Run out the clock

Many in the media refused to report on Hunter Biden's lap top because they didn't have the evidence in hand and because he was consider a drug addict and deserved treatment not investigation. It was also called Russian disinformation. Activity in the investigation had gone covert in the pre-election months due to Justice Department guidelines prohibiting overt actions that could affect an election. The same procedure was in effect during the infamous Trump pee tapes but the story was leaked to the press and was discussed across the news media for many months before the election. While the pee tape was exposed as fake by the liberal Slate magazine, the Hunter laptop is real. The FBI took possession of Hunters laptop in late 2019 almost a year before the election. The ongoing investigation by Delaware’s U.S. Attorney, David Weiss continues but no news has been forthcoming. Critics are concerned that this will be the case and after time the whole thing will just fade away. This follows the run out the clock policy by the Clintons. Today the Afghani situation is the hot news item but in time that will change. Some changes are already underway with the Washington Post moving the responsibility to Trump and MSNBC is following up with the idea. They have 18 months to run out the clock before the next election

Dikes

Here is a news item from the LA Times in 2005. For years, Washington had been warned that doom lurked just beyond the levees. And for years, the White House and Congress had dickered over how much money to put into shoring up century-old dikes and carrying out newer flood control projects to protect the city of New Orleans. Unsubstantiated reports say that the money did send was used for public assistance programs. Then Katrina hit and the dikes overflowed and the city flooded. Bush 43 happened to be in office and he got the blame. That is the way it works. Clinton was president from 93 to 01 and the dotcom bubble started in 95 and ended in 2000. The NASDAC rose from 750 to 2,500 and then the year after Clinton was out it dropped to 750. Clinton received the credit for this rise. It works both ways. After Katrina the Feds put $16 billion into upgrading the dikes and it seems to have worked as Ida a Cat 4 storm did not overflow the dikes. Better late than never they say.

Helmets

From the start of Covid up until August 18, 2021 a total of 361 children under age 18 have died and most of those had underlying conditions. This is about a year and a half during which time 18,000 children died from accidents. Of these head injuries result in over 2,600 deaths. Among children ages 0 to 14, brain injury results in an estimated 2,685 deaths, 37,000 hospitalizations, and 435,000 emergency department visits. Wearing helmets would be a minor inconvenience to save the cost of all those emergency visit, the lost school time from hospitalizations and the pain and suffering from the death of a child. Many states have passed laws requiring motor bike operators to wear helmets. How far does the state go to eliminate the hazards of life. Should a cost/benefit ratio determine how far?

Thorium plants

While thorium nuke plants are safer and cheaper than uranium plants they are still expensive. A new way to build plants was introduced to cut constructions cost by half. A few years ago they built a new bridge across the Mississippi here in Hastings. They started construction on the span about a half mile up river at the same time they started building both ends of the entrance to the bridge. When this was complete they floated the span portion down river and hoisted it into place. The same concept can be used for nuke plants. They can build various portions of the plant in different locations at the same time and in the end bring them all together and assemble the different sections thus saving considerable construction time and of course money. This will be one more reason why the answer to climate change will be thorium nuke plants.

Obama on Afghanistan

Here is a quote from former President Obama from 2014 when he made a surprise visit to Afghanistan. But while many of the 32,800 U.S. forces now in Afghanistan will leave in the coming months, Obama said a continued military presence could help protect gains made during nearly 13 years of fighting. “After all the sacrifices we’ve made, we want to preserve the gains that you have helped to win and we’re going to make sure that Afghanistan can never again, ever, be used again to launch an attack against our country,” Obama declared. A year later in 2015 Obama said Roughly 10,000 American troops will remain in Afghanistan through the end of the year, President Barack Obama announced Tuesday.

Medicare

On average more than 50% of a persons lifetime expenses on healthcare occur after age 65. This brings to question the cost of Medicare which is government insurance for people 65 and older. Medicare cost the government $10,500 per year per person. This low amount is the result of transferring cost to younger people who are mostly insured by private plans. Here is a typical bill for a person on Medicare. Amount provider billed $15,200 Insurance discounts $4,090 Benefit exclusion $6,582 Total cost plan approved $4,528 Paid by insurance $3,698 Patient paid $876 This shows $10,672 unpaid or written off which means this amount is picked up by non Medicare patients. Medicare is scheduled to go broke in 2024 so additional funds must be provided. The new $3.5 trillion bill just passed includes dental and eye care which will mean additional debt. The average senior citizen spends $1,126 out of pocket for dental care and for 60 million seniors this come to $67 billion per year. This will likely be passed on to others.

Afghan civil war

What will Afghanistan look like after the US is gone. There will be some 30 million ordinary citizens who will be struggling to make ends meet. There are 14 different ethic groups sometimes referred to as tribes that over many years were fighting with one another and this fight will be reignited. There are three terrorist groups who are fighting with each other. The Taliban will try to form a government but lacks the know how. They already asked the Turkish government for help in running their airport. How are they going to set up a banking system to work with other countries. 70% of Afghanistan's electric power is imported from neighboring countries and they have no money to pay for it. ISIS and al queda do not want to be a country. They want to hide within a country. The most likely out come will be civil war by going back to tribalism.

