Mamdani

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has moved into the lead with a combination of standard democratic policies and some that are considered extreme. He favors raising taxes on the rich to provide universal child care, freezing rents and offering free bus service. This is the standard liberal approach to redistribution of income. He said there should be no billionaires but he would work with them to pay for some social benefits. He has proposed city owned grocery stores to be placed in poor neighborhoods. He suggested to defund the police stating they were racist, anti-queer and a major threat to public safety but has since back off of this idea. He wants to create a new “Department of Community Safety” that would deploy mental health care teams, rather than armed officers, to handle certain emergency calls involving people in crisis. He is a defender of Palestinian civil rights and accuses the Israeli government of committing a genocide in Gaza. He uses the phase “globalize the intifada” a call to violence against Israeli civilians. He is an active member of the Democratic Socialist of America, a group that advocates for universal health care, immigrants’ rights, tuition free college, a 32-hour work week and getting rid of mandatory jail time for some crimes. He has not said he wanted to get rid of jails but he supports an “Agenda for Decarceration” that includes proposals to eliminate cash bail, decriminalize drug possession and prostitution, and fight the construction of new jails.

Europe

Europe is slowly sinking into a morass of economic and social quicksand. Over the past 30 plus years Europe has moved to replace fossil fuels with green energy. While doing this most countries, other than France, began the process of closing nuclear power plants. In a dramatic example of not thinking things through, they thought they could replace fossil fuels with wind and solar only to discover that there was not much wind or sun. The push toward EV’s neglected to consider Chinas influence on the market which all too soon produced better EV’s at lower prices. Then the US introduced reciprocal tariffs on EU goods and many European countries, like Germany, were heavily dependent on exports. When Russia invaded Ukraine, the European countries stopped buying Russian natural gas before they had set up adequate replacements. This caused a spike in energy prices which is still adversely affecting countries like Germany. Many countries are reducing production of autos and chemicals and moving plants to the US. Then, many European countries following post WW 2 guest worker programs, backed by compassionate leaders allowed mass migration of Eastern Europeans and Middle Easterners to enter Europe. Many of these new people were unable to assimilate due to language and cultural differences and this led to criminal activities. Muslims are facing discrimination and disproportionate numbers are being incarcerated and this is leading to unrest. As the countries find it necessary to cut back on social programs the people are protesting, most notably in France. The US has stopped financing Europe’s defense and they must now spend more on their own military which is putting pressure on the social programs.

Criminals

In a recent group discussion, the subject moved to public safety. What could be done to make neighborhoods safer. One person suggested that putting criminals in jail would help. That was reinforced when it was noted that most crime is committed by repeat offenders. Later in researching this, the facts were startling. While the overall rate varies by definition and jurisdiction, studies from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) show that about 66% of state prisoners are re-arrested within three years of their release. More broadly, a significant proportion of the prison population consists of repeat offenders, with some studies indicating that over 90% of state prisoners have either prior violent offenses or previous nonviolent convictions.

Crimes

When Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg campaigned, he did not promise to prosecute Trump. Here is what he said. "I have investigated Trump and his children and held them accountable for their misconduct with the Trump Foundation. I also sued the Trump administration more than 100 times for the travel ban, the separation of children from their families at the border. So I know that work. I know how to follow the facts and hold people in power accountable." A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of falsifying records to cover up hush money paid to Stormy Daniel. Letitia James made public statements during her 2018 campaign about investigating Trump. She said he was an “illegitimate president” and an “embarrassment”. In 2024 James successfully won a fraud case against Trump and the judge barred Trump from operating any business in New York and fined him $350 million dollars. The New York Supreme Court through out the fine and the case will eventually go to the US Supreme Court. In both of these cases there is concern that Trump was guilty before the trial. Some say, this smacks of the Stalinist Levrentiy Beria who said, show me the man and I’ll show you the crime.

UN

Most people were in favor of the UN back in 1945 when it started but after watching it in action their minds were changed. By the mid-1980’s American approval of the UN dropped to 28%. Today Trump spoke at the UN and castigated them for their ineptness. The UN is one of the main stays of globalization whose main purpose is to redistribute wealth. They push for migrants to move to developing countries, they push for low carbon footprints and this leads to the transfer of manufacturing. In recent years the UN has become more political. For example, the UN General Assembly passed 140 resolutions against Israel from 2015 to 2022, while passing 68 against all other countries combined. The US has also vetoed numerous Security Council resolutions concerning Israel. Many delegates come from poor countries where people are going hungry and the delegates are wined and dined in the expensive New York restaurants. Like so many organizations the UN has lost its way. There is much it could accomplish under the proper leadership but they are all talk and no walk. Many feel the time has come to revamp the whole organization.

Data centers

A nuclear power plant produces about 1000 megawatts (MG) and some plants a bit lower. A 1000 MW plant is equal to one gigawatt (GW). The US is currently operating about 5,000 data centers using about 5 GW’s of new power and the demand is for 50 GW’s. There are 10,000 more data centers on the drawing boards and they would like to plug into the local power plants to avoid depending on the grid and to avoid long transmission lines. They will compete with local public and be willing to pay a higher rate. This will cause great consternation among the public users and will put pressure on data companies to build their own power plants. While these data centers will use less than ten percent of US power, the grid cannot handle the increase. A government watch dog agency says that data centers must bring their own power supply. The 50 GWs of additional power needed by 2030 will require $500 billion in new investments. The need for more power is immediate so the best short-term solution is to build natural gas plants but the longer term looks to nuclear. Nuclear provides a small land foot print, no pressure on the grid, no transmission lines, 24/7 power and no carbon emissions.

