Job loss

China's GDP per capita was less than $300 per year for thousands of years. In 1945 communist under Mao took control and over the next forty years this rose to $1,000 per person. In 1978 the government opened the economy to the free market and GDP per person increased to $3,600 by 2000. In 2001 China joined the WTO and the GDP increased to $8,000 by 2010. In the last 20 years the US has lost 100,000 manufacturing plants and 5 million manufacturing job to overseas countries primarily China. These were the good jobs that the middle income blue collar workers enjoyed and watched big government and big business join hands to send these jobs away. In 1993 the US signed the NAFTA agreement and this resulted in further loss of manufacturing jobs. Remember when Ross Perot said that giant sucking sound you hear is jobs going to Mexico so people knew what would happen. Moreover, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal that nearly 4.5 million U.S. manufacturing jobs have been lost overall since NAFTA took effect. NAFTA has now been replaced with something more fair and this job loss should stop. Bringing back jobs from China is now a promise by both presidential candidates.

ACA

This is from a December 2018 article from Reuters. NEW YORK (Reuters) - The number of Americans who signed up for 2019 insurance plans created by the Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare, fell by about 4 percent to 8.5 million people from 2018, the U.S. government said on Wednesday. This represents 2.5% of the American people and polls show that 3% of the public consider it a problem.

Abortion churches

Major religious groups that opposed abortion with little or no exceptions. membership Southern Baptist Convention 14,000,000 Roman Catholic Church 70,000,000 Mormon Church 16,000,000 Assemblies of God 69,000,000 This total of 169,000,000 represents the majority of American people and this doesn't include all christian churches that oppose abortion.

Ginsburg

In November 2013, Senate Democrats led by Harry Reid used the nuclear option to eliminate the 60-vote rule on executive branch nominations and federal judicial appointments, but not for the Supreme Court. This allowed the Senate Republicans to expand that to the supreme court in 2018. Normally Justices retired during the term of a like thinking president which Justice Ginsburg could have done in 2014 at her age 82. Reid could have expanded the 50 vote to include supreme court. Obama then could have replaced her with someone even more left than she. She could have spent her final years getting closer to her family and writing a memoir that would inspire young women. Many believe she chose not to do this under the assumption that Hilary would be the next president.

Obama

President Obama was a charismatic, handsome man with great oratory skills. He was a good father and husband and all around nice guy. When Obama was elected the democrats controlled both chambers of 27 states and when he left that number was 13. They also lost 13 Governorship's. On a federal level the senate went from 60 to 46 and the house shrunk from 257 to 188. Probably more important Obama left open 88 district and 17 court of appeals positions which Trump quickly filled. His main accomplishment was Obamacare and about 22 million were insured at the start in 2014 but since then the cost have risen to where most who remain are low income who receive free coverage. There are still almost 30 million uninsured even with Obamacare. One important aspect of Obamacare was the change in Medicaid which allowed single adults to participate. These were low income people many of whom joined after they were sick since there are no pre-existing conditions in Medicaid. If the court rules that Obamcare is unconstitutional these people will likely move into Medicaid.

Risk vs reward

During the economic slowdown in 2008 our local building inspectors remained comfortably in their jobs while the bulk of small construction companies went bankrupt. When these inspectors set rules they are concerned about safety. Shall we use 2 by 4's or 6es, should we use 8 inch block or ten inch. They are not concerned about the cost because they are not in business. The same is true with the current virus. The scientist are concerned about the safety and prefer to shut things down since the economic aspects are not their concern. In business things are different. Decisions are based on risk vs reward. Business people recognize that safety is important but they also understand that they must stay in business. The virus problem was further complicated by politics or is it just coincidence that most republicans are more concerned about economics and most democrats more concerned about safety. If safety were the only concern then the whole country would have been shut down in March. We would now have saved many lives but the economy would be in shambles. Life requires choices and this means compromise

Cash for votes

During the 50's and 60's when Richard Daley was mayor of Chicago the aldermen were given what was called walking around money. They had pockets full of cash which they would hand out to their constituents encouraging them to vote. Daley was the working mans candidate but they tended not to vote. One of the problems was that people would take the money and still not vote. Former NYC Mayor Bloomberg is paying the fines of convicted felons in Florida so they can vote. It would not be wise to just give them the money as they still may not vote. He has to find a way that the money is directly connected with the vote. This may be a little tricky so as not to be accused of buying votes.