Masks

With the invention of the microscope came the uncomfortable realization that we are covered with small unseen and most say ugly creatures, from the small dust mites to the smaller microbs. With the pandemic comes the understanding that in ordinary conversation we are spraying others with small droplets of spittle. These are flying into the eyes, nose and mouth of those standing nearby. In a room full of people these droplets are caught up in the air and are circulated by the air handling systems causing everyone in the room to share the spittle of every one else. This has always been the case but only because of Covid we now know about this transfer of body fluids. Will people now change their whole way of socializing or will we realize that life goes on. Will people wear mask where ever they go or return to the old ways of just sharing droplets. The new Covid delta type will soon be followed by the S type and the L type. The mask that most wear are only partially effective and the way most wear them even less effective. Some who paid a few dollars for a mask wear the same everyday for weeks on end most never bothering to wash them. Is this helping or hurting.

Face masks

When Mayo Clinic was asked if mask are effective the response was yes. But they added. Face masks combined with other preventive measures, such as getting vaccinated, frequent hand-washing and physical distancing, can help slow the spread of the virus. Masks should be snug over the nose, mouth and chin, with no gaps. Here are rules to follow. Place your mask over your mouth and nose and chin. Tie it behind your head or use ear loops. Make sure it's snug. Don't touch your mask while wearing it. If you accidentally touch your mask, wash or sanitize your hands. If your mask becomes wet or dirty, switch to a clean one. Put the used mask in a sealable bag until you can get rid of it or wash it. Remove the mask by untying it or lifting off the ear loops without touching the front of the mask or your face. Wash your hands immediately after removing your mask. Regularly wash cloth masks in the washing machine or by hand. (They can be washed Don't put masks on children under 2 years of age. Don't use face masks as a substitute for physical distancing. Now when you add the fact that masks on school children cause problems a cost/benefit study might help to make the decision as to whether students should wear mask. Will students follow the above rules?

Afghan win

If the US could get a mulligan and go back one year and do the withdrawal as recommended by the experts, that is, bring out the people then the equipment and then the military personnel here is what would be left. The Taliban implements its interpretation of Sharia, Islamic law. Education for women and girls is forbidden under almost all circumstances, and women (except for select, approved female doctors) are not allowed to work outside of the home or even leave the house without a male guardian. Women who do go out are required to wear burkas, a traditional modesty garment that fits tightly over the head and drapes all the way to the ankles, rendering a woman fully covered and unidentifiable in public. All forms of entertainment are banned for everyone: music, television, socializing between sexes outside the family. This would be considered a winning withdrawal. The president would announce success saying the goal was to defeat al queda and kill bin Laden.

How or why

When the crisis in the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan first hit much of the news reported that Biden was following the plan set up by Trump but as polls showed that people felt the Biden was responsible the focus shifted to getting people out safely. In the past few days the focus is once again shifting. The Washington Post returned to the story that Trump started the process and this was followed up by a similar claim on MSNC. Yesterday on CNN a man was interviewed saying the problem started 20 years ago and Biden finally ended it. Over the next few months the conversation will shift from how we left to why we left and in time the whole episode will fade away into the next big news item. Recall Biden was put in charge of the US withdrawal from Iraq and billions of US equipment was left behind that then fell into the hands of ISIS as the Iraqi army folded. ISIS then took over most of Iraq and Trump sent in forces to defeat ISIS. This was all forgotten and Biden suffered no adverse consequences.

Florida covid

The news is reporting that the surge in Covid cases in Florida is because the state didn't take proper precautions but it is difficult to prove a connection. Here is news from Oregon. SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon was once the poster child for limiting the spread of the coronavirus, after its Democratic governor imposed some of the nation’s strictest safety measures, including mask mandates indoors and outdoors, limits on gatherings and an order closing restaurants. Here is a report from yesterday. The Oregon Health Authority on Thursday reported a daily record of 2,971 coronavirus cases, marking the fourth time in two weeks that the state has surpassed its previous high. Oregon is now averaging an all-time high of 2,020 cases a day over the past week.

Women's rights

In scanning news stories about Afghanistan and why the troops capitulated so quickly, no one mentions the fact that perhaps these men did not believe in women's rights, that many of them preferred having women under their thumbs. While some Muslim countries like Indonesia are making slow progress toward women's rights, most of the so called Sand Arab Muslims lag behind. While all Muslim countries maintain the idea of four wives many have agreed to allow girls in school. Where the Taliban will fall on the spectrum of women's rights remains to be seen but things look a little grim as of now.

Smile Train

There is a charity that most people have never heard of that does amazing work around the world. It was founded by two American doctors Willian and Kathy Magee in 1982 to help children with cleft lips. It is heart warming to see the before and after pictures of these children. The charity originally called Operation Smile and later called Smile Train has operated on 1.5 million children over the past 20 years. While started in Virginia it now has doctors working at clinics around the world. Doctors are brought to Virginia for training and then they return to their home countries. Most of the money comes from US donors including individuals and corporations. This is just one more example of why America is an exceptional country.

Afghanistan

My favorite definition of an expert is an expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less until he finally knows every thing about nothing. As I observe the situation in Afghanistan I see the results of many experts. With no military training the average person would know not to close Bagram Air Base in favor of the Kabul Airport. The first is secure and the second is not. Anyone would expect the government to know how many Americans are there and where they are and how to get in touch with them. My guess is that the IRS could find them. Logic says to bring home the civilians before the military. This is common sense not rocket science. These experts must answer for these failures. Forget about how dumb this looks on the national scene just figure out how to get these people home safely.

