Donations

In 2010 the Supreme Court issued the ruling on Citizens United which declared campaign money to be free speech and prohibited the government from placing restrictions on campaign contributions. This caused a great deal of concern by the democratic party thinking it would be a bonanza for the republicans but over time the fury died out. In the 2012 presidential election Obama spent $1.1 billion and Romney $1 billion and there was not much effect. In 2016 Clinton spent $1.2 billion vs Trump at $774 million. In 2020 Biden spent $1.06 billion and Trump $774 million. In 2024 Harris spent $1.16 billion and Trump $477 million. If the Citizens United had any effect on campaign money it seems to have helped the democrats the most. The billionaires favor republicans but the democrats make up by small donations. When it comes to small donations (under $200) Harris leads the way with $428 million which equates to 43% of all her donations. Trump received $109 million which represented 29% of his donations. About 65% of billionaires donate to republicans. While donations get a lot of news coverage the amount of money is not having the expected results. Some say this is because the main stream news outlets are being replaced by social media.

Drug prices

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 is the landmark law limiting Medicare drug costs. Key 2026 provisions include a $2,100 annual out-of-pocket cap on Part D drugs, Medicare-negotiated prices for the first 10 selected drugs taking effect, a $35 monthly cap on insulin, and free recommended adult vaccines. Trump’s attempt to lower drug prices using Trump RX has not succeeded. Unlike other RX plans which use generic drugs this plan targeted brand names.

Contentment

There is an income number that many people feel will finally make them comfortable and is about twice what they are earning. If a man makes $40,000, he thinks that $80,000 will do the trick. Someone earning $100,000 sees the answer at $200,000 but they never really get there. Having more money is not the answer but what is the answer. Wealth is what you have minus what you want. This leads to two paths to wealth, either earn more or want less. The first means to work more and the second means to be content with what you have. This kind of thinking is foreign to young people because they are caught up in the idea that you can buy happiness. At some age about 90, the whole rat race things seems almost comical but that is a lesson that takes many years to learn. When you are content to stay around friends and take an occasional walk you can finally relax and enjoy your life and think why did it take me so long.

Credit friend or foe

Many Americans look with some alarm at the national debt that keeps rising year after year but many are also living the same way in their families. Spending keeps rising faster than income and the difference is financed through debt accumulation. During the 1950’s and 60’s households lived differently. They avoided debt like the plague. They learned from their parents; frugality based on the necessity that came out of the depression. While it was common to borrow money for a home, other things were purchased with cash. People paid for daily expenses with cash. Many saved a small amount each week to cover the cost of upcoming Christmas presents. Some used the lay away plan. If they wanted an item, they had the store lay it away for them to pick up at some later date after they had saved the money to pay cash for it. When the breadwinner got a raise a part of that was set aside in long term savings. No one ever lived on overtime money. People went grocery shopping with a list and bought only what was on the list. All meals were home cooked and nothing was ever wasted. Any leftovers were used the following days. Many clothes were home made and were kept longer by taking care of things. Kids took lunch to school and saved the paper bags for reuse. Making home repairs was common as was the one car family. Sometimes a dad would take a part time job on Saturday not so they could buy something but so they could pay extra on the mortgage. Vacations were one day holidays in town not two-week trips across the country. Houses were less than 1,000 sq ft even though families were larger. All of this began to change with the introduction of the credit card which was sold as a convenience but was in fact a successful marketing ploy. Today there are many people who pay 20 plus percent interest on credit cards and just keep falling further debt. They cannot resist the next latest thing and thing of it as free when you just put it on the card.

Raise taxes on the rich

As various cities around the country raise taxes on the rich, many rich people are moving to lower tax states. The way to tax the rich is by using the federal income tax system. Democrat Senator Hollen’s has introduced a bill that will increase taxes on the rich and lower taxes on lower income groups. His plan for single filer is an extra 5% on incomes above one million, 10% on incomes above 2 million and 12% on incomes above $5 million. This should be a starting point and taxes would increase further each year. The one restriction should be that the new tax collections be used to reduce the deficit not to install new programs. There could also be a condition that all new government spending cannot increase more than one-half percent below the inflation rate. If they just did the last point this will solve the deficit problem in the long run. Some steps must be taken to close the income gap which is large and continues to widen each year.

Reindustrialization

One of the major aspects of ending globalization is the bringing of manufacturing jobs back to America. The impetus for this is three-fold. First the recognition that national defense depends on having a secure source of materials. Second the cost of transportation has risen dramatically. Third production at home is close to the major markets meaning closer supply chains. The doubling of the industrial base over the next ten years will come from three areas. First the existing US companies operating in the US will expand production. Second, foreign companies currently operating in the US will expand and third foreign will invest additional funds in the US. The last group will occur in three stages. The first step will be preparing the factory sites. Second will be installation of equipment and third the hiring of workers and the purchasing of raw materials. In today’s fast paced world, companies have to be able to change directions quickly. With production close to home meaning shorter supply chains, change can be completed more efficiently. Imports needed for manufacturing will slowly decline as more products are made in the US.

NY City deficit

In 1975 NY City avoided bankruptcy by defaulting on its debt and having a state-supervised bailout to restructure its finances. Over the years the City has skirted financial problems by increasing taxes. Once again, the city is facing a $12 billion dollar deficit and is proposing new benefits of $4.5 billion for free childcare. The city, like many big cities finds itself in a death spiral. They increase taxes on the rich to pay for benefits for the poor. This causes rich people to leave and the tax burden falls heavier on those who remain and this leads to further tax increases. For many cities the money designated for the poor is distributed not directly to the people but through non-governmental agencies (NGO’s) where funds are siphoned off through various, sometimes, illegal means. NY City with a population of 8.5 million has a budget of $124.7 billion or $14,500 per person. Compare that to the state of Florida whose budget is $117.4 billion with a population of $23.7 million or $5,000 per person. In addition, Florida has a $3.8 billion surplus. While Florida is setting up plans to get rid of non-school property tax on personal residences, New York City is planning on raising property tax and a new 2% tax on those earning more than one million per year scheduled to bring in $4 billion. The new mayor Mamdani is following up on his campaign promise to tax the rich and thus the people are getting what they voted for. In 1951 a newspaper writer, Elmer Peterson, said that “democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse (money) from the public treasury”. Will NY City prove that Mr. Peterson was right?

Russia

When Putin came to power some 26 years ago, he said that the greatest catastrophe of the 20th century was the fall of the USSR and he set a goal to revive the past glory as he perceived it to be. His attempt failed and he now sees the futility of the Ukraine War and will not attempt to gain the upper hand by using tactical nuclear weapons. At age 73 and his influence waning a new group will take power. Their goal will also be to bring Russia back to its USSR position in the world but their approach will be much different. They will become part of the Western world economically and will begin to rebuild. By establishing an open society and conducting free and fair trading with Europe and the US they will revive their country. Europe can once again use cheap Russian natural gas and reverse their trend toward deindustrialization. The world will welcome the natural resources from Russia and will prosper. This means that NATO will become irrelevant and the EU will no longer depend on the US for safety from Russia.

Iran War

As the war in the Pacific was coming to a close, Japan wanted a negotiated settlement but Truman wanted unconditional surrender. The result was the dropping atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima causing millions of casualties to civilians. By today’s standards if Truman had agreed to a settlement some in the press would have reported that the US lost the war and Japan had won. It brings up the question of how the US should end the war in Iran. Should the lives of millions of civilians be sacrificed in order to have unconditional surrender or should a negotiated settlement be agreed to. Some will say this is apples and oranges because Japan directly attacked the US at Pearle Harbor but Iran has only indirectly attacked the US while pronouncing death to American for 47 years. While Iran would likely not directly attack the US, they might well have some proxy group sneak in a nuclear bomb to some major city and then deny any connection. The question remains, are their threats to America just talk or will they carry out some type of terror plan. Is there ever a time when a preemptive strike is warranted.

Morning after pill

While the number of abortions as held steady at around one million per year, many possible others are avoided using the morning pill. These are available to anyone any age and can be purchased on line at places like Amazon. The market size in 2024 was estimated at $3.7 billion. Generic Levonorgestrel ($11- $30) often found at Walmart, CVS and Rite Aid for $12- $25. If the average price were $20 then about 185 million pills were sold in 2024. There is no way of knowing how many pregnancies were avoided using these pills.

Rich people

There are rich people and there are rich people and it is important to differentiate between the two. Some like Warren Buffet make money by buying and selling stock or like the Walmart family members who make money from stock and hedge fund managers who make money from money. Then there are rich people like Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. They create new businesses and provide new jobs and grow the economy. All of the rich people are helping in their own way. For those who make money using money they provide capital for new investment but those who are creative open the world to new adventures. Today, many of these creative types are building data centers which will power the creativity of the future and the number of new innovations will once again create new jobs and expand the economy. These innovators are just the seeds for others. Bill Gates is estimated to have created 12,000 millionaires primarily through stock options but these people went on to grow the economy further. These "Microsoft Alumni" have driven innovation in technology, philanthropy, and venture capital, with approximately 40% of surveyed alumni working on new business ventures.

Vote

Back in the day when affirmative action was popular some states used redistricting to increase Blacks in congress. District lines were drawn around Black populations and voters elected Black candidates. The Supreme Court ended affirmative action in 1997 when it upheld a lower court decision in California and this quickly spread to other states. The recent court decision in Virginia that reversed a state redistricting plan was based to some degree on the drawing of Black areas. Redistricting has gotten out of hand in recent years with state congressional representatives not matching the states voting records. Here are two examples to illustrate the point. In California 43 out of 50 districts (83%) voted for Harris who got 58% of the vote while in Florida, Trump won 20 of 28 districts (71%) and got 56% of the vote. Redistricting has skewed the popular vote.

