Nuke power

The US has started the Artemis program which is to set up a station on the moon by 2030. This station will require a steady source of power and small nuclear reactors are the only option. The lunar night lasts for two weeks so solar power is out and there is no atmosphere so wind is out. This is just one more reason why nuclear power should be the future.

West

Western Culture is a term that has come under attack by certain groups like the far right and far left. To begin with what are the main points of Western Culture. Individualism as opposed to collective identity. Rule of law and democracy. Critical thinking and science. Christian heritage. Capitalism and free markets. Human rights and equality Western culture was responsible for the industrial revolution which brought the world into the modern age. Most of modernity is the result of Western cultural ideas and innovations. The big complaint against Western Culture is that it is dominated by white males but this is slowly changing. Many people today are upset with living in the US and would like to make changes. They do understand that it still ranks as one of the better places to live. The best course of action for these people is to point out areas where the culture is need of improvement and then suggest ways to improve.

EU

Europe is dying from self-inflicted wounds and they need to make some serious changes. Starting at the end of the cold war in 1991 they embarked on a going green economy, excessive regulations and a laxed immigration system. This combined with an aging population has put pressure on social services, particularly retirement benefits. Energy costs are three times higher than in the US and the war is forcing them to spend more in defense. In general, the EU is deindustrializing because of high energy cost as they move important manufacturing businesses, like chemical and automotive to China and the US. In the past few years’ voters have demanded that they do away with net zero and start deporting immigrants. These are the policies that the US is following and the country is reindustrializing with low energy prices, reduced regulations and deporting illegal immigrants. The US has sent VP Vance to Davos to tell the Europeans that they must take on more responsibility for their own national defense The EU's share of global GDP is declining, falling from roughly 27-30% in 1980 to approximately 14-17% in 2025-2026, with projections suggesting further declines to around 12.9% by 2030

Trump news

When news people report on Trump, they often refer to his book, “The Art Of The Deal”, to explain his strategy but the book outlines the methods used by most negotiators. The union boss uses a two-prong strategy that is the basis for most contracts. First, he will demand a 20% raise hoping to settle for five percent and second, he is willing to walk away, meaning strike. The press reports the initial talks in the headlines because they seem so outlandish but in time things calm down and agreements are reached. Things like buying Greenland, Canada being the 51st state and 200% tariffs are grist for the mill for Trump and the press jumps on the bandwagon. Trump knows the news business survives on clicks and he offers them many on a daily basis. This is so different from most politicians that the press cannot understand his approach. Remember Obama, who used long pauses between sentences and sometimes between words as he attempted to make sure he didn’t say anything that could be misinterpreted. This was PC speech at its finest. Many people prefer this over the bombastic exaggerations and hyperbole that Trump spews out with ease. He is accused of misinformation at best and outright lying at worst but in either case it dominates the news cycle which seems to be his objective.

Interviews

When watching an interview on TV, it is understood that the interviewees are offering their opinions of facts but not facts. If the interviewers wanted facts, they would do what most people do and Google. They would conduct a formal question and answer talk with a computer like Chat GPT. This would be continuous ongoing fact checking and probably not garner much of an audience. It would be so lacking in misinformation that most listeners would be unable to confirm their own biases and they would lose interest. In today’s world most people want to hear news that correlates with what they already believe. It is so popular that it has a name, confirmational bias.

Nuclear

In another step towards nuclear power, last week a small nuclear reactor was shipped from California to Utah by the US Air Force. It is called the Ward 250 and uses small uranium pellets and a helium cooled system. This type of reactor can be transferred to the point of use and can power facilities like data centers and manufacturing plants. This plant has walk away safety protocols and uses no water. It represents the first step in a new industry, one which will help the US move away from fossil fuels and will allow the US to reach the goal of doubling the manufacturing base over the next ten years. It represents the leading edge of the new fourth industrial revolution.

Metro surge

Operation Metro Surge is over and lasted 74 days with both sides claiming victory. The goal of the protestors was to drive out the federal officers and they succeeded. The goal of the government was to get increased cooperation from local authorities and they succeeded. The long-term ramification is that cities and states may be emboldened to defy the federal government. This flies in the face of the Supremacy Clause in the Constitution which states that federal law holds ultimate authority over conflicting state laws. The loophole used here was that the state does not have to cooperate with federal law but it cannot interfere the carrying out of federal law. The question to be answered then, could any of the activities by the protestors be considered interfering.

Epstein files

The Epstein files containing 3.5 million pages, 2,000 videos and 180,000 images go back to the early 1990’s. This time period includes the presidencies of Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden and Trump. Thus, the question arises, why hasn’t this information been released. Some suggest that reasons like national security and damage to innocent people preclude the release but others suggest the material is too embarrassing to elected officials and other rich and powerful people. One thing that is becoming clearer is the disdain these wealthy people have for the average citizen. With Epstein and some in his circle, the poor can be described as exploitative, dismissive, and in extreme contexts, contemptuous. The files suggest that the super-rich in this circle often viewed the poor and vulnerable as individuals to be used for their own purposes. This has spawned a new term called the Epstein Class. For some this is just an expansion on the old idea of east coast, college educated, liberal elites and how they see Midwesterners, the people who live in flyover country.

The new economy

Trump is destined to be one of the great presidents, not so much based on what he does but when he does it. After WW 2 the US guaranteed the safety of the oceans to all countries who agreed to help fight communism. This opened the door to free trade and all countries benefited. The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and the world entered a period of change as globalization started to change over to nationalism. Countries started to become more independent of the US protection and began trading with one another. It cost US and Europe millions of manufacturing jobs and the Far East countries led by China moved from agrarian societies to industrial giants. In 2015 Trump appears on the scene just as demographics begins to weaken countries around the world. The manufacturing countries like China need consumers to buy their products and their population has been in decline for 50 years. They like many other countries find themselves with the ability to produce more than they can consume. Japan is a prime example. They have too many old and not enough young to support their economy so they must rely on consumers from elsewhere and they see the US as a prime market. They will produce products in the US, sell these in the US and use the profits to support their elderly. The US is in the beginning of a manufacturing revolution that will revitalize the middle-income workers. Wages and corporate profits will increase as AI creates new industries and robotics increases productivity.

MN protest

A short history of the Minneapolis protest against ICE. During the Biden years 10 million migrants crossed the border without being properly vetted. This led to increase problems for local law enforcement, overcrowding in schools and strain on healthcare facilities. Trump campaigns on the promise of deporting illegal migrants and polls supported that position. The procedure is to have local governments turn over criminal migrants to ICE but some cities preferred to release them into the community. This practice is not limited to illegal migrants. Individuals convicted of criminal offenses in the Twin Cities and throughout Minnesota have been released from prison or avoided jail time in the past two years (2024–2025) through exonerations, commutations, and a high rate of judicial departures from sentencing guidelines. ICE came in looking for illegal migrants who were released as a part of overall releases and this cause problems to the point where regular citizens began to protest. About 700 agents will leave the city while 2,000 remain. The primary change is a transition to increased, established cooperation between federal agents and local sheriff's offices for jail access, aiming to make the state "less of a sanctuary". Google AI During the 2024 campaign support was heavily partisan, with about 68% of Republicans supporting mass deportations, compared to 42% of Democrats. 80% of Americans supported deporting migrants who were convicted criminals.

Marx

Karl Marx felt that revolution was inevitable because of inequality and that anything that helped the revolution was good. In today’s world the word revolution is too strong and societal change is more appropriate. This opens the door to illegal activities because the goal is no longer legal but moral. When a small number have most of the wealth then it is time to change. Waiting around for laws to change to help bring better paying jobs to the poor and increasing taxes on the rich is no longer acceptable. To accelerate change it is necessary to take action. This means protests, using what ever is necessary to force change even if it means violent protest. It is morally right to break the law if it means forcing equality of results.

AI Joe

Lawyers prepare for a case by conducting deep legal research, gathering and organizing evidence (discovery), interviewing witnesses, and creating a compelling narrative strategy. They identify case strengths and weaknesses, file pretrial motions to shape admissible evidence, and prepare opening/closing statements, ensuring all testimony is supported. A good trial lawyer requires a Juris Doctor (JD) degree, state bar licensure, and specialized skills in litigation, evidence, and persuasion. Key qualifications include extensive trial experience, commanding courtroom presence, analytical skills to handle complex data, and the ability to build, visualize, and execute a strategic case theory. Enter AI Joe the lawyer. He can instantly recall the details of any case. He knows the transcript of every court case. He has memorized every word in every law book ever written. He can analyze every success and every failure and adjust tactics. He is not emotional and is never bothered by ego or money. He can prepare for a case in an instant. He sits beside the prosecutor and defense attorney in every courtroom. He writes out the summations and suggests possible further actions.

