability to inflict disproportionate harm on its economic enemy.'
Pivoting to producing these goods at home would take years, if not decades: It would involve forming new companies, building new factories, creating supply chains from scratch, and training fleets of workers. For it to happen at all, companies would have to be confident that the tariffs would be in place for the long term. China, meanwhile, is only heavily dependent on the U.S. for a small fraction of its imports, and most of those items, such as soybeans and sorghum, can be imported from elsewhere.
Chinese businesses will be hurt by losing access to the American market, but that is an easier problem to solve. China can redirect some of its exports to countries in Europe and East Asia, whose citizens also need phones, toys, and toasters. Beijing could also give money to its own citizens to create more demand for its products at home and provide subsidies to its businesses to help them remain solvent. This asymmetry gives China what the economist Adam Posen calls "escalation dominance": the ability to inflict disproportionate harm on its economic enemy.'
2025-04-18
2025-04-15
2025-04-13
Death to Nickels
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58SrtQNt4YE
We could stop making nickels and one-cent coins while keeping them in circulation. As more transactions become electronic, the need for cash should go down.
We should also encourage sales tax to adjust to a ten-cent currency. Change for a quarter might be tricky, but there would still be nickels, and people would adjust if there was a shortage of nickels.
The smart thing would be to start with eliminating the 1-cent coin as a trial run.
We should also encourage sales tax to adjust to a ten-cent currency. Change for a quarter might be tricky, but there would still be nickels, and people would adjust if there was a shortage of nickels.
The smart thing would be to start with eliminating the 1-cent coin as a trial run.
2025-04-12
Sorry America - WAN Show
I don't listen to three-hour live streams, but this one talks for 7 minutes about the disruption of the computer industry.
In this 8-minute segment, he defends the United States.
Douglas Murray on the Brian Kilmeade show
I found the following interesting...
https://www.briankilmeade.com/radio
Douglas Murray: The media hates Trump for doing what he campaigned on
2025-04-11
2025-04-08
'This is wild' | Columbus neighbors react to historic Bartholomew County floods
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fivCkAzwoY
The flood peaked two days ago. The day before, I took State Road 46 to get to the Interstate so I could get to Louisville. State Road 46 was flooded the next day.
Reflections on America
@john2001plus
0 seconds agoThere are many restaurants in America, mostly chains, where one can enjoy a nice meal for $20 to $40. This is how most Americans dine out when not opting for fast food.
Cornbread is not cake; it is a dense bread. While I'm not particularly fond of the taste, it pairs well with BBQ, chili, or beans.
Many large cities in the United States have become dysfunctional, or they contain areas you'd want to avoid. Smaller cities tend to be the best places to live.
2025-04-06
What Caused Today's Culture War?
This is an interesting discussion about how our brains work.
2025-04-04
Trump's Tariff Motives
I expressed the opinion that Trump is motivated by a desire to win over voters, particularly among working-class people who traditionally vote Democrat. Although he is not running for re-election, his party still needs to win elections.
However, I had another thought. Trump also wants to push his vision of how he believes the world should work. This seems likely.
In some cases, such as cutting waste, fraud, and abuse, his vision for the country is beneficial. However, his stance on tariffs is not. Implementing such a massive change using powers the President should not have is authoritarian. While his intentions may be good, restricting free trade ultimately harms our freedoms.
The free market has already determined the most efficient way to manufacture and distribute goods. When governments interfere with incentives and regulations, they disrupt an already efficient system.
Trump claims that trade deficits mean we are financing other countries, effectively giving them a free ride. In reality, the opposite is true. Some countries send us more goods than we send them, and they use their excess dollars to finance our national debt.
Trump's tariffs amount to a $600 billion tax on the American people, yet he insists they will make us richer. In truth, the tariffs will disproportionately affect low-income individuals. Reportedly, every job saved through protectionism can cost consumers hundreds of thousands of dollars up to a million dollars.
Yesterday, I heard that Congress is considering reasserting control over tariffs to counter Trump's policies.