Home ownership

Going all the way back to the 1930’s the Home Owners Loan Corporation set up what were called residential security zones, in 142 cities marking Black and immigrant neighborhoods as risky. In the 1970’s the FHA required a 3.5% down payment on a 30-year fixed interest loan. They also followed the 28 rule which meant the principal and interest along with the real estate taxes and home owners’ insurance and PMI could not exceed 28% of the borrower’s gross income. At that time 30-year fixed mortgage were 5% so person who wanted to purchase a $55,000 home which was the average home price in 1980, would have a monthly principal and interest payment of $1020. Real estate taxes added $70, homeowner insurance another $25 and PMI at $28 for a total of $1,143. This meant you had to have an income of $4,082 per month to qualify for a loan. In 1980 only 6% of households had that kind of income. Buyers often put 20% down and purchased starter homes at lesser value than the average. The average income in 1980 was $1,750 per month which meant they only qualified for a house valued at $25,000. The 28 rule kept people from getting in over their heads. I bought a $10,000 home in 1959 with $400 down and a 4.75% rate for 30 years and my monthly payment for everything was $90. My income was $260 but I worked 60 hours a week and that brought it up to $390. Studies were conducted during the 1960’s which showed that Blacks were disproportionately left out of the home mortgage market. When a person came into the bank to apply for a loan and didn’t meet the 28% rule the loan request was denied. In time the loan officers consider these applications a waste of time and began to draw a red line around Black neighborhoods and told people over the phone not to apply based on their address. This resulted in the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 that prohibited racial discrimination in lending. While this meant that all applicants had to be accepted only a few qualified. Then in 1995 Clinton passed the Community Reinvestment Act which provided incentives for banks to offer loans to lower income people by relaxing the strict requirements. This opened the door to the American dream for many Blacks as they became eligible for home loans. When the mortgage crisis hit in 2008, Black and Hispanic communities faced significantly higher foreclosure rates, with reports suggesting up to 30% of their homes entered foreclosure, compared to 11% for white homeowners. Bank examiners would check the percent of loans given to minorities and if they were not high enough the banks were threatened with penalties.

Covid today

Now that some of the political heat about Covid has subsided, it is time for a review of some of the factors that turned out to be of little importance and in some cases not true. Getting the vaccine did not prevent getting the disease and this should have been obvious because that is the case with all vaccines. The same goes for spreading the vaccine after being vaccinated. Stay six feet apart was a rule based on no evidence of efficacy. This meant that half the students had to use home schooling because classroom size was limited. Closing schools when the risk to children was far lower than the normal flu risk saying they were protecting teachers. Children routinely expose teachers to many health hazards. While a surgical mask may be effective the paper masks used by most were not very effective. They interfered with communication and were a severe inconvenience in very young children. People were told to stay at home and were also told to go out in the fresh air Many people were banned from social media for saying things that were deemed misinformation when in fact they were true and others were allowed on social media to disseminate things that were not true. This is always the risk when the government tries to limit speech. The origin of the virus remains controversial because it has become political which means it may never be known. This is not the way science should work. Fear was used as a motivator to enforce many regulations which later proved to be unnecessary. This often happens with emotional responses.

Women of Iran

Over the past five years when the number of migrants crossing the southern border began to increase, many Americas were filled with compassion for these people who were fleeing countries where they had no human rights. These crossing have stopped but a new human rights group has appeared and deserves some attention. There are 50 million Iranian women who are living in human bondage as second-class citizens. Will the American people offer the same compassion for these women? Will there be public demonstrations to show solidarity with these women. Are they not as important as Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter? Here is a quick reminder of just a few of the inequalities suffered by Iranian women. Men have an automatic, unrestricted right to divorce, while women must meet strict, difficult legal conditions to initiate divorce. Mothers retain custody of children only until age seven; thereafter, guardianship automatically transfers to the father or paternal grandfather. Girls can be legally married at 13, and younger with paternal permission. A husband can legally prevent his wife from pursuing an occupation he deems against "family values". Women are largely barred from becoming judges and holding the highest political offices. A new, harsher "hijab and chastity" law introduced in late 2024 significantly increases penalties for non-compliance, including long prison terms, travel bans, and fines In many legal proceedings, a woman's testimony is equal to only half that of a man

Two countries

With apologies to Dickens, the West is facing the Tale of Two Countries, the US and Europe. Starting in the 1960’s both embarked on an anti-nuclear path led by Greenpeace and environmental groups like the Sierra Club. This was followed up in the 1980’s by the climate change scare. The use of fear as a motivated would be the primary strategy. Next came the Green Deal where wind and solar would replace fossil fuels to save the planet from an existential threat. Unelected bureaucrats joined in the fray by creating a mountain of new regulations promoting the carbon free plan. Europe jumped out ahead of the US and can be used as an early warning signal caused by the danger of acting emotionally without a long-range plan. Europe had already been on a path different from America which gave them shorter work week, earlier retirements, longer vacations and more government benefits. They touted their national healthcare as proof of their advanced society. They halted nuclear development, increased regulations, refused fracking and went all in on wind and solar. These changes resulted in utility costs of four times higher than the US, a 20% value added tax (somewhat like a national sales tax), a GDP per person of half the US and a cut in defense spending. Today Europe is deindustrializing as their industries move to China and the US. The population was in rapid decline so they let in foreign migrants too fast and too quick and they are now undergoing a massive deportation plan. They find themselves buying natural gas from America and buying military equipment from the US to help Ukraine fight the war against Russia. The US on the other hand started the same way in the 60’s but at a slower pace. The American people were not so easily manipulated and asked questions. Recall when Ross Perot talked about the giant sucking sound of US jobs moving to Mexico. People questioned the facts around climate change and many were not convinced that wind and solar could replace fossil fuels. Before Trump ever ran for office, he opposed the sending of manufacturing jobs to China (globalization) and he recognized that America must become energy independent and that the bureaucracy had become too big to control. His mottos of drain the swamp and new green scam alerted the people to the folly of replacing fossil fuels with wind and solar. Today, the US is in the process of reindustrialization as trillions of dollars pour into America. Those who have been in control are threatened by these changes and fear their loss of power. They do not challenge the new policies but instead bring in new fears like threat to democracy or a new king. When Trump leaves office the new America with a thriving economy will begin to replace the fear.

I hate war

The date is December 1, 1941. The war in Europe has been going on for a little over two years and Hitler is winning. FDR wants the US to enter the war and save democracy as it struggles against fascism. Following the Constitution, he meets with a joint session of congress and ask for a declaration of war. The congressmen have questions. How long will it last? How much will it cost? How many will die? The president slowly lays out the war plans. He says there will be more than one million casualties including 420,000 dead. He says the cost will be $5 trillion in today’s dollars. The war will last four years. Many women will leave their children to baby sitters so they can work in the factories. There will be rationing of things like sugar, gasoline and tires. Citizens will plant garden Famous Quote: "I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded... I have seen the dead in the mud. I have seen cities destroyed... I have seen children starving. I have seen the agony of mothers and wives. I hate war s to save food for the soldiers. Then he said, take all of this information to your home people and explain to them what will happen and then after you have heard their thoughts, come back here and vote. I will be in the White House awaiting your decision. I am not going to commit all of those lives. That is your job under the constitution. In 1936 while running for reelection and Hitler was taking power in Germany, FDR gave his now famous war speech. Five years later he went to war. Woodrow Wilson campaigned on keeping the U.S. out of World War I, with the 1916 slogan "He kept us out of war" helping him win reelection. Two months after he was inaugurated the US went to war.

Intel

Most people remember the slogan, Intel inside, back in 2000 when Intel was the world leader in chips. Instead of continuing to develop new chips they rested on their laurels, a big mistake in any industry and especially in the tech world, and lost their leadership position to Nvidia. In early 2024 the company regrouped under new management in an attempt to turn things around and so far, they have been successful. They recaptured some of the Apple market that they lost and Musk is using their new chip in his, “Terafab” factory in Austin, TX. In less than a year their stock has risen from $21 to $120. As a part of their turnaround the US government purchased 433 million shares at $21 on Aug of 2025. The value of Intel is somewhat similar to Tesla in that it is mostly Blue Sky. Intel property, plant and equipment is valued at $105 billion but is market value (stock) is valued at $600 billion. Tesla’s property value (assets) is valued at $60 billion while its market value is $1.4 trillion. The stockholders have faith in the long-term success of each company but in the high-tech world, things can change overnight. It is a high risk, high return business.

The rich

Congresswoman AOC repeated the story told by Obama when he said that no individual develops a successful business on their own. They need the schools and infrastructure to help them. AOC said that billionaires did not succeed without the help of government rules and roads. This is, of course true, but most people have access to these facilities but only a few become billionaires. These people have something that most do not and it is more than roads and laws.

Iran and UN

Many Americans see the UN as out of step with common sense policies. A recent example illustrates why many feel that way. In April 2026, the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) nominated Iran to the Committee for Program and Coordination, a key body that shapes policy on human rights, women’s rights, and terrorism. The nomination was approved by consensus, without a formal vote, with support from several democracies, including Canada, France, Spain, Norway, the Netherlands, Australia, the United Kingdom, Finland, Switzerland and Austria. How can they be considered champions of women’s rights when the women in Iran are treated as second class citizens? The same goes for terrorism when Iran is considered the leading sponsor of terrorism in the world.