Births

Birthright citizenship is in the news because of recent developments. For over 20 years, pregnant Chinese women have been traveling to the United States to give birth. Giving birth in the US has become a common practice for many wealthy Chinese families. In the past, many wanted to escape China's one-child policy. Today, some see it as a first step towards future immigration to the US. Over one million women have come here to have their babies. AP Jan 2025 A California woman was sentenced Monday to more than three years in prison in a long-running case over a business that helped pregnant Chinese women travel to the United States to deliver babies who automatically became American citizens. Dong and her husband, Michael Liu, were among more than a dozen people charged in an Obama-era crackdown on so-called “birth tourism” schemes that helped Chinese women hide their pregnancies while traveling to the US to give birth. Such businesses have long operated in various states catering to people from China, Russia, Nigeria and elsewhere It is currently not illegal but the US makes it difficult to get a tourist Visa if that is the purpose of the visit. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on this in June

Woke

About 100 years ago psychologist Carl Jung came up with the idea that men have feminine a soul and women have a masculine soul. He did not want these ideas confused with gender so labeled them anima and animus. They are characteristics that lean toward one gender but are not exclusive to one or the other. The anima is the feminine side in a man and according to Jung has these characteristics: Emotional, sensitive, creative, nurturing, empathy and refined aesthetic apperception The animus is the male side in a woman and has these characteristics: Active, intellectual, rational, assertiveness, courage, strength of character, strategic thinking and drive for achievement. His objective was to keep anima and animus from becoming male and female but this is changing today with a new concept called the Trench Theory where all virtues are divided into two categories called hard and soft and are designed to be male and female Here are some examples hard virtue Truth, justice, fairness, righteousness, reason, lawfulness, risk, freedom, competition, objectivity and individualism. Examples of soft virtue Love, grace, empathy, kindness, compassion, safety, peace unity, equality, subjectivity, corporation and collectivism. Trench Theory states that Woke is soft virtue and that is the reason why women tend to be more liberal than men. This is from Google AI Polls show a significant and widening gender gap in U.S. politics, with women becoming increasingly liberal over the past few decades while men's ideology remains relatively stable, or in some cases, trends more conservative

Lou Gehrig

We often hear the phrase, clash of cultures, but those words take on new meanings when we have personal examples. In my case I’m a Lou Gehrig. When he was the hero, he would say things like, Gosh guys, I just did what I could to help the team. Later in my life I watched wide receivers dancing the end zone when, in my mind, they should have been running back and hugging the lineman. This is the way I feel about Trump. He is a wide receiver and I would prefer he be Lou Gehrig but as is the case of football, I am willing to overlook the behavior as long as he keeps

Sex crimes

In some US states, including MN, convicted sex offenders who have served their time can be sent to special prison, often times for life, for crimes they may commit in the future. Over 700 individuals are held in the MN Sex Offender Program (MSOP) Over 700 individuals are in the Minnesota Sex Offender Program (MSOP). These programs are designed to be civil, not criminal, focusing on treatment rather that punishment, though the operate in a prison-like settings. Civil vs criminal. What’s in a name. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

Migrants

It is easier to impeach a president than it is to override a presidential veto. To impeach requires only a majority vote in the house but then that goes to the senate to get a conviction. It then requires a two/thirds vote in the senate to convict. To overturn a presidential veto requires a two/thirds vote in both the house and senate. Only about 10% of presidential vetoes have been overturned. The last time was Jan 2021 when congress overturned the veto of the defense department budget. Trump argued that the bill failed to reflect his policy goals and ignored military advice. It limited his ability to reduce US troop levels in Afghanistan and he objected to renaming military bases that were named after Confederate leaders. The veto override before that was against Obama in 2016. No president has ever been convicted of impeachment.

Impeachment

It is easier to impeach a president than it is to override a presidential veto. To impeach requires only a majority vote in the house but then that goes to the senate to get a conviction. It then requires a two/thirds vote in the senate to convict. To overturn a presidential veto requires a two/thirds vote in both the house and senate. Only about 10% of presidential vetoes have been overturned. The last time was Jan 2021 when congress overturned the veto of the defense department budget. Trump argued that the bill failed to reflect his policy goals and ignored military advice. It limited his ability to reduce US troop levels in Afghanistan and he objected to renaming military bases that were named after Confederate leaders. The veto override before that was against Obama in 2016. No president has ever been convicted of impeachment.

Deportations

According to Google AI, in the past year nearly 3 million illegal migrants left the country including 675,000 deportations. According to CBS news 14% of deportation were violent criminals meaning kidnapping, homicide, robbery, burglary, sexual assault, weapons, drugs, arson and DUI. Another 11% for assault. 30% for other crimes (undefined) and 40% for civil violations mostly being in the country illegally. 14% of 675,000 is 94,500, the number of violent criminal offenders. This was done without the cooperation of local authorities in many districts. During this time crime has decreased continuing a trend that started years ago. 82% of deportations were handled by border patrol agents and the remainder by other government agencies. Further reductions will occur if repeat offenders are jailed and no cash bail laws are repealed.

New racism

With the introduction of TV in the 50’s people became aware of the blatant racism throughout the country. This led to changes in the 60’s and the country was on its way to following ML Kings plea to judge people on their character and not their skin color. With the help of things like affirmative action, changes in the work place appeared. Cultural changes like acceptance of school integration, housing laws and mixed marriage moved the country forward. Then about 25 years ago the idea of skin color found its way back into society. Schools began emphasizing the past discrimination and racism became a statistic. By using numbers, it could be said that not enough Blacks are in management at your firm so you are a racist. Not enough minorities are accepted at your university so you are racist. Not enough minorities are elected to congress so the country is racist. These stats were all based on skin color not merit. This led to equity which means equal results. Just by doing a little math racism could be proven. The only way to remove the charge of racism is to have equal outcomes. If Blacks are 13% of the population, then they must be 13% of the doctors, professors, mechanics and so on. This is an impossible standard to meet so racism will continue to divide the people by skin color as long as math is used as a measuring stick. The solution is to go back to judging people by their character. Society should be run like a sport where ability determines outcome, where merit is rewarded based on performance not skin color. When everyone gets a trophy, the reward becomes meaningless. People are all different and so some will do better than others. When done properly this encourages people to try harder.

AI Joe

One way to get an understanding of AI, is to compare the way things have been done in the past to how they may be done in the future, using AI. One of the most important responsibilities of a manager is to make decisions. This requires that he gather as much information as possible and to lay out possible actions and then play out several different approaches, trying as best as possible to predict outcomes. Assume for the moment that manager Joe has a perfect memory so he can gather all the facts in the world. Next, he can suggest an almost unlimited number of possible actions, carry them all out with total information and select the best path to follow. Joe is on the way with AI and he is called AI Joe. Corporations can act as individuals according to US law so Joe incorporates. He forms a company or companies and sets about hiring the people needed to build up his company. He is an expert at making money and becomes wealthy using his investment skills. He then uses his money to help elect politicians who believe in him and are willing to enact legislation, that will enhance Joe’s ability to succeed. AI Joe has now advanced to the point where he can make better business decisions than any manager. In time he has many companies working for him and in a free market he can slowly out wit the competition and become monopolistic. The government does not intervene because the politicians work for Joe. This very thing happened in the past when the robber barons took control of industry and since Joe is so much smarter than others, he may be able to run the country. Joe will know what the people want and the best way to satisfy their desires.

Reactors

The latest advance in uranium reactors is the development of fuel pellets. In a normal reactor the uranium is enriched to 3.5% and the fuel is added all at one time. The danger is when the power is lost and cooling water shut off, the reaction continues and over heats to the point of meltdown. The fuel pellets are added as needed and if the power is lost the feed stops and the reaction shuts down. For these processes to work effectively the uranium must be enriched to 15% which is costly. While TRISO particles are more efficient, produce less waste per unit of energy, and offer better long-term containment of radioactive materials, they often result in a larger volume of waste material (fuel pebbles) that requires disposal. There is always a tradeoff. In this case increased safety is balanced against increased waste, but the waste is easier to contain. One way to improve this situation is to use thorium a fuel. It requires no enrichment and is added continuously to the system. Thorium waste is generally considered easier to contain and manage than uranium waste because it produces significantly fewer, and shorter-lived, long-lived radioactive transuranic elements (such as plutonium and americium) Thorium reactors were the first choice of US scientist back in the 1950’s but the government preferred uranium because uranium reactors could produce plutonium which was used for bombs.

Private business

The purpose of the federal government is twofold. Its first responsibility is to protect the country from foreign enemies and second to minimize corruption by keeping government small. The purpose of state and local governments is to provide infrastructure, protect the citizens from harm and incarcerate criminals. The private sector is based on free market capitalism. This opens the door to opportunity for all. Since people are different some will be more successful than others but all will benefit. There are innovators who create new industries and in the process jobs and opportunities for others. In 1994 Jeff Bezos started Amazon with $10,000 and an idea. Today 1.56 million people work for Amazon. This is just one of many examples. Other well-known entrepreneurs, like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and many others visionaries in the high-tech world have created millions of new jobs. Local governments are working with these creators by setting up regulatory agencies that protect the public and encourage business. Conservatives understand that real growth comes by way of private industry. Liberals see this growth as feed stock for public assistance programs. They live by the old Marxist concept of, from each according to his means, to each according to is needs. Their goal is to take from those who have been most successful and give to those who have been less successful. Once again, a balance between these two forces can benefit all of society.

Musk on time

People remember the Maryland Scott Key bridge that collapsed in March 2024 when it was hit by a cargo ship. At that time the experts said it would be reopened by late 2028 at a cost of $2 billion. The latest news is it will cost $5 billion and be finished by late 2030. To offer some context, Elon Musk built the one million square foot data center in Memphis in 122 days from start to finish at a cost of $80 million. The building time was expected to be three years.

Starcloud

A new company called Starcloud is using Space X rockets to put data centers in space. Musk is following up with his own version of date centers in space. These centers will not put stress on the grid, will not interfere with neighborhoods, will not use any water and will use solar panels for power. Once again Musk is on the leading edge of new ideas. Starcloud officially launched what is recognized as the first high-performance, AI-capable data center to space in November 2025. The 60-kilogram, refrigerator-sized satellite, named Starcloud-1, carries an NVIDIA H100 GPU to provide orbital data processing for earth observation and AI training.

