2026-02-15

Why the Economy Hasn't Crashed Yet

P.S.  I have recently discovered Windows Reading Mode.  You can highlight text and then select reading mode.  Then hit play to have the text read aloud.

This is a different take on economics and Trump.


@john2001plus
0 seconds ago
This "economist" has written only one book that reportedly blames inflation on everything except the government printing money.  Some of the reviewers on Amazon called it "Liberal BS."

The anti-Trump people tend to spin facts in the worst possible way for Trump.  I'm sure the same thing was true for Biden and Obama.

This video has ideas that ring true, but might be half truths and don't necessarily see the whole picture.

I understand why people hate Trump.  He is a troll, a narcissist, and a bully.  But he can also be a kind man that cares passionately about helping the country..  He came along at a time when Americans wanted someone strong to stand for them.  Despite his personality flaws, he uses his influence to get things done.  The country is going broke and has many problems, so Trump is the strong man that people need to fix things.  Despite his flaws, I see Trump as a net positive.

If you privately own a business, you may think that you are your own boss, but you really work for your customers.  If you don't provide the customers with what they need for a price that they are willing to pay, you won't have a business.  In some businesses, you need to innovate or die.   Corporations are no different.  You may say that corporations work for the shareholders, but the companies are really working for their customers.  The shareholders are just the investors.

Having people employed by the government and government regulations aren't necessarily a good thing unless they are doing positive work and not hindering the free market or just wasting resources, in which case getting rid of those things frees up resources that can be put to more productive use.

The fact the corporations curry favor from the government is a sign of a government that is too powerful with too much control.  I don't doubt that there is corruption, since all major companies have lobbyists, but big government is the problem.  The countries that are closer to socialism are always more corrupt because their governments have too much power.

Private individuals donate to politicians that they politically agree with. Companies are the same way. Some companies do benefit massively from government spending, but many private individuals are also dependent upon government spending, so they vote and donate accordingly.

Because of political influence, I have long thought that only private citizens should be allowed to donate to campaigns.

Sugar: THE BITTER TRUTH

Things That Quietly Damage Your Kidneys Every Day (Doctor Explains)

An atheist explains the most convincing argument for God

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t44PFI_V4LE&t=468s

This argument has a physics way of thinking, saying that there must be a fundamental force behind the workings of the universe.  However, physics has already identified the four forces that it believes are fundamental.  Whether those fundamental forces have a cause might be impossible to determine, but if they did then they wouldn't be fundamental.  And there may be no underlying cause because they are fundamental, meaning they are simply are.

One doesn't have to think about physics to believe in a god.  Everything we see is created by something else.  How far back in time does that go?  So the religious argument is that you can't have creation without a creator.  My problem with that line of reasoning is who created God and how far back does that go?

Logically, I have a problem with infinities.  I assume that you can't have infinite anything, because infinite matter would have an infinite gravitational attraction.  However, we assume that every moment in time had a moment that came before it and another that follows.  Likewise, for every location in space, we assume that there is something beyond it.  Does space go on forever?

What I am trying to say is that the universe makes no sense.  It is either infinite or finite, and if it is finite, what lies beyond?  Nothing?  However, the toughest question to answer is why there is something instead of nothing at all?  Either the fundamental cause was physical or something else.  If you want to say that God was the fundamental cause, I can't prove you wrong.

I don't know that we will ever be able answer these questions.  Religion is a failed science because it provides imperfect and usually false answers to why things are the way they are.  Modern science has done a really good job of explaining how things work, but not necessarily why the universe exists.

2026-02-14

Why Cops ASSUME You're LYING!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yUdFY90FJo

Don't talk to the cops.  Get a lawyer.

Kermit the Frog - Pictures in My Head

Putin’s Real Problem Isn’t NATO

BSG



I've tried a couple of times over the last few months to restart watching Battlestar Galactica. I didn't get very far, partly because I felt obligated to watch the streaming services I'm currently paying for. I also hesitated to watch it again because, over the last 22 years, I've watched the entire series three times. I've seen the pilot miniseries and season 1, episode 1 several times, and they are both fantastic. Because of that, I figured I must have the show memorized by now.