Too far

Most Americans have limited knowledge of astronomy so when the news reports the possibility of alien visitor it seems possible. Polls show that most people would like there to be visitors from some other part of the universe but unless there are laws of physics that have not been discovered, it is not likely. A scientist will always be open to yet discovered possibilities but some things are so close to impossible that it might be considered waste of time to investigate. While radio contact from space is definitely possible, the contact with a life form is another story. The big problem is distance which most people do not comprehend. Voyager One has been traveling 49 years at 36,000 mph and is now 16 billion miles from earth. That is 320 million miles per year. At this speed it will take 75,000 years to reach the nearest star.

Gas rationing

So far, the loss of oil from the Persian Gulf has been made up by reserves but in time the shortage will affect refineries and that will cause industry shutdowns and possible rationing. The US has increased exports by 30% since the start of the war and that has reduced pressure on supplies. The world will soon see how Iran could, at any time, disrupt the economies of the world. At this point they can be challenged but if they get a nuke then they could not be forced to open the Straights. This would put the world at the mercy of a group of military extremists who do not care if they or their people die. They have already shown that they do not care about the lives of the Iranian citizens. Once they achieve this control, they can begin to dictate policy for other countries including the US. The people of the US will be unwilling to accept gas rationing and will demand the government accede to the Iranian demands. Like all irrational dictators their demands will increase over time. Americans will vote for people who will agree to Iranian demands. The push for nuclear power will accelerate around the globe as countries move away from dependence on oil and natural gas.

Iran and food

The government in Iran is headed by the Supreme Leader, Khamenei and reporting directly to him is the President Pazeshkian and the IRGC leader Vahidi. The President controls domestic policy and the IRGC represents the military. The Supreme leader is incapacitated with injuries suffered from a US attack and the military is now running the country. The IRGC has killed thousands of citizens when they protested in the streets on five different occasions over the past six years. The IRGC fully understands that if they lose control the people will rise up and come after them. There are 90 million Iranians and only 190,000 IRGC but they have the guns. There are 9 million Kurdish people living in Northern Iran and another 25 million living along the Iranian border in Turkey and Syria. The Kurds have long wanted their own state and the US could solicit help from them to fight the IRGC. This would require US logistical support meaning ground weapons and air support. This combined with internal disruptions by the CIA could make it difficult for the IRGC to maintain power. Once they are weakened the people could rise up against the government and have a better chance of success. The most likely scenario is that the country will run short on food and when the citizens see their children going hungry, they will rebel and many will be killed. Better to die fighting in the streets than starve.

Budget

Many people look back on the 1990’s, the last time the budget was balanced and ask why can’t it be done again. The answer is the peace dividend. Following the Cold War's end, the US "peace dividend" resulted in over 30% cuts to the defense budget and over 60% cuts to procurement in the 1990s, with ~80% of $81 billion in savings used to reduce the federal deficit. Many observers think that it is impossible to cut federal government spending as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). But it can be done. And the evidence is hidden in plain sight: it’s called the 1990s. Between 1990 and 2000, federal spending fell from 21.85 percent of GDP to 18.22 percent, a drop of 3.6 percentage points. Most of the reduction was in defense spending after the Cold War ended. By the 2000’s the defense spending was back up to the cold war levels.

Europe

For those who remember the end of the cold war, the world looked forward to a peace dividend, meaning less need for defense spending. During the cold war Europe was spending 3% of its GDP on defense but since the war ended that number dropped to 1.4%. The US also experienced a peace dividend but within a few years the defense budget increased and was soon higher than it was during the cold war. Europe spent the post cold war years relying on the US for defense and they now realize that they have to start taking care of the own defense. The US, with $39 trillion in debt, can no longer afford to protect Europe. The news reports this as our allies are no longer friendly. Europe is being hit with this additional defense spending, at a time when government decisions on energy policy have caused steep rises in energy cost. On top of that they allowed too many immigrants to enter too fast and the social net cannot absorb the cost.

Closing nuke plants

When it comes to energy, it is a topsy turvy world. Using one example, that can be duplicated in many ways is the German giant chemical company BASF. This is the world’s largest chemical manufacturer. Back in the 1970’s the German Green Party was born with the sole purpose of shutting down nuclear power. It was only later that they added climate change to their agenda. The whole country embarked upon a program to replace fossil fuels with wind and solar and thus the price of electric power began to rise. With cost today at 40 cents per kwh, BASF is investing $10 billion in China where electricity cost is 9 cents per kwh. In China 60% of the electric power is produced by coal. China mines and processes the materials needed for solar panels and wind turbines, using once again, 60% coal. China is destroying its ground water and suffering from air pollution to make the solar panels that they ship to Germany. It is as though the people have forgotten that we all live on the same planet. To add insult to injury, Germany is now considering reopening its coal and nuclear plants. The original impetus to close nuclear was an emotional decision and made without evaluating the long term consequences.

Cost per kwh

The cost for electricity here is relatively inexpensive at 12 cents per kWh well below the national average of 17 cents but other charges add to the bill. Cost this month include Electric usage $53.09 Fixed charge $10.00 Interim rate charge $5.99 AGI recovery fee $.74 MN state sales tax $4.80 Metro reg sales tax hous $.17 Metro reg sales tax trans $.52 Dakota County transit $.17 This brings the total cost up to 20 cents per kWh

Fraud

One of the outcomes of the government investigation into waste, fraud and abuse known as DOGE was the release of information that led to local investigation the most notable being Nick Shirley finding fraud in MN. Since then, there have been more investigators around the country. The regular press finds investigative journalism too expensive so the door is open for young local people to fill the gap. They use leg work, a cell phone camera and social media to investigate and put their stories on YouTube. Some recent examples of fraud: Childcare and Welfare, Food programs, Medicaid and Healthcare, Housing, Autism, Hospice and the ever-present Medicare fraud.

Terror group

The emphasis placed on retrieving the 970 pounds of 60% enriched uranium from Iran is misplaced. Russia or even North Korea could replace that within a few days. It takes only 33 pounds of weapons grade uranium to achieve critical mass meaning a nuclear explosion. This could create a 250-kiloton bomb which would be ten times the power of the bombs dropped on Japan. In fact, either country could send them a completed bomb. The US would not be directly threatened because of the distance and the resulting retaliation but a terrorist group could smuggle a bomb into the US or any other country. The only way to be reasonably assured that a rogue country would not use nuclear weapons is to have a society where the people have the power. Iran will not be safe until the military is no longer in control. As of now their whole reason for existing is death to America. They appear willing to starve their people to achieve this goal.

Pay down debt

Once again California is showing the way for the rest of the country. They are about to pass a millionaire’s tax to collect $100 billion to fund healthcare, education and food assistance with no intention to use the money to pay down debt. The state has the highest bond debt at $118 billion and estimates of unfunded pension liabilities totaling $1.5 trillion. This means passing on the debt problem to the next group to take office. It is hard to imagine that the people would vote for a tax increase to pay down debt and it would take real leadership to make such a proposal.

Rich

Throughout history socialism would become popular when the gap between the wealth and the poor became too great to ignore. When the masses of people are unable to provide for their children as they would like, then they look for government to step in. The US is reaching that point and politicians like Bernie Sanders start demanding change. They look to tax the rich to help the poor. While this is standard democratic policy the pressure to act increases, as the gap widens. The young people are the first group to recognize the inequity and they are soon followed by working people who see the rich as a type of royalty.

Cobalt processing

A brief history of cobalt is similar to other minerals needed for EV’s and other products. The US needs 8,000 tons of cobalt each year and has only one mine in operation in Michigan which is set to close in four years. The 300 tons of ore that is mined each year must be sent to China or Brazil for processing. The major source of cobalt is mined in Africa, often times using children. Some of the ore is processed in Africa but most is to China for refining and processing where there are few environmental rules. The processing in both Africa and China is contaminating ground water and air often times creating toxic heavy metals that leach into the water and soil causing extensive degradation and health crises.

Iranian assets

The US has sized control over $100 billion on Iranian financial assets worldwide. Iran has always used the banking system in the UAE to finance its activities but now that they have sent missiles into the UAE, that relationship is broken. Estimates of Iranian linked assets in the UAE, including trade, real estate and corporate account are worth $20 to $50 billion. The US has let it be known that these assets will be held in escrow to be used to help the Iranian people once this war is over.

Trump and Iran

For history buffs there is certain similarity between what Harry Truman did in 1946 with Stalin and what Trump is doing with the Iranian leaders. Stalin saw Turman as a country boy who had only been VP for 80 days when he was thrust into the presidency. He saw a man with little experience on the national stage and a person that could be manipulated. He saw an American people who were tired of foreign wars that seem to go for ever and knew that political pressure would force Truman to back away from confrontation. He was wrong. Truman clearly saw the threat of communism to the free world and vowed to fight against such dictatorship. Today the American people are once again tired of war and want to get on with life but Trump sees a future danger with the dictators in Iran who will try to take control of the Middle East. He is taking the unpopular approach to end the nuclear threat from Iran to save some future president of having to deal with a more powerful Iran. The easy way would be to just ignore Iran but leadership requires taking the road not travelled. Time will tell if this was the correct decision.