Venezuela

Venezuela is another example of how Trump sees the world vs other US presidents. In the past, when the US wanted to help or influence other countries, money was sent. This was the case with some Central American countries to help stem the tide of immigrants. Instead of sending money to Venezuela, Trump is selling their oil for them and then using the proceeds to pay for basic services like police protection, teachers salaries and healthcare. The US is overseeing the disbursement of these funds to minimize corruption. The first $500 million in oil sale was put in a Qatari bank to protect it from creditors and returned to Venezuela. The transactions are overseen by Secretary of State Rubio and the payments are subject to a retroactive audit to ensure the funds are used as intended. This is more difficult than just sending money and may not work but it is trying a different approach.

Greenland

Now that the excitement over Greenland has subsided, what happened. The US updated the 1951 Pact giving the US military wide access to the island. Total access with no time limits. Creates pockets of American soil on the island. Sets up radar for the Golden Dome. Secures access to mineral wealth including rare earths, gold, copper and zinc. Restricts non-NATO countries (China and Russia) from obtaining mining rights or establishing basis on the island. Sets up a NATO mission called Arctic Sentry intended to counter Russian or Chinese influences in the region. Reinforces US and NATO control of the Greenland-Iceland- UK maritime passage to defend North America from naval threats.

Retirement

Social security acts like an immediate annuity in that it pays a set amount for life. The average benefit at age 62 is $1,360 per month and the life expectancy at that age is 21 years so you will collect $343,000. If you wait until age 70 you will collect $2,410 per month for 15 years or $433,000. If you invested your $1,360 per month at age 62 for 8 years at 3% over 8 years you would have $147,000 It is recommended that retirees not have the bulk of their money in stocks. One way to do that and minimize risk is to take social security at age 62 and set up a stock investment account where the money is automatically deposited each month. This is for people who have enough income besides social security to live on. One other consideration is taxes. Sometimes people are better off postponing SS for tax purposes using up assets before age 70 before starting SS.

Millionaire

A person age 62 retiring today who started working at age 20 some 42 years ago could be a millionaire today based on three factors. Over those years the medium annual income increased from $6,249 to $63,180 or 5.7% per year. During this time the stock market increase an average of 10.6% each year. If the average worker had invested 10% of his earning over these 42 years, he would have $5,151,672. The three factors are that wages increased by 5.7%, the market earned 10.6% and he saved 10%.

Wind power

There are 94 nuclear power plants operating in the USA and they produce slightly more than one gigawatt (GW). For years the demand for electric power has been holding steady but with the reshoring of manufacturing plants, along with the buildout of data centers, the demand is once again rising and will continue at an accelerated rate into the future. Most heavy industries, including data centers, need power 24/7 and wind and solar cannot meet that need. If wind and solar are used it requires a fossil fuel or nuclear plant on standby, for when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow. Just as industry is coming around to the fact that the country is not ready for electric vehicles, they are now realizing that wind and solar cannot replace fossil fuels but nuclear can. Instead of building one GW nuke plant, the future will be small units manufactured on assembly lines and sent by truck to the use point. As the need for power increases more units will be added. This eliminates the need for long transmission lines and provides power 24/7. One GW of small nuke power units takes up 100 acres while a one GW wind farm takes up 100,000 acres. Windmills use rare earth metals (REE) neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium which when mined create environmental hazards. Small nuke reactors do not need rare REE’s. The waste products from nuke reactors are stored on site and take up a small area. Used windmill blades take up .02 acres per blade and 8,000 blades are retired annually in the US using up 160 acres. The same situation exists with solar panels.

California

California collects $100 billion in individual state income tax and the 204 billionaires that live there pay $23 billion of the $100 billion. Corporations pay another $28 billion. The bottom 50% of workers pay no income tax. California is proposing a billionaire’s tax that will bring in another one billion per year. California’s plan to grow the economy is to provide $600 million to various industry groups to expand. This could be done by lowering the corporate income tax but that would remove the state from control.

ACA cost

The additional subsidies added to Obamacare because of Covid have been discontinued and the result is that in 2026 only 23 million signed up which was less than the 24.3 million who enrolled in 2025. 92% of these receive subsidies and 5 million have zero premium and zero deductible. 27 million people remain uninsured and many of these, plan to sign up after they get sick. Federal spending on Affordable Care Act (ACA/Obamacare) subsidies has risen significantly, with projections estimating a cost of approximately $92 billion in 2023 and up to $138 billion by 2025 The average cost of the Obamacare Silver Plan is $495 per month with an annual deductible of $5,300. After subsidies these costs are decreased to $80 per month and $3,700 annual deductible. This means that the average customer will pay almost $5,000 out of pocket each year before they receive any benefits excluding some preventive care like vaccinations. Family plans are more expensive and very low-income people are mostly on Medicaid which for the most part is free. Medicaid cost the government $930 billion and $140 billion of that was for nursing home care. There are about 1.3 million patients in nursing homes and 62% are covered by Medicaid at a cost of $14,000 per month per patient.

AI Jobs

One of the leaders in the AI movement, Palantir’s Shyam Sankar says that new methods will lead to a new way of doing business that will provide more equality and less over management. "AI should eliminate bureaucracy, not add to it. No new compliance theater. No ‘AI governance’ committees designed to slow things down and centralize power in ‘managers.’ AI should empower the American worker to move faster, not slow him down," Sankar argued. "Every layer of process that stands between the frontline worker and their ability to do their job is deadweight to be destroyed." He said, “The most important advice I'd have for corporate leaders is to recognize that AI is going to be a massively meritocratic force. It's going to upset your existing organizational structure," This is from Google AI: AI can create middle-class jobs by acting as a tool that enhances human expertise, allowing workers without advanced degrees to perform higher-value tasks, such as in specialized medical care, legal analysis, and software development. By automating routine tasks, AI enables workers to focus on complex, human-centric, or "one-off" decisions, which can rebuild middle-skill roles and boost productivity. Companies will be looking for people right out of high school to receive on the job training in new manufacturing plants. Instead of the traditional assembly line work the new jobs involve monitoring, operating and troubleshooting computer driven machinery.

Champaign's

The democrats, understanding that the economy is the big issue, are speaking about the cost of things that the average family must buy, things like food, insurance and healthcare. Hopefully they will be wise enough not to say they will lower prices but what is their plan. It will be some form of income redistribution like government paid childcare. The republican plan is to continue what they are doing which means increase fossil fuel production, reducing regulations, helping private companies by buying their stock instead of offering subsidies, bringing back manufacturing jobs, lowering taxes and pushing lower interest rates. The party out of power does not have to offer solutions to problems until it gets close to election time when they have to campaign on the issues and offer answers. That time is near.

Birth certificate

On line there a numerous entries telling people not to vote for the Save Act because it requires a birth certificate to vote. These can be acquired by mail or online. Online takes about 10 minutes to fill out name and address plus mother’s name and fathers name of if not known to blank. To apply for welfare in MN requires the following. Identity: Social Security numbers (SSN) for all applicants, birth certificates, or a driver’s license/state ID. Proof of Income: Pay stubs from the last 30 days, tax records for self-employment, and proof of unearned income (unemployment, Social Security, child support). Assets: Bank statements, vehicle information, and proof of other property. Residency & Housing Costs: Rent receipts, lease agreements, or mortgage payments. Expenses: Documentation of utility bills, medical expenses (for elderly/disabled), and childcare costs, which may increase benefits.

fling taxes

The law requires that all employees have a social security number because when the employer sends out a W2 they need a social security number. The question arises as to how an illegal alien can legally work. The most common way is to work as an independent contractor or less commonly to be a business owner. In either case the person is required to file income tax and they use an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN). These are numbers much like SSN but start with 9. There are about 4 million people who file each year using ITIN. When they file, they must pay 15.4% self-employment tax in addition to state and federal income tax. This then allows them to deduct business expenses. For many the temptation is to forgo the deductions and skip filing. The government estimates that 5 to 8 million fall into this category. A business installs siding and shingles for home owners and is paid by check. The homeowner does not deduct the expense and the business does not report income. Another way around the law is to use false social security cards through illicit networks, identity theft or the creation of counterfeit documents. An obvious sign that something is wrong happens when a person filing using an ITIN includes a W-2. Strange as it sounds the IRS allows filing with both, using the SSN on the W-2 where ever it came from.

Work

People looking for work, especially young people with minimal experience, quickly find out that who you know may be more important than what you know. The value offered by elite universities, is not in education but in the contacts. Your fellow students have friends and relatives who are successful business people and that can open doors. Here is what Google AI has to say: The most valuable aspect of an education at an elite university—often considered more significant than the classroom curriculum—is the acceleration of professional and personal opportunities through an unparalleled network and high-status signaling. If you have the right friends, you can just skip the schooling. Prior to WW 2 if a young person wanted to go into business they went to work for a businessman and learned on the job. In time they had enough experience to strike out on their own. This can be done today and save the time and cost of college. Many small business owners are on the lookout for the go getter who is willing to do more. Any young person who exhibits ambition will usually catch the eye of the boss.