Another concern was that the series is more of a soap opera than I remember it being.

However, I watched the first half of the miniseries last night and fell in love with the show all over again. The acting and the drama are outstanding. Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell have screen presences that are truly remarkable. The entire supporting cast is excellent as well, especially Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, Aaron Douglas, Michael Hoganand James Callis.

The special effects are starting to look dated, but they were movie quality at the time of the release.

I'd like to watch one episode per night until I make it all the way through the series.

2026-02-11

Sarah Paine: the Risk of Nuclear War, WW3 and NATO



@john2001plus
0 seconds ago
I would normally respect Sarah Paine, but Trump has stated that he is not interested in a military takeover of Greenland, so her entire argument is a strong reaction to a non-threat.   I didn't realize she was so anti-Trump.  She thinks that he is destroying alliances that keep the United States safe, but this seems like an overstatement.  Despite his flaws, Trump seems smart enough to act in the best interest in the United States and surrounds himself with good advisors.

America's Most Repeated Foreign Policy Mistake - Sarah Paine

This might be my hottest take


@john2001plus
3 years ago
I would also kill all the mosquitoes.

Job Numbers

2026-02-10

Zohran Mamdani and ICE

Fwd: Does the truth still matter?

FYI.

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: John Coffey 
To: Grant

Grant,

I do not want to see government overreach.  Constitutional limits on federal government power started being ignored about 90 years ago.

There are two related issues here:

We live in a very dangerous world, so we must protect our national security, while not ignoring constitutional rights.  BTW, I'm halfway through watching the movie Snowden, and even though Snowden may have had some valid concerns, I can't not forgive someone disclosing classified information.  If I had done that in my job, I would be in prison.

People should follow the law when immigrating to this country, and we should enforce those laws.  Without a border you don't have a country.  You don't want just anybody sneaking in because you can't control whether it is a terrorist, drug dealer, or violent criminal.

I've argued with Steve, who thinks that we should allow anyone to cross the border with no restrictions whatsoever.  That's like saying you would just let an invading army cross your border for the sake of freedom.  There are a great many more people who want to move here than the other way around.  What happens if everyone in the world who wants to come here is able to do so?  At some point you have to have a limit, and that limit has no meaning unless you enforce it.

The political left is trying to score political points by turning this into a human rights issue, even if their position makes no sense.  National elections are decided by very slim margins, and they only need to persuade 2% to regain power.  Once they do so, I presume that they will open the floodgates again.  Under current law, illegal aliens count for apportionment in Congress, and subsequently the Electoral College, which should be illegal.  That is their real motive.

--

2026-02-07

RFK Jr. said this diet could 'cure' mental illness. Here's a fact check.

Doctors told HuffPost that Kennedy isn't necessarily all wrong in his claims, but there is way more to the story. Here's what to know:

Kennedy's comments align with the ideology his "Make America Health Again" campaign promotes, "which is 'natural' is better for your health," said Nicole Lippman-Barile, a clinical psychologist.

Kennedy has a history of demonizing medications like antidepressants, making statements claiming that they are more addictive than heroin and that they contribute to violent behavior, which is not proven. 

There is ongoing research into the role nutrition plays in mental illness, but any claims that keto is a "cure" are way overstated. 

Dr. Brooke Resch, a psychiatrist in Minnesota, said in an Instagram video that there is some evidence that suggests a keto diet may be beneficial in a mental health treatment plan, but there is not "a ton at this point" to support that.

Palmer, whom Kennedy likely referenced in his speech, has explored the potential impact of the keto diet on mental illnesses like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, but Lippman-Barile said his research is often made up of very small sample sizes or only covers short periods of time, like a few weeks or months.

"We also have no long-term studies looking at the keto diet and what that does for mental illness," she said.

"Even the most recent research that [Kennedy's] citing in this speech here says these exact same things ― that it's too soon to have this as a clinical recommendation" 


Kennedy got his post by supporting Trump, but he has always seemed like an oddball to me.

New Rule: Super Bet Sunday | Real Time with Bill Maher


I couldn't agree more.

Even Liberals Scared by Zohran Mamdani

2026-02-05

Spelling

Maybe some people know this already, but spelling tends to confuse me...

