Policy

With the onset of the Ukrainian War the Europeans lost their supply of natural gas and it has sent their economy into a tail spin. The United States responded but building five new natural gas export terminals with more on the drawing board. The US has ample supplies thanks to fracking and can help Europe during these trying times. Not so fast. The Biden administration said it is delaying consideration of new natural gas export terminals, even as gas shipments to Europe and Asia have soared since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This attempt to fight climate change comes into direct conflict with the fact that the US is currently producing fossil fuels at a record pace. What is the US policy on fossil fuels.

Debt

I few weeks ago I suggested that one way to close the income gap was to cancel debt because that would help the poor and those that hold the debt, the rich, would absorb the loss. While I was speaking tongue in cheek things started happening. Here are some recent news reports Biden administration seeks to remove medical bills from credit reports The City of New York, is investing $18 million to purchase and forgive $2 billion in medical debt held by approximately 500,000 New Yorkers. Gov. Ned Lamont said during an appearance on “Good Morning America” that the state would erase medical debt for thousands of residents who qualify under a new initiative that intends to help lift people from an often tremendous financial burden. Los Angeles County is considering a plan to erase the debt for hundreds of thousands of residents. 

Debt

The country is awash in government and personal debt. I got an email from my bank that said that my credit rating was good but it could be even better if I opened more credit card accounts. We do indeed live in a Topsy-Turvy world.

Media

As Trump leaves the scene, be it next year or in four years, it will be the beginning of the end for printed and cable news media. Their remaining patrons are getting older and the new social media will take over. Trump brought renewed interest but with his passing readers and viewers will move toward podcast by individual writers who have diverse opinions on all subjects. The public will have more choices and hopefully will be better informed.

Preemies

When abortion became legal back in 1973 some people said this was a slippery slope and dangerous to the sanctity of life concept. This was considered extremism to most people. As time passed other ideas that were considered extreme became more acceptable. Child euthanasia is a form of euthanasia that is applied to children who are gravely ill or have significant birth defects. In 2005, the Netherlands became the first country to decriminalize euthanasia for infants with hopeless prognosis and intractable pain. In 2015 assisted suicide was legalized in California and today in five states. It allows California residents who are at least 18 years old and have a terminal illness with a life expectancy of 6 months or less to request a medication that will hasten their death. Canada legalized medical aid in dying (MAID)in 2016 for people with a terminal illness and expanded it in 2021 to people with incurable, but not terminal, conditions. Only 18 states have laws offering robust protections to babies who survive abortions, although others have recently taken steps to strengthen their laws. Here is the ruling from the medical ethics people regarding preemies. Struggling babies born after just 22 weeks’ gestation should be allowed to die, but everything should be done to support babies born after 24 weeks, an independent ethics panel announced today. It is difficult to find out just who terminates these babies, the ones born with serious illness, preemies or from botched abortions. Do they just lay them on the counter and wait for them to die or does someone take direct action to kill them and if so where do they find this person. Could all of this indicate the slippery slope that some feared.

Hormuz

As the world watches the United States once again being drawn into conflict, the word deterrence keep coming up but it has not been defined. When Reagan bombed Gaddafi's house in Libya the dictator went into hiding and this led to his giving up his nuclear weapons. That is deterrence. When Trump killed Qasem Soleimani the General in the Iranian Rvolutionary Guard that was deterrence. When Biden says don't that is not deterrence. If Biden would put in place an oil blockade in the Straits of Hormuz that would get Iran's attention. They could allow all oil ships other than those from Iran through the Straits. This would cut off Iran's primary source of income and would bring their economy down. If Iran responds to this by attacking US ships in Hormuz then the US can attack Iran directly meaning their cities. The US has been more than patient as over the past three months US facilities in Syria and Iraq have been attacked by Iranian more than 160 times culminating in the Jordan attack killing three American soldiers. The president needs to be out in front on this and let the American people know why he is putting up the oil embargo and what it could lead to.

EV's

There is a $7,500 tax credit on the purchase of an electric car but it is non refundable which means you only get the deduction if you owe $7,500 in taxes. A family of four must earn $125,000 to qualify for the $7,500 deduction. This is not for middle and low income people but that is okay since they couldn't afford and EV anyway.