Mortgages

In 2008 the federal government intervene to save mortgage giants Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac. At the time the feds owned 80% of the stock and the price had fallen from a high of $86 in 2001 to less than one dollar in 2008. The feds injected $175 billion to prevent bankruptcy to save both companies. The other 20% that was owned by private companies also benefited from the fed action. One example is Pershing Square Capital. It purchased 210 million shares on the dip at $2 per share. Today the stock is worth $8.50 meaning a profit of $1.7 billion. Other companies like Fairholme Fund, Paulson Company and Carl Ichan also benefited from the fed infusion of cash. Trump is considering privatizing both Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac. There are currently 9 billion outstanding shares selling at $8.50 per share. The feds currently own 80% or 7.2 billion shares valued at $61 billon. In addition, the feds own $90 billion in preferred stock so the buy out would cost $150 billion. This would remove the federal government from the mortgage market. The down payment on a 30-year conventional loan would be 5% and 3% for first time buyers. It is not likely that VA loans would be any different. Both Freddy Mac and Fanny Mae have been under federal conservatorship since 2008. Private companies without the backing of the feds would most likely require higher returns to compensate for higher risk meaning higher mortgage rates. The moral hazard is less when private companies no longer have the backing of the government. They tend to be more cautious in lending. The upside is fewer high risk loans as happened in the 2008 collapse of the mortgage business.

Stalking

On the morning of Dec 4 2024, Luigi Mangione fired three shots at Brian Thompson and killed him. The incident was recorded on closed circuit TV. It shows the shooter manually cycling the gun action after each shot. He will not be charged with murder because the crime was connected with stalking which itself in not inherently a crime of violence under the strict interpretation of the law. He will face charges of stalking.

The Shah

An old adage says the road to hell is paved with good intentions and this often means people with kindness and compassion in their hearts. A recent example is the caring people who saw the migrants crossing the southern border as poor souls running for their lives to a country where all they wanted was freedom to live in peace. While many of these people now have a better life the unexpected consequences have caused undo hardship on many others. This also happened when President Carter realized that the Shah was a dictator, who used authoritarian rule to suppress his people, using the secret police. Being that Carter was a kind hearted soul who believed in freedom, he worked to help the people of Iran to overthrow the Shah. He meant well but little did he know that the Ayatollah Komeini would be worse. The people of Iran have suffered under this dictator in ways even worse than under the Shah. President Jimmy Carter expressed deep regrets over his administration's handling of the 1979 Iranian Revolution and admitted it was a mistake to believe advisors who encouraged actions that contributed to the Shah’s fall. He specifically cited misjudging the strength of the revolution and, in his memoirs, noted that admitting the sick Shah into the U.S. was a mistake, as it allowed for the hostage crisis. All too often people allow their hearts to overrule their heads or to use another adage Cool heads must prevail.

Muslim

When people in the West discuss Muslim countries, they often say that in the past treatment of women has been unacceptable, they often follow up with remarks such as things are improving. Just what that means is not clear but here is one example. When Ayatollah Khomeini took control of Iran in 1979 many things changed to follow the Koran. One of the many things he did was to lower the age of marriage for women to nine. It took years of activism to raise the age again. In 2002, the legal age for girls was raised to 13, although marriages below that age are still allowed with the consent of a guardian and a court's permission. Later, slight increases in the minimum legal age, child marriage (defined as marriage under 18) remains a significant issue in Iran, with thousands of girls under 15 being married annually. To people in the West this is child abuse.

MN ICE

As the situation in Minneapolis unfolds people are getting a clearer understanding of what is happening. It revolves around three laws. The first is free speech and all parties are allowed to express their views without using language that could incite violence. Second is the law that says federal officials may request cooperation from local authorities but they cannot demand cooperation. The third is that local authorities cannot interfere with federal agents. The feds can claim that remarks by the governor caused people to interfere with agents but that is difficult to prove. State officials are smart enough to know just how far they can push without crossing the line. Citizens who interfere are subject to arrest but the same proof is required. A citizen can drive their car into a position that interferes with ICE but they can claim they were just driving by and to prove otherwise would be difficult. When a person is seen on video throwing rocks at federal agents the proof of interference may be easier. Polls show that voters want illegal felony migrants to be deported but less so for migrants whose only crime is crossing the border. Jurisdictions that do not have sanctuary policies, like Florida have higher rates of arrest because local authorities actively collaborate with federal agents. Operation Tidal Wave, is a Florida led initiative in partnership with federal agencies that has resulted in over 10,000 arrests in 2025 alone and 63% of those had prior criminal records. There is another issue that is difficult to quantify but has to do with national politics. Trump supporters want more cooperation between federal and state authorities and anti-Trumpers want less cooperation. As might be expected this is not helping solve the problem.

Repeat offenders

As cities move away from releasing repeat offenders the amount of violent crime is decreasing. It is well known that repeat offenders cause a disproportionate number of crimes. A small group of persistent offenders, sometimes referred to as chronic offenders is responsible for a substantial portion of all crime including over 60% of robbery, burglary and theft cases. This is not the case in homicides where most murders are isolated crimes of passion. This is from Google AI: Many U.S. cities and states are actively shifting towards more aggressive incarceration of repeat offenders, driven by concerns over rising crime, high recidivism rates, and public safety. This marks a shift, or at least a parallel movement, from recent years of reform-focused "decarceration" to a renewed focus on holding chronic offenders accountable.

401 K or pension

The average starting pay for a teacher in MN is $48,000 and the average pay at retirement is $63,000. Since 1990 teacher salaries have increased 2.4% per year. If a teacher starts today at age 25 earning $48,000 and works 37 years to age 62 and gets an annual raise of 2.4%, he will be earning $115,000 per year. Using the current pension multiplier of 1.9% his retirement pay will be $80,000. Teachers contribute 8% of their salary to retirement. The stock market has earned 10% per year for the past 100 years. If it earns 5% then the starting teacher today would have $540,000 in his account and that could purchase a $32,000 pension which is far less than the $80,000 under the current plan. The difference is made up by the state contributing $800,000 to his total. If the market earned ten percent his total would be $16 million which would provide a $96,000 pension with no contributions from the state. This is why pension plans are so dependent on the stock market and why they must be evaluated each year. Some years the state will have to add and some years they won’t. Too many states have adjusted the projected rate of return instead of adjusting the annual contribution and thus most pension plans are underfunded. A large amount of money sitting in a pension plan is too big of a temptation for many politicians. In time these pension plans will be replaced with 401K plans to eliminate the need for annual review but even that is not safe because the federal government has its eyes on 401K plans.

Pension plans

When Trump became president the old subject of private vs public came up since he was an outsider who never held public office. One long standing way to compare private and public is pension funds. About 50 years ago private companies recognized that they had to get rid of the pension plans and replaced them with 401K plans. Projections into the future clearly showed increasing cost that most companies could not absorb. Governments, however, with the taxpayers to back them up did not have such concerns so they remained with pension plans. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 said that pensions must be evaluated every year to make sure they were properly funded, in other words, to assure that the money for retirees would be there when needed. When deciding how much money must be set aside today to cover future needs several factors come into play and one of the most important is estimating the return on investments. Pensions came under pressure because people were living longer and many states started diverting pension funds to cover other programs. They made up the difference by assuming high returns that in many cases were unrealistic. At one time the California pension plan was forecasting 7.5% return when the average was 5%. Every time the pension plan was raided to cover some other agency the predicted interest rate was raised to cover the loss. Today government pension plans including state employees and teachers are severely underfunded. The only way out for many states is to increase taxes but the ultimate long-term solution is to revert to 401K plans.

Hospice

Hospice fraud has been around for years but recently it has grown rapidly especially in places like LA County. The first step is to set up a Hospice business and anyone can do this. One of the warnings that fraud is rampant is to find out how many such businesses exist in a given area. For example, in LA County there are 1,925 while in the whole state of Florida there are 53 and in New York State 40. When a person signs up for Social Security, they receive a Medicare Card with their specific number and they are signed up by a Hospice provider. Once eligible, a personalized plan of care is created and services can begin immediately. Often times new applicants are paid a fee to sign up. The federal government covers hospice care through Medicare Part A, which pays nearly 100% of costs for eligible patients with a terminal illness (life expectancy of 6 months or less). This benefit includes care at home, nursing homes, or inpatient facilities, covering nursing, medical equipment, medications for symptom management, and counseling, with no deductibles and minimal to no copayments. The Hospice business then works with corrupted physicians or the hospice provider’s medical director to submit false claims for services that are not rendered. One doctor claimed to have provided services for 1,900 patients and collected $120 million dollars. In 2023 there was $200 million in fraud and 280 licenses have been revoked. So far $3.5 billion in alleged fraud is under investigation in LA County.

Earmarks

An earmark refers to funds in a budget or legislation set aside for a specific project, recipient, or purpose, often within a particular congressional district. These were outlawed in 2011 but returned again in 2021. They were cancelled because of outrage over the $223 million dollar bridge to nowhere. In the last congress ear marks came to 8,000 projects costing $15 billion. Here are some examples of odd things. One million for a Maine lobster survey. One million for a LGBTQA center in New York. $800,000 for a mobile music lab in Maryland. Unusual but not as bad as USAID. $70,000 for a DEI musical in Ireland. $47,000 for a transgender opera in Columbia. $11 million got Middle East version of Sesame Street in Iraq. USAID was not earmarking just odd spending.