Catholic

Before Trump was elected the Supreme Count was composed of 6 Catholics and 3 Jews. After Trump's two appointments there were still 5 Catholics on the court. In anticipation of Trump appointing a woman who is Catholic many democrats are saying she should be disqualified because she is Catholic. I remember when Kennedy was running and many articles said if he is elected the Pope will be the president behind the scenes. Before my time when Al Smith the first Catholic to run for president in 1928, the same argument was used.

Vaccine

With the news that a vaccine is coming soon, the logistics of distribution come into play. Using the knowledge gained over the past 6 months the expected approach would be to concentrate on the 28 million Americans who are over age 60 many of whom are living in eldercare facilities. Later the vaccine can be sent around the country working its way down by age and health concerns.

Mideast agreement

Presidents since Eisenhower have struggled to get a Middle East plan that would lower tensions but it was only recently that real progress was made toward this goal. Israel and two Arab countries, UAE and Bahrain have agreed to normalizing relations and other countries are looking to join. How is this new US approach different. In the past, the strategy was to work with the Palestinians and Jews to try and reach an agreement but the plans were always sabotaged by Hamas since their constitution says there is no such place as Israel. The new approach was to isolate Iran and it started with canceling the US/Iranian agreement put in place during the last administration. This was followed up with increase sanctions on Iran. This has put financial pressure on Iran and thus less money and weapons going to Hamas. The US will lead a coalition of Arab countries in the region to convince the people of Gaza to take power away from Hamas and that will open the door to negotiations with Isreal.

Ginsburg replacement

Amy Barrett is the front runner to replace Ginsburg. Being a woman she may not have the checkered past that most young men are burdened with so the emphasis will be on her judicial record. How refreshing is that. Instead of the nuts and sluts policy followed by the Clinton's or the digging up dirt followed in the Kavanaugh case they will have to focus on her rulings. Since she has only been a judge for three years there will not be the lengthy paper trail that many more experienced judges would have. Unless some thing unexpected comes up she will likely be approved quickly.

New Justice

Interesting to watch the change of heart when it comes to nominating a Justice. When Scalia died, a month later Obama nominated Merrit Garland and the senate refused to hold hearings until after the election. Obama and the democratic senators did not have the votes to confirm but they demanded that the process for nomination to begin. The assumption is that if they had had the votes they would have held the hearings and confirmed the nomination. Now Trump will quickly nominate a candidate and this time the republicans have the votes to confirm so they will go ahead with the process. Trump will likely appoint a woman to replace Ginsburg so it will be more difficult to disparage her like they did Justice Kavanaugh. This will probably be a quick confirmation.

School online

A few years ago, I took an online chemistry course at the local college and was pleasantly surprised. I am a morning person so at 5 AM I could go online and watch the lecture. If I didn't get something I could back up and review. If I still didn't understand, I could open a new window and go to youtube to see other examples and other explanations. I could open word and take notes as I watched. If I wanted a break, I could just pause. The virus has exposed high school students to distant learning as many college students have already been doing. I know many teachers and most do a good job but there are a few who are outstanding. They get the students excited about learning. Instead of having 75 students per day imagine this teacher in front of 7,500 students or even 75,000. Even the text books could be online. The one chemistry book I purchased cost $120. Since I just audited my course, I didn't do the lab but for most students they would go on campus once or twice a week for lab work and test taking. This is the college and maybe high school of the future. In high school the teacher could control undisciplined students by shutting off their mike and let their parents watch their behavior.

Bailouts

During the aftermath of the Twin Towers bombing, victims were compensated based on their potential future earnings which is the normal way insurance is handled. One difference is that anyone who had the sense to purchase personal life insurance were discriminated against as that amount was deducted from their settlement. We are now facing a similar situation with student loans. There is a push for the government to cancel all student loan debt. This means that people who worked hard and paid their own way will now be discriminated against as they had the foresight to avoid this kind of debt. What is the lesson to be learned from these two examples? This is what happened in the bank bailouts of 2008 and it is called a moral hazard. If someone knows that the government will cover their debt they are likely to take more risk.

In school

In school the class room is about one-third full with some coming on MT and others on ThF and one third at home. The in class work is sent out and the home students watch on line. For lab work only the in class student participate. The teacher can communicate verbally and visually with the home students. It is a little awkward at first but after a couple days I got used to it and I am not that tech savvy. Everyone wears masks and for the most part stays a safe distance away. The halls are marked and convey only one-way traffic. Things are quiet because of the number of students and the mask seems to inhibit talking.

Age is just a number

Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Commerce was on TV this AM and he is one month younger than I am. Hang in the Wilbur we old guys have to stick together. There's a couple of young wippersnappers running for president and they will need some guidance from a more experienced hand.

Real science

When I hear people say we must follow the science, I am reminded of those who are concerned about global warming but refuse to see the advantages of using natural gas for transportation. This could have a bigger impact on climate change than switching from coal to natural gas for power plants.

Tic Tok

One of the concerns about US companies operating in China is China's demand that they get controlling interest in the company (51%) before the company can have access to Chinese consumers. This then allows China to access the R&D information that these companies have accumulated. The most recent example is Tic Tok. This company is popular among Americans especially younger people. China can access the data from users and that information goes to the Communist leaders. Trump objected to that and said that he would ban Tik Tok unless some American company purchased it. Now Oracle has agreed to purchase Tic Tok but the agreement says once again that China will maintain 51% control. This leaves everything as it is. Whoever gets majority control will determine what happens to the information collected.

Speeder violence

The officer stops a car for speeding. Before he approaches the driver he checks the plates and finds no problems so he then asks the driver for his drivers license and then goes back to his squad car to check. After finding no outstanding problems he writes up a ticket and gives it to the driver saying he was clocked at 43 in a 30 miles zone. Case closed. Same scenario different case. The driver refuses to give over his license, saying you only stopped me because I'm Black. The officer returns to his car trying to decide what to do. Should he call for backup. This means two more squad cars with more officers. If the man refuses it could lead to an escalation of tension and possible confrontation. The officer realizes that someone could be injured or even killed and even if they could avoid violence it still might put his careen in jeopardy, so he drives off. Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor says the old adage. You have to pick your battles and a speeder is not worth it.

Education first

Many leaders throughout the country say that Blacks suffer from the after effects of slavery. This is one of the reasons why Black students are behind in test scores and graduation rates. This assumption is challenged by Hispanic students who also do poorly in school even though they do not have a history of slavery. Others say it is because of skin color but Asian students out perform whites. Add to that the fact that millions of Blacks and Hispanics are living productive lives both economically and socially and it further begs the question as to what is wrong. Some experts say it centers around child rearing. When children grow up in homes that stress the importance of education, where parents teach respect for authority, where children are given firm but expanding guidelines they become students who learn better and behave better. Over 3,000 years ago the Jews spent 400 years in slavery and since that time they have been discriminated against. Even today in the United States the Jews are 2.7 times more likely to be victims of hate crimes than Blacks or Muslims. In spite of that the Jews are productive successful citizens. With only .2% of the world population the Jews have won 20% of Nobel prizes. Jewish families like Asian families stress the importance of education.

Sonoma

Many areas in California are fire traps and the Sonoma Valley is an example. It is a beautiful place with thick forest and mild climate. The city of Sonoma has periodically suffered from forest fires and most of the houses were lost. The home owners using insurance money rebuild and wait for the next fire. The city allows for new homes to increase its tax base without which the city would go bankrupt. Since local government will not do anything to solve the problem insurance companies refused to offer policies but the state stepped in and demanded the insurance be offered for at least the next year. The California Department of Insurance is invoking a law passed in 2018 that bans insurance companies from dropping or refusing to renew homeowners policies in zip codes within or adjacent to the perimeters of recent fires. Mortgage companies will not offer loans on property that is not insured so the future of Sonoma hangs in the balance while regulators look for solutions.