Europe

Trump is forcing Europe to save itself from economic collapse. Since the EU stopped buying oil and natural gas from Russia, utility costs have risen dramatically. Today the price of natural gas in the US is 3 dollars while Europeans are paying 10 dollars. The cost of electricity Europe is 43 cents and in the US 13 cents. The result is that many chemical companies and steel companies are closing and some are moving to the US where energy costs are lower. There are 50 large German companies thriving in the US because of low energy prices and the customers are nearby. To understand how Europe will come back, use the US as the example. In the 1920’s the US produced 40% of the worlds manufactured goods and then the Great Depression hit and things came to a stop. Ten years later the US began to manufacture war materials and the economy rebounded. After the war the US continued manufacturing by switching from weapons to consumer goods and by 1950 was once again producing half the worlds manufactured goods. Europe must now reignite their economies by starting to manufacture materials for their national defense and to supply Ukraine with weapons.

Good jobs and change

Trump came on the scene as an outsider. He was never elected to public office and even today is not a regular politician. He got attention by being outlandish. His idea was that any news is good news to get his name recognition up. He was considered a joke and TV stations reached out to him and gave him the publicity he needed. Behind the laughing and snickering by the press stood a man who realized that the American middle-income worker had been left behind in the race for profits. Millions of workers gave up their good manufacturing jobs for cheap TVs. Trump realized that the glory days of the 50’s and 60’s had given way to a service economy at the expense of the factory job. While corporate profits grew the middle-income group lagged behind and the income gap widened each year. Trump went after the establishment and they fought to hold onto their privilege position. The middle group had not seen their real wages increase for 40 years while wages in the service area improved. People began to wake up and in the 2016 election 67% of white voters without a college degree voted for Trump. These are the people who were considered die hard democrats. The vary personality traits that upset the elite appealed to the working people. They liked his bluntness and political incorrectness. They heard regular politicians promise to increase their station in life using the proper verbiage and realized that it had all been just talk. For many, Trump is vulgar but to others he represents change and that is what the working people were hoping for. They are willing to overlook his unorthodox ways in order to get better jobs. His attempts to bring back manufacturing jobs is still questionable but it is a start.

Wood burning

Here is a headline from a climate magazine on Sept 22, 2025 Leaders promised to cut climate pollution, then doubled down on fossil fuels. Many predicted this as the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015 was seen as a farce. It was a lot of feel-good speeches with no enforcement. Most now understand that if these countries had followed up on their promises the world would be in a depression. Wind and solar cannot replace fossil fuels. Only nuclear can do that but nuclear does not offer the new social programs that come from wind and solar. Climate was the excuse to introduce new ways to redistribute wealth from rich western countries to poor underdeveloped countries. It was a laudable goal but misleading. The West must help countries develop nuclear energy programs. A vast portion of the world’s population, about two billion people, depend on wood for heating and cooking. The reliance on open fires and inefficient stoves, fueled by wood, contributes to millions of premature deaths from smoke inhalation, according to the WHO.

H1-B

H1-B visas are special visas sponsored by tech companies to bring in STEM workers to help fill the shortage of techies needed by industry. The program has been misused by some companies who use the new immigrants not to add to their staff but to use instead of US citizens in order to get by with lower salaries. Recent changes introduced a mandatory $100,000 per visa to curb abuses. Tech companies are objecting as is India where 70% of the visas are issued. This is another example of putting American first.

Families

I listened to Erika Kirk, the wife of fallen Charlie Kirk, speak and was impressed with their emphasis on the value of the family. Many Black writers, like Mary Wright Edelman founder of the Children’s Defense Fund and heroin of Hillary Clinton, said the two things that held families together in the post-civil war era were the family and the church. John Wooden, the famous coach of the UCLA basketball team, recognizing that most of his players were inner city Black kids, also emphasized the importance of families, when he said the most important thing a man can do for his children is to love their mother. Since the passing of the civil rights laws in the 1965, the Black family has been destroyed. The number of out of wedlock births increased from 25% to 70% and this led to poverty for most. Black females in the child bearing years represent 4% of the population and they have 40% of the abortions. Black married couples with children have an average income of $94,500 while Black single mothers’ average income is $34,500. Black boys from single mom families have the lowest test scores, the highest dropout rates, the most discipline problems in school and the highest incarceration rates. This is from Google AI The family is the bedrock of society means that the family unit serves as the fundamental foundation upon which society is built. It is the basic unit where individuals first learn values, socialization, love and cooperation, shaping future citizens and the overall health of the community. A strong family system is seen as essential for a stable, harmonious, functional society. It appears once again that Black lives don’t matter.

Unions

The income gap in the US has been growing since the early 80’s. It started slow but has accelerated in recent years and is a major problem in the country. One of the more important reasons is, that in business a small group of people determine the economic security of the employees. This is the standard business model. Many people suggest that government would be more efficient, if it acted more like business but some are now realizing that business would be more effective, if it acted more like government. In government people elect the leaders and if they don’t produce the desired results they are not reelected. In other words, people have a vote in determining what happens. One way, that business can and does operate in this way, is through unions. As unions gain a voice in the decision-making process, they bring power to the workers. Union wages and benefits are increased. The current plans to reindustrialize the country, presents the ideal opportunity for unions to grow in numbers and influence. Unions can reverse the 50-year trend and begin to slow the growth in the income gap. The push by nationalist to end globalization has encouraged some unions to join in the reindustrialization movement. Government officials who want to bring back manufacturing jobs should encourage the unions. The establishment will oppose this but that is part of the current trend of turning away from the status quo complex, that now controls the country. This will be opposed by all the powers that have been running things. It will be a David/Goliath battle and unions can be the stones.

Memphis

The population of Memphis is 650,000 with Blacks at 63%, Hispanics at 10%. The police force is 52% Black, the mayor is Black and the city council has 9 Black members and 4 Whites. Memphis has the highest crime rate of any US city including 393 murders in 2023. Of those 85% were Black and 90% of those were killed by other Blacks. Memphis schools rank in the lowest third in the country. Home ownership is 46% compared to the national average of other cities at 66%. If Black lives matter, then some changes are needed.