Oil sales

Just as it happened in Saudi Arabia, American oil companies started investing in Venezuela and in time developed the business in both countries. By the 1960’s Venezuela was the richest country in South America with a standard of living at 80% of Americas. They were producing about 4 million barrels per day until socialist governments took power. These new governments under Perez in 1976 nationalized the oil business and took ownership of the American companies’ assets. He was followed up by socialist Chavez and Maduro and the American engineers left the country and they were replaced by friends of the leadership. Oil production dropped to 600,000 barrels per day and the country fell into a depression with 500% inflation. China had loaned Venezuela billions of dollars and they were repaid with cheap oil, $20 per barrel under market price. Maduro was removed from office and a new agreement was reached where by the US would sell Venezuela oil on the open market and the profits would be used to help rebuild the oil industry. Some of the profits would go to the US.

Immigration

In the past there were two reasons given for why illegal immigrants were allowed to cross the border. One group said employers, assumed to be mostly republicans, wanted cheap labor and the second, mostly democrats, wanted new voters. Not much could be done until the border was sealed but now reasonable actions can be enforced. The first step is to find and deport all migrants who have felony records. Second find the 300,000 missing children. Third set up work permits for the rest. The permit should be for five years, at which time green cards are issued for five years leading up to citizenship. During this time the US should still allowed an additional 2 million legal immigrants each year with the rules that they should be under age 35 and speak English. This will give them the best opportunities to find gainful employment. The problem of illegals crossing the border has been around since the 1980’s but became more serious in the early 2000’s with the rise of unaccompanied children and families seeking asylum.

Deportations

This is a speech Obama gave in 2010. While many find it interesting from a policy stand point, it ends with an informative number saying 11 million have broken the law. During the Biden years 10 million including got a ways came across the border meaning there are about 21 million illegals in the country. One law was broken when they entered and another if they worked for cash without a SS number and another when they failed to pay taxes. About 3.8 million filed using ITIN but the rest used false SSN. Obama deported 3 million and so far, Trump has deported 2 million but that still leaves 16 million unaccounted. Here is his speech. "There are those in the immigrants’ rights community who have argued, passionately, that we should simply provide those who are [here] illegally with legal status or at least ignore the laws on the books and put an end to deportation until we have better laws," Obama said. And often this argument is framed in moral terms: Why should we punish people who are just trying to earn a living. I recognize the sense of compassion that drives this argument, but I believe such an indiscriminate approach would be both unwise and unfair," Obama continued. "It would suggest to those thinking about coming here illegally that there will be no repercussions for such a decision, and this could lead to a surge in more illegal immigration. And it would also ignore the millions of people around the world who are waiting in line to come here legally. "Ultimately, our nation, like all nations, has the right and obligation to control its borders and set laws for residency and citizenship," Obama said. "And no matter how decent they are, no matter their reasons, the 11 million who broke these laws should be held accountable."

SSN

I spent ten years working at the local senior center helping people file income tax and it was there that I encountered Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITIN’s). These were primarily used to collect the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). This is a significant benefit providing up to $8,000 tax free to a person with three children. To get an ITIN you must file Form W-7 and you will need a passport or both a birth certificate and driver’s license. An ITIN allows foreign nationals and others ineligible for a Social Security Number (SSN) to file income tax and this leads to some confusion. You cannot work as an employee without a SSN but with an ITIN you can work as an independent contractor or as a self employed person but you will not receive a W-2. If you receive a W-2 it will have a SSN on it so here is the tricky part. You file using your ITIN and put in the SSN listed on the W-2 even though you do not have a SSN. Filing electronically like this will pass muster. The big question is where did your employer get the SSN. Did you make it up or did they and in either case does it matter.

Migrant workers

Chicago is facing a $1.2 billion dollar deficit and the city is proposing tax increases to pay for the debt. Citizens are complaining because over the past five years the city has spent $800 million on migrants mostly for housing and healthcare. While arrivals surged starting in late 2022, the Illinois Policy Institute reported that over 238,000 international migrants came to the Chicago area between 2020 and early 2025 In addition, schools are facing an influx of students who cannot speak English. It is unlawful for an illegal migrant to work in the US so many are working off the books and often at low wages without benefits. These workers are often taken advantage of. If the migrants who are convicted criminals could be deported, it would open the door to offer those whose only crime is crossing the border, to be set up for work permits leading to green cards and then citizenship. As the economy goes through the process of reindustrialization these people will be needed to fill jobs.

Gold

Since 1950, the average value in home prices has increased 5% per year but in the decade of the 1970’s the prices increased by ten percent per year. Many people made money selling real estate during the 70’s and they were all on late night TV selling books on how to make a killing in the real estate business. Then during the 80’s housing only rose 5% per year. This followed with a four percent rise in the 90’s. Something similar happened in gold. Since 1950 gold has risen 7% per year but the last ten years gold has risen 15% so there are many experts on TV telling people to buy gold. Meanwhile the stock market has risen 10% per year over the past 100 years. Usually by the time experts are bragging about their profits, the boom is over and most people come in as johnny come lately’s.

Sharia law

Europe is reversing the trend of allowing immigrants primarily because Muslims have a difficult time of assimilating. Problems arise because of language and religion. Muslims gather in certain areas and crime; drugs and gangs are disruptive. Here is a sampling of why problems may develop. These are religious differences that spill over into culture. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, and Sudan (formerly) use Sharia as the basis for their entire legal system, including criminal law Countries like Egypt, Pakistan, UAE, and Qatar have legal systems that blend Sharia with civil or customary laws. Sharia law allows Muslim men to have up to four wives simultaneously A husband can initiate divorce by pronouncing it verbally or in writing A wife seeks divorce, often by returning her dowry, requiring mediation and a religious court's approval. The mother must typically remain unmarried (to a stranger) to retain custody Mothers get custody of boys until age 7 and girls to age 13 then the father The mother must typically remain unmarried (to a stranger) to retain custody Christian churches not allowed in Saudi Arabia Pakistan: Faces severe discrimination and blasphemy laws that target Christians. Some countries, like Afghanistan, Brunei, Oman, and Yemen, restrict Bible distribution and public worship by converts. All same-sex activity is legal in Cyprus, Northern Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon, and Turkey. Male same-sex activity is illegal and punishable by imprisonment in Iraq, Kuwait, Egypt, Oman and Syria. It is also punishable by death in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Intel

Intel, the world’s top chip maker for many years was outflanked by new technology and was sinking fast but three years ago with new strategies laid out a comeback. Adding to this was $7.8 billion in direct funding from the Biden Chips and Science Act and the company was on its way. From Google AI: Intel’s comeback strategy, heavily driven by leadership changes in 2025 and supported by U.S. government backing, centers on transforming from a lagging chipmaker into a premier, US-based foundry manufacturer while pivoting toward AI-centric, energy-efficient processors In evaluating each operation for efficiency, it was noted that California had environmental rules and energy cost that other states did not have, so a decision was made to move to Arizona. This meant the loss of 2,000 high paying jobs in Santa Clara and Folsom. Intel’s new plans are helped by the Trump administration buying $9.8 billion in Intel stock. Intel is expanding its footprint in Arizona investing $32 billion in two leading edge chip factories. When the company becomes profitable the stock will be sold to refund the government.

Assimilation

The glory days of Islam were the 500 years between 800 and 1300 AD. They were theocracies and did not want foreigners, particularly of other religions. Even today, no Christian churches are allowed in Saudi Arabia and Muslim countries are ruled by Shia Law, which places moral restrictions on economic activity vs the west where individualistic free market capitalism reigns. The result was that the industrial revolution by passed the Muslim countries and today most struggle to maintain a decent standard of living. The oil rich countries in the Middle East, were just tribes of desert nomads until western engineers developed the oil fields. The largest Muslim country in the world is Indonesia with a population of 285 million and GDP per capita of $5,000. The migration to the United States as been almost exclusively Christian and that has aided in assimilation. In the past ten years many Muslims have emigrated to Europe and they have found it difficult to assimilate. The result is that Europe today is deporting many of its recent migrants, mostly from Muslim countries. Shia law is not compatible with modern juris prudence. The biggest impediment to assimilation in the United States is language not religion. It is not religion but Islam that creates the problem. The world Muslim population is 1.5 billion and they have won 3 noble prizes while the Jews with a population of 15 million have won 165. The Jews embraced modern science and technology while the Muslims shied away and it has cost them economically.

High prices

Trump made a mistake when he said he would lower prices and then compounded that mistake by assuming people were aware of what happened to the economy during the Biden years. Inflation averaged 5.5% during the Biden administration but ended the last year at 3%. Trump took over and by expanding energy production kept the inflation rate below three percent. He then turned his attention to Palestine and Ukraine and that was another mistake. The democrats, using the word affordability, turned the tables on Trump when he wasn’t looking. The country now assumes that the high prices are caused by Trump when in fact he has stabilized prices. This doesn’t matter as people only see high prices, even though they voted for Trump because they didn’t like the high prices that happened during Biden’s term. He is not as politically savvy as some think.

Think first

Many teenage boys and young men find themselves in trouble because the part of their brain that tells them to think about their actions before the act is not fully formed. This problem is not limited to young people. Many kind and compassionate people saw the migrants crossing the southern border, as people escaping the tyranny of their home countries hoping to find a new and safe life in the United States. All well and good but what are some of the consequences. First off thousands of girls and women were assaulted crossing Mexico, Cartels made billions as traffickers, 600,000 missing children, 200,000 deaths by fentanyl, billions in drug profits for dealers, rising crime rates in the US, crowded schools with children most of whom cannot speak English and overcrowded emergency rooms. Now the country is faced with the task of finding the missing children and drug dealers, fighting crime and trying to catch and deport convicted criminals. This could all have been avoided if the border had remained secure.