Who causes wars

Some day in the future when the experts get together to discuss Afghanistan they will likely follow the same outline that was used in evaluating the withdrawal from Viet Nam and later from Iraq. The Viet Nam example kind of lays the ground work. The blame was transferred back in time until most everyone involved was dead. The senate select committee on Viet Nam was still going on in 1993. The democrats blamed Nixon, the republicans blamed Johnson and Kennedy and the democrats said that Eisenhower started the whole thing. The final result is that no one was responsible. One more example of our government at work.

Green social

The new green deal was presented as a solution to the problem of climate change. It was carefully guided to look like an environmental issue and this gave it political cover. The main thrust was that wind and solar would replace fossil fuels. This is not good science but since it was tainted with politics people went along. Once they had committed to the political aspects of climate change the next step was to tie the green deal to social justice. As people began to realize what happened it was too late to go back as they had committed to the political side. The green new deal now comprises not only the environment but social issues and those for one are now for both. When ever sciences gets tangled up with politics science loses and the proof is that no scientist will come out and say that with current technology wind and solar cannot replace fossil fuels.

Ferguson effect

Often times experiences change as time passes and this is particularly important in criminal cases. Compare the look back of the Michael Brown case of Ferguson fame and the more recent case of the women killed in the now infamous protest of January 6 at the Capitol building. Brown was a Black man shot by a white policeman. Original reports say he was shot while holding his arms up. This spread across the country resulting in many cases where arms up indicated support for Brown. At some NFL games players came on the field with arms up. This added fuel to the recently started Black Lives Matter movement. After a thorough investigation by local authorities and the Department of Justice the results showed a different story. It showed that eye witnesses lied about the arms up and that Brown was killed while physically attacking the officer. The officer was not charged. In the second case a small businesses owner from California, Ashli Babbitt, was shot by an unidentified Capitol police officer during the riots that occurred on January 6. Babbitt was a veteran with no prior criminal record. She was unarmed and shot from a distance. After an investigation no charges were filed even though the report stated that the officer did not feel his life was threatened. Unlike officer Wilson who shot Brown the name of this officer has never been revealed.

Whoops

The House of Representatives of the 117th U.S. Congress adopted one article of impeachment against Trump of "incitement of insurrection", alleging that he had incited the January 6 attack of the U.S. Capitol. WASHINGTON, Aug 20 (Reuters) - The FBI has found scant evidence that the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was the result of an organized plot to overturn the presidential election result, according to four current and former law enforcement officials. Though federal officials have arrested more than 570 alleged participants, the FBI at this point believes the violence was not centrally coordinated by far-right groups or prominent supporters of then-President Donald Trump, according to the sources, who have been either directly involved in or briefed regularly on the wide-ranging investigations. Whoops!

Retirement plans

The ultimate equity plan that will spread the wealth around. Recall that equity means equal results. There is enough money in retirement plans in the US to pay off the national debt. This would be a patriotic thing to do and the rich who have the largest amounts in these plans would finally pay their fair share. 450,000 Americans have more than one million dollars in their plans and poor people have little to nothing in their plans. Once the national debt is retired the interest which is $400 billion per year could be used to pay for infrastructure. No polls have been taken on this idea but it would be very popular among many Americans especially those 35% who have zero in their retirement plan. Add to that those who have little in savings and this will do much to equalize the wealth. Survey: 69% of Americans Have Less Than $1,000 in Savings. This idea will go over like a lead balloon.

Afghan mines

As the US leaves Afghanistan, China is knocking at their door and they will be welcomed in, because China will invest in the country, not try to make them into something they are not. China cares about the rare earth metals that are abundant in the country and not how they treat women. China will set up mines that will contaminate the earth along with the water but the Afghans won't care or possibly not even know whats going on. Americans will enjoy the solar panels and wind mills along with all the high tech toys and look the other way about the damage to the environment in Afghanistan. China has previously obtained exclusive mining rights in African countries in return for building infrastructure projects. While all this was going on the US closed down the only rare earth mine because of the environment. While the US is concerned about ground water here in the US there is no concern about contaminating the ground in other countries. This is shades of the Ugly American from the 50's.

Taliban problems

There is an old adage saying, be careful what you wish for. This is appropriate for the Taliban. They wanted to take over the country and their wish came true. Now they have to run the government. These are mostly uneducated illiterate people whose main skill is killing people. Now they have to run the water system, the electric grid, the sewage disposal along with printing money and collecting taxes. The duties of government are almost endless and they know very little about any of this. On top of this the country is broke. Even the money in the banks has disappeared into the abyss of corruption. This is a conglomerate of tribes who have never gotten along and now must join forces to run the government. They get some income from the poppy fields but they may try to sell hostages to get hard cash. Biden will be under severe pressure to go along.

Coal and oil

The US mines 530 million tons of coal each year and that provides 50,000 good paying jobs. Biden is considering closing down mining on public lands on which 250 million tons are mined. This would represent 3% of the 7.7 billion tons mined each year around the globe. The US exports 70 million tons and uses 440 million tons in power plants. The rest is distilled to get a variety of aromatic organics. The use by power plants is declining each year as old plants are closed and others are switching over to natural gas. Other countries will just replace the coal we do not export and little to no change will occur in the overall amount of coal that is burned. This is similar to reducing US oil production in the name of the environment while other countries just replace the loss of US oil.