Term limits

Polls show that 82% of Americans across party lines want term limits for congress. This will never be enacted by congress but can be set in play by having 2/3rds of the state (34) legislators approve such constitutional amendment. Since many state legislators have ambitions toward higher office this must be demanded when they run for state office. Once this is accomplished 3/4ths of states (38) must ratify. This would be an uphill battle since the states can call for a constitutional convention but the congress must approve and if the purpose is term limits the congress would likely not approve. Using the ballot box to limit is not working since the approval rate for congress is 21% and yet over 90% are reelected. A typical proposal would mean two terms (12 years) for senators and six terms (12 years) for house members. Currently 35 senators have served more than 12 years and 135 members of congress have served more than 12 years.

Changing times

Bob Dylan said times are a changing and he was so right. I watch the students run cross the icy roads with reckless abandon while I baby step my way to the safety of my car. The young man at the grocery store offers to carry out my bags. When I get out of the car, I first put both feet on the ground. I always put my hand on the rail when using steps. People call me sir and young ladies smile at me. I have to watch movies two or three times to figure out what happened. I used to take a walk and feel refreshed but now I take a walk and the take a nap. Oh there's one more thing but I forgot what it was. These minor inconveniences may slow me down and while I enjoy an occasional trip down memory lane, I have no desire to be young again. I finally have my ego stored safely behind my heart and I see no good reason to let that rascal loose.

NFL mask

I haven't watched sports on TV since I retired 25 years ago but I did watch a few minutes last night. I wanted to see how a guy who earns $50 million per year performs on the field. He earns $3 million per game or $1 million per hour. This is more money than a service employee earns in his entire life. Before we get all bent out of shape regarding income disparities keep in mind that some 12 million people watched and at 8 cents apiece that will cover his salary. That is very inexpensive entertainment. What was more interesting was the fact that the people who could safely distance including the 16,000 fans in a stadium that seats 76,000, the coaches on the sideline and the 7 officials worn mask but the players who could not safely distance did not wear mask.

xenophobia

Trump says Biden called him xenophobic when he closed air travel from China and Biden denies that. Here is what happened. The first reported case of Covid in the United States occurred on January 21, 2020. On January 31 Trump closed down air travel from China. The next day Biden tweeted, “We are in the midst of a crisis with the coronavirus. We need to lead the way with science — not Donald Trump’s record of hysteria, xenophobia, and fear-mongering. He is the worst possible person to lead our country through a global health emergency.” During a March 12 press conference Biden said, the United States should not be overly dismissive of the outbreak, “but neither should we panic or fall back on xenophobia. On March 18 Trump said “I always treated the Chinese Virus very seriously, and have done a very good job from the beginning, including my very early decision to close the ‘borders’ from China. Biden replied the same day: “Stop the xenophobic fear-mongering. Be honest. Take responsibility. Do your job.”

Airborne virus

At first the experts concluded that the Covid was spread by droplets of moisture caused by coughing and talking but now the experts agree that the virus is in the air. For months, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have maintained that the novel coronavirus is primarily spread by droplets from someone who is coughing, sneezing or even talking within a few feet away. But anecdotal reports hint that it could be transmissible through particles suspended in the air (so-called "aerosol transmission"). And the WHO recently reversed its guidance to say that such transmission, particularly in “indoor locations where there are crowded and inadequately ventilated spaces where infected persons spend long periods of time with others, cannot be ruled out.”

Clinton emails

A number of investigators have wondered why Hilary Clinton was not prosecuted for her misuse of emails and later destroying the subpoenaed emails. Information from the Inspector Generals report reveals the likely reason. In March of 2015 Obama was interviewed by Bill Plante and was asked when he (Obama) learned about the emails and he said the same time as everyone else in that he read about it in the newspapers. In the IG report this claim is disputed. "President Barack Obama was one of the 13 individuals with whom Clinton had direct contact using her clintonemail.com account.” “Obama, like other high level government officials, used a pseudonym for his username on his official government email account.” While the use of this server was illegal, Clinton could not be prosecuted without charging Obama. If Clinton had been charged,Obama’s culpable involvement would have been revealed.