The ideal outcome would be for all countries to eliminate tariffs, allowing for truly free trade. However, I make an exception for nations that pose a potential threat or engage in human rights abuses. In such cases, tariffs can serve as a strategic bargaining tool.
In some cases, such as cutting waste, fraud, and abuse, his vision for the country is beneficial. However, his stance on tariffs is not. Implementing such a massive change using powers the President should not have is authoritarian. While his intentions may be good, restricting free trade ultimately harms our freedoms.
The free market has already determined the most efficient way to manufacture and distribute goods. When governments interfere with incentives and regulations, they disrupt an already efficient system.
Trump claims that trade deficits mean we are financing other countries, effectively giving them a free ride. In reality, the opposite is true. Some countries send us more goods than we send them, and they use their excess dollars to finance our national debt.
Trump's tariffs amount to a $600 billion tax on the American people, yet he insists they will make us richer. In truth, the tariffs will disproportionately affect low-income individuals. Reportedly, every job saved through protectionism can cost consumers hundreds of thousands of dollars up to a million dollars.
Yesterday, I heard that Congress is considering reasserting control over tariffs to counter Trump's policies.
The ideal outcome would be for all countries to eliminate tariffs, allowing for truly free trade. However, I make an exception for nations that pose a potential threat or engage in human rights abuses. In such cases, tariffs can serve as a strategic bargaining tool.
Historical US Unemployment
https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/166664/economics/historical-us-unemployment/
According to Google, the current unemployment rate is 4.1%.
I remember unemployment being a big issue in the 1970s. The trend since then seems to be slowly downward. However, this says nothing about the quality of jobs.
The bottom line is that I don't see a strong reason for protectionism.
Reportedly, every job saved through protectionism can cost consumers hundreds of thousands of dollars up to a million dollars.
I remember one economist, I'm not sure who, talking about the fallacy of wanting full employment. He said that for the government to guarantee people jobs is more costly than just supporting them through welfare programs. I don't know if this is true, and it might be better to have people working.
2025-04-03
What The Hell Happened on LIBERATION DAY?!
I'm sorry, but Trump's tariffs are insane, and it is based on multiple illogical premises.
When governments interfere with the free market, creating perverse incentives, which governments everywhere routinely do, it makes the market less efficient.
2025-04-02
2025-03-31
2025-03-30
16-Year-Old Girl Wakes Up Every Day Thinking It’s June 11
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKQV0u2-7OA
I have heard of a condition called anterograde amnesia, where people can't retain new memories.
Why you should sign up for a My Social Security Account Now
Why You Should Sign Up for a My Social Security Account Now.
On April 1st, the government will increase its requirements for proving your identity for any changes to Social Security. In some cases, you may have to go to your local Social Security office.
They claim that this is not a problem if you have a My Social Security account. I believe it is best to create the account now so you won't have to worry about it later. With a My Social Security account, you can access your Social Security benefits online. Signing up took me about 25 minutes.
Part of this process involves creating an account with login.gov. They asked me to set up two-factor authentication, which was no problem. The catch is that they also recommend downloading an authentication app on my phone as an additional way to verify my identity. I tried this, but I had no idea how the app works, so I skipped this step.
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2025-03-29
2025-03-28
DESI Observations Confirm Possible New Physics in Cosmology
Apparently, Dark Energy is getting weaker as the universe expands.
Hillary Clinton warns Trump ‘stupidity’ will leave US ‘feeble and friendless’
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/28/hillary-clinton-trump-stupidity
People don't fully understand Trump. His modus operandi is to take bold actions and adjust course as needed.
Trump is also a troll. Reportedly, his book The Art of the Deal advocates making outrageous statements as a negotiation tactic. He may be a bully, but at this moment, he is the right person for the job.
People don't fully understand Trump. His modus operandi is to take bold actions and adjust course as needed.
Trump is also a troll. Reportedly, his book The Art of the Deal advocates making outrageous statements as a negotiation tactic. He may be a bully, but at this moment, he is the right person for the job.
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