Bergdahl

The story of Bo Bergdahl is once again in the news. Recall that Bergdahl in 2009 deserted his post in Afghanistan and was captured by the Taliban. He was held captive for 5 years at which time Obama traded five prisoners from Guantanamo for Bergdahl. A big deal was made of this by Obama saying we never leave our soldiers behind on the battle field. There was ceremony at the White House with Obama and Bergdahl's parents. This was embarrassing for Obama when Bergdahl was later dishonorably discharged for desertion. Resources were diverted to search for Bergdahl. In news today, one of those prisoners released in the exchange, was identified as one of the leaders in the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

Bringing Americans home

How can the US put pressure on the Taliban to release Americans. The answer is not military. Economic actions are the key. Afghanistan is already a very poor country with a GDP per person of $2,000. They are dependent on getting aid from other countries primarily the US. The US can use economic means to straggle the life from Afghan much like the pressure put on Iran. On the other hand the US can be a great helper in bringing growth to Afghanistan. The US can get other countries to make things difficult for the new Afghani government starting with Pakistan which already has a strained relation with the Taliban.

Viet Nam

As comparisons to Viet Nam spread across the news, my mind drifts back some 50 years to those troubled times. The body counts, where they would announce that 50 died and that 500 Viet Cong died and somehow it didn't seem so bad. The protests both violent and not. The national guard shooting students at Kent State. The democratic convention in Chicago where Walter Cronkite was all upset when his protege Dan Rather was punched in the stomach. The little girl running naked down the road with her arms and legs burning with napalm. The most striking was on the roof of the embassy as people boarder helicopters. One woman approached with her son who looked to be about 10 and the soldier must have told her that only the boy could go because they showed her face for about 5 seconds and you could see her whole life pass before her eyes and then she pushed the boy forward and ran off. The situation in Afghanistan may be what the young people today will remember in 50 years.

Taliban

The Biden administrations spoke person says that the Taliban will have to behave in a civilized manner if they hope to gain the respect of the international community. This is the group that subjugates women, throws gay men off of tall buildings, beheads reporters and executes surrendering troops. They don't seem to be that concerned about what other countries think. Much of the news about the future of Afghanistan is about how women will be treated and this involves some terrible things but the everyday things are worth considering. Using Iran after the fall of the Shah can give some insight. Starting with the dress code which means to basically cover the body, head and face. A man could divorce his wife with a letter. Child custody goes to the father. Men can marry up to four wives. Men can stop their wives from going out in public. These kinds of things will not get much publicity and most of the world will not be aware of what is going on.

Leaving Afghanistan

On a number of different networks the discussion centered around how to get Afghans who were loyal to the US out of the country. They talked first about those at the airport and how flights would be scheduled to bring out all that show up. Then they shifted to those throughout the country who are not at the airport and this presented no end of obstacles. Today Biden announced that there is a home in the US for any of our allies who want to leave. What the discussion did not cover was the fact that the Taliban have told these people that if they end up leaving the country all of their remaining relatives will be killed. Do they want to leave under these circumstances.

Biden's problem

In the 2020 election the democrats fielded 27 candidates and the best of the lot was Joe Biden. The criteria used was not qualifications to lead the country but who has the best chance of defeating Trump and thus kindly and likable Biden won the race. Many Biden voters knew that they were in for a rough ride but not to the extent the country is now experience. The thing about the presidency is that all of the good and bad falls on the desk at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Biden came in as the country was coming out of lock down and he bragged about the economic boom that resulted. This would have happened no matter who was president. It was mindful of Clinton who saw the dot com boom during his tenure and the whole thing went bust as he left office. All of that would have happened regardless of who was president but he got the credit. Biden is faced with multiple problems and good arguments can be made that he was at least partly responsible for them. The main ones are the southern border, inner city crime and now Afghanistan. Others that will land on his desk are the resurgence of Covid, inflation and rising federal debt. He as only been in office for seven months and he appears to be overtired and bewildered. If his main ally the press begins to question his competence things could get worse.

Big companies

Back in the post war years big corporations were the providers of good paying jobs with good benefits. Big business was Americas way forward. Quotes like, as GM goes so goes the nation and whats good for General Motors is good for the country, were used to illustrate how big business helps the country. As the 60's came along some of the shine on big corporations was worn off and profits often times created problems like pollution and infighting with unions. This was followed with various scandals regarding accounting and sending jobs overseas. In an attempt to clean up the image companies used the slogan, doing well by doing good. Companies turned over a new leaf saying that just as good quality makes for good production that concern for the environment improves profits. This then took a turn for the worse about 5 years ago and companies began to use virtue signaling to distract from questionable business practices. Seminars are set up to instruct managers on harassment. Donations are given to Black universities. Support is given to leadership, historic preservation and overall community service. This kind of activity is now being used to cover up other unscrupulous actions. A company may be a leader in the fight for equal rights for minorities and at the same time manufacture many of their products in countries that use child or slave labor. The idea is to say look over here not over there.

Karzai

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani flees the country as Taliban forces enter the capital. This headline makes sense but what is concerning is that the former President Hamid Karzai has vowed to stay in Kabul. This after a number of attacks over the years by the Taliban to assassinate him. He has announced that he and his family will remain in Kabul. "I am here in Kabul with my girls and I ask the Taliban to provide security and safety for the people," Another thing that doesn't make sense about Karzai is the fact that he lived in Kabul when it was said that he had siphoned off millions from US aid programs for his own use. What is there to spend all this money on in Kabul. It is said that Ghani left with bags full of money. Where did he flee to and does he have money in banks there.