Census

The collecting of census data has been interrupted by the virus and 40% of the people have not filled out their forms. This has put added pressure on the door to door collectors. This is mindful of Typhoid Mary, a cook who worked for several different families in the early 1900's and was a typhoid carrier. These people collecting data are going from house to house or apartment to apartment and if one of them is shedding virus that person could become a typhoid Mary. They can wear mask but as everyone knows the virus goes right through the mask.

Wage gap

Between August 1, 2020 and September 2, 2020 Jeff Bezos made $23 billion dollars and this made the news. This is news because it demonstrates the income gap which is the reason why many people are looking to socialism as a solution. My friend lives in Croatia where the wage gap is quite small. The average worker earns $8,000 per year with a plumber earning $16,000 and a lawyer $19,000. The average CEO makes $50,000. In the US there is one lawyer for each 248 people and in Croatia there is one lawyer for every 1,300 people. Apparently the time and effort to get a law degree is not worth the extra $3,000 per year. By the way since September 2, Bezos has lost $21 billion but this is not likely to make the news.

Pandemic and low income

It seems like any crisis hurts low income people the most and the pandemic is no exception. Among low-income households with children who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals, only about 15% have been getting those meals, said Lauren Bauer, a researcher at the Brookings Institution. Nearly a third of the nation’s workforce has children at home, and they’re struggling. Researchers estimate nearly 10 percent of economic activity won’t happen as long as schools and day cares remain closed.

Socialism now

Marx believed that the transition from capitalism to communism must pass through socialism along the way. He said that when the people got fed up with capitalism, that is, when the gap between the rich and the poor became large enough, the people would over throw the existing government. At first the people would control the means of production (socialism) and later as certain leaders took power the control would transfer to the new government (communism). As the industrial revolution gained strength and factory workers were made slaves to the owners, Marx felt this was the opening and he wrote his manifesto. The first country to try this new government was the Soviet Union after the 1917 revolution. The next was North Korea in 1948, then China in 1949, Cuba in 1961, Laos in 1975, Viet Nam in 1976 and finally Venezuela in 1999. The Soviets lasted for 75 years but others like China survived by keeping the government in control but allowing for a free market capitalist economy. People who just a few years ago did not think of socialism as a viable form of government are now reevaluating their positions. They believe that the wealth gap is so great they are ready to throw out the baby with the bath water as they move away from capitalism and toward socialism. It would be prudent if they would examine the seven countries listed above and see how they are faring.

Boats

On Saturday Trump boat parades were held across the country and if you search the Internet for a specific location you will find a story about the boats in that area. However if you google only Trump boat parade the first 15 stories are about some boats that sank in Lake Travis in Texas.

Are you racist

Many enlightened white people are doing some self evaluation to determine if they are prejudiced. They are discovering that it is very difficult to prove you are not racist. It started years ago with comments like some of my best friends are, fill in the blanks. Then later people would make pronouncements about race and some would write articles about their racial feelings. Much of this is now denigrated as virtue signaling. Here is one answer to the question. "If you have to ask if you are a racist, you are," says Angela Bell, an assistant professor of psychology at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. "And if you are not asking if you are a racist, you are." Some have suggested that all white people are racist meaning if you were born white you are racist and this can lead to what is called white guilt. This is also racist.

Blacks and school

Systemic racism is seen in statistics that show Blacks trail whites in many areas but the most damming is in education. Much of student performance is determined by their home life. 48% of Black children raised by single moms live in poverty. These children do not have the advantage of two parent families when it comes to things like learning respect for authority and understanding how school work teaches self discipline. They are off to a bad start and the tendency is to go down hill from there. Opportunity doesn't come knocking on their door and they are stuck with low paying jobs or worse they look for ways to make money without working. By the time they hit middle school they feel that they don't fit in to the educational system. They are unable to compete and begin to understand that school is not their thing. Things are so bad that many black students believe that getting good grades makes them white. There was a football game in Minneapolis a few years ago where a mostly black high school defeated a mostly white school 42 to 0. The white students held up a large sign which said, BUT WE CAN READ. Until the education gap is narrowed the Blacks will continue to live like second class citizens and be mired in a disproportionate number of criminal activities.