Murder rate

The murder rate in the US declined from 10.7 per 100,000 population in 1991 to 7.7 in 2021. Since then, the drop has continued more precipitously to .26 today, the lowest ever recorded. There are a number of reasons for the big drop in 2024 and 2025 but one statistic stands out and that is the number of migrant deportations. In 2024 following an increase in border enforcement, 271,484 migrants were deported and 30% of those had criminal records. Between October 2024 and September 2025, 442,637 migrants were deported and 23% had criminal records. Sanctuary cities did not cooperate with ICE during these two years and police feel that the percentage of deported convicted criminals would have been higher with cooperation.

NY City

A brief lesson on how to get elected mayor can be gleaned from Mamdani’s NY City elections. He was a city councilman polling in single digits when he gave a campaign speech outlining his proposals. His plan included free buses, free childcare, five city owned grocery stores, a rent freeze on 200,000 apartments, a $30 minimum wage, a millionaire surtax and construction of 100,000 low-income houses. The estimated cost of these items is $17 billion. It turns out that the mayor does not have the authority to raise the city individual or corporate tax so his only source of new income is raising property tax. The governor has stated she would not be financing NY City programs. The city unlike the federal government cannot legally borrow money to fund operating expenses.

NYC City

A brief lesson on how to get elected mayor can be gleaned from Mamdani’s NY City elections. He was a city councilman polling in single digits when he gave a campaign speech outlining his proposals. His plan included free buses, free childcare, five city owned grocery stores, a rent freeze on 200,000 apartments, a $30 minimum wage, a millionaire surtax and construction of 100,000 low-income houses. The estimated cost of these items is $17 billion. It turns out that the mayor does not have the authority to raise the city individual or corporate tax so his only source of new income is raising property tax. The governor has stated she would not be financing NY City programs. The city unlike the federal government cannot legally borrow money to fund operating expenses.

Europe

For more than fifty years US leaders have looked longingly at Europe and their great social programs, starting with universal healthcare but the time has come to evaluate the costs. The GDP per person in Europe is $53,000 vs $85,000 in the US. With the help of various government programs, the Europeans have lost the work ethic that has made America great. Shorter work weeks, longer vacations and earlier retirement ages have offered benefits not available to US workers. They are overrun with regulations and have very little innovation. Today they find themselves unable to compete with the rest of the world. They bragged to the world about being the leaders in replacing fossil fuels with wind and solar as they shut down their coal and nuclear power plants. They refuse fracking based on environmental concerns. They freely signed the Paris Accords while the US dropped out. They opened their borders to immigrants who failed to assimilate. They accepted the protection from the US for their national defense. They failed to notice that their population was in decline and now the trend is irreversible. This has resulted in high energy cost (electricity and natural gas) costs are 3.5 times higher than in the US. When they try to raise the retirement age the people riot in the streets. They are now deporting immigrants at an accelerated rate. Their industries are relocating to China and the US. They are restarting their nuclear and coal plants. Their relationship with the US is suffering as they face additional cost of defense spending and new tariffs.

Disparate Impact

In an attempt to overcome past real or perceived discrimination the government has a policy called, “Disparate Impact”. Disparate impact occurs when a seemingly neutral policy causes a disproportionate negative harm to a certain group. Can a test be an example? Requiring a test can be a case of disparate impact discrimination if the test screens out a disproportionate number of applicants from a protected group such as race, sex or national origin. The employer’s intent is irrelevant.

Income gap

The income gap in the US is leading young people to look favorably on socialism where equality is a promise. The uneven wage growth is the result of several things including the movement of manufacturing jobs overseas and the decline of unions but one factor often overlooked is simple math. If I earn $50,000 per year and you earn $150,000 you have $100,000 more than I. If over the next 20 years we both get 3% annual raises you will be earning $271,000 and I will be earning $90,000 and that leaves a difference of $181,000. Carry this out over the past 60 years and a large income gap is expected. The same thing happens with wealth. If I have $90,000 in my savings and you have $50,000, I have $40,000 more. Let us both earn 10% and in 20 years I have $605,000 and you have $335,000 or $270,000 more than you. This is the reason for the old saying the rich getter richer and the poor get poorer. It’s all about arithmetic.

Trump policies

Trump is often accused of not being presidential and much of this stems from the fact that he is a business man first and a politician second. It started during his first term when he ignored the experts who said it would take ten years to develop a new vaccine and he started Operation Warp Speed and had a Covid vaccine in less than a year. He instituted the Abraham Accords and got four Arab countries to join forces with Israel to work out a plan for Palestine. He used tariffs as economic weapons to force other countries to work out fair import taxes using the goal of reciprocal tariffs. He pushed Europe to increase their military spending and stop relying on the US for their defense. He recognized that wind and solar cannot replace fossil fuels but nuclear can and he has revitalized the industry by reducing regulations and developing small nuclear reactors. Instead of offering subsidies to industry he has purchased stock to help them expand. He set about reducing waste and fraud by first using DOGE and then setting up a task force headed by VP Vance. He sealed the southern border with executive orders instead of waiting for congress to act. He removed the Venezuelan president from the control of China and is now helping them rebuild their country. He has withdrawn from the WHO because of their mishandling of the Covid. He has by passed the WTO by installing tariffs. He advocates for reduced funding for the UN and for NATO until the other countries pay their fair share. He moved against Iran instead of pushing the problem onto the next president which the last five presidents had done. Because of these actions the US allies are less friendly. The American taxpayer saddled with a $39 trillion debt, can no longer be the major source of finance for the rest of the world. These are major changes and that means upsetting the status quo and it has hurt his popularity.

Income gap

The income gap in the US is leading young people to look favorably on socialism where equality is a promise. The uneven wage growth is the result of several things including the movement of manufacturing jobs overseas and the decline of unions but one factor often overlooked is simple math. If I earn $50,000 per year and you earn $150,000 you have $100,000 more than I. If over the next 20 years we both get 3% annual raises you will be earning $271,000 and I will be earning $90,000 and that leaves a difference of $181,000. Carry this out over the past 60 years and a large income gap is expected. The same thing happens with wealth. If I have $90,000 in my savings and you have $50,000, I have $40,000 more. Let us both earn 10% and in 20 years I have $605,000 and you have $335,000 or $270,000 more than you. This is the reason for the old saying the rich getter richer and the poor get poorer. It’s all about arithmetic.

Power lines

The decline in the sales of EV’s has come at a fortuitous time. People are turning away from EV’s because of the lack of charging stations, the time between charges, especially in cold weather, the loss of the $7,500 subsidy and the high cost of the vehicle. This is at a time when pressure on the grid is building because of data centers, which use huge amounts of electric power. The power grid is outdated and transmission lines and transformers are operating beyond their designed lifespan. Major tech companies have signed agreements with the White House to fund their own power infrastructure to bypass grid constraints and avoid relying on public utility capacity. In the future much of the stress on the grid will be reduced as small nuclear reactors replace major power plants bringing the power closer to the use point. This removes the need for long transmission lines which can then be used primarily for homes and small businesses.

Medicaid fraud

Congress is responsible for oversight but the government is so large that much of this is placed into the hands of different agencies where the bureaucrats take on the job. The result is waste and fraud in programs, especially Medicaid and Medicare. While DOGE exposed a number of cases of waste and fraud it was unpopular because it was more of a private investigation. As a result of the problems uncovered the “Task Force to Eliminate Fraud” was formed in March of 2026 led by VP Vance. Further emphasizing the importance are recent developments in Medicaid fraud. This includes programs to feed children, low-income housing, childcare, autism treatment centers, hospice, unemployment benefits, Covid tax fraud, and foreign aide scams. For many years Medicare fraud where doctors work with criminals to steal using false claims. In many of the latest examples the officials have been compromised and made it difficult to stop fraud even after it was discovered.

SNAP rules

How the new SNAP rules under the big beautiful bill will be enforced by state. Here is how Nebraska will handle things. Under the law, enrollees must work or volunteer at least 80 hours a month, attend school at least part-time, or participate in job training. Or they must prove they qualify for certain exemptions, such as caring for a child 13 or younger or a disabled parent, or having a health condition that prevents employment. Proving employment status will require documentation, but Nebraska officials say they will allow enrollees to self-attest that they volunteer, go to school, or qualify for exemptions, such as for poor health or caring for a disabled parent. "Supporting documentation, such as medical records, will not be required," Spilinek said. That could make it easier for enrollees to get exempted under the law's "medical frailty" exception. The long list of health conditions that can be considered for the exemption was posted last week by the state and includes many types of cancers and mental health and heart conditions. SNAP legislation). The law specifically excludes disabled individuals, caregivers of young children, and pregnant individuals from these mandates.

Education

Since 1950, American public schools have experienced a massive "staffing surge," where the number of non-teaching employees has grown dramatically faster than the number of students. In 1950 the average class size was 35 and today that is 16. In 1950 there were 2.36 teachers for every non-teacher working in the schools and today it is one to one. While student enrollment has increased 100% the number of teachers has increased 243% and the number of non-teacher employees has increased by 700%. The result has been that while the cost per student in real dollars has increased the test scores have not. The cost per student has increased from $2,000 in 1950 to $20,000 today using inflation adjusted dollars. Inflation-adjusted K-12 education spending per student has increased dramatically, rising from roughly \(\$1,800\)–\(\$2,300\) in 1950 to over \(\$20,000\) by 2023. This represents a more than 300% increase in real spending per pupil, driven by lower class sizes, higher teacher salaries, and increased special education services. Special education started in 1975 and was not included in the 1950 data. The total spending on K 12 education in 2023 was $947 billion while $39 billion was spent on special education.