Viet Nam

For those of us over the age of 60, the end of the Viet Nam War is a memory we would rather forget. One of the saddest and most disheartening aspects was the way US soldiers were treated. It was very common to hear statements like we don't blame the troops, we blame the politicians but when the soldiers came home they were too often disrespected and this cause undue stress on those who were already suffering from the stresses of war. As the mess in Afghanistan closely resembles Saigon in 1975, let us hope and pray the people do not turn their disgust with the exit against the soldiers.

Taliban fighters

As the tragedy in Afghanistan unfolds before our eyes, the question everyone is asking is how did the government forces collapse so quickly. The answer lies in a misunderstanding of military forces. As the Taliban approaches the enemy forces they let it be known that they can either capitulate and join their forces or all of their relatives will be tortured and killed. This concept of forced conversion is as old as Islam. The invading Islamic armies gave those they conquered a choice. Either join us and convert or become a slave. US military experts never considered any of this in their evaluation of the Afghan forces. They seem to believe that the Taliban would follow the Geneva Convention when it comes to war. Even now there is talk of negotiating with the Taliban.

Taliban fighters

As the tragedy in Afghanistan unfolds before our eyes, the question everyone is asking is how did the government forces collapse so quickly. The answer lies in a misunderstanding of military forces. As the Taliban approaches the enemy forces they let it be known that they can either capitulate and join their forces or all of their relatives will be tortured and killed. This concept of forced conversion is as old as Islam. The invading Islamic armies gave those they conquered a choice. Either join us and convert or become a slave. US military experts never considered any of this in their evaluation of the Afghan forces. They seem to believe that the Taliban would follow the Geneva Convention when it comes to war. Even now there is talk of negotiating with the Taliban.

Biden's honeymoon

The administration says the situation in Afghanistan is Trumps fault. This is the reasoning used to explain the situation at the southern border, the crime in the big cities, Covid deaths and inflation. The question now arises will these stories now be promulgated by the press. As of this afternoon CNN and MSNBC are holding Biden responsible for the mess in Afghanistan. Does this mean the honeymoon is over. Will the press begin to reevaluate their positions on other critical issues. The one bright star for Biden is that no one is talking about the border and crime.

Kids and Covid

As of August 1st 2021, 400 children have died from Covid in the US and more than half had underlying health problems. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky says that is a huge number. During the 2018-19 flu season, the CDC reported approximately 480 flu deaths among children ages 0-17, about 30% of whom had a lab-confirmed case of influenza. Many of these children brought home viruses from school and passed these on to family members which often times included grandparents. Extnsive data from England shows similar low numbers of children dying from Covie. The population of England is one/sixth of the US and they had 25 deaths which equates to 300 in the US. As a comparison 12,000 children died last year in the US from accidents.

Covid shots

It is reported that many people cannot get the proper ID to allow them to vote and thus asking for ID is consider voter repression. These same people will need ID to get the Covid shot. What about offering the shot to whomever wants it without regards to ID.

Mosul

As the debacle unfolds in Afghanistan people are comparing it to leaving Saigon but you don't have to go back that far. Recall in 2015 when the US pulled out of Iraq and ISIS took control. The well trained Iraqi Army that was supposed to defend the country quickly folded. Recall ISIS taking control of Mosul, a city of 1.6 million people, and they did so using only 1,500 troops and left over US arms and equipment. They took the assets from all the businesses along with millions from the banks. Young women were married off to the insurgents and personal property was destroyed. This is from an article that appeared in the NY Times. QADIYA, Iraq — In the moments before he raped the 12-year-old girl, the Islamic State fighter took the time to explain that what he was about to do was not a sin. Because the preteen girl practiced a religion other than Islam, the Quran not only gave him the right to rape her — it condoned and encouraged it, he insisted.

Socialism

A survey by Fox News conducted this week found that 59% of Democratic voters hold a favorable opinion of socialism, compared to 49% who said the same of capitalism. This poll can be quite deceiving as it doesn't go into details, like what do these people think socialism is. Many people are attracted to this word as they think of it in terms of taxing wealthy people and then having the government use those monies to help poor people. If people are asked should the government raise their taxes the overwhelming answer is no but when asked if taxes should be raised on the rich they are much more receptive. To many socialism is a code word for redistribution of the wealth. But even that they don't want too even. The average family income is $60,000. Should every family make that? People are likely to want a more equal distribution of income as long as it doesn't mean their income will go down.

Thorium and China

In 2011 China started operating a thorium power plant on an experimental basis and this year they will have the first operating thorium plant. They plan on not only using thorium power in China but to build these plants for sale to other countries. A quick review of thorium begins with the original nuke plants built in the 60's. Scientist knew at that time that thorium would be a better choice than uranium but plutonium was needed for bombs and while uranium plants could produce plutonium, thorium plants would not so uranium won out and that remained until today. Most of the safety problems associated with nuclear power center around the use of water. Water is used to cool the reactor if things get too hot that means water at very high temperature and pressure and this opens the door to an accident releasing radioactive materials into the atmosphere. Thorium does not use water for cooling and operates at normal atmospheric pressure. It uses molten salt which when power goes off just cools to a solid salt. If it gets too hot the molten salt is just released into underground storage tanks. Thorium by itself is not fissionable meaning no matter how concentrated it gets it cannot start a chain reaction. It needs extra neutrons to getting going and will stop of those are withheld. Thorium is three times more available than uranium and can be mined without producing unwanted byproducts. Thorium nuclear waste only stays radioactive for 500 years, instead of 10,000, and there is 1,000 to 10,000 times less of it to start with. The US cannot compete with China because the proponents of wind and solar are too entrenched and thorium presents a threat. To produce wind and solar requires mining rare earth metals and lithium which creates a serious problem with pollution. This is not the case with thorium. Once again politics will interfere with science and thorium plants will have to come from China. Once these plants are operating in various countries, wind, solar and fossil fuels will be eased out but the US will probable be the last to change.

