Midterms

Back before the 2018 midterms the country was expecting a red wave and when it did not develop the democrats assumed that Biden was OK. It showed that the public felt comfortable with the way things were going. Now as the 2026 midterms approach the democrats will win back the house and then, once again, assume this means voters are happy with their current strategy. Will they believe that the public is satisfied with the cultural issues pushed by the democrats and double down.

Future leaders

As the 2028 election looms on the horizon, the democrats are looking for a viable candidate. Since no one comes to mind perhaps outlining the characteristics and policies of the ideal candidate will bring forth some possible leaders. What kind of person would fill the bill? First on policy. Someone who favors bringing manufacturing jobs back home. Someone who pushes for fair trade. Someone who will deport criminal migrants. Someone who will promote citizenship for non-criminal migrants. Someone who wants a peaceful solution to Ukraine and Gaza. Someone who understands the wealth gap and the education gap. Someone who will explain how nuclear power is the answer to climate change, He must be able to not only present the issues but must have solid solutions. Second on personality. Looking for a white male under age 60 who is a family man. A man whose personal history is not tied to the recently popular cultural ideas. A man who is telegenic with charisma, articulate and authentic and will have the courage to stand up against the far left. It is not likely that someone will match all of these criteria but whoever comes close will be a strong candidate. The party leaders should add or remove from this list and lay out some criteria for the next leaders.

Medicaid

Changes to Medicaid are in the news. Recall that Obamacare allowed single adults to join Medicaid and there is no precondition clause so these people can wait until the get sick and then sign up and be covered the first day of the following month. The new bill allows these people to remain on Medicaid but all single people without disabilities are required to work 80 hours per month. Since there are help wanted signs at many businesses it will not be too difficult to find a job. The bill also requires states to offer frequent audits to root out waste. There is a significant amount of waste, fraud, and abuse within the Medicaid program. This includes instances where payments are made incorrectly, or services are provided that are not medically necessary. Estimates suggest billions of dollars are lost annually due to these issues

College education

Trump half heartedly suggested that the Harvard money would be better utilized by giving it to trade schools. The shortage of skilled tradesmen in the US is significant, with some sources estimating that over half a million new construction workers are needed annually The current shortage is only part of the problem. For every five trades people who retire only two are available for replacement. A staggering 2.1 million skilled trades jobs are projected to go unfilled by 2030. In the 1950’s the big push was for everyone to go to college. Data clearly showed that it was a good investment but today things have changed. Today a cost benefit analysis shows that college is only worth the expense for those majoring in certain disciplines. It would be wise for young people to investigate various career paths before automatically assuming that college is in their best interest. Questioning the value of a college education has come under scrutiny these past few years and is will continue to be investigated.

Oil production

Biden said: Oct 24, 2020 — "Climate change is the existential threat to humanity," the former vice president said. "Unchecked, it is going to actually bake this planet. “It’s the number one issue facing humanity. And it’s the number one issue for me,” At that time the price of gas was 2.17 per gallon and the US was producing 11.2 million barrels of oil per day. By 2022 gas rose to $3.95 and Biden increased oil production to 13 million gallons per day. Next, he took oil from the reserve to help bring down the price. Many concluded that while climate change was a problem it was not as big a problem as four-dollar gas.

Culture

Why some countries are poor and some are rich is determined by culture. Experts say that all cultures are equal but they offer no proof. They say that poverty is caused by colonialization or slavery and prosperity depends on redistribution or reparations. Behavior imposed from the outside has short term results but changes in behavior caused by changes in culture provide long term benefits. Culture is not just music and art it is the accumulated wisdom passed down including habits, institutions and priorities. It is how children are raised, how success is defined and how failure is handled. Human capital is more important than natural capital. It grows and develops in families where education is important and work ethic is praised. It teaches that long lasting power comes from within and is not bestowed from some outside source. It encourages personal action as opposed to waiting for some outside source to save the day.

TSMC

As China continues to disintegrate and Xi sees his control in jeopardy, the old trick of switching attention away from the problem by starting a war, becomes a possibility. This will force Europe and the US to accelerate the development of high-end chips. Fortunately, Taiwan chip maker TSMC is already building a $165 billion facility in Arizona with production of 4 nanometer chips already underway. This project was encouraged by a $6 billion subsidy from the Chips Act. The race is on for one nanometer chips and this will be part of the Arizona project and quantum computing is not far behind. While the US is moving production in many areas away from China, it would put the US in a bind if China fails too quickly. A peaceful coup of Xi would help.