SSI

It is sometimes said that government benefit programs never end but that is not always the case. Prior to 1996 alcoholism was considered a disability by Social Security Income (SSI) and alcoholism was considered a disability under this program. Alcoholics living on the street were receiving $600 per month but the law required that they have a permanent address to send the checks and there must be a responsible person to receive the money. It was common for the alcoholic to use the neighborhood liquor store as this address and the owner as the responsible person. The store would keep track of the purchases during the month and when the check arrived, they would deduct the amount owed and turn over the rest to the recipient. It the limit was reached they would be cut off until next month. It served as an interest free loan of next months purchases. This had been going on for many years but was stopped in 1996. Studies showed the Social Security Administration (SSA) didn't monitor addicts properly, and only one-fifth of those required to be in treatment actually were.

SNAP

The latest government scandal is in the food stamp program. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps is administered by the Agriculture Department at a cost of $100 billion dollars per year. The USDA estimated that in 2023 about 11.7% of payments were improper so why is that still going on today and how does it happen. Application fraud which includes lying about income, household size or residency is where most problems start along with retail fraud where store owners exchange SNAP benefits for cash or nonfood items. Food stamps are traded on the street at a 50% discount. This is common among addicts to get cash to buy drugs. Some dealers will take the stamps directly. Once again Minnesota has the dubious position of leading the way in the fraud. This week, federal agents targeted 20 plus MN retailers involved in SNAP trafficking, where benefits are exchanged for cash or ineligible items. Audits indicate a lack of security left hundreds of thousands of people receiving double benefits or benefits intended for deceased individuals. This follows the scandals surrounding the “Feeding Our Future”, Child Care and Autism fraud. While this investigation is centered in MN most experts believe it is prevalent in other states. This leads many to believe that the government is too large to properly administer.

Social security private

The federal government thrift plan was started in 1986 and has been a success. There are five funds and a five percent employer match. The plan has a $25,000 per year maximum and is similar to the 401K plans in the private sector. The President today signed into law a new tax deferred savings plan for the millions of people who do not have an employer pension plan. The plan is for people who earn less than $35,000 and they can save $1,000 per year with a government match of $1,000. This could be the start of privatizing social security (SS). The worker would have his social security money which is deducted from his pay check deposited in the new savings plan. This would include the matching amount from the employer. It would start slow with anyone turning age 25 next year being eligible. The payroll deduction is 7.65% of which 6.2% is for social security. That amount includes 2.2% to cover the cost of disability and survivor benefits and the remaining 4% is for SS. This is matched by the employer and so 8% of salary can be set aside each paycheck and deposited into the new savings plan. Based on past market performance this will far exceed the current SS benefits and the employee will own the account. This means any money left over at death will pass to the heirs. This will remove the discrimination against Blacks under the current system because it is based on life expectancy and Whites live longer. This would also remove SS from the responsibility of government. If a person age 25 earning $40,000 per year gets a 3% raise each year and invests 8% of his salary that earns 10%, he will have $1.56 million in his account at age 62. If he invested this money and earned 8%, he would have $10,000 per month income for life and then pass on the $1.56 million to his heirs. Under the current SS system, he would receive $9,200 per month and have nothing to pass on. The estimate of his earning 10% on his savings during his work career is based on the 100 years average for the stock market. This would have the added advantage of putting money into the private sector to be invested in the economy. Instead of living off the interest at retirement he could purchase a life annuity for $9,400 per month and guarantee his retirement income or some combination of the two.

Iran then and now

The Shah of Iran Reza Pahlavi a US backed dictator was overthrown in 1979 and a religious dictator took control. These new leaders immediately held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days while the US stood helpless for fear that the oil supply would be cut off. Thus began 47 years of rule by a theocratic dictatorship led by Ayatollah Khomeini. Citizens were controlled by the Mullahs and women’s rights were curtailed based on Sharia Law. In 1980, Iraq led by Saddam Hussein invaded Iran and started a war that lasted until 1988, costing both nations massive resources and lives which strengthened the control by the Mullahs. During the war, the US sided with Iraq and sent chemicals that could be turned into weapons along with materials to make anthrax. These were used to synthesize mustard gas, sarin, tabun and VX and all were used against the Kurds and Iranians. Years later when Bush 43 was president he went in to Iraq based on the threat of WMD but he asked the wrong question. He asked where are the WMD instead of what happened to the WMD. Iraq claimed they destroyed them but would not say where because the ground could have been tested to confirm the destruction. While US troops encountered some scattered remnants of WMD, they did not find an active or large-scale site where the weapons were destroyed. Led by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran embarked upon expanding their influence in the area. They set up and financed the Hezbollah in Lebanon, the PMF in Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen and various groups in Syria. The use of proxies provided Iran with “plausible deniability” and allowed them to continue their goal of destroying Israel. Iran sees Israel’s military power as a direct security challenge and a reason to develop nuclear bombs. After Khomeini’s death in 1989, the new Ayatollah Khamenei became Supreme Leader and they continued to export the revolution. Over the years Iran has attacked Americans. In 1983, 220 American servicemen were killed when an Iranian proxy blew up their Beirut barracks. President Reagan immediately pulled all US soldiers from the area and once again the US refused to confront Iran just as they did during the 1979 hostage situation. Then in 1996 several hundred US soldiers were injured when another Iranian proxy blew up the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia and true to form President Clinton did not retaliate. Iran continued down the path of disrupting the area and added Hamas to their list of proxies. In recent years a combination of events has put Iran in a weakened condition and the US and Israel combined forces to take military action. Iran lost their supply path to Hezbollah when Assad was deposed in Syria. Attacks by Israel in Palestine had weakened Hamas and the inability to supply Hezbollah with weapons allowed Israel to move into Lebanon. The Houthis were weakened when they tried to close the Red Sea and this left Iran without their proxies. The economic sanctions had put the Iran economy into a tail spin and the time was right to finally put an end to the regimes ability to cause havoc. The US was no longer dependent on Middle East oil and could finally act without fear. The question now is, will the American people be willing to put up with high gas prices to end the long running rogue nations desire to bring death to Israel and America or will they go back to the old days of just watching and waiting.

Iran surrender

The US plan is to cut off all supplies to Iran and force them to negotiate. Iran can go this route if they decide to fight to the end. The Guard that is now in control understands that the people see them as the ones with the guns, the ones who have already killed thousands of citizens who attempted to revolt and so they will not allow freedom for the masses. They fear retaliation. Just before the blockade began Iran stopped all exports of chemicals and directed them for home use. They are willing to sacrifice the country rather than capitulate, so this will go on for some time. They can import food overland but would have to rely on Pakistan and Turkey to allow passage. If that happened the US would bomb the rail ways. The US will try to put pressure on these countries but over time the military will get the last of the food and the people will starve. At that point the general population may rise up against the guns and a slaughter will follow.

Time saver

We constantly hear about how AI will make things more efficient but how will this be done in a way that most people can understand. I will use myself and an example. For years, I have spent time on my computer researching various new ideas and then using what I learned to help me understand the new things. Many times, this required extensive calculations that took a lot of time. Now instead of me calculating, I just use Google AI. I explain what I am trying to figure out and in less than a minute I have my answer. If AI can help a mere amateur like me, I am sure that it can be a significant time saver for those working on more complicated issues. When you are not spending time calculating you have more time to spend thinking and therein lies the real savings.

NGO fraud

DOGE was the latest attempt to reduce government spending and they were run out of town by the press, who promptly published reports on every one and every group that suffered, with the defunding of any program but they had one big success. They ended the US foreign aid (USAID) program. This was used to hand out $40 billion dollars per year to various NGO’s who in term distributed the funds to needy causes. Upon investigation it was discovered to be a kind of slush fund for different politicians. It was exposed when some of the programs were found to border on the ridiculous. To list just a few: $32,000 for transgender comic books in Peru, $2 million for sex changes in Guatemala and $20 million for an Iraqi version of Sesame Street. Later this method of waste and fraud was found in state government. In MN billions was siphoned off of Medicaid through the Minnesota Department of Education by way of various NGO’s. Fraudsters working through legitimate groups whose purpose was to provide food, childcare and homes for the poor, stole millions. Just as the strange programs of USAID should have been a warning, the fact that people were flying out of the Minneapolis Airport weekly, with suitcases full of cash did not alert any law enforcement agency of possible fraud. I am reminded of the song about the pool table in Fiddler on the Roof. Either you are unaware of the caliber of disaster represented by the presence of a pool table (fraud) or you are closing your eyes to a situation you do not wish to acknowledge. Another possibility is that the higher ups knew and were being rewarded in some way or another to look the other way.

Canadian reaction

Canada was stung by the Trump remarks about becoming the 51st state and the voters reacted by electing a liberal government. This was not the direction the people wanted to go but it was an emotional reaction that many now regret. The new PM Mark Carney was particularly upset by Trump and has put forth his zero-carbon agenda aggravating the Western Provinces. In an attempt to face down the US, Carney has recently made an agreement with China to import 49,000 EV’s in exchange for lower Chinese tariffs which were imposed by the US. This at a time when the North American auto industry is writing off $70 billion dollars in loses due to low demand for EV’s. This will have a negative effect on the Canadian auto industry but it will show the Americans that they cannot do what ever they please. One could expect individuals to react with petty squabbles but not leaders of countries.

