tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15892609552540046482024-03-19T08:27:51.526-04:00BeeLineThe Shortest Route To What You Need To KnowBeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.comBlogger1710125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-72029321945270461552024-03-18T07:00:00.001-04:002024-03-18T07:00:00.253-04:00This and That---March 18, 2024 Edition<p>A few random observations, charts and factoids to provide some context on what is going on in the world.</p><div><br /></div><div><b><u>A Threat to Democracy?</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The Russian presidential election results are still being counted but with 60% of the vote in it appears that Vladimir Putin has been re-elected to a record fifth term with around 87% of the votes cast.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qfdh25njXp7fdMMY599oB29W5XBv_dHnhPh4cN0Nq3qr8lIR3QuMkF6omT3SNO7-fKfPD-SlwGFF9iP1e_InK4dBBJMSVuIIyGdItKqerO-Owc77qdmIUdpevP_Ct_U7_uv4yXODuNh1pLlDKEvfXO6OTop0ApgPnP50t7VNlM7GjY3Jk5Szh7tGJtRg/s1284/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%204.25.35%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1284" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qfdh25njXp7fdMMY599oB29W5XBv_dHnhPh4cN0Nq3qr8lIR3QuMkF6omT3SNO7-fKfPD-SlwGFF9iP1e_InK4dBBJMSVuIIyGdItKqerO-Owc77qdmIUdpevP_Ct_U7_uv4yXODuNh1pLlDKEvfXO6OTop0ApgPnP50t7VNlM7GjY3Jk5Szh7tGJtRg/w640-h448/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%204.25.35%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russias-presidential-election-2024-live-candidates-polls-when-results-will-be-2024-03-17/<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div>The D.C. establishment and the Democrats like to talk about Trump being a "threat to democracy."</div><div><br /></div><div>You are sure to hear this narrative continually between now and November.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, consider the election total in the District of Columbia in the November, 2020 presidential election.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXVbBCEw7XM54VdLfjvL7qDbZVTWipOefP8tgwWv0P_F-B-Zu9TV2Sk1R2gWuFq2TqduBNbHgQ187UgLsxL3VeRCTRtgRKgCtrdd1WsH_qh26eoggkN2ZliVkBUCy40F2t_fxg6XqQRHOinN0sw_LwAV7RouBACicO1zgf5LAbEOKzVVuX6t5ytEo6hOc/s946/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%204.29.57%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="946" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXVbBCEw7XM54VdLfjvL7qDbZVTWipOefP8tgwWv0P_F-B-Zu9TV2Sk1R2gWuFq2TqduBNbHgQ187UgLsxL3VeRCTRtgRKgCtrdd1WsH_qh26eoggkN2ZliVkBUCy40F2t_fxg6XqQRHOinN0sw_LwAV7RouBACicO1zgf5LAbEOKzVVuX6t5ytEo6hOc/w640-h308/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%204.29.57%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.politico.com/2020-election/results/washington-dc/<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><div>Does this look like the results you would expect to see in an open, free and democratic society?</div><div><br /></div><div>The results are more skewed than in the authoritarian state of Russia.</div><div><br /></div><div>Who is a greater threat to democracy?</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Donald Trump or the bureaucrats and deep state inhabitants who live in and around Washington, D.C. who regulate and control almost every aspect of our daily lives?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Cash Buyers</u></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Barron's reported last week that 68% of the homes purchased in Manhattan in the fourth quarter, 2023 were bought with cash.</div><div><br /></div><div>The median list price for homes for sale in Manhattan is currently $1.6 million.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtccWVHNOrJddq_0SANbGvGgZqvqAtyOBIHuuY6SrOvmIQTUTPamsdO4CtirZzZV5W6c8QBciL6_HFrOxiLEwY6Y9bEbFJeAiPLa0brKb02_t1DP__RftTv4a-EPkMQDvEo-Xkz5mnct7589SX6qLt2U1gMj4CXUhLmvDRj-5X7LYPFUFgLRMklHrX4lkI/s1276/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%204.42.16%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1276" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtccWVHNOrJddq_0SANbGvGgZqvqAtyOBIHuuY6SrOvmIQTUTPamsdO4CtirZzZV5W6c8QBciL6_HFrOxiLEwY6Y9bEbFJeAiPLa0brKb02_t1DP__RftTv4a-EPkMQDvEo-Xkz5mnct7589SX6qLt2U1gMj4CXUhLmvDRj-5X7LYPFUFgLRMklHrX4lkI/w640-h322/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%204.42.16%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/Manhattan_NY/overview</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>In the meantime, mortgage payments required for the median price home for average Americans have doubled in the last 3 years.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Ufw_vCerTIvGWOoeqDcdc-gA0P-O7HgAWoye9qscUqxTeLxH4M6kj1OtRcYpChOmuOuEZy5ygEyYt4yedpBiUHI4PA-xYVdsKYnnKSB0HpTqBAKjJbBDapTM-mINudx9iYoQZKFIIHRTVqtmg6U6ctiewhSd7nivzGLF7ap_cwXuT53tZf7YScBHFnEg/s1518/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%204.50.59%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1518" data-original-width="1362" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Ufw_vCerTIvGWOoeqDcdc-gA0P-O7HgAWoye9qscUqxTeLxH4M6kj1OtRcYpChOmuOuEZy5ygEyYt4yedpBiUHI4PA-xYVdsKYnnKSB0HpTqBAKjJbBDapTM-mINudx9iYoQZKFIIHRTVqtmg6U6ctiewhSd7nivzGLF7ap_cwXuT53tZf7YScBHFnEg/w574-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%204.50.59%20PM.png" width="574" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>A graph of average 30-year fixed mortgage rates over the last three years.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifVGq8yJpjhjilFBSGuGzL6OA8gZquyK3Eue_DqGZZFc1LTtsSX_lvYjTNMmvhRrfBFVPfrgl78B4c8HpbmMfSvu3D4lTEOkptDJ3RAFufqReQ_NCFwmw3P5WjKcNEZbemhv6qm7ErOh2xdm2KHIgT_SESAbjkJvCtMb9598QaXTh3zK5669KnhgT8JKNY/s2624/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%206.00.26%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="2624" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifVGq8yJpjhjilFBSGuGzL6OA8gZquyK3Eue_DqGZZFc1LTtsSX_lvYjTNMmvhRrfBFVPfrgl78B4c8HpbmMfSvu3D4lTEOkptDJ3RAFufqReQ_NCFwmw3P5WjKcNEZbemhv6qm7ErOh2xdm2KHIgT_SESAbjkJvCtMb9598QaXTh3zK5669KnhgT8JKNY/w640-h222/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%206.00.26%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>No wonder those Wall Street and mainstream media liberals in Manhattan see nothing wrong with Biden.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Inflation</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>In June, 2021 Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen famously stated that any inflation that might occur would be "transitory". Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell echoed her comments.</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, at the same time I wrote a blog post (<a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/us-treasury-secretary-janet-yellen-walks-back-transitory-inflation-claims-i-regret-saying-it">"Inflation in our Future?"</a>), that questioned the conclusion that the inflation we were starting to see at that time would be transitory. </div><div><br /></div><div>A year later inflation spiked to an annual rate of 9.1%, a rate that had not been seen in four decades.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yellen now admits she regrets making the "transitory inflation" comment.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDuZtytcWlQjOBKWryZdiwgjqv8u2-wlRz0tKcMLvhGu9tSL5JVIgW77Zx5LA15iKyRNd8m6Yua3b7eOGWPA3W4_e7HTTmxi8wPKC8HJFBkgp2jhTezSXcuPjsdujA4GEfHTn7GITXH24b1PUm48lxrdVcUj5GKSYQF5QbqpRE50F0-qQw2JN0bfLMS1sg/s2020/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%207.48.46%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="2020" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDuZtytcWlQjOBKWryZdiwgjqv8u2-wlRz0tKcMLvhGu9tSL5JVIgW77Zx5LA15iKyRNd8m6Yua3b7eOGWPA3W4_e7HTTmxi8wPKC8HJFBkgp2jhTezSXcuPjsdujA4GEfHTn7GITXH24b1PUm48lxrdVcUj5GKSYQF5QbqpRE50F0-qQw2JN0bfLMS1sg/w640-h170/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%207.48.46%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/us-treasury-secretary-janet-yellen-walks-back-transitory-inflation-claims-i-regret-saying-it</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Joe Biden and the Democrats have recently been claiming that inflation is down and under control.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, it is no longer increasing at 9%, but it is by no means going down. </div><div><br /></div><div>The price increases we saw are still with us. It is just that the additional inflation on top of those previous hikes has moderated.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, prices are not returning to where they were three years ago.</div><div><br /></div><div>Consider some of these price increases since January, 2021.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5w_AGNdGOfnbQmfcXJaGeh3O8snlDR2QyToYutoq43nHNLSDEJ0ZYT-BQZIyU3ajHMsZmXBl5ag951FEhmdcZDD3l83XiDQ7ghsszgTGH788oHVyNZXPpQaIyUkvUUO7kq44CKuuegETZLi0ERl_zQEG6MbhMbMgkNWMdtzhyphenhyphent03IGtR51W7FgDwU2EP/s1440/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%206.14.12%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1232" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5w_AGNdGOfnbQmfcXJaGeh3O8snlDR2QyToYutoq43nHNLSDEJ0ZYT-BQZIyU3ajHMsZmXBl5ag951FEhmdcZDD3l83XiDQ7ghsszgTGH788oHVyNZXPpQaIyUkvUUO7kq44CKuuegETZLi0ERl_zQEG6MbhMbMgkNWMdtzhyphenhyphent03IGtR51W7FgDwU2EP/w548-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%206.14.12%20PM.png" width="548" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>In the last four years, inflation has effectively eviscerated almost a quarter of the wealth of Americans.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFWQrpZMmz953QFSjuqoT_JtAR2KZ6Llr5nbJFxAJUo4gs5btQFGN8b53hEyKI1OAVx5JdanLx17FRzfy9DYR3Bt8YwTmu5KpZo0MPAVKbNR7DfYVvnQo9H2vg91YyEK5NmlIIq8pMz1sLKXF9PDwjrjOsfp63CuvpLzaeUEaI1xVwZVrz9x5CoH0M9aZD/s1288/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%206.16.37%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="1288" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFWQrpZMmz953QFSjuqoT_JtAR2KZ6Llr5nbJFxAJUo4gs5btQFGN8b53hEyKI1OAVx5JdanLx17FRzfy9DYR3Bt8YwTmu5KpZo0MPAVKbNR7DfYVvnQo9H2vg91YyEK5NmlIIq8pMz1sLKXF9PDwjrjOsfp63CuvpLzaeUEaI1xVwZVrz9x5CoH0M9aZD/w640-h340/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%206.16.37%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://truflation.com/dashboard?feed=aggregated-us</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This might suggest that who is in office for the <u>next four years</u> could be an important decision for you and the country.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Will It Ever Be Over?</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>On March 16, 2020, the "15 days to slow the spread" campaign against Covid-19 was rolled out in Washington, D.C.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVj9YqHCasYB8v6vglraGpPtr7TG61ws-E-GfIT4aye4Slz5o5aBCpdZzBq9b7VuAod3Y8GFmsU5sEv5mv5p6aE8bo42GoZs3JSWJnZ1STKBZvoC1dIAYNiBdr67vdfTcjcM0pKoBRVDrIt02SB7ii3HD-Sd22zf2E-8Nr8yplubbNOpTiRUyXFdfbm6b/s1988/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%206.43.35%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="1988" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVj9YqHCasYB8v6vglraGpPtr7TG61ws-E-GfIT4aye4Slz5o5aBCpdZzBq9b7VuAod3Y8GFmsU5sEv5mv5p6aE8bo42GoZs3JSWJnZ1STKBZvoC1dIAYNiBdr67vdfTcjcM0pKoBRVDrIt02SB7ii3HD-Sd22zf2E-8Nr8yplubbNOpTiRUyXFdfbm6b/w640-h102/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%206.43.35%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/16/trumps-coronavirus-guidelines-for-next-15-days-to-slow-pandemic.html<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Four years later, only 41% of Democrats believe the pandemic is over according to a recent Gallup survey.</div><div><br /></div><div>This compares to 79% of Republicans and 63% of Independents.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaRFKYxAOZ3schcKJXmMXJJHiVUI9ce5P_AaPoJ7gcWS3m_7IS4xx99gsw7-auilItH8edCD4-1RbyfszM1-FerZDR2bQD_9ZJlpv5sUy8x4uksTckgB72DY4XRGdIg415F9bqqCnui5_gaaeCP5ZuAoaXmvIWmQe74eGHLTaNLiDHUtPeDo6cBtavIg8S/s1836/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%206.47.40%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="1836" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaRFKYxAOZ3schcKJXmMXJJHiVUI9ce5P_AaPoJ7gcWS3m_7IS4xx99gsw7-auilItH8edCD4-1RbyfszM1-FerZDR2bQD_9ZJlpv5sUy8x4uksTckgB72DY4XRGdIg415F9bqqCnui5_gaaeCP5ZuAoaXmvIWmQe74eGHLTaNLiDHUtPeDo6cBtavIg8S/w640-h352/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%206.47.40%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://news.gallup.com/poll/612230/four-years-say-covid-pandemic.aspx</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The survey also asked respondents when they had contracted Covid over the last few years.</div><div><br /></div><div>Interestingly, 46% stated that they had Covid in 2022 compared to only 25% in 2020 and 34% in 2021.</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, the Covid vaccinations were available in 2021 along with boosters in 2022. There was no vaccine protection in 2020.</div><div><br /></div><div>When has there ever been a pandemic in history in which infections were higher after the introduction of a vaccine that was supposed to curb the pandemic?</div><div><br /></div><div>Most troubling is the fact that 46% of Democrats, 46% of Independents and 35% of Republicans believe that their lives will <u>never</u> get back to the "normal" life they had before the Covid pandemic. </div><div><br /></div><div> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3T2efItA2gcWm7SXL012mBDP91J8eeJdKcI4pBrNzh6xzZ6ixbJ8OGgFgsFjbV1WaSKQAyuYlgaISJZrYmIvHGmCZ7nNTXpgPjW2It5v8KiPOoEjdDCjjZl6qJoOuoulpUSRfc_yGR5VoXuMt_NWxrP5p1U1m0ex0AYGAJZTM124AVtVPYUGJnDtOmBpA/s1826/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%206.56.59%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="860" data-original-width="1826" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3T2efItA2gcWm7SXL012mBDP91J8eeJdKcI4pBrNzh6xzZ6ixbJ8OGgFgsFjbV1WaSKQAyuYlgaISJZrYmIvHGmCZ7nNTXpgPjW2It5v8KiPOoEjdDCjjZl6qJoOuoulpUSRfc_yGR5VoXuMt_NWxrP5p1U1m0ex0AYGAJZTM124AVtVPYUGJnDtOmBpA/w640-h302/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%206.56.59%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://news.gallup.com/poll/612230/four-years-say-covid-pandemic.aspx</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>What more do you have to see to understand that the Covid response that began almost four years ago was one of the greatest failures of our government institutions and public health "experts" in the history of mankind?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Odds of Getting Away With Murder</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>It seems that it used to be very hard to get away with murder.</div><div><br /></div><div>That is no longer the case.</div><div><br /></div><div>In 1965, the police identified and arrested suspects in 92% of all murders.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today the number has dropped to barely over 50%.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXodkRPrmwvaLtKswwanhiHwwiRh7PIFhZi14yf5XYvRHPG3VAoWDy4qQ1TyJmwwVLm0H630ZYmGPIRUCv7IRWvpTlFtA0ZGwXekr9NeKvW7FqEN6S6lqK80ntYLk2BuiQEXAfFwnSFvClE7XZswcV5qX5gRzt77NSiO353c7Mz1ZXD3YbePSoVz-pyOB/s2106/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%207.08.27%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2106" data-original-width="1514" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXodkRPrmwvaLtKswwanhiHwwiRh7PIFhZi14yf5XYvRHPG3VAoWDy4qQ1TyJmwwVLm0H630ZYmGPIRUCv7IRWvpTlFtA0ZGwXekr9NeKvW7FqEN6S6lqK80ntYLk2BuiQEXAfFwnSFvClE7XZswcV5qX5gRzt77NSiO353c7Mz1ZXD3YbePSoVz-pyOB/w460-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-17%20at%207.08.27%20PM.png" width="460" /></a></div><br /><div>With the increase in better forensics, surveillance cameras, etc, you would think it would be easier to identify and arrest murder suspects today than in the past.</div><div><br /></div><div>Balanced against this is the fact that in 1965 the police were much more likely to arrest innocent suspects, especially in minority populations. The fact that police are more cautious in arresting a suspect today is a positive development.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, it is likely that a lot of murders go unsolved today simply because they occur in communities which do not want to cooperate with the police and/or people are afraid to do so out of a fear of retribution. This is a very negative development.</div><div><br /></div><div>As a result, more and more people get away with murder.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-43801007484023320542024-03-15T07:00:00.002-04:002024-03-15T07:15:26.582-04:00Fair Share?<p>President Biden and the Democrats love to say that "the rich" are not paying their fair share of taxes.</p><p>They want voters to believe that if the wealthy would just "pay their fair share" of taxes that everything would be well with the federal government budget.</p><p>What is a fair share? How is it determined? Who decides what it is?</p><p>The Internal Revenue Service recently released taxpayer data for the 2021 tax year.</p><p>The data indicates that the <b>top 1% of income earners paid 46% of all income taxes in 2021.</b></p><p>The <b>top 5% paid 66%.</b></p><p>The <b>top 10% paid 76%</b>.</p><p>The <b>top 50% paid 98%</b>.</p><p>The <b>bottom 50% paid 2%</b>.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnaQDoj_Mgy5xFRm5YQS5YWhdCaiqNUOQX7C-JPQq6asMyEV3DzidiXVIqjMEZUKzjqI2HDRGrdyu-D0OdbKnygSOrqf86C3CgA1PovUDuE8ba42ZjdsVmkBhwri82fg-fB6cLRdCOGFZ_nