Regulations

Many contend that there is a forth branch of government called the bureaucracy and it has gained far too much power because congress has gotten lazy and just turned over the running of the government to these various agencies. The recent Supreme Court ruling overturned the Chevron v Natural Resources case and it limited the power of agencies. This was heralded by many as a step in the right direction. These agencies are like Topsy, they just grow. Take the example of the city that is over run by stray dogs and they need to hire a dog catcher. They want someone who will do a good job, someone who is ambitious and willing to work long hours. They find the right candidate and he sets out on his goal of being the best dog catcher in history and the city fathers promise to help him in any way they can. He first needs a facility to house the strays which means a new building. Next he says this is a 24/7 job and he needs at least three assistance and a special wagon to collect the dogs. Each of the collected animals must be inspected by a veterinarian who in turn must give them shots. There must be special facilities constructed to take care of the animals that the Vet decides to put to sleep. A person is hired to care for the kennel and help to place the dogs in proper homes. Within a few years the problem is under control but the dog catcher is looking for ways to improve his department which he says will require more people. And that is the way a good department is run. Each year they need a bigger budget so with government agencies this means enacting more regulations. Forbes Magazine recently publish information on the cost of regulations at $3 trillion per year. That $3 trillion breaks down to $277,000 in average annual compliance costs for a typical U.S. firm. The report further notes that “The cost per employee for the typical U.S. firm is almost $13,000. This cost of federal regulation in the typical U.S. firm equals 19% of payroll expenditures.”

Free speech

The Covid experience did many things, one of which was to expose the idea of misinformation as a threat to free speech. Case in point. Dr Jay Bhattacharya was blacklisted for raising questions about how school lock downs might affect the nation's children. Later Dr Fauci said keeping schools shut down for so long amid Covid was not a good idea. Conversely President Biden said if you get the shot you won't get Covid and if you get the shot you won't pass on Covid. Here is a quote from Biden at a CNN town hall meeting. "You’re not going to get Covid if you have these vaccinations.” ;'

War

As the Ukraine War drags on the question arises as to who is this benefiting and the answer is found in the old adage, follow the money. WASHINGTON, Oct 27, 2023 (Reuters) - The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 is starting to boost defense contractors' revenues, as customers such as the U.S. government restock supplies shipped to Ukraine and countries around Europe arm themselves with an eye on Moscow's aggressions. Big defense contractors are doing OK. Since the war started General Dynamics stock has gone from 200 to 300. Lockheed Martin from 340 to 580. Northrup Grumen 350 to 520.

Zoomers

As the US moves merrily along its journey toward re industrialization, there will be a shortage of young workers, people 25 and under. These are the Gen Z's called zoomers born between 1997 and 2012. Data shows that half of this group are hard working socially adaptable and the other half are people who want to work alone. There will be a labor shortage in this group and it will be augmented by migrants coming across the southern border. These people will be an integral part of the expansion caused by the reshoring of manufacturing jobs. In past centuries, factory work was crowded, dirty, and dangerous. It was manual labor with few safety nets or workplace regulations. But reforms and modernization have turned the industry around. Manufacturing offers solid benefits, competitive salaries, and the chance to use your hands—and your brain. One good example is the textile industry. All of the clothes that used to be made in America were shipped to Mexico and later to Asia. During the Covid imports of clothes were curtailed and an interesting thing happened. Small businesses in North Carolina started up new clothing companies using high tech and modern methods and are now making clothes cheaper than those made in Bangladesh. These jobs will require a high school education and people will work side by side with robots making workflow faster, safer and more efficient. Instead of doing the work, these people will program and run the machines that do the work. These will be good paying jobs, many union, with benefits. It is a good time to be a young person in America.

Blades

Nuclear waste from 60 plus years in the US is stored in safe containers at various locations including at power plants. If all of this waste was placed in one location it would take up an area the size of a football field and it would be pilled 30 feet high. A football field is 1.3 acres. Here is just one site where wind blades are stored. Right across the road from the town cemetery in Sweetwater, Texas, sits another graveyard where the dead are never buried. Some 4,000 worn-out giant wind turbine blades are piled as far as the eye can see, taking up most of a 25-acre field. Over all in the US some 8,000 blades were pulled down in 2021 and between 10,000 and 20,000 blades are expected to be at the of their lifespan between 2025 and 2040. The overall result of replacing fossil fuel with wind and solar is just exchanging clear air for dirty water. It is happening every where materials needed for the new green deal are mined.

Green

As long as the green new deal has the ear of politicians nuclear will be left on the back burner. The preference for wind and solar is not based on science but on how these projects can be used to promote social benefits for certain groups. Here is their plan. In 2006, a Green New Deal was created by the Green New Deal Task Force as a plan for one hundred percent clean, renewable energy by 2030 utilizing a carbon tax, a jobs guarantee, free college, single-payer healthcare, and a focus on using public programs. One way to better understand the differences between wind and solar and nuclear is to compare France with Germany. France gets 61% of its energy from nuclear and 27% from renewable s while Germany gets 12% from nuclear and 48% from renewable s. The result is that France produces 39 grams of CO2 per Kilowatt hr and Germany 318 grams or nearly ten times as much. This situation is even worse since Germany has now shut down all of its nuclear power plants. The ultimate solution to climate change is nuclear but it is on hold until the politics gets out of the way. Trump understands this and is set to end the new green deal if election. Harris is a strong supporter. As a U.S. senator, Harris was an early co-sponsor of the Green New Deal, Harris unveiled a plan to spend $10 trillion to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with a goal of getting to a zero-emissions economy by 2045. Trump says he'll end 'green new scam' in latest threat to Biden clean energy agenda

CTC

One of the big problems facing the country is the widening wealth gap and the proposed increases in the child tax credit (CTC) by both sides will help to shrink this gap. Harris wants a one time $6,000 credit along with bringing back the $3,600 credit that was instigated during the Covid. Trump is proposing a $5,000 tax credit across the board. A $5,000 credit means a family of four will pay no income tax up $140,000. This means that 90% of families with two or more children will pay no income tax. The top one percent of taxpayers pay 26% of their income in taxes and this would have to increase to 35% to cover the child tax credit. To avoid loop holes the capital gains tax would be eliminated and all income would be taxed as regular income.