Personal attacks

Researchers note that "affective polarization"—growing animosity toward the opposing party—has increased significantly since 1980, with party affiliation now dictating personal lifestyle decisions, such as where to live or who to marry. The women's liberation movement popularized the slogan "The Personal Is Political," They meant that work such as housework, childcare and domestic abuse were not individual failures but issues of a society rooted in patriarchy. This was followed up in the 1980’s when conservative views on talk radio and the formation of the silent majority gained momentum. Next came the expansion of social media where individuals could rant to sizable audiences. Then a dozen years ago, Trump comes on the scene using blunt, harsh and sometimes outlandish language to describe his political opponents. The left responded by going further left and we stand today with both sides in their respective corners no longer willing to listen. The debate has shifted from policy to personality where disagreements are perceived as threats to a person’s core sense of self. This is further aggravated by the idea of identity politics where people are grouped by some characteristic like race, gender, sexuality or religion. Terms like racist, misogynist, homophobic, and antisemitic are used in everyday conversation. Instead of discussing economic policies like job creation and economic growth, conversations center around different personalities using personal insults to explain their positions. With the proliferation of podcasts to make money by selling ads based on clicks the situation worsens. You can get readers by saying outlandish things rather than the mundane daily news reporting. This leads to the extremes and fosters conspiracy theories. The solution is to get back to policy but that is not very exciting.

World climate meeting

Over 50 nations are gathering in Santa Marta, Colombia, from April 24–29, 2026, for the first-of-its-kind First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels. I read the report in this meeting and found that there was no mention of the environmental problems associated with the mining, processing and disposal of the materials needed for wind and solar. In addition, there was no mention of the use of nuclear power. Just as the US used the New Green Deal to redistribute wealth under the guise of going to zero carbon, the international community is using climate change to redistribute wealth from rich countries to poor countries. Just as some want reparations to compensate Blacks for past discrimination, some want the rich countries, who are partly responsible for the increase in global temperatures, to pay to develop poor countries who are suffering because of the actions of the rich countries. The solution to climate change is for the rich countries to develop small nuclear reactors to replace fossil fuels and next to send these reactors to the poor countries to help them with their energy needs. This however would not involve the transfer of wealth and is not considered in the plans. If the politics were removed from the planning this would be the obvious solution.

Eurasian land bridge

I have always found conspiracies to be fascinating and now have developed one on my own. It has to do with the real reason the US invaded Iran and goes back to the old fear of losing the petrodollar. The US navy controls the oceans and can stop any oil going to China by controlling the Straits of Malacca, the Straits of Homuz, the Panama Canal and the Suez Canal. Over the past few years China has built a land bridge from China to Iran. They can transfer oil and other products the whole way in 15 days which is half the time by sea. They signed contracts to buy Iranian oil at a discount price and more importantly to pay for the oil using Juan rather than dollars. China cannot afford to have Iran come under new leadership, especially one friendly with the West. This would put the petrodollar back as the world’s currency and leave China dependent on the West. The rail line passes through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan ending up in eastern Iran. If Iran cannot be stopped by current US plans the next step would be to bomb the rail line.

Fire aid

On January 7, 2025 more than 16,000 structures including homes, apartments and businesses were destroyed by California fires. As of March 2, 2026, of the 6,571 homes destroyed in the Palisades County, a total of 13 have been rebuilt, one in the Palisades and 12 in Eaton. One of the problems is the lack of control perhaps by design. Here is one example. The $100 million raised during the FireAid benefit concerts held in Jan 2025 did not go to fire victims as promised but to non-profits who then decide where the money goes. Much of the $2 billion in federal aid from FEMA is also doled out by local non-profits. This money has a way of falling through the bureaucratic cracks.

Islamophobia

During Trump’s first term he banned visitors from seven Muslim countries Order (Jan 2017): Initially banned citizens from seven countries—Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen—from entering the U.S. for 90 days, while suspending refugee admissions. No one was banned from the other Muslim countries. Here are the top ten based on population 1. Indonesia: ~242 million (87% of population) 2. Pakistan: ~235 million (96% of population) 3. India: ~213 million (15% of population - major minority) 4. Bangladesh: ~150 million (91% of population) 5. Nigeria: Significant population (approx. 100+ million) 6. Egypt: ~90+ million 7. Turkey: ~70+ million 8. Iran: ~80+ million 9. Algeria: ~40+ million 10. Morocco: ~35+ million This was reported in the press as a Muslim ban and called Islamophobia.

Control of government

Congress is constitutionally responsible for tariffs, as Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution grants the legislative branch the power to lay and collect duties and regulate foreign commerce. However, Congress has delegated significant authority to the Executive Branch (the President) to impose or adjust tariffs through various laws, particularly for national security or unfair trade practices. This is normal for congress as they delegate authority to various agencies to carry out the laws they enact. Often times things go awry because congress fails to follow up on what the bureaucrats are doing. Oversight is made difficult by multiple layers of authority with 17 signatures of various levels needed to present to a cabinet minister. It is well known that congressmen often vote on bills they haven’t read so asking them to review the process many layers down is a lost cause. The government is just to big and unwieldy to keep under control and waste and fraud are rampant.

Housing costs

Places like NY City and LA have problems with the high cost of living most notably in housing. Housing is heavily regulated due to a combination of strict, outdated zoning laws, intense local community opposition (NIMBY), complex environmental review processes, and rent control measures. These limit supply, and increase development costs, protecting existing low-density structures. It is difficult to change because the system is fraught with fraud. Instances of housing regulators, inspectors, and public housing officials engaging in corruption—including bribery, extortion, and taking kickbacks (often referred to as "skimming" or "pay-to-play" schemes)—have been documented in large cities, most notably in New York City. The long delays in new construction are to give time for each agency to skim without getting caught. Those who have the authority to change the system are the ones benefiting from the current system. It would be like asking congress to enact term limits.

Maduro's oil

China was buying most of Venezuela’s oil at a $20 discount. Venezuela was producing 400,000 barrels per day and now that is up to 1.1 million barrels. When oil was $60 Venezuela was earning $16 million per day but today, they are earning $66 million dollars per day at $60 per barrel. This extra $50 million represents 15% of the countries GDP. The oil is now going to India rather than China. It is a familiar story. Nicolas Maduro's family, including his wife Cilia Flores and their relatives, are accused of amassing vast, unexplained wealth and luxury lifestyles while Venezuela faces severe economic hardship. Reports suggest they control properties worth millions, with luxury homes, and are involved in high-level corruption and money laundering.

No tax

The income gap keeps getting larger and has led to the cry that the rich aren’t paying their fair share. Does the country raise taxes or lower spending? On any government level be it federal, state, county or municipal there is no stomach for lower spending. Every year people want more government benefits not less. The number one reason why the rich keep getting richer is that they borrow instead of selling. Rich people live on their capital where the non-rich depend on wages. They use the concept of unrealized capital gains and a policy called “Buy, Borrow, Die”. A person buys a million-dollar asset, could be property or stock, and they keep it until they die. The property has grown to 2 million and upon their death it receives what is called a “step up in basis” meaning there is no tax on the one-million-dollar gain. The heirs inherit a two-million-dollar asset tax free. This is not only income tax free but is not included in estate taxes. Next the assets grow to 4 million and the same thing happens. Over the years the rich keep increasing their wealth without every paying any tax just by living on borrowed money instead of cashing the assets. Forcing people to sell appreciated capital assets—often proposed as a "mark-to-market" tax and would effectively eliminate the unrealized gain problem by converting "paper profits" into realized, taxable gains, thereby ensuring appreciation is taxed before death. Americans with more than $100 million in wealth are estimated to hold $8.5 trillion in unrealized capital gain. If you bought $1,000 of Amazon stock at the IPO value in 1997 it would be worth $2.7 million today. If you died and passed it on to your children, they would receive the full amount tax free. Anywhere along the way that you needed money you would put up stock as collateral and borrow against it and deduct the interest as business interest.

Cash

Approximately $350 million cash was flown out of MN airport in 2025 after $343 million left the same way in 2024. This amount, which has tripled in recent years, averages nearly one million dollars per day, with funds often legally declared and transported by couriers to destinations like Somalia, raising federal fraud investigation concerns. The cash is often transported in suitcases and legally declared by Somali-American couriers, primarily heading to Dubai and Somalia. Bank Secrecy Act (31 U.S.C. § 5316), which allows the transportation of any amount of currency provided it is reported.

Fraudsters

One common refrain concerning taxes is, I don’t mind paying if the money is properly used. All too often examples of waste and fraud keep coming to the surface. Tax the rich and use that money to help those who are not rich. In practice, too many times much of the money is siphoned off by various agencies and sometimes criminals before it gets to it intended purpose. Here is one of many examples: A 2024 California state audit found that the state spent roughly $24 billion on homelessness programs over five years, yet failed to consistently track the effectiveness or outcomes of this spending. Despite this investment, the homeless population grew to over 181,000, with critics arguing the approach lacks accountability, transparency, and sufficient data to justify the high costs. The question of what happened to the money cannot be answered because the controls needed to follow the money were not properly installed. California is now proposing a tax on billionaires to fund healthcare and education expected to raise $100 billion dollars but will the money go where it is intended. Will this be another slush fund for unscrupulous fraudsters? MN was a little better. Money was stolen from government projects designed to help feed children, house poor families and treat autism and much of it was sent overseas and additional sums were used to purchase luxury items for the thieves.

Starbucks

What’s happening in Washington State. Shortly after her election in November 2025, Seattle Mayor-elect Katie Wilson joined a union protest and urged a public boycott of Starbucks to support striking baristas. Wilson, a pro-labor figure, declared, "I am not buying Starbucks and you should not either," citing unfair labor practices. The move highlighted tensions between Seattle city leadership and the coffee giant Less than two years later Starbucks is moving corporate headquarters to Nashville Starbucks is establishing a major new corporate hub in Nashville, Tennessee, investing millions to create a Southeast base that will house up to 2,000 employees within five years Next up the Governor. Signed into law in March 2026 by Governor Bob Ferguson, Washington's 9.9% "Millionaires' Tax" (Senate Bill 6346) imposes a tax on annual income over $1 million The money to be used for The revenue is aimed at funding K-12 school meals, lowering child care costs, and expanding the Working Families Tax Credit.

Friedman

Often times people will not reveal how they feel when their thoughts are not deemed acceptable but sometimes things come out showing the underlying truth and such is the case of columnist Thomas Friedman. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman stated he is "torn" about the military defeat of the Iranian regime because he does not want President Trump or Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to gain political strength from it. While acknowledging the regime is "terrible" and its removal would benefit the region, he described both leaders as "awful human beings" and expressed reluctance at them getting credit for a victory.

Iranian women

For more than 47 years various forms of negotiation with Iran have been tried without success. Today military force is added to economic sanctions in an attempt to bring about change. The goal is freedom and full citizenship for the Iranian people especially for women. Here is what Google AI says about the situation in present day Iran. Women in Iran do not have equal rights to men and face systemic, legal discrimination in almost all aspects of life, including marriage, divorce, custody, inheritance, and personal freedom. Laws require women to have male guardian permission for travel, enforce strict dress codes, and prioritize patriarchal interpretations of law, treating women as second-class citizens. In 2017 450,000 women marched on Washington to protests Trumps derogatory remarks about women which included his now infamous statements in the Billy Bush tape, his calling women pigs and criticizing their appearance, and a threat to abortion rights. While these are worthwhile objections the mistreatment of women in Iran seems more severe. Will the American people be willing to put up with $4 gas to bring the women in Iran into the 21st century?

Cages

In 2014 the number of unaccompanied minors entering the country increased rapidly and the Custom and Border Protection (CBP) built chain length enclosures to handle the overflow. These children were only supposed to stay no longer than 72 hours but many stayed longer sometimes months. These enclosures were used to separate young men from young women and adults from children. Children were separated from their parents when one of the parents had a criminal record. During 2014 minors were held in appalling and inhumane conditions designed for short-term stays of 12 hours or less and were often overcrowded. They were called hieleras or iceboxes by detainees due to their frigid low temperatures. They slept on concrete floors with thin blankets. They lacked basic hygiene supplies like soap, diapers and toothbrushes. Toilets were open and shared. This was the situation when Trump took office and instigated a zero tolerance for criminal migrants and when parents were detained for prosecution the children were separated from their families and kept in facilities around the country. More than 5,000 children fell into this category. They were later reconnected with their families and by the time Biden took office there were still 1,000 separated. During the next four years more than 300,000 unaccompanied minors crossed the border and were lost by the border patrol and since Trump started his second term 130,000 of those lost children have been found.

States

The states are often used as labs to test out new policies. Because of the rising income gap there are states which are introducing policies that transfer both wealth and income from the rich to those who are not rich. California has been a leader in this type of government and there are serious problems. The top one percent of earners pay 50% of all state income tax and they are currently considering a wealth tax. Meanwhile the state has significantly increased spending on education, healthcare and public services and they are facing deep deficits. Low- and middle-income people are unable to provide for their families because of the high cost of food, housing, utilities, rent and transportation. Add to this excessive regulation, the push for zero carbon and a large homeless population and the people cannot live a decent life. The result is that people are leaving the state and that includes rich people. Other states like New York, Illinois and New Jersey are following a similar path.

Oil price

The US produces 13 million barrels of oil per day with total petroleum production exceeding 21 million barrels per day and they import 6 million mostly from Canada and they export 5 million per day. This makes the US energy independent. The US produces and uses 22 million barrels per day. The difference between the 13 million b/d of crude and the 21 million b/d of total petroleum products is called refinery gain. In refining many parts of natural gas along with biofuels are blended into the final products. If the oil from the Middle East is shut down while the Ukraine continues to hinder the exporting of Russian oil the world price will rise quickly. If the price of gasoline keeps rising in the US the President has the power to cut exports which would cause the world price to rise even further. The result is that far east countries like China and Japan along with Europe would be hit with high prices while the US would maintain current prices. This would mean that the US price of oil would hover around $80 while the world price would rise to $200. This will cause countries around the world to put pressure in Iran to concede to the US demands and join the world community.

Iran today

The war in Iran has the experts predicting what will happen while others predict what would have happened it the war were not started. The answer to the first question will be forthcoming but the second can only remain speculative. While the focus was on Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, they were quietly building up their supplies of missiles and drones. While shouting death to American they were quietly concentrating on the other oil countries in the Middle East. Just as Saddam invaded Kuwait they were eying not only Kuwait but also UAE, Iraq and the big enchilada Saudi Arabia. With their overpowering military force, they could intimidate and even take over these other countries giving them control over the world oil market. In the past, the US would have been willing to use force to protect the Saudis but since the US has become energy independent that is no longer the case. It would be Europe and China at the mercy of Iran. The war has shown that the real power in Iran is the military and not the civilian government or the Mullahs. This greatly diminishes the nuclear threat since those in power recognize that the use of a nuclear bomb would mean the destruction of the country. The military people are not willing to die to go to heaven as many of the religious leaders were. One US submarine in the Persian Gulf could destroy the entire country in a matter of minutes.

Who not what

Often times it’s not about what is done but who is doing it. Yesterday the appeals court blocked Trump’s order suspending asylum access at the border. The judges said that the law gives people the right to apply for asylum at the border and the president cannot circumvent that law. During the Obama years, asylum seekers were turned back at the border in a policy known as “Metering” which led to the “Remain in Mexico” policy. Obama increased the use of expedited removal which involves rapid deportations without court oversight, including those who had legitimate asylum claims. Despite early promises to target criminals, ICE under Obama through programs like “Secure Communities” detained thousands who posed no public safety threat, including those with only minor traffic violations. This procedure went off with few problems because the cities worked with the feds. During the Obama years 3 million were deported most without a court hearing.

Waste in government

Presidential candidates have used the campaign slogan of providing benefits for the people and paying for them by cutting the waste, fraud and abuse out of government. The problem exists in all levels including state, county and municipal. Everyone is aware that government is inefficient and costly but the problem is so overwhelming that it seems unsolvable. It is easier to understand the situation by breaking it down first to a particular state and next to a single problem. Case in point is the homeless problem in California. In the five years between 2019 and 2024 California spent $24 billion on homelessness and an audit revealed that the state failed to consistently track if this massive outlay helped. This is from Google AI California spent approximately $24 billion on homelessness between 2019 and 2024. However, a major state audit released in 2024 revealed that the state failed to consistently track whether this massive outlay of public money actually improved the situation or where exactly all of it went Homelessness in California has risen significantly during Gavin Newsom's tenure as governor, with reports indicating a roughly 30% to 40% increase in the total homeless population since 2019. A similar situation arose in MN where three programs, feeding children, autism and childcare were fraught with waste and once again the government seemed unable to cope. Some have suggested for years that government is just too big to control. Congress passes laws and turns things over to bureaucrats to create regulations to carry out the laws but they are so many and so complex that the system bogs down. Stealing from various government groups is big business where often times business and government regulators are in cahoots by way of the infamous revolving door.

NATO today

Does Europe like NATO? What’s not to like. The NATO budget is $5.3 billion and the US contributes $900 million or 17% even though there are 32 countries in the group. After much prodding by Trump the EU, with a population of 450 million, has upped their spending on defense to $400 billion as compared to the US, with a population of 340 million, spending $900 billion on defense. The US supplies 62% of the military equipment and 60% of the soldiers. Many Americans are not familiar with the mutual defense for countries in NATO. What this means is if Russia attacks Estonia, a country with a population of 1.3 million, the US would be expected to attack Russia. Most Americans do not know where Estonia and many have never heard of the place. When the subject of NATO comes up, most Americans with little knowledge of the organization, are all in favor.

U235 in Iran

The uranium in Iran is in the news. Uranium comes naturally in three different types called isotopes. One is U 235 and is only .7% while another is U 238 which represents most of the remaining 99.3% and trace amounts of U 234. It is the U 235 that is valuable for bomb making and used in nuclear power plants. Starting with natural uranium, by a process called enrichment, the U 235 is concentrated but it is not a linear process. It takes just as long to go from .7 % to 20 % as it does to go from 20 % to 90 %. The uranium used in power plants is 4% but 90% is needed for bombs so the uranium in Iran is at 60% and well on the way to bomb grade. The concern is over 970 pounds of 60% uranium that Iran has but Russia has 140,000 pounds of highly enriched (90%) and could easily ship a thousand pound to Iran. Iran has often stated it is enriching uranium for power plant use but 60% is far beyond that. In addition, the West has agreed to send Iran 4% enriched for use in power production but they refused to accept. Also, North Korea could easily ship a complete bomb to Iran and many wonder why that hasn’t already happened.

Women in Iran

The women in Iran are treated as second class citizens. In 2019, 2022 and last December they took to the streets to demand equal rights. The police shut down the Internet and used force to quell the protest. Unlike the US, the people have no guns so the police just started shooting civilians and they went into hiding, where they remain today. Over the years, many around the world complained that nothing was done to help these women but there were no public protests. The West remained silent as these events took place.