The words "dying", "dyeing", and "dieing" are all separate words.  The second refers to coloring something with a dye.  The third refers to cutting metal with a die.


2026-02-03

Does the truth still matter?


@john2001plus
6 minutes ago (edited)
John,

I loved "The Fault in Our Stars" movie.

The "truth" seems like spin to me.  Federal law enforcement agents are trying to enforce laws approved by congress and the president.  Obama was known as "deporter in chief", but to this the political left was relatively quiet.  Immigration enforcement is Donald Trump's most popular issue, so the real agenda is to diminish his most popular policy.

The left is trying to give us the 2020 riots again.  However, if they go too far there will be a backlash, and the public will return to wanting law and order.

Best wishes,

John Coffey

2026-01-31

What life is like on a ship in the stormy north sea

Coal is Extremely Dumb



@john2001plus
Tell it to the Chinese who keep building coal plants.

Reportedly, Biden closed coal plants.  What gives him that right?   Shouldn't people have the free choice to use coal if that is their best option?  I'm not saying it is their best option, but do we live in a free society where people can make choices?  Is coal so bad that the choice should be taken away?  I acknowledge that it might be.  I am also concerned about pollutants.

If solar and batteries are cheaper in 30 years then people will choose that, but I'm skeptical because I have been hearing this for decades.  I'm also not sure that so-called renewables can meet our energy needs.  For the moment, fossil fuels are the most reliable sources of energy.

We don't have infinite energy resources.  Reportedly, we have about 45 to 50 years of oil reserves remaining. Likewise, I have heard that most fossil fuels will be depleted by the year 2100.  Ironically, the fossil fuel that will last the longest, and the one that we will be forced to use in the next century, is coal.

I've long thought that geothermal would be a limitless source of energy, and I've heard that some progress has been made in that area.

I am a climate alarmism skeptic because of the data on temperature and CO2.  Around 2010, actual climate scientists were saying that the Climate Sensitivity to a doubling of CO2 is 6 to 12 degrees celsius.  I watched many videos about this.  However, the data doesn't support this at all.  The data indicates that it might be around 2 degrees.  Early in that decade, it was very common to hear them say, "We are on track to raise the average atmospheric temperature by 3 degrees by the year 2100, and that would be bad.  However, if we can get it down to 2 degrees then this would still be bad, but manageable."  I heard this repeatedly.   However, by the end of the decade, I was watching videos where the numbers had changed.  They gave the exact same speech, but said that 2 degrees would be very bad, but if we could just get it down to 1.5 degrees then that would be manageable.  They moved the goal post.  The reasons for this might be complicated, but I remember the IPCC accepting a paper that cited 20nth century data indicating that the climate sensitivity might only be 1.5 degrees.

How Toronto Solves Driveway Snow Problems So Easily

2026-01-30

10 Things You Didn't Know About Hitler.

Always practice active situational awareness and have a plan to act

America's Greenland strategy is genius, actually

Fact-checking anti-aging meds | Metformin, Rapamycin, NMN

This is a bit dry but has some useful information.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvUrcbwAd1Y&t=1074s

The first part, which my link skips, claims that there is no good evidence that Metformin and Rapamycin are anti-aging.

Saturated Fat Misinformation Spread by MAHA

Trump tells Iran: end nuclear ambitions and stop killing protesters or face US military

"We have a lot of very big, very powerful ships sailing to Iran right now, and it would be great if we didn't have to use them."

Trump says intelligence released by Gabbard showed Obama ordered other to manufacture intelligence


On Friday, Gabbard released a memo seeking to undercut the findings that Putin tried to swing the election for Trump, but in doing so released documents on claims that are not in dispute.

The memo, as well as another 114 pages of related documents, primarily rested on details discussing whether there was a Russian effort to directly manipulate the actual vote count.

Obama officials at the time, as well as in later intelligence reports, said that the adversary never succeeded in changing any votes.

Gabbard releases 2020 House report on 2016 election interference

DIG-Russia-Hoax-Memo-and-Timeline_revisited.pdf

DIG-Declassified-Evidence-Obama-Subvert-President-Trump-2016-Victory-Election-July2025.pdf