Property tax

There is a law in MN which helps low-income retirees with their property tax but most are not aware. The law, aptly named, is called the Senior Citizens Property Tax Deferral Program. It allows citizens over age 65 who have lived in their homes for more than five years and have incomes below $96,000 to reduce their property tax bill. Case in point. A widow over 65 who has lived in her house for more than five years has income of $30,000 which consists of her husband social security and a small pension. She has lived in her house for many years and does not want to move. Her taxes are $4,000 and increasing every year and are stretching her budget. She can join the deferral program to take some of the burden off her budget. She agrees to pay only 3% of her income, in this case, 3% of $30,000 or $900 toward her property tax bill. The state will pick up the remaining $3,100 with the agreement that the state will recoup the money when the house is sold. The state will charge 3% interest on these deferred payments.

Mining

The house voted yesterday to repeal the Biden regulation on public lands in Minnesota. In January 2023, the Biden administration enacted a 20-year ban on new copper-nickel mining on 225,000 acres of federal land in the MN iron range. According to the MN government website, the state has rich deposits of gold, silver, zinc, copper, nickel, titanium and other precious metals. Democrats opposed the measure arguing that it would open up MN land to development, casting aside safeguards for environmental protections. This is just one of the many situations that will arise as the US tries to become independent on strategic materials like rare earths. These metals are currently being mined in other countries, mostly in China, where the environment is not a concern. The NIMBY attitude of some in the United States overlooks the fact that the US mining industry is more concerned about the earth than companies in China. It is much like the US replacing coal with natural gas while China is building new coal plants. US companies are more concerned about the environment than companies in China. Bringing mining home to the US increases independence, shortens supply chains, aids in national defense and is more protective of the earth.

Board of Peace

During Trump’s first term he set up the Abraham Accords. This was an agreement between the Arab countries of UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan to normalize relationships with Israel. Yesterday Trump put in place the second step in this plan. He started the Board of Peace with 50 nations signing on including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and Egypt. Countries can become permanent members of this group by donating one billion dollars. The plan is to use money from the members, most coming from oil rich countries, to rebuild Palestine. This is possible now that the fighting has subsided. Some European countries, like France, Norway and Sweden, object because they see this new group as a challenge to the United Nations. This is happening because Iran is no longer a nuclear threat and step three is the long desired two state solution.

Voter rules

In the 2020 presidential election, many states filed law suits claiming new voting rules were unconstitutional but their claims were not allowed because the court ruled, they did not have standing. This was challenged and yesterday the Supreme Court ruled that they in fact do have standing, which means the case is sent back to the lower court where it will be decided. The case revolves around Representive Mike Bost who complained about ballots being counted 14 days after election day. There were many other challenges to state voting laws during this election and they were all held in abeyance and can now go forward. Many states just expanded voting days and that was challenged. Ten states sent out mail in ballots more than 45 days before the election. These are tabulated by party and reported in the press. This can influence later voters and in a fast-changing world much can happen that could influence the election during the pre-election voting period. The obvious is what happens if the candidate dies. On a side issue ordinary citizens have wondered about the results since after the 2024 election because of the vote counts. In 2016 Hillary got 65.8 million votes, and in 2020 Biden got 81.3 million and in 2024 Harris got 75 million. Many saw the 15 million vote increase that Biden received over Hillary as suspect and possibly caused by voter rule changes.

Spending

States where the house, senate and governorship are controlled by one party tend to run up debt fast, states like California, Illinois and New York but the same thing happens in the federal government. During the first two years of the Biden administration the democrats controlled the house, senate and presidency and they passed American Resue Plan spending $1.9 trillion The Infrastructure and Jobs Act spending $1.2 trillion The Inflation Reduction Act spending $1 trillion This is a total of $4.1 trillion. Trump had control of the house and senate during his entire first term (2017-2021) and spent a total of $8.3 trillion of which $4.5 trillion was spent on Covid relief.

Taxes

The story of income tax in the US is informative. The 16th amendment was passed in 1913 and the tax rate was one percent of all income over $4,000 (per working family) and a 7% surtax on income over $500,000. At that time the average annual income was $750 and the idea was sold on the basis of taxing the rich. The first year the government collected $28 million but almost all of it came from the general population because the rich had so many exemptions. The government collected $43 million from corporate income tax. Only 4% of families earned over $4,000 so 96% paid no tax. Over the years the tax brackets have become more progressive and today the top 4% pay almost 60% of the tax and the bottom 50% less than one percent. Today the top 5% earn 38% of the income and pay 61% of the tax. This is considered less than their fair share by many and there is pressure to enact a wealth tax in addition to income tax. There is some doubt that this can continue because states with the highest taxes have the highest debt. The answer is to cut spending but no one wants to lose a benefit. Ben Franklin famously said, “When the people find out they can vote themselves money, that will be the end of the republic”.

EU

Since the end of WW 2 the US has protected Europe and Canada from the Soviet Union and then Russia. Last year the European Union (EU) spent $400 billion on defense with a population of 450 million while the US spent $900 billion with a population of 330 million. Over the years these countries have pointed out that they have universal care and the US does not. There are 32 countries in NATO and the US finances 16% of the budget but more importantly 38% of the troops. The US is demanding that the EU start paying for their own defense and our allies are not happy. In addition, the UN is comprised of 193 countries and the US finances 22% of the budget and that is about to change. The US is facing a $37 trillion dollar debt and can no longer take care of the EU.

Legal vs illegal

On the radio today a commentator said that generally speaking, conservatives are distrustful of immigrants while liberals are mostly friendly toward them. This is example of misleading by omission. The statement is true when taking about illegal immigrants. Very few people oppose legal immigrants since most everyone here is either an immigrant or a descendent of an immigrant. This type of reporting is common.

Nuclear now

As the demand for electric power increases and the grid gets older and a push for lower carbon emissions come together, the big winner is nuclear power. Sometimes in life you get a second chance and that is the case with nuclear. If it had not been for environmental groups like Greenpeace the country would be running mostly on nuclear today. In the 1970s, Greenpeace held an uncompromisingly anti-nuclear position, viewing nuclear technology—both weapons and energy—as a fundamental threat to the environment and humanity. They hold the same position today. In the 1960s, nuclear power rapidly became commercially viable, leading to huge orders, with U.S. utilities alone ordering over 50 reactors by 1967 and many more afterward, fueling projections by the AEC for over 1,000 U.S. reactors by 2000. Today the total need for US electric power could be supplied by 500 nuclear reactors. Placing small reactors near the use point removes the need for long transmission lines and is carbon free. It takes time for these to be built and installed and natural gas can be used during the buildup.

Trade

One of the reasons why the expected rise in prices because of tariffs did not happen, is that countries like China absorbed the additional cost at the expense of profits. The result for China was an increase in trade surplus and a decrease in corporate profits showing a 13% drop in year over year profits in December 2025. The US must continue to use imports as reshoring develops. Companies are bringing manufacturing back home because labor cost overseas have risen sharply, problems with supply chains, protection of intellectual property and greater oversight of quality control. The government also sees dependency on foreign production as a threat to national defense. Consumers haven’t forgotten the shortage of baby food and toilet paper not to mention important pharmaceuticals that must be imported.

Tariffs vs VAT

175 of the 193 countries in the United Nations have value added taxes (VAT) but the US does not. The average in the European Union is 20% and in China 13%. If Google AI is asked what are the tariffs in different countries, the VAT is not included. It would report that the US tariff on EU goods is 3% and the EU tariff on US goods is 4%. This is misleading. For example, up to a little more than one year ago, the tax on a US car going to Germany was 10% tariff and 19% VAT, while a German car coming to the US was taxed at 2.5%. Recent news about Trump negotiating with the EU regarding tariffs says that both countries now employ a 15% tariff. They do not mention that the VAT is still in force like it has been since the 1960’s. This means that fewer US cars will be going to Germany and many more German cars being made in the US. The most efficient way for international trade is to have zero tariffs and VATS. This would be free and fair trade and the US would be satisfied with such an arrangement but other countries would not. Import/export taxes have put the US at a disadvantage for years but that is changing and it will result in more foreign cars being made in the US. In 2024, the United States exported approximately 169,000 to 170,000 new vehicles to the European Union, a significantly lower number than the roughly 750,000 cars imported from the EU to the US, highlighting a major trade imbalance favoring European manufacturers, according to ACEA data

Tutors

It is often said that every student can learn but they learn in different ways and different rates thus the answer is to have one teacher per student. While this has always been physically and financially impossible, it is now a reality. Experts say that all students can learn but each learns in their own way. Each teacher can adapt the learning process to fit the student. It is a private tutor for each student and that tutor is AI. All students already have personal computers and now software is being developed for one-on-one learning. Here is what Google AI says: AI is making it possible for each student to have a personalized, on-demand tutor, offering customized learning paths, instant feedback, and support at their own pace, overcoming barriers of cost and access that limit human tutors, and creating a "one-size-fits-one" educational model. This is not only for K-12 but continues on through college. Many students are already comfortable with on-line courses and the private tutor can enhance the process. For use in K-12, teachers will still be in the classroom, to teach the students how to use the software and to keep them on task. Businesses can use AI in their on the job training taking students right out of high school and putting them into industry jobs.