Taliban

Trump brought the US troop numbers in Afghanistan down from 4,500 to 2,500. The past 18 months there have been no American soldiers killed and the Taliban was kept under control. President Biden announced that he was going to bring all troops home by September 1st and that caused the Taliban to start their expansion. In just a couple of months they have captured 11 cities and now control half of the countries 34 provincial capitals and control two-thirds of the country. The US has 200,000 troops stationed abroad most notably in Germany, South Korea and Japan. It now appears that keeping a small contingency in Afghanistan may have been wise. Trying to put back troops now would require recapturing all of the lost territory and is probably not worth the effort. Lets hope for the sake of the American people that the news is not allowed to report all of the upcoming atrocities.

School segregation

An Atlanta elementary school is segregating students based on color. The principal said students would perform better if segregated. She may or may not be right. About 30 years ago Detroit segregated the inner city schools by gender with the idea that the students would perform better. This was shot down by the courts and this will likely be the fate of the Atlanta school. Voluntary segregation has been common in schools for many years. In high school and college students sit separately in the lunch room and often at school events.

Masks in schools

Speaking about wearing masks to prevent Covid, a school board member in Oklahoma says we must force students to wear masks. I hope we can because it’s just not OK for kids to commit murder for coming to school without a mask.” If this is happening then every year during flu season children bring home the virus. In the past no one even suggested that kids were committing murder. It also means that students should wear masks every year in the future until there is no more possibility of transferring virus infections. In the past decade on average 36,000 people die each year from the flu and 75% are over age 65. How many Grandparents caught the flu from grandchildren who got the virus in school is not known but a reasonable person might infer that it happened. The argument for mask should not involve just last year and this year but every year.

Non-violent

As more felons are released from jail because they no longer need to post bail the phrase non-violent drug crimes come to the surface. This is a misleading, bordering on non sense statement. While the person using the drug may be non-violent the drug business is certainly not. Most of the violence in the big cities is caused by drug dealers fighting over turf and they are the suppliers to the non-violent users. When these criminals are released many will go out an buy drugs becoming in essence customers of the turf fighters. Add to that, those who are shooting each other and innocent by-standers in the process are not be arrested and jailed. Looking at this from above the fray, it appears like an episode of Key Stone Cops. For you youngsters the Key Stone Cops are fictional, humorously incompetent policemen featured in silent film slapstick comedies

Border problems

In July 210,000 illegals crossed the southern border. They are all led and controlled by the cartels who charge on average $4,000 per person. That comes to $800 million dollars for the month. While the border patrols are busy taking care of these refugees the cartels are using this distraction to smuggle in copious amounts of illegal drugs. Drug overdoses last year cost the lives of 93,000 people. Fentanyl one of the most deadly increased dramatically. It takes only a small amount as 2.2 lbs can kill 500,000 people. In 2018 they found one pound, in 2019 two pounds, in 2020 nine pounds and this year 41 pounds. The problems at the border are not to be found on any net work except Fox so most people are unaware of what is going on. Here are the top stories on NBC. Heat wave in Northwest, potential violence from claims of election fraud, wild fire in California and tropical storm Fred.

Students

In order to get a better understanding of how last year adversely affected students take a look at math. I have been in every math class from 6th through12th and in five different districts. The math program here is excellent but it is designed so that each year is built on the preceding years. The students who have trouble are ones who get behind. It is imperative that any student who is falling behind get help immediately. Because of the mess this past year everyone but the most serious students will now be behind. One way to ease the pain is to have algebra 2 be an elective. This gives student who are not planning on careers in science or engineering an extra year to catch up.

Credit

Most politicos understand that party is more important than country and that is the main reason it is so difficult to get anything done. We cannot let the other guy get the credit. Congress has been trying to pass an infrastructure plan and yesterday the Senate succeeded because 30 republicans voted for the bill. Here is the expected headline in the press. The U.S. Senate on Tuesday is set to hand President Joe Biden a $1 trillion victory when it passes the largest infrastructure bill in decades. UP

3-R's

Using graduation rates as a method to determine the quality of education has long been passed over because various school procedures have made it moot. The state of Oregon has put the issue up front with an honest approach. Gov. Kate Brown, the Oregon Democrat, signed a bill last month with little fanfare that drops the requirement that high school students prove proficiency in reading, writing or math, before graduation, a report said. The teachers have for some years now been spending the bulk of their time on non-scholastic activities and they now have official permission to ignore the 3-R's. It seems that things like reading, writing and math are just part of the systemic racism that permeates the country.