Flat tax

The idea of a flat tax to replace income tax is once more in the news. The proposal is an 18% flat tax on all purchases with a $35,000 personal exemption for a family of four. Right now, a family of four with and income of $75,000 pays zero income tax. Subtract $35,000 and 18% of the remaining $40,000 would be $7,200 in taxes. Now compare that to family earning $1 million. Under current law they would pay $261,000 in federal income tax plus state income tax. Using the flat tax this family would pay $180,000 assuming they spent the entire one million. The higher the income goes the greater the disparity between the rich and the non-rich. This plan is not likely to garner enough support to become law.

Democrat policies

The democrats, being the out of power party, see their job as keeping Trump under control. As the outs they see their job as pointing out failures and not being responsible for solutions. This is the norm for US politics. If the democrats had to lay out policy it would be simple and straight forward and based around redistribution of income and wealth. They would use the progressive tax system to equalize income and a wealth tax to close the wealth gap. They would be responsible for taking money from one group and giving it to another with them maintaining control over who gets what, when and how. This puts the power of the purse strings under their control. A glimpse of this can be seen in the policies of NY Mayor Mamdani. He plans to increase taxes corporations and high-income residents along with a wealth tax on luxury homes. With this money he plans to offer free bus service, build city owned grocery stores, build 200,000 homes and provide universal childcare. In addition, he plans to freeze rents and a $30 minimum wage. He has not proposed any plans to grow the economy and create new jobs. He faces a $5 billion dollar deficit this year but continues to spend $4 billion per year on illegal migrants including food, shelter and medical. This is considered a compassionate and caring way to help the poor.

Trump policies

While the news tends to concentrate on the various quirks surrounding Trumps words and personality oddities, his policies remain out of the news. What are these policies and what do most people think of them? He wants to bring back manufacturing meaning better paying jobs. He wants to double the industrial capacity using domestic and foreign investments. He wants Europe to pay more for their national defense and rely less on America He wants to secure the border and deport illegal migrants. He wants to combine the power of Saudi Arabia and Israel to rebuild Gaza. He wants reciprocal tariffs. The US rate equals the rate of others. He wants nuclear power to replace fossil fuels. He wants to get rid of critical race theory (CRT) and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) He wants to keep biological males out of women’s sports and locker rooms. He wants to get rid of gender surgery on children. He wants NATO and world groups like the UN, WTO and WHO to pay their fair share. He wants the US to be energy independent. He wants lower taxes He wants a peaceful end to the Ukraine War. He wants to prevent Iran from terrorizing the world. He wants a strong military and is willing to back local police.

Trump ways

The controversy surrounding Trump can be explained in many ways, one of which, is often stated as he is not presidential. There is no doubt that he is different from the normal president but the question is, in what ways. One way to better understand this is to look carefully at other politicians, especially other democrats. Many Democrats are actively trying to appear more authentic and "normal," aiming to bridge an "authenticity gap" that critics say has made them seem out of touch with average Americans. While it seems odd to speak about learning to be authentic, in this case it means overcoming the habits of people-pleasing and fear-based thinking. A recent news report stated they were trying to find their own Joe Rogen a person who exemplifies authenticity. Trump is the poster child of authenticity and this is seen as an asset by some and a fatal flaw by others. Once again, a good way to understand this is by comparing him to others and the best example is former President Obama. When Obama speaks, he mentally considers every word before he speaks. The long pauses between sentences and often times between words give the impression that he is trying not to say something that could be misinterpreted. Trump is just the opposite, much to the dismay of some of his followers, who often say Trump is his own worst enemy. In a recent rally he said, “I hate my enemies”, and people gasped. Many politicians may feel that way but they would never say it that way. There have been many times over the past years that Trump has made un presidential remarks and the press considered them as career ending but he survived. In his own crude and un presidential way he is authentic. He just comes out with it and opens himself up to harsh criticism but he doesn’t change.

Seats

The redistricting plan for Virginia is in the news primarily because of Arlington County which is where most of the people who work in DC live. The county votes 80% democrat. This is understandable because republicans are always preaching small government while the democrats push to enlarge government. A person who works for the federal government sees republicans as a threat to their job security. Based on data from early 2026, the second Trump administration has significantly reduced the federal workforce, cutting roughly 220,000 to 355,000 positions by April 2026 through hiring freezes, buyouts, and structural changes. Some republicans are upset with the Indiana which has as republican governor and a super majority in both house and still refuses to redistrict between censuses. The republicans expect to gain seats in the 2030 census since people are leaving red states and moving to blue states, often because of high taxes and high cost of living. These population shifts are expected to cost the democrats ten seats in the upcoming 2030 census.

Education

Over the past 50 years test scores in K-12 education have not improved but the cost per student has quadrupled in real dollars. Teacher salaries have kept ahead of inflation and class size has been reduced from 22 to 15. During these years the experts have tried things like No Child Left Behind and Race To The Top but these have only made things more complicated for teachers. Some have proposed that student discipline problems have disrupted the system and others go even further to suggest that this is because of the lack of fathers in the home. Teachers are being asked to take on the responsibilities of parenting. Students who receive private tutoring show marked improvement and this leads to the question of using AI as a one-to-one student/teacher program. Something different is needed.

More tax on the rich

Since the end of WW 2, government intervention in the economy has expanded social safety nets characterized by increased regulation, growth of entitlement programs and increased popularity in ideas like universal healthcare, childcare and free college. The number of federal government regulations have increased from 400,000 in 1970 to over one million today. Government spending increased from 31% of GDP in 1980 to 120% of GDP today. Where did the money go? Between 1989 and 2026 the top one percent gained $21 trillion in assets while the bottom 50% lost $900 billion. The rich got richer and the poor got poorer. During these years and continuing today the cry of tax the rich has been heard and in 1980 the top one percent of earners paid 19% of all income tax and today that number is 38%. The concept of income redistribution sounds reasonable but is not working. As the rich paid more the gap widened. The same can be said for the education gap. In 1970 the cost per student was $4,000 per year (inflation adjusted) and by 2020 it was $15,000. In 1970, 39% of high school grads were reading at grade level and in 2020 that number was 37%. Once again, money is not the answer. Perhaps it is time to try a new approach. This will be difficult because the cry of tax the rich sounds so good. As a matter of fact, tax anyone but me sounds good to most people.

Tests

When new products and procedures are introduced to the general public the government often times will vouch for the safety of these things. Recall between 1951 and 1962, one hundred above ground nuclear bombs were tested in the Navada desert. At the time the government allowed many soldiers, along with scientist and press people to observe these tests. Over the years about 400,000 soldiers witnessed these tests and they were told there was no danger. Studies later showed that these tests led to health problems that are still happening today. There are statistically higher rates of leukemia, thyroid cancer and respiratory cancers. A 1997 study estimated 10,000 to 75,000 potential thyroid cancer cases from fallout.

State debt

Many states in the US are facing long term debt problems which are adding to the cost of living and causing people to move to states that are not affected by this. A good example is Illinois. For more than 50 years state workers watched their pension benefits grow and the state failed to prepare. As the population ages and more people retire the problem gets worse. The state then has to raise taxes to cover the debt which means young working people will leave the state leaving fewer people to tax. Thus, taxes must be raised again and more people leave and leads to a death spiral. Illinois is trapped in the worst pension crisis in the nation. The state’s five pension systems carry about $144 billion in unfunded liabilities. Illinois families pay the highest effective property taxes in the country, with most of those dollars being spent to keep up with overpromised pensions rather than to create better schools, safer streets or improved services. In the past Illinois has diverted pension funds into the general fund. Illinois lost a congressional seat in the 2020 census and is scheduled to lose another seat in the 2030 census. This means fewer federal dollars coming in. New York and California are in similar situations. It is easy to hand out benefits today that you don’t have to pay for until later but later has arrived.

Time and money

Financial advisors often speak of the miracle of compound interest and use an example to illustrate the point, to encourage young people to save early. The first person, starting at age 25, saves $1,000 per year at 5% interest for ten years at which time he has $12,577 and then he lets that accumulate at 5% for the next 20 years and has $33,066. The second person saves $1,000 per year for 20 years starting at age 35 and in 20 years has $33,370. The second person set aside $20,000 and had only $300 more than the first person who set aside $10,000. The moral is to start early.

Migrants

The latest figures show that during the Biden years, 8 million illegals crossed the southern border along with 1.5 million got a ways. About 40% of these paid coyotes to help them and the cost varied by location. From Cost Mexico 7000 to 10000 Central America 16000 to 18000 Asian 40000 to 75000 If the average was $12,000 that comes to over $100 billion dollars. While the border patrol spent time on the illegals there was less time to interdict drugs and OD’s increased as did the number of drugs that were missed by border patrol. Many of these migrants were convicted felons and 300,000 children became unmonitored, meaning lost. The government approved $170 billion to deport illegals and the process caused protest across the country. There were many reasons why these migrants were allowed entry but one of the most important is that US citizens were concerned about the safety of the migrants.

Income gap

As the income gap becomes wider the cry to raise taxes on the rich becomes louder. The top 20% earn an average of $300,000 while the bottom 20% earns only $18,000. The top one percent earns $750,000. Most people see a difference between a person who starts a new business and earns a high-income vs those who work for a company and earn a big salary. The average salary for a CEO in the top 500 companies is $20 million per year. When the CEO salary is high then the underling VP’s get higher incomes. Salaries include base pay plus bonus and are tied to performance (stock price).