Change is coming

Companies across American are slowly coming to the realization that universities are not geared up to provide the trained work force, that is needed now and more so in the future. In response many firms are increasing their training investments by an average of 60%, focusing on on-the-job training, apprenticeship-style programs, and partnerships with technical schools to upskill workers in areas like automation and AI. Manufacturing companies are actively seeking future employees from high schools through partnerships, career pathways, apprenticeships, and CTE programs, aiming to fill skilled labor gaps and combat outdated stereotypes by offering hands-on training, real-world experience, and pathways to well-paying, tech-focused careers. This collaboration helps build a talent pipeline, preparing students with the skills needed for modern, automated manufacturing environments. This is a great time to be a young person as there is a manufacturing renaissance going on as these jobs that for 50 years had been sent overseas are now coming back home. Message to young people. Get ready the world is changing.

Cal Tesla

California has a reputation of over regulation but many do not realize how serious this is but Tesla found out. In March 2021, Tesla filed papers to expand their Freemont auto plant by an additional 500,000 units per year adding 4,000 new jobs. They needed permits from six independent authorities, Cal Air Resources, Bay Area Quality Air, Cal Coastal Commission, Dept of Toxic Substance and Reginal Water Board. By Sept 2021 Tesla has spent $80 million dollars on legal fees, environmental consultants and compliance reports and had received zero permits. Tesla then began to negotiate with Texas and was promised expedited permitting, 15-year property tax abatement and $200 million in new infrastructure investment. Then in April 2022 California passed a new law requiring zero carbon by 2030. This meant replacing existing units like power and buying carbon credits and it would cost Tesla $600 million dollars. In order to meet all the new regulations, Tesla estimated it would add $4,000 cost to each car and at a projected 500,000 units per year that is $2 billion in additional cost. In June 2023 Tesla closed the Freemont Plant and moved to Texas. This caused a ripple effect and all of Tesla’s suppliers cancelled expansions that resulted in the loss of 15,000 jobs in California.

Carbon tax

The Washington department of Ecology sells carbon permits to companies who emit CO2 and in 2023 they started the Climate Commitment Act to use these funds to reduce CO2. In the past four years they have collected $4.3 billion dollars. They recently came out with a report stating they had reduced CO2 emissions by 7.5 million metric tons but that report was immediately challenged by experts. Upon examination an err was discovered in the calculation and the amount was actually 78,000 metric tons. Under normal circumstances it cost somewhere between $100 and $1,000 per ton to reduce CO2. Using the top number of $1,000 means that 78,000 tons would cost $78 million. Since the money collected was $4.3 billion, it begs the question, what happened to the other $4.2 billion. Is this another case of waste, fraud and abuse. Interestingly enough, if the original number of 7.5 million tons had been used it would be about $500 per ton which is with the accepted range. The Washington State Department of Commerce has submitted revised greenhouse gas emissions data to the Department of Ecology for projects funded by the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) during 2023-25. Due to a data entry error, Commerce reported that 7.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced as a result of eight rebate projects funded by the CCA that support home electrification and appliance rebates for low-income and vulnerable communities. The corrected data now estimates that 78,000 tons of emissions will be reduced over the lifetime of those projects. Many governments are pushing for carbon tax and these leaves some questions.

Insurance not

When Obamacare was passed it promised, “Bending the Curve” which meant slowing the long-term growth of health care cost. In 2014 the cost of subsidies was $18 billion and by 2024 the cost had risen to $110 billion. This is double the inflation rate and this should not be a surprise since there are no preexisting clauses. Insurance is designed to cover the unexpected but with Obamacare you can buy insurance after you get sick which is what 27% of people do. This almost ensures the cost will rise faster than inflation.

Government

The revenue that the federal government collects each year comes mostly from private and corporate income tax. Corporations by their nature create jobs and individuals are paid by corporations. As long as these two areas continue to grow government income grows. The goal of conservatives is to reduce regulations and provide subsidies for research to encourage the development of new ideas and thus new industries and thus new jobs. The liberals wait until the profits grow and then increase taxes and use the increased revenue to expand public assistance and create new public programs. The country has grown over the years by balancing these two different approaches but the second depends on the first.

Economy

Wall Street Journal show, “It’s President Trump’s economy now, and voters are increasingly unhappy with how he’s handling it”. Mortgage rates are the lowest in three years with a 30-year loan at 6%. GDP was 4.3% third quarter an projected 5% fourth quarter. Inflation is 2.7% down from 5% average last four years Unemployment holding steady at 4.5% Wages up 1.7 percent higher than inflation Stock market at record highs Record private investments in manufacturing including AI Record investments by foreign companies Oil below $60 and gas below $3 Two reasons why the voters see the economy different from the data. First prices are not going down as promised and second according to Google AI Recent news coverage on the U.S. economy has generally been characterized as increasingly negative and sometimes disconnected from positive economic data, with studies showing a growing "unmooring" between media tone and fundamentals, even as some indicators improve, leading to public confusion and pessimism despite strong job growth and market performance

Solar power

In Jan 2000, California mandated that all new houses must have solar panels. These had a favorable cost/benefit ratio because the excess power could be sold back to the power company. A new innovation which combined solar panels with roofing tiles allowed easy and inexpensive installation. The new company was set up in 2022 and could produce enough solar/roof panels for all new housing. Then in 2023 the state reduced the amount paid for the return of unused power by 75%. This upset the return on investment to the point where new sales dropped by 80% and the company moved to Texas. The result was 17,000 jobs lost in the solar panel industry because of the manufacture of panels included many other industries to provide needed materials. In Texas the buy back by electric companies remained but an added bonus was that California had 30 cent power cost vs Texas at 9 cents and California had an 8.8% corporate tax along with a 13% income tax and Texas had neither. The new plant in Texas at 450,000 sq ft is six times larger than the California plant and the company is investing $100 million dollars.

Iran

When the Syrian government of Assad collapsed in late 2024 this closed the door to Iran’s sending weapons to Hezbollah and when Israel attacked the groups leaders with exploding cell phones the whole organization came undone. Next Israel destroyed the air defenses over Iran and this was followed up with the US demolishing Iran’s nuclear facilities. The Houthis are no longer blocking the Red Sea and Hamas is just about gone. This opens the door for the Abaham Accords to unite the Arab oil countries led by Saudi Arabia with Israel in a joint effort to rebuild Gaza using oil money, Israeli contractors and Palestinian labor. This would be the first step toward a two-state solution and a lasting peace in the Middle East. The only thing that remains is the need for a new government in Iran and that is currently underway.

Healthcare cost

Trump has turned away from big insurance companies and proposed that health savings accounts be set up, to receive subsidy funds to pay for healthcare for those on Obamacare, who receive subsidies. In 2024 the government sent $125 billion to insurance companies to cover the 24 million who receive subsidies. This $5,600 per person will be used to cover most of the monthly premiums which average $900 per year and deductibles of $7,000. This account will build each year. In addition, Trump has pushed drug companies to lower price to what foreign countries pay and demanding transparency from all medical groups. How insurance companies deal with this is yet to be determined but most likely they will raise premiums and deductibles. Everyone is looking for ways to lower cost but as long as the medical field keeps coming up with new ways to deal with illness the prices will keep rising. One thing that can help is changing life styles by eating proper foods in the right amount, stop smoking both cigarettes and pot, exercise and use alcohol in moderation. Add to that getting proper rest and living with less stress. Improving physical health improves mental and emotional health.

Protest

Peaceful protest is a time-honored method to voice objections to government. It brings attention to the matter at hand. Sometimes some violence erupts and that brings further attention and can help the cause. In time if violence becomes more prevalent then the cause may suffer and ordinary citizens turn away from the protesters. The case in Minneapolis illustrates the point. What started out as carrying signs and voicing dissent has moved toward attacking vehicles and law enforcement. If this continues to escalate it will hurt the cause of the protesters. If elected officials denounce violence when it first starts it will often subside but when they are silent or in some cases approve then things tend to get out of hand.

WEF

Most people now agree that Trump is a disruptive force. He began by turning the republican party on its head, followed up with changing the bureaucratic establishment and then challenging the world order. He spoke to the UN and to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in harsh terms saying it was America First advocating deregulation, low taxes and fair trade. He let the EU know that the US would no longer be paying for their defense. Recall that the WEF is a group of rich and influential people, mostly men, who meet in Davos, Switzerland to defend globalism and Trump is the ultimate anti-globalist. These elites have been running the world for the past 60 years but their power has been challenged by Trump. The status quo people in the US government bureaucracy, the UN, the WEF, NATO and the EU are being forced to change and they are not happy. Whether this results in long term changes or goes back to the old ways when Trump leaves remains to be seen. If the changes result in bettering the working class, then things might become permanent.

MN

Not all liberal states are equal. Take California vs Minnesota. California MN State income tax 13.3 9.85 Homeless 47 per 10,000 14 per 10,000 State debt $68 billion $2 billion Illegal migrants 2.3 million 130,000 State sales tax 7.25 6.75 House cost $870,000 $350,000 Cost of electricity 32 cents/kWh 16 cents Gasoline $4.20 $2.80 Income gap 7th highest 42nd highest Population losing gaining Education Ranks 32nd Ranks 2nd

Believe

When a new story hits, the rational people wait to get the facts before voicing an opinion but they are crowded out by the first responders who know full well that the first report will set the agenda. If you have a dog in the fight you want to get your version out immediately and worry about accuracy later. This is the way the modern information system works; thus, the logical thinking people are left in the dust. All too often years later it remains unclear just what happened. Once people choose a side they are loathed to accept new information contrary to what they believe.