The new world

The 1984 of climate change took place over the 20 year span of one generation. It all began during the pandemic of 2020 when people were forced to get vaccinated and wear masks and social distance. The seriousness of the problem was brought home in a big way when in the year 20XX the coastal areas began to flood and millions of homes and businesses were destroyed. The danger was further emphasized when the best selling book, Silent Spring Part 2, was published the following year. The first big step was to eliminate internal combustion engines. This included transportation, recreational vehicles and lawn care equipment which would all be electric. The airline industry would be limited to small battery powered aircraft and all electric power would be generated by nuclear power plants. Single family residences would be replaced with high rise energy efficient windowless condos. They would be one, two or three bedroom as all families would be limited to two children. Leisure time and vacations would be close to home in local parks. Many would work from home and only mass transportation was allowed into the cities. Schools would replace sports with intramural teams where everyone participated and no wasted fuel going to other schools. No need to compete since exercise is the goal. All meat products would be removed from the food supply and replaced with fruits, vegetables and whole grains with meat substitutes like tofu. The defense budget would be slashed by 90% and that money diverted to various social programs like universal heath care, free college education and proper housing to help with the transition to the new society. The national defense would be maintained using cyberwarfare tactics backed up with the threat of nuclear retaliation. It is a real attention getter knowing that an ICBM tipped with a dozen megaton hydrogen bombs is only 15 minutes from your neighborhood. Clothing would be standardized much like things in Mao's China when everyone wore gray polyester suits and one style of shoe in different sizes. Beauty aids would be limited to deodorant soaps and detergents for cleaning. Wages would be kept in a narrow range allowing for some diversity but keeping equity in mind. Corporate farming along with removing lawns will allow the water table to rise and with clean air and abundant clean water a warm fuzzy feeling will fill the hearts of everyone. The healthy diet and low stress life styles will minimize sickness and promote longevity. As world temperatures began to decline and the arctic ice returns causing oceans to recede a slow movement back to less restrictive life styles would be undertaken although many feel that by that time the new ways would be preferred.

Afghanistan today

For most Americans the story of Afghanistan began when the US supplied them with weapons they used to force the Russians out of their country. Arabs from various countries helped with men and money and a group known as the Mujahideen was able to throw out the communist government and later when the US invaded Afghanistan this group helped to get rid of any remaining remnants of the old Soviet groups. At this point the US could have left and saved the lives of 2,300 US soldiers along with $2.3 trillion dollars. They stayed because the Mujahideen tribes were infighting and the US feared the Taliban would take over. After all these years the US is now leaving and their long time fear of the Taliban taking over has come to fruition. Presidents Bush, Obama, Trump and Biden all wanted out but the military experts predicted disaster so the US stayed. Biden decided to pull out and now the world is awaiting the long predicted disaster. The Taliban will now dispose of all those who opposed them and will replace the existing government and install Sharia Law which means denying women equal rights starting with closing all girls schools. If they successfully keep the news people out of the country the enforcement of these new laws will take place in darkness and the whole sad episode will be forgotten.

sides

When people choose sides as many have in the political sense there develops a pressure to go along with your side even if you have some doubts. There are many who liked Trump's policies but did not like his behavior or his comments but they feel they should remain silent on those issues. Many democrats are uncomfortable with defund the police but would rather not speak up. The country is best served when people understand that they do not have to defend everything their side does. People can use their common sense and realize that neither side is always right.

Saudi documents

After 9/11 there was an investigation as to what happened but the information was not revealed to the public. Bush 43, Obama and Trump all kept the info secret. Biden promised during the campaign to release the documents but now he is hedging. When information is not forthcoming it opens the door to speculation. One prominent conspiracy theory is gaining credibility. It says that the leaders in Saudi Arabia knew in advance of the attack and provided resources to help carry out the attack. If and it is a big if, this turns out to be true many would consider that an act of war. The pressure would build for the US to take action against the Saudis. The US could blockade Saudi Arabia and prevent them from selling oil which could bring their country down since oil provides half of their GDP and 70% of their exports. This would cause the price of oil to sky rocket almost overnight and other oil producing countries would benefit from the higher prices. Countries that would benefit the most are the United States and Russia. Countries around the world would look to coal to substitute for oil and this would exacerbate the climate change problem.

Covid spread

Nearly 7,000 immigrants who tested positive for COVID-19 have passed through McAllen Texas, a city that has become the epicenter of the illegal immigration surge, including more than 1,500 over the past seven days, officials said Wednesday. The disease spreads rapidly and even more so in the crowded conditions at the border. According to the statement, the Respite Center admitted an average of 750 people per day at the beginning of July.“That number, over the course of the month, escalated to over 1,100 people per day, and so far in August has surged to over 1,900 people per day,” the city said. In July 210,000 illegals crossed the border.

Immigrants

When a person enters the country illegally that is only the first law they break. When they want to work they must come up with false papers. The methods used are so common that they have names. Sometimes they borrow ID from a friend and this is called "identity loan". Sometimes supervisors supply them with ID and it is called " working as a ghost". Employers must be careful. If they accuse someone of using a false ID and they are wrong they can be sued. There is a large-scale black market for falsified identity documents to satisfy the requirements to get a job. The children of these illegals have the right to attend schools and many classrooms are over crowded. Everyone who goes to the emergency room must be treated. Many illegals are driving without a license and without insurance. All of these problems could be resolved if everyone followed the legal process to enter the country. One of the biggest frustrations is the cut in line idea. The average time to become a citizen the legal way is 15 months and cost $725. In addition each applicant undergoes a physical. As part of the medical examination for immigration, all immigrants are required to have an assessment for the following vaccine-preventable diseases: mumps, measles, rubella, polio, tetanus and diphtheria toxoids, pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type B, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal disease and the list goes on.  

Schools

There is now some concern that schools may not reopen in the fall and arguments for and against are being offered. The 800 pound gorilla in the room is being ignored and that is would schools remain closed if teachers did not get paid.