Flu pandemic

In February 1957 the first case of the Asian flu appeared in China and two months later people in the US realized there was a pandemic underway. The Asian flu as it was called killed 1.5 million people worldwide including 70,000 in the US when the population of the US was half of what it is today. In the first months of the 1957 flu pandemic, the virus spread throughout China and surrounding regions. By midsummer it had reached the United States, where it appears to have initially infected relatively few people. Several months later, however, numerous cases of infection were reported, especially in young children, the elderly, and pregnant women. In 1968 the flu called the Hong Kong flu once again raised its ugly head. It was first noted in the United States in September 1968. The estimated number of deaths was 1 million worldwide and about 100,000 in the United States. Most excess deaths were in people 65 years and older. What these two have in common is that they hurt the elderly and that is the biggest mistake that was made in the Covid case. Instead of shutting down the country all of the resources should have been directed toward eldercare facilities, nursing homes and hospitals. There was a shortage of personal protection equipment (PPE) because the cupboard was bare and that is all the more reason that the PPE should have been reserved for the elderly and their caretakers.

Police scores

The emphasis on police departments has once again brought up the testing. For years cities attempted to recruit more minorities and one of the problems was test scores. Many could not score high enough on the written exam and so some cities lowered the passing score for certain groups. Minnesota and in particularly Minneapolis has suffered from test scores and graduation rates between white students and those of color. They have tried over the years to close the gap but have been unsuccessful. One possible solution is to follow what was done in some police and fire departments, that being, to lower the test scores needed for minorities. This would be a ridiculous suggestion if it had not already been used in other areas. This could start with the SAT's and move into the classroom. By adjusting scores equality of results could be attained. This may be the time to propose such a solution since many in the country are looking toward socialism as an answer to problems. As socialism replaces capitalism equality of results will replace equality of opportunity. This will fall in line with what Bush 43 said with what he he called the soft bigotry of low expectations. The gap in graduation rates will narrow as tests are changed. I can't believe that I could even write such gibberish but in today's world nothing surprises me.

Boat parade

My fishing was interrupted this AM by an armada. It seems there is a Trump boat parade today following the Mississippi and St Croix from Red Wing to Stillwater. The boats were all decked out with American flags and Trump signs. They expect 3,000 boats to participate.

Trump parade

I grew up in Springfield, IL and during those years the first Mayor Daily ruled Chicago. Illegal activities were rampant and I always wondered how they got away with dead people voting. My daughter-in-law died January 10th of this year and I am the executor of her estate and thus I receive her mail. Today I received a letter from the State which said, MN encourages using mail in ballots. Enclosed was an application for a absentee ballot. I need only fill this out and I could vote in her place. I, of course, would not do this but there is no way the authorities would ever know. I wonder if they will know when the 2024 election comes around.

Vote by mail

I grew up in Springfield, IL and during those years the first Mayor Daily ruled Chicago. Illegal activities were rampant and I always wondered how they got away with dead people voting. My daughter-in-law died January 10th of this year and I am the executor of her estate and thus I receive her mail. Today I received a letter from the State which said, MN encourages using mail in ballots. Enclosed was an application for a absentee ballot. I need only fill this out and I could vote in her place. I, of course, would not do this but there is no way the authorities would ever know. I wonder if they will know when the 2024 election comes around.

Classroom cameras

In my seven years as a substitute teacher working 140 days per year in grades 6 thru 12 and only high school the past two years, I have seen problem students in every grade level. My anecdotal evidence suggest that less than 3% of students cause in classroom disturbances but those few can disrupt the entire class. I sent letters to three school principal suggesting cameras in the classroom and they all felt it unnecessary. With the onset of computer school a controversy has arisen regarding cameras in the room and some say parents would be upset to see some of the things the teachers are saying that have nothing to do with the subject matter. That may be true but it's my belief that parents would be upset to see how the teacher must spend an inordinate amount of time dealing with one disruptive student. The parents of the other students would demand that the disruptive student be removed so that their children could be in a learning environment but this would interfere with the concept of mainlining students with problems.