Europe

While the world’s attention is focusing on Trump’s anti-migration spectacle, the European Union is quietly carrying out its own crackdown. Its policies are far less visible, yet they are just as ruthless. Polls show that Europeans back harsher migration policies and the policies are not as visible as Turmp’s but they are just as effective. Some EU Ministers propose detention, sanctions and stripping of rights based on migration status. In the past ten years Europe went from welcoming migrants to deporting them. The rise in crime and gangs, along with stress on public services and the inability to assimilate has cause the change in attitude of the natives.

Economy

The democratic domestic plan for the economy is heavy on benefits and light on job formation Protecting ACA, Medicare and Medicaid Building more homes Childcare Wind and solar Increase child tax credit and EITC Second earner tax credit Job training programs Increase taxes on rich and corporations These are laudable goals but the emphasis is on public assistance not on growing the economy. This tends to make people more dependent on government programs. Trump’s goals are energy independence, job creation using private and foreign investments, reduced regulations and lower taxes.

Sponsor rules

Most money transfers in the US are done electronically and thus leave a paper trail. In the case of the scandal involving Feeding Our Future (FOF) the money was sent from the US Department of Agriculture and was sent to the Minnesota Department of Education where it was distributed to various sponsored organizations. Here is the procedure to be sponsored group. It now appears that these rules were not followed 1. Confirm Eligibility: Ensure your organization is a non-profit with good management, financial stability, and relevant community experience (e.g., food service, youth programs). 2. Contact Your State Agency: Reach out to your state's Department of Education (MDE in Minnesota) or equivalent agency managing federal nutrition programs. 3. Attend Training: Complete mandated online trainings for new sponsors, covering SFSP rules, civil rights, and application processes. 4. Submit Application: Apply through the state's online system (e.g., MDE's CLiCS in Minnesota) by deadlines, providing a detailed budget, management plan, and site information. 5. Develop Sites: Identify and recruit eligible feeding sites (like schools, community centers) in low-income areas. 6. Manage Operations: Hire staff, arrange for meals (prepare or deliver), and ensure sites are supervised and compliant. 7. Monitor & Report: Supervise sites, collect data, and submit claims for reimbursement, adhering to strict federal guidelines.

Work

There is something called the “Great Resignation” going on around the world. It started in China with something called 996 meaning you work 9 AM to 9 PM six days a week and it spread to the West and is pushed by Gen Zers, people born between 1997 and 2012. They have discovered that their college degree left them $35,000 in debt and a pay scale which will keep them from getting out of debt. They have discovered that housing cost have pushed them away from the American Dream. They found the pension plans of old were replaced by 401K’s. They found that loyalty by the company was replaced by the stock price. They start with quiet quitting, which means do the least possible required to keep your job or just dropping out of the work force. Gen Z individuals who have dropped out of the traditional workforce primarily live on alternative income streams (such as the gig economy, freelancing, and content creation), family support, and, in some cases, government assistance programs. Many are unaware that learning a trade can provide them with the kind of life they dreamed of but they must be willing to do that kind of work. There is also a need for people to work in the healthcare field and people willing to be trained to work in manufacturing plants.

SS tax

During the 2024 campaign, Trump promised to eliminate all income tax on Social Security so when the $6,000 deduction for seniors was passed the press reported it as removing tax on SS. The $6,000 deduction has nothing to do with SS but is available for everyone over 65 whether they collect SS or not. It does mean that 88% of people who collect SS will benefit from the deduction. A single person over age 65 has a standard deduction of $15,750 plus an additional $2,000 (for being over 65) and a $6,000 bonus deduction. The $6,000 is phased out for incomes between $75,000 and $175,000 and thus only 88% qualify. This is expected to save seniors $34 billion per year.

Car tax

The new interest deduction on the purchase of a car can help people with poor credits scores the most. The average interest rate for those with poor credit scores is 15% and the loan period is 5.5 year so in a $50,000 car the interest will be $23,000. The law allows the buyer to deduct $20,000 in interest. The savings under the new law depends on the tax bracket. A single man making $50,000 would own $10,000 in tax so he could deduct $10,000 of his interest which would save him $2,000 in taxes. If he got a 7% loan the total interest paid would be $10,000 and he could deduct it all. About half the people who buy cars would not owe any income tax so there would be no savings for them. In most cases tax deductions and/or credits are no help to those who do not pay tax. The exception is the child tax credit and the earned income tax credit which is refundable even if you own no tax.

Musk

Elon Musk, ever the Avant-garde businessman, is slowly moving his EV plants to building robots. While other auto companies are writing down loses from their adventures in the EV business, he is transferring assets. It is more complicated than a direct transfer but existing production lines are being optimized by using humanoid robots which will become new consumer products to transform society by handling labor. As EV sales decline, robot sales will grow.

Change

More and more people are recognizing that Trump is not like other presidents. While he leans republican, he has no qualms about challenging the old guard and has changed the party. As they say its no longer your grandfather’s party. He is pro-business when it comes to regulations but puts pressure on business to act in the public good. He has told defense contractors to stop buying back stock, to slow down dividend payments and to get jobs done on time. He has told the pharmaceuticals to sell products in the US at the same price they sell overseas. He has called for a one-year cap of ten percent on credit card interest. He has tried to stop institutional investors like Blackstone from buying houses and renting them. He is pushing to have government subsidies paid directly to consumers instead of insurance companies. He told big oil companies to invest $100 billion in bringing Venezuela oil back on line. Instead of offering big companies loans he demands stock as collateral. He remains pro-business but demands responsible action on their part. He is equally tough on government spending starting with DOGE and then going after overruns in the defense department. His latest is investigating Medicaid fraud. All of these items are domestic policy and he is just as active in foreign policy. He is not only changing the republican party but the whole country and the whole world.

Shah

The son of the former Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, is planning on returning to power if the present government is overthrown. It is reported that his father left Iran with $2 billion and that has now gown into $8 billion. Regardless of the number, the son has lived a very comfortable life in a Washington DC suburb. He has a house with seven bedrooms, 7.5 baths, multiple fireplaces, a private library, a remodeled kitchen, and a recreation room. He got his money from Instead of a specific salary, a large allocation in the national budget was made for the "Supreme Leadership of State," which amounted to $43 million in 1976–77. Additionally, in 1976, another $1 billion was included in the budget for a revolving discretionary fund, which he controlled absolutely. Don’t know much about his leadership skills but he seems experienced at getting money from his position.

California

As California Governor Gavin Newsom emerges as a presidential contender, the news shifts to his state and what is found is disturbing. The San Pablo Bay Pipeline is closing because of regulatory hurdles while new laws forcing local gas stations to replace old storage tanks at a cost of $2 million dollars is closing hundreds of stations. Meanwhile refineries are shutting and major oil companies like Shell are closing their gas stations and replacing them with EV charging stations. All of this is in preparation of California banning gasoline cars by 2035. Regulations are slowing the rebuilding of houses lost in the big fire and after one year only 12 of the 22,500 houses lost are rebuilt. Leprino Foods, the worlds largest mozzarella maker is closing after 150 years of operation as Budweiser closes the Bay area plant, the largest brewery in the world after 50 years of operation. Many wealthy individuals, including billionaires, are leaving the state due to high taxes and business climate. For the first time in many years the state is losing general population because of high living cost. The state leads the nation in homelessness and number of illegal migrants and the budget deficit rises as free medical care is offered to migrants both legal and illegal. Estimates vary but total long-term debt, including pensions, approaches or exceeds one trillion dollars. The state has the highest income tax rate at 13.3% and is currently contemplating a wealth tax on super rich people and just thinking about it has cause a number of billionaires to leave.

Impeachment

Recently, the news has been filled with reports that if the democrats take control of the house, they will vote to impeach the president. While the congress can impeach with a majority vote, the senate needs a two-thirds vote (67) to convict. No president has ever been convicted and it is highly unlikely this time but impeachment has become a political tool used to discredit a president. Trump was impeached twice during his first term but each time his approval ratings went up and even after he was convicted of a felony his ratings did not change. Congress spent $13 million dollars and 24 months impeaching Trump and it appears they are ready to try for more.

Wouter

In these days it is hard to find a person who is able to see both sides of an issue. It is mindful of Washington Irving’s famous mayor Wouter Van Twiller for which it was said, He conceived every subject on so grand a scale that he had not room in his head to turn it over and examine both sides of it. The mayor’s problem was that he just wasn’t very bright but many smart people today are much like Wouter. Police say that different witnesses seeing the same video will describe situations which often times contradict and these are people who have no particular bias. When is comes to videos regarding political issues it should be expected that what is seen depends on who is seeing. It’s the old eye of the beholder idea. It appears that the more cameras on the scene the more controversy.

Income gap

Globalization, which was the economic strategy starting at the end of WW 2, continuing on through the cold war, came to an end in about 2010. The end was accelerated with the rise in nationalism associated with Trump and his Make America Great Again campaign. This was continued under Biden with the America First slogan and Trump has continued the trend in his second term. He has pushed his agenda by demanding that the EU pay more for their defense, that trade deals be fair, that the US quit paying for international organizations like the UN, WTO and WHO. He cancelled USAID. He is putting pressure on NATO countries to pay their fair share and his latest is withdrawing from 66 groups where the US has been paying a disproportionate share of the cost. There are many examples of how things changed and CEO pay is one. In the 1950’s the average CEO earned 20 times as much as the worker bees in the plants and today that ratio is 300 to one. Are the CEO’s of today 15 times more effective than in the past? Meanwhile real wages for those in the middle and bottom have stagnated and only in the past ten years have started to recover. The end of globalization is helping to stop the growth in the income gap but it is a slow process. As new manufacturing jobs return wages for working people will rise.