Coumo

As the case against NY Governor Cuomo proceeds towards impeachment the members of the NY State Assembly, the people who will conduct the impeachment, say that they want to see all of the facts before they commit. They are not satisfied with the report from the Attorney General and want to conduct their own hearings. Cuomo was on track to run and win his forth term as governor and Attorney General Letitia James expressed ambitions to run against him. She is the lady who has now released a damaging report that might well cause Cuomo not to run, opening the door for her. The innocent until proven guilty demands a thorough investigation with both sides equally represented so as to get to the best shot at the truth. This is in contrast to the second Trump impeachment. In that case the impeachment process was completed before the investigation began. Cuomo has been convicted in the court of public opinion without the opportunity to have his day in court.

Trump years

The Trump years produced many changes, a couple of which are worth noting. First the animosity between Trump and the press has led the already liberal press to move further to the left and this gives power to the far left activist. In the process they helped to promote ideas such as defund the police, sanctuary cities where local governments refused to cooperate with federal authorities in rounding up illegal, open borders, modern monetary theory and critical race theory. According to polls Trump coverage by the main stream press was over 90% negative. Second the move toward insulting voters with whom they disagree with. There are many examples led by Clinton's portrayal of basket full of deplorables and the general press use of the word cult. Trump supporters were commonly referred to as racist, homophobic, xenophobic, sexist and Islamaphobic. Instead of disagreeing based on political ideas the arguments descended into name calling. Even as Trump leaves the public stage the name calling continues and has become a part of our political discourse and the latest development is the claim that America is a systemically racist country led by white supremacist who want to bring back Jim Crow. This has been promoted by the press to the point where many people believe it and are OK with Olympic champions denouncing the country they represent. Tearing down statues and renaming buildings are common place as is disrespecting the flag and the anthem. There is a strong undercurrent of anti Americanism in many parts of the country and it persist even as Trump leaves the scene.

Bankrolling China

It is often said the history repeats itself especially for those who don't read history. During the build up of Germany between wars, US bankers were instrumental in financing the German war machine. Even during the war some US companies continued to sell to both Germany and Japan. In today's world the big New York banks are financing growth in China to reap the profits. JP Morgan one of the benefactors says that the Chinese economy will overtake the US in 2028. It is a case of a democratic country helping one of it future enemies to gain economic power. The danger for these banks is that much of what China reports as profits can be lies and investments can go south based on the lies. One recent example is Luckin Coffee. The company fabricated sales to entice US investors and when the truth came out the company went bankrupt. The SEC looks the other way and the Fed is quiet.

Infrastructure

The federal government can do two things to rebuild the infrastructure. First they can get rid of regulations that are in place because of a threat to some species. Good judgment is needed here. For example cutting off water to California farmers because the low river might allow salt water to back up into the river makes sense but cutting water because the delta smelt might disappear does not make sense. Second the government can guarantee low interest loans through banks to provide capital to local contractors to build roads and bridges. Banks currently get money from the Fed for .25%. They can then loan that money at slightly higher rates and make a nice profit. This allows projects to be developed and implemented locally. If the government is backing the loans then the banks will take chances on contractors. Biden's plan like most plans of democrats is just to start sending out checks using money created by the Fed.

Obama home

Former President Obama got himself in a little hot water by announcing for his 60th birthday party he would invite 500 guest to his12 million dollar waterfront home in Martha's Vineyard. The cost of the home is not surprising knowing the location but what is surprising is the nearness to the ocean. The 7,000 sq ft home with 7 bathrooms should be adequate for four people but it is not environmentally wise. As sea level rises the value of this property will likely decline. All those private jets flying in for the party started to look bad so Obama has cut back the guest list to close family members. Wonder if Joe the plumber was on the original guest list.

Cash bail

The idea of bail goes back to old English law and is incorporated in the 8th amendment of the constitution. Instead of a defendant languishing in jail awaiting trial, bail can be set and the person released. The bail is paid back to the defendant when he shows up for trial. Often times the bail is provided by a bail bondsman who guarantees to pay the court if the defendant fails to show up for trial. The bondsman covers the bail for a ten percent charge. If a person is arrested and charged with a crime the judge may allow the person to post bail instead of remaining in jail awaiting trial. If the bond is set at $10,000 the defendant pays a $1,000 fee to the bondsman and can go home. A problem arises because many poor people cannot afford the ten percent and so they remain in jail. Seeing this as discriminatory toward poor people some governments have dispensed with bail and the accused are allowed to go home with the their promise that they will show up on their appointed court date. New York tried eliminating cash bail but had to reverse the decision because many of those released quickly committee another crime. The safety of the citizens was deemed more important that any discrimination against the poor. Illinois has eliminated cash bail and some say that is one of the reasons why crime in cities like Chicago is on the upswing.

Covid cards

There is talk that proof of Covid vaccination will be required to keep your job or to participate in other activities. If that happens expect some enterprising crook to start printing out Vaccination Record Cards. They can be sold and passed around much like what happens with social security cards.

Racism

The cry of racism is loud but not too clear. The President and the VP say America is not a racist country and the American people are not racist but there is systemic racism. Illegals crossing the southern border come from 50 different countries almost all of which are brown skinned. Why these people are risking life and limb to come to a country that is systemically racist poses a conundrum. The United States is the least white country in the western world. While the US has 13% Black population Europe has one percent. Canada does better than Europe with 3% Black. American cities abound with Black mayors and police chiefs. Blacks are over represented in sports and entertainment. Millions of Blacks are in the middle income groups. Education is deemed the great equalizer and in the 18 to 24 year old group, 59% of Asian Americans go to college, 42% of Whites, 37% of Blacks and 36% of Hispanics.