Iran oil

Prior to the development of the oil fields by US engineers the countries in the Middle East were just desert tribes living in tents. Since that time these countries have prospered except for Iran. The GDP per capita in Saudi Arabia is $36,000, in Kuwait $32,000, in UAE $49,000 and Iran $4,000. Oil reserves in Saudi Arabia are 260 billion barrels, Kuwait 101 billion, in UAE 111 billion and Iran 208 billion. In answer to the question is the Iranian leader rich, Google AI responds: Yes, Mojtaba Khamenei, appointed as Iran's new Supreme Leader in March 2026, is reported to control a vast, hidden financial empire. Investigations estimate his wealth, built through shell companies and oil revenue, exceeds $100 billion, including luxurious real estate in London, Dubai, and across Europe, controlled via proxy It is time for the world to help the Iranian people to stand up to this autocratic regime.

Running out of workers

Countries in the West and others in the East like Japan, China and South Korea are losing population. Social security programs depend on current workers supporting current retirees and people are having fewer children and living longer. The only solution is to raise the retirement age and/or cut benefits to retirees but politicians who suggest such things are not reelected. Some feel that bringing in immigrants will solve the problem but the math shows that only postpones the problem and eventually makes things worse. Two recent attempts at using immigration illustrate the problem. Canada began bringing in 500,000 immigrants per year. This is a country with a population of 40 million. It would be like the US bringing in 4 million immigrants per year. Adding to the problem was Canada’s merit-based immigration system, that gave preferential treatment to immigrants with higher education and special skills. This allowed them to receive higher wages which drove up the price of housing to the point where native Canadians can no longer afford a house. Another example is Germany. They began bringing in millions of new comers mostly from Africa and the Middle East and the majority were Muslims. Immigration was too rapid and the new people could not or would not assimilate. Now they are deporting them. One possible solution looming on the horizon is AI. It is possible that robots could manufacture goods so efficiently that people could work less and still have their needs provided. In the 1930’s the 40-hour week became the standard. Perhaps the time has come for the 30-hour week. Then it might be more acceptable to raise the retirement age.

The Jews

During the 1600 years that the Holy Roman Church represented Christianity throughout Europe, most people were illiterate with three exceptions, the priest, the nobility and the Jews. Jewish families taught their sons to read and write so they could read the holy books. Also, during these years, the Holy Roman Catholic Church historically banned the lending of money at interest (known as usury) for centuries, considering it a mortal sin and contrary to charity and justice. This meant that in the communities only the Jews could read and write and only the Jews could lend money, so by necessity they became the bankers. As the Jewish families prospered others felt it was unfair and this led to a dislike for the Jews. In the US this dislike was seen in many areas, one in particular was medicine. Jewish doctors faced significant discrimination and were largely kept out of staff positions at many non-Jewish hospitals in the early 1900s, particularly in the US and Europe. Anti-Semitic quotas, which restricted entry to medical schools and hospital training programs, were common from the 1920s to the 1960s, leading to the creation of Jewish hospitals to provide both care and employment opportunities. The Jews responded in typical Jewish fashion by building their own hospitals where all doctors are welcome. Historically and currently, many hospitals founded by the Jewish community—often established to serve immigrant populations and train Jewish doctors facing discrimination—are ranked among the best in the world

US oil

The big Gulf Coast refineries were built years ago, the last being in 1976. At that time the heavy sour oil from Venezuela, Canada and Mexico were the main sources of crude. Later the light sweet crude from Texas became available along with oil from Saudi Arabia but these were more expensive and not suitable for the US refineries. America First Refinery is joining forces with a company from India to build a plant in Brownsville TX to refine light sweet crude from Texas and North Dakota. This will be the first new refinery built in the US since 1976. These refined oil products will be made and sold in the US. This is part of the overall strategy of making and selling products in the US as opposed to sending production overseas. This is the reindustrialization of America that will expand manufacturing in all areas.

Change in Iran

Israel became a country on May 15, 1948 and the next day they were invaded by a coalition of Arab states, including Egypt, Syrian, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon. That was followed up with 4 more wars, the last in 2006. The two-state solution between Israel and Palestine has been the goal and today that seems possible if Iran is neutralized. If the Iranian people are given the opportunity to replace the current theocratic dictatorship with a government elected by the people, Iran can become a part of the Middle East family. Next, using the Abraham Accords, the Arab countries can join forces with Israel to rebuild Gaza and set the stage for the long desired two-state solution. Countries around the world, with the exception of China and Russia, are behind the Iranian people in their quest for freedom. Iran has been a thorn in the side of the desire for peace in the Middle East since 1979 and this is the best opportunity to change the country that is considered the promoter of terrorism around the world.

SS

People often ask when is the best time to start social security but, in many ways, it is a moot question. This is because social security is like an annuity. It always pays out the same amount based on life expectancy. Example. Take $2,000 per month at age 62 or $3,500 per month at age 70. Life expectancy for a white male at age 62 is 20 years and 16 years at age 70. $2,000 per month for 20 years is $480,000 while $3,500 per month for 16 years is $672,000. If you start at invest $2,000 per month at 5% for 8 years you will have $235,000 and adding that to $480,000 you have a total of $715,000. This is one way that retired people can invest in the stock market with minimal risk. The reasons to start early are less about money but more about feeling well enough to do things when you are younger. One other point is that social security is racist. Example. A white female and a Black male both have the same work record and both receive $2,000 per month from social security. The Black male has a life expectancy of 15.5 years while the White female lives another 22 years. The male collects $372,000 and the female collects $528,000. One way to even things out is to privatize social security.

Tariff free

Germany was the economic power house of Europe all during the cold war. They manufactured high quality industrial products and exported them, many to the US. Before the Ukraine war (prior to February 2022), Germany maintained a massive, decades-long trade surplus, driven by strong manufacturing exports (machinery, cars, chemicals) and reliance on cheap Russian energy imports. In 2021 the trade surplus was $200 billion. They did this by producing quality products and using tariffs. In 2021 sending a $30,000 Cadillac to Germany cost an additional $11,000 in tariffs, fees and VAT. The cost to import a $30,000 German car to the US was $750. Germany’s debt to GDP ratio was 70% and the US was 120%. Trade deficits are counted as debt. Recent negotiations have tended to even this out with import tax on a $30,000 German car at $4,500 and the tax on shipping an American car to Germany remains the same. This encourages Germany to produce more cars in the US to avoid the tariff. As of early 2025, German carmakers are looking to expand North American output to secure their market position in the face of tariff risks, which has already seen a significant portion of German automotive jobs (up to 78,000) potentially moving to the U.S.. Tariff free is best but only if they are fair. Zero tariffs for all countries would be ideal.