Kimmel

The controversy surrounding the Jimmy Kimmel show is being explained in two ways depending on politics. Liberals contend that the FCC threatened the network and they folded out of fear of losing their license. Conservatives say Kimmel was shut down because of ratings and his remarks about Kirk were just the straw that broke the camels back. The ratings of late-night TV shows have been on the decline for years an in particular the last ten years. In 2015 Kimmel averaged 2.4 million viewers and that dropped to 1.5 million by 2021. Average viewers in the critical 18 – 49 demo dropped from 1 million in 2015 to 261,000 in 2025. Ad revenues declined from $439 million in 2018 to $220 million last year. While all the major late-night shows were in decline a new late-night show on Fox called Gutfeld started in 2021 with 2 million viewers rising to 3 million today. Much of the decline of the major networks is attributed to the constant negativity against Trump. Overtime, conservative viewers begam to tire of the constant anti Trump monologues and many question the wisdom of turning off half of the country. Many feel it was a mistake for the FCC to get involved as these programs were already dying. There is an overall trend in the country for media to move to the right. This includes both print and TV and it is part of the move away from traditional news to social media and podcasts.

Wages

Between July of 2024 and July of 2024 wages increased by 4.2% and inflation was 2.7%. This resulted in a real wage increase of $141 per month for the average worker. The average wage today is $60,000 and if that continues in ten years the real wage will increase to $70,000. As long as the inflation rate is less than the increase in wages the average person feels like they are getting ahead. This will be especially important over the coming years as manufacturing jobs come back to the US. This means the companies will have to pay higher wages to make things here in the US. The average pay for places like Walmart and McDonalds is $18 while the average pay in an auto manufacturing plant is $28. Adding manufacturing jobs will add upward wage pressure and this puts upward pressure on inflation. One thing that can help increase wages is the increase in productivity expected from the new manufacturing facilities which will use the latest technology helped along by AI.

Revolution

For 50 years after WW2 the world relied on the United States as the leader of the free world to promote and develop the concept of globalization. The basic idea was that using free and open trade would allow all countries to prosper and in time bring communist countries around to free market economies which would then lead to political freedom. For 50 years this was allowed to grow and it led to bringing one billion people out of poverty. China opened its economy to the free market but it never carried over to free politics. China remained communist while its economy grew rapidly by selling low cost manufactured goods to the West, primarily the US. In American it caused the loss of millions of manufacturing jobs while the rich got richer. Corporate profits rose from 5% of GDP to 8% while the stock market rose 7.5%. Income for working people stagnated while CEO salaries sky rocketed. The US was providing defense for the European countries along with far eastern countries like Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippians. The US was providing the bulk of the financing for world groups like the UN and WTO. This led to a US national debt of $36 trillion and trade deficits of $1.2 trillion. While international businesses were enjoying the benefits the country as a whole was facing a crisis and something had to change. That change started about 15 years ago as the US began to move away from globalization. It has caused a quiet revolution as the US is forcing other countries to start to take care of themselves and they are not happy. They do not want to spend money on their own national defense and agree to fair trade practices but that is what they are facing. Nationalism has replaced globalism and it is happening in Europe and the US.

Vaccines

Past vaccines, including the first for smallpox, were developed by growing the vaccine in live cells under adverse conditions to weaken it. The flu virus may be grown in eggs at a temperature of 80 degrees instead of body temperature of 98 degrees and this weakens the virus. It is then injected either live or dead, depending. The Covid vaccine was developed in a faster way by adjusting the DNA of the virus to weaken it. Test are being done to check the efficacy of the Covid but most people are aware of someone who was vaxed and still got the disease and many people got the disease more than once. More studies are needed to determine the value of vaccines developed using the DNA approach.

Left to right

For the past 30 years the media has been mostly left leaning but that began to change when Musk bought Twitter and moved it to the center right. Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post and it began a slow shift to the middle. Billionaire Larry Ellison bought CBS and wants to bring Bari Weiss on board. She is thought to be in the center. Ellison is now considering buying CNN. Late night hosts Colbert and Kimmel have been suspended. Time and Newsweek, powerhouse liberal magazines of the past, are now just hanging on much like newspapers but social media is coming on strong. People like Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Tim Cook of Apple are leaning toward the center. Talk radio and most political podcasts lean right. As the media shifts from left to right, the complaints that free speech is threatened are becoming common place.

War and oil

Russia is fighting war the old fashion way; they’re fighting to win. They are bombing cities and killing civilians. They are taking over assets in their country owned by foreign countries. They are kidnapping Ukrainian children and taking them to Russia. Meanwhile the West is fighting war in the new more civilized way, which in the past would be considered an oxymoron. Russia is firing long range missiles into Ukraine including the city of Kiev while the West refuses to fire long range missiles at Moscow. The fear is that Russia would respond with tactical nukes. The West has declined to take the $300 billion in Russian assets sitting in Europe and the US and giving that to Ukraine, because it is illegal under international law, while Russia is breaking the law by seizing Western assets in Russia. It is the flow of oil money that is financing the war for Russia and Trump is using the threat of tariffs to force India and China to quit buying Russian oil. The G7 group set a price cap on Russian oil at $60 and this was recently changed to 15% below market price. China is buying Russia oil at the discounted price and reselling it on the open market at a profit. There seems to always be a way around sanctions. Trump has tried to negotiate with Putin for 8 months in an attempt to end the fighting and Putin talks a good game but just keeps on killing Ukrainians. It appears that the only way Putin will stop is by seeing the cost of the war exceeding the benefits. Recent polls show that 70% of the Ukrainian people want a negotiated peace settlement. Trump thought his relationship with Putin would help end the war but he was naïve, perhaps forgetting the Putin was just an old fashion KGB guy. As it stands now the EU is going broke trying to finance the war and the US is making profits selling arms to Europe while not risking any lives.

Speech

Most observers are well aware of the hypocrisy that is displayed in politics and it is not limited to one party. The most recent examples surround the claims of free speech. People should be reminded that the first amendment applies to government and not private business. When conservatives were being banned from social media under the claims of misinformation there were many complaints claiming free speech was being attacked. The only illegal action here stems from the fact that there were allegations that government was pressuring social media companies to ban certain people and that would be illegal. Currently private company employees are losing their jobs over controversial statements but once again the allegation is that government is putting pressure on these companies based on their desires to merge. If that is true it is illegal. The complaints only come from those who are being affected while the other side remains quiet and therein lies the hypocrisy. If a person makes derogatory remarks in public about their employer, they should expect consequences. The same is true if they make public statements that contradict company policy.

Money

In 2010 the Supreme Court ruled that money was speech. This was the controversial Citizens United case. The result has shown that total contributions to parties have been close but in the presidential races the advantage went to the democratic candidates. In the 2024 election the democrats spent $6.7 billion and the republicans spent $7.6 billion while independents spent $500 million. In the presidential race Harris spent $1.1 billion while Trump spent $500 million. The money helped the democrats down ballot but did not have much effect in the Harris/Trump race. In any event the disaster that Citizens United was suppose to create never happened.

Power

From 1960 to a peak in 2007, US annual CO2 emissions increased by over 50% before beginning a decline driven by fuel shifts in the power sector. Net emissions declined by 17% from 2005 to today. The primary reason was the use of natural gas which increased from 18% in 1950 to 36% in 2023. In 1950 fossil fuels were 86% of total US energy production and by 2023 that had dropped to 84%. This is during a time when trillions were spent on wind and solar and illustrates the fact that energy consumptions in increasing faster than wind and solar can keep up. The use of natural gas should continue to increase while the US makes the change to nuclear power.

Change minds

Once people become comfortable with an idea, it is difficult for them to change their minds. This happens for a number of reasons. Something called confirmation bias (seeking information that supports existing beliefs), belief perseverance (clinging to beliefs even when disproven, and the brain’s natural fear of the unknown. Cognitive dissonance happens when people hold onto conflicting ideas. Starting slowly back in the 1990’s and getting stronger in time the idea that climate change could be challenged by using wind and solar. All of the articles then and since then have talked about the lowering cost of wind and solar and how bad CO2 from fossil fuels are to the climate. To many people it sounded like a panacea. Free electric power from the wind and the sun. Huge government subsidies were offered to reduce CO2 while stories about storms and fires and other natural disasters pushed the green ideas into the minds of the people. As time passed the shine wore off and information about the mining, processing and deposal of the materials needed for green energy exposed problems. Thirty years before the new green deal, the people were misled by other groups regarding nuclear power. The use of fear was used effectively to discredit nuclear and it also remains today. For those who are willing to change based on new evidence nuclear is the answer but it is not easy. As new information brings on the cognitive dissonance the people remain stuck. The story is told of the young girl who was invited to a friend’s birthday party. The friend came from a wealthy family and the girl’s mother told her not to accept any gifts as a matter of pride. When the host offered the girl an orange she reached out and took it while saying no thanks. Many people today find themselves in the same position of that little girl.

Change minds

Once people become comfortable with an idea, it is difficult for them to change their minds. This happens for a number of reasons. Something called confirmation bias (seeking information that supports existing beliefs), belief perseverance (clinging to beliefs even when disproven, and the brain’s natural fear of the unknown. Cognitive dissonance happens when people hold onto conflicting ideas. Starting slowly back in the 1990’s and getting stronger in time the idea that climate change could be challenged by using wind and solar. All of the articles then and since then have talked about the lowering cost of wind and solar and how bad CO2 from fossil fuels are to the climate. To many people it sounded like a panacea. Free electric power from the wind and the sun. Huge government subsidies were offered to reduce CO2 while stories about storms and fires and other natural disasters pushed the green ideas into the minds of the people. As time passed the shine wore off and information about the mining, processing and deposal of the materials needed for green energy exposed problems. Thirty years before the new green deal, the people were misled by other groups regarding nuclear power. The use of fear was used effectively to discredit nuclear and it also remains today. For those who are willing to change based on new evidence nuclear is the answer but it is not easy. As new information brings on the cognitive dissonance the people remain stuck. The story is told of the young girl who was invited to a friend’s birthday party. The friend came from a wealthy family and the girl’s mother told her not to accept any gifts as a matter of pride. When the host offered the girl an orange she reached out and took it while saying no thanks. Many people today find themselves in the same position of that little girl.

Vaccinations

Most people assume that childhood vaccinations are the proper thing to do but many are surprised at the number. In 1980 children got five shots and today they get 17. One area of concern is the long-term effects of childhood vaccinations. When ever an unexpected result appears the first reaction is that they are just testing more. This sounds reasonable but in 1980, one in 2,500 were diagnosed with autism and today that figure is 1 in 30. Many studies have been done and they all show no connection between vaccinations and the increase in autism but these numbers continue to cause lingering doubts. Chronic childhood diseases are on the rise in the United States, with nearly one in three young people now living with a chronic condition or functional limitation. Research shows a significant increase in conditions like ADHD, autism, asthma, obesity, prediabetes, anxiety, and depression among children and adolescents over the past two decades. This rise is linked to public health, societal, and lifestyle factors rather than genetics, and it necessitates increased investment in long-term care and support for these youth It is notable that the action offered was to treat the symptoms.

Free speech

There are recent reports of people losing their jobs because of insensitive remarks made about Charlie Kirks death. This is just more cancel culture and is an afront to free speech. The first amendment gives one the right to express satisfaction and even joy over someone’s misfortune. Many colleges tried to stop Kirk from speaking and these attempts to punish people for what they say is the same thing. Private companies have the right to fire over speech but just because they can doesn’t mean they should. The standard is best explained by the French writer Voltaire who was a strong advocate of free speech. His ideas were summed up by Evelyn Beatrice Hall in her biography of Voltaire when she wrote, I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. You cannot silence me because someone may use my words to commit a violent act but there are legal restrictions. You can say that Trump is Hitler but you cannot say Trump should be killed because he is Hitler. What people infer from your remarks is not your responsibility. The best approach is to criticize people’s actions and not who they are. This is often said in churches where they say to hate the sin but not the sinner.

Floyd

In the past five years there have been two high profile murders and they were two very different types of men. Charlie Kirk was born into a White middle-class family in a Chicago suburb. Right after high school he got involved in politics which led to the development of Turning Point USA. This grew rapidly and within a few years there were 3,500 high school and college chapters around the country. He married and had two children and he emphasized the importance of family in his rallies. His philosophy was God, family and country. He was very controversial because he spoke about taboo subjects like Black on Black crime and affirmative action as a replacement for merit. Depending on how his remarks were interpreted he was hated or loved. This is always the case when unpopular subjects are broached. History is clear as the same thing happened with MLK and he too was assassinated. Kirk was assassinated by a lone gunman when he was 27 years old. George Floyd was born into poverty and raised by a Black single mom. He made it into his mid 20’s without much controversy but then between ages 24 and 31 he served 8 jail terms on various charges including drug possession, theft and trespass. In his 30’s he went through a period where he was plagued by drug use. He was murdered by a police officer at age 41. He had severe underlying heart disease, including arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure. His autopsy report found fentanyl and meth in his system. After Floyd’s murder there were violent protest around the world and since Kirk’s death there has been mostly prayers and a push for the country to unite and end the divisions. There are other situations where people born in poverty become productive citizens and some born wealthy become addicts.

Jan 6

Five years have passed and it is time for a review of two major events, first the May 25, 2020 murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer and second the January 6, 2021 attempt to take over the government. The death of Floyd resulted in nation wide protest that lasted almost one year. Considered the largest protest in US history, spread to over 2,000 cities. In the US, 25 people died and more than 1,000 buildings were damaged at a cost of $2 billion including a police station and several federal buildings. The protest led to reforms in police departments including the cutting of funds along with other activities such as removing confederate statues. 120 people were found guilty of crimes and 70 were sent to jail. On January 6 about 10,000 people headed for the Capital Building and about 2,500 entered the capital starting about 1:30 in the afternoon and ending about 8 PM. Four protestors died and Capital police officer died the next day from a heart attack. The cost to repair the damage was $3 million. 1575 people were charged with federal crimes and 1126 were convicted and 720 were sent to jail The different response by the authorities is justified by saying the crime of Jan 6 was more serious.

The West

Over the past 50 years the West has embarked upon a slow path to destruction. It comes in four parts. Europe is ahead of the US in this regard and can be used as a warning. First off Europe decided to replace fossil fuels with wind and solar and this has led to high energy cost and overall economic decline. Second, they opened their borders to mostly Islamic immigrants and these people are placing pressure on social services and they are not assimilating because of cultural differences. Third, their population replacement is 1.4 which means they are running out of young people. Finally, fourth is DEI. This policy tends to give special treatment to certain groups and leads to tribalism and this is the antithesis of individualism which is what democracy is founded upon. The US has witnessed the harm caused by these policies and is trying to avoid falling into the same trap. The idea that wind and solar can replace fossil fuels has been refuted and the way around that is nuclear. Second the border has been secured and immigration will once again return to an orderly fashion. Third the concept of DEI is on the way out having been exposed as just a way to put skin color above merit. What is left is the low birth rate and that can be taken care of by allowing the non-criminal migrants to gain citizenship. These are all self-inflicted wounds that can be corrected.

College

The word fascist is in the news and sometimes not well understood. One interesting way of looking at the word is to see it as an extreme version of right wingers. This is what communism is for far-left people. As each side moves further away from the center, they approach each other and mesh together. They become authoritarian dictators. From the standpoint of governing there was not much difference between Hitler and Stalin. The misunderstanding of the word can be seen in the fact that many in the press expressed surprise at the fact that 6,000 students at the university where Charlie Kirk was shot signed a petition asking that his visit be cancelled. University students have been involved in a growing trend of trying to ban or disinvite speakers from campus since at least 2014, using tactics like protests and petitions, and a significant portion of students have become more accepting of such actions, including shouting down speakers, blocking access to events, and even using violence. In principle, colleges and universities are designed to be places where controversial ideas can be expressed and debated. This has changed over the past ten years. One question is did the professors have anything to do with this change.

Kirk

The shooting of Charlie Kirk is big news because he was a controversial speaker and his life style. He and his wife were deeply committed to Christianity and conservative values. He often said things that many people were thinking but afraid to say, shades of Rush Limbaugh. His comments on gender, race and politics often drew fierce liberal criticism. Here are some examples. If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, boy, I hope he’s qualified. If you’re a WNBA, pot-smoking, Black lesbian, do you get treated better than a United States marine? Happening all the time in urban America, prowling Blacks go around for fun to go target white people, that’s a fact. It’s happening more and more. If I’m dealing with somebody in customer service who’s a moronic Black woman, I wonder is she there because of her excellence, or is she there because affirmative action? Kirk's comments often drew fierce liberal criticism. His opposition to gun control was among issues he discussed. It is understandable why many would be offended by these remarks but that is what the first amendment is all about. He promoted family values such as marriage and having children. He encouraged young people to work hard and go after the American dream using the ideas of God, family and country. He believed that you won the lottery when you were born in the USA.

Clicks

As the various stations cover the news regarding the Charlie Kirk shooting, they all agree that all sides should cut back on divisive language and then they put on the news the most divisive people they can find. They cannot help themselves as clicks are all that count.

Migrants

Many articles are written pointing out that the Ukraine War continues because the egos are getting in the way and this is also true in domestic politics. Right now, there is an opportunity to reach a compromise on immigration that would benefit the country. Trump fancies himself as a great deal maker and the democrats could approach the situation with compromise in mind. Go to Trump and say now that the border is secure, we would like to help ICE find and deport the migrant criminals who are in the country and then work with the government to get work permits for the remaining migrants. The permits would be for five years at which time they can convert to Green Cards and in another five years to citizenship. In addition, they will cooperate with the government to find the missing children. The country needs these migrants to fill the many jobs that will be created as manufacturing comes back home.

Crime

Crime has been a problem for many years but in recent times, like most news, it is on social media and gets more attention. Statistics show that crime rates were much higher in the 1990’s and following some tough on crime legislation the rates dropped. This was the result of policies like three strikes and your out and arresting people for minor crimes, the theory being that this would reduce major crimes. After 25 years of this the pendulum swung back as people realized that the jails were filling up with nonviolent criminals and there was a racial component that came out of the surge in crack cocaine arrest. This was followed up by the oppressor/ oppressed view that also had a racial component. This led to many seeing criminals as victims and the result is that many district attorneys tend to go easy on criminals. This resulted in many jurisdictions recording crimes in ways that tend to minimize the numbers. Over the past few years, the number of illegal migrants with criminal pasts have increased and this has added to the crime problem.

Sex attacks

Many cities have instituted no cash bail. Without this change people who have the money can get out of jail while they await trial but those without the money remain in jail. This was deemed unfair and thus the law changed. In practice this has resulted in accused felons being freed the day after they were arrested with the written promise that they would show up in court on the appointed day. What has happened is that these accused have committed more crimes. Statistics show that 64% of federal violent offenders were rearrested for new crimes within eight years of release. On average, formerly incarcerated people are arrested five times within nine years of their release. For every 1000 sexual assaults, 50 reports lead to arrest, 28 cases lead to conviction and 25 are incarcerated. Seventy percent of those jailed serve less than 5 years.

Subway

Virtue signaling is a pejorative term used to describe liberals who suggest ways to provide benefits to the poor, often times people who are not working. They do this to show their compassion for those less fortunate. They are sometimes called bleeding hearts ore do gooders but for the most part they have good intentions. What is needed is to think things through and to anticipate what the results of their actions might be. Case in point is the New York City candidate for mayor Mandami. He is proposing to eliminate the charge for subways. This will encourage the homeless to spend their nights riding the rails, especially during the colder months. These are people who are afflicted with mental problems, drug problems and personal hygiene problems. In time this will cause fewer working people to take the subway and the tent camps on the street will be moved to the subway. The subways have already earned the reputation of being unsafe and this will further exacerbate the problem. On a grander scale are those who wanted to help the migrants crossing the southern border, which led to many of the problems in today’s society and most of these could have been anticipated.

Clinton

Wise people say you can learn from history. In 1994, half way through his first term President Bill Clinton lost 54 house seats and for the first time since in 40 years the republicans had a majority in the congress. Clinton then made a move toward the center and in 1996 he was reelected. He worked with the congress and balanced the budget, the first time in 25 years. He passed a tax cut and increased spending on education. He signed welfare reform limiting the time spent on welfare to five years. He passed the tough on crime bill and added 100,000 cops on the street. Democrats today are not trying to move to the center but are doubling down on the policies that have them at a 36% approval. It would be wise to consider what Clinton did.

Deportions

The current controversy concerning the rounding up of migrants is sometimes presented as a human rights violation but that depends on the details. Here is information to support this reasoning. From the National Civil Liberties Union During the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, immigration authorities deported more than 3 million people, 75% of whom did not see a judge or have the opportunity to plead their case. From NPR Annually, between 58% and 84% of these removals were so-called "summary removals" carried out through legal procedures such as "expedited removal" and "reinstatement of removal," which do not involve a hearing before an immigration judge. On average, about 74% of removals during this period fell into these categories. Trump is using “expedited removal” just as Obama did. Last week a federal judge temporarily blocked the expedited removal, a ruling that will likely be resolved by the Supreme Court. Expedited removal was challenged under the Obama administration but there were no large protests. One reason was that Obama turned around many migrants at the border so it required less rounding up.

Carney

Canada is undergoing withdrawals from Trump’s 51st state proposals. In the run up to the March 2025 election the conservative candidate was on course to win but when Trump made his remarks the situation changed almost overnight. The liberal candidate Mark Carney jumped into the lead and won. He is a strong proponent of replacing fossil fuels with wind and solar even though Canada’s climate is not conducive to either. Much of Canada’s oil wealth comes from the Western Provinces, primarily Alberta. For years Alberta has been a net GDP producer and much of their money was sent to Quebec a province that is a net taker. When the new PM was elected, he assumed the people wanted more green energy so he placed additional restrictions on Alberta. The people there did not like this and are threatening to secede and this is causing turmoil throughout the government. Carney believes that in the long run wind and solar will replace fossil fuels. Carney remains popular since 65% of the population lives in Ontario and Quebec.

IMO

The part of the United Nations that deals with shipping is called The International Maritime Organization (IMO). New rules have recently introduced that will achieve zero carbon by 2050. Much of it has to do with carbon transfer where companies pay other companies for carbon credits. Another approach is to use fuels like methanol or other bio fuels. For more than 60 years the US has been using nuclear to power aircraft carriers and sub marines but this is not mentioned in their proposals. Instead, they say to use clean energy when docking and wind sails when possible.

US Open

Trump was booed at the US Open tennis match which is just more proof of the divide in the country. When Trump goes to a mixed martial arts match, a football game or a NASCAR he is roundly applauded. The working people are at the football game not the tennis match. People at the tennis match are rich, white eastern college educated liberals. The press keeps pushing the idea that the country is divided along racial lines when in fact a Black carpenter and Hispanic electrician and a White plumber have more in common than the football fans and the tennis fans. The real divide in the country centers around jobs and income. At the football game they have tailgating parties with beer and barbecue while at the tennis match, they celebrate with cocktails and finger foods. This divide was clearly demonstrated by exit polling at the 2024 election.

Change is in the air

The world is in the midst of an economic revolution which began some 40 years ago. At that time China was just coming on the scene and they used unethical ways to gain economic power. First off, they secreted away proprietary R&D from Western companies saving them years in development. Next, they offered government assistance to new companies in the form of tax breaks and direct subsidies. This was followed up with manipulation of currency to lower export prices. Then production began with little or no worker safety, no environmental rules and low wages using children and slave labor. In time Chinese products like appliances and electronics overwhelmed the West and manufacturing jobs began to move to China. This process continued into mining, technology and pharmaceuticals and has resulted in the West becoming dependent on China. The result was the loss of good paying jobs for working people and a rise in living standards for the rich. Today the top ten percent hold 70% of the wealth and each year the gap widens. One example is that 40 years ago the CEO made 15 times what the factory worker made and today that number is 300 times as much. The first cracks in this system appeared when Trump, an outsider, challenged the status quo. He pointed out the unfair trade practices that resulted in trillion-dollar trade deficits and started demanding reciprocal tariffs. He then pushed for more equitable payments to the UN, the WTO and WHO world organizations where the US was paying far more than a fair share. Next, he asked NATO countries to start contributing their fair share while demanding that the EU start paying for their own defense. All of these things have disrupted the old ways of doing business and is the beginning of an economic revolution. These changes are just starting and can be seen by the amount of both foreign and domestic investment in the US and manufacturing jobs returning to the US. The establishment, led by the bureaucracy, is fighting to maintain the old system and they are joined by rich and powerful. Real wages for working people are increasing faster than inflation and if that continues the changes will continue. The working people have only one weapon and that is their vote.

Data centers

Data centers are popping up all across the country and they use lots of electric power. The best plan is for each center to build its own power supply and sell any unused power back to the local electric company but some are not following that plan. Instead they are making deals with the local power companies and these data companies can afford to pay a high rate for their power. This means power is diverted to these new centers and this is resulting in higher rates for consumers. This will be a mistake as consumers will object to subsidizing these big media companies.

Battle

Beginning in the middle of the last century the power given to the presidency began to increase, either by design or by fate, and has grown steadily since. Ten years ago, Trump came on the scene and he was an outsider. Many in the bureaucracy had become accustom to running things behind the curtain and suddenly found themselves face to face with an unexpected obstacle. They could not control Trump and this was very disturbing and, in some ways, threatening. All of the institutions were caught off guard. The universities, big business, big government, the media and establishment politicians found themselves losing influence which in their eyes meant losing power. In response they gathered together to fight against Trump. They had a head start since one half of the population saw Trump as a danger to all the progress they had made over the years. How this battle will end is yet to be determined.

Students

Over the years it has been a popular theme that a student who is behind can catch up using a tutor. Now that all students have their own laptops the time has come for all students to have their own private tutors. Using AI, the computer can become friends with the student and have intimate knowledge of their progress. It will be one on one teaching and the computer will send regular reports to the teacher. In line with this Microsoft is now offering, free of charge, methods for the teacher to prepare lessons and grade papers. This combination could be the way to improve student learning

DOD

The name of the Department of Defense is changed to the Department of War. So, what does that mean. If it is just changing the name, it means very little but if it is changing the philosophy of the department, it is significant. The last time the congress declared war was WW 2. That was also the last time the US went to win. Since that time there have been a series of so-called police actions. Many believe that if you are going to war you should go to win or stay home. If that is what changing the name means then it makes sense.

Supreme Court

The positions of the Supreme Court are often not popular depending. Here is a brief history. The Warren Court (1950s–1960s) was the last sustained period of a clearly liberal Supreme Court, marking a high point for judicial expansion of individual rights and liberties. The Burger and Rehnquist Courts (1970s–2000s) represent a transitional era, with the court's ideology becoming progressively more conservative, often relying on a "swing vote" to determine outcomes. The modern Roberts Court (2020s) is the most conservative court since the 1930s. The 6–3 supermajority has led to landmark conservative decisions that have dramatically reshaped constitutional law. I lived in the south in the late 60’s and early 70’s and there were bill boards saying impeach Earl Warren. Today liberals are decrying the decisions of the court some saying the court is a threat to democracy. The differences are based on philosophy. Conservatives promote interpreting the court as the founders would. They support judicial restraint leaving congress to create laws. They are more willing to overturn established precedents. Liberals believe in interpreting based on modern standards. They are more willing to expand the constitution to adapt to societal changes. They are more reluctant to overturn precedents.

RFK

Like many news stories in today’s world, the facts are distorted by politics. RFK Jr, Secretary of Health and Human Services, is questioning the science in the understanding of disease and control. He wants independent scientist to evaluate the data collected by drug companies to confirm their results. The reason is, that the CDC like most government agencies, is often times influenced by data from outside sources. Here is the report from Google AI. Studies show a significant "revolving door" between government health agencies like the CDC and the private health industry, with many CDC appointees leaving for private sector positions in the private health sector after their tenure. This movement raises concerns about potential industry influence and bias within regulatory processes, even if bias isn't proven, as government employees may be influenced by future job opportunities in the private sector There are many in and out of government who want the status quo to stay in place and see these changes as a threat.

The European Union

The European Union (EU) will implement the ReArm Europe Plan and increase defense spending by $867 billion, most of which will be supplied by US defense contractors. Here are a few examples. Lockheed Martin for F-35 jets Raytheon for air defense systems L3Harris for electrics and avionics Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics for aeronautics and cyberspace AAR maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft While Trump is concerned about the death and damage caused by the war, he is content to sit on the sidelines while Russia, Ukraine and the EU hash out their differences. This war must continue based on the original concepts that Putin can’t win or he will take over Eastern Europe and Putin can’t lose because if he is cornered, he will resort to nuclear attacks. How did so called intelligent negotiators get themselves in this untenable position. Recent polls show that 70% of the Ukrainian people want a peaceful settlement to the war but egos and profits are in the way. Hundreds of thousands have died and the death toll keeps mounting every day.

Teachers

Many schools are cutting teachers due to declining student enrollment. Since 1950 student enrollment has increased but the number of teachers and non-teaching staff has grown at a faster rate. Non-teaching staff, largely administrative positions, have increased by 700% since 1950 while teacher numbers have increased by 250% over the same time period. The dramatic increase in non-teaching staff began to accelerate in the early 1990’s, a period referred to as the modern staffing surge. Schools have justified this increase in hiring staff by taking on more responsibility beyond teaching. Some suggest that if cuts are necessary then they should look first at these extra responsibilities and not cut teachers. Many of these people were described pejoratively as paper pushers but each position can be justified by those in charge.

News today

In recent years the country has witnessed the slow demise of the national press both TV and print. In the news today is further proof of movement in this direction. Paramount, the parent company of CBS, is nearing a deal to acquire Bari Weiss's Free Press and integrate it with CBS News Bari Weiss is a former main stream journalist who worked for, among others, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal and broke away to start a podcast called the Free Press. The number of people who "watch" or consume content from The Free Press (the media company) is over 1.25 million subscribers as of April 2025, with 155,000 paid subscribers. The outlet also receives over one million site visits monthly, and its podcast has over 18 million downloads. More and more people are tuning into Podcast for news and this is especially true of young viewers. At the same time the Cable TV news is watched mostly by older people.

Eugenics

Critical Race Theory (CRT) is fading as it is exposed as a selective review of history designed to promote a certain point of view. Over the three hundred years between the 16th and 19th centuries about 388,000 slaves were brought from Africa to the United States. This represents the darkest hour of US history. These people were treated as less than human until the civil war ended slavery in 1865. This war resulted in 1.5 million wounded including 700,000 who died. Discrimination against Blacks continued in the form of Jim Crow laws for another hundred years. During the 1960’s laws were passed to end all discriminatory practices but the remnants remain to this day. When the story in history class ends at this point it is CRT. If the story continues then it becomes history. Today there are 42 million Blacks in the US and 4.5 million are college graduates. There are 3.5 million Black owned businesses. The average income for Black families is $55,000. Laws like affirmative action were designed to give Blacks a leg up when it came to jobs. There are many people in modern day Africa that would like to come to the US but very few want to move from the US to Africa. The average income in Africa is $10,000 per year and there are very few opportunities to move up the economic ladder. This, as Paul Harvey used to say, is the rest of the story. Another point that is rarely discussed is the fact that if it had not been for slavery there were be very few Black Americas and most of the decedents of slaves would still be in Africa. One other point is the fact that 23 million Black babies have been aborted since Roe. If they had not been aborted the Black population would be 10 million higher. During the past 50 years homicides in the US have averaged 20,000 per year and half of those have been Black males, 90% of whom were murdered by other Black males. For some this all adds up to a type of eugenics and it is alive and well in most major US cities. Blacks are regularly murdered is disproportionate numbers but city governments seem unperturbed.

Abortions

Here is a report from Google AI. Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, total abortions in the U.S. have increased, reaching a record high of over 1.1 million in 2024, driven by factors like the rise of medication abortion via telehealth and travel to states where it's legal. While many states have banned or restricted abortion, the overall number of procedures has gone up, with some increase seen even in states with bans. Medication abortions were at 10% in 2000 and 63% today. This trend is expected to continue. The number of abortions had been declining with a low of 862,000 in 2017 but then started up and continued up after Roe was overturned in 2022. Black women at 40% continue to be the most based on race.

Courts

The constitution states that congress will write the laws. The next step is for the various agencies to write the regulations which establish the rules. The heads of these agencies report to the president and serve at his pleasure. The means they can be terminated at any time for any reason that pleases the president. The president issues an executive order and the agencies carry out that order. When a local federal judge places a hold on the order the Supreme Court has ruled that the judge does not have that authority. In the case of Trump v. CASA, Inc., the Supreme Court ruled 6–3 that federal courts generally lack the authority to issue "universal" or "nationwide" injunctions. The injunction temporarily stops the order until the Supreme Court rules. Since there are 1,700 federal judges this process could interfere with the operation of governing. There have been a dozen cases recently where local judges have stopped presidential executive orders using work arounds to avoid the Supreme Court ruling. This means each of these must go to the Supreme Court for ruling.

Chicago

Trump is considering sending in federal troops to help Chicago deal with murders. For 13 consecutive years, Chicago has had the most murders of any U.S. city. In recent years in Chicago, the vast majority of homicide victims have been Black, accounting for approximately 79% of victimizations in 2020, with Latinx individuals making up another 15%. Murders in Chicago are predominantly intra-racial, meaning victims and offenders are often of the same race. Specifically, about 98% of Black victims are killed by Black offenders The Illinois governor and the Chicago mayor both object to federal troops coming into the city to help with the crime. Crime in Chicago is an example of racism. They contend they can deal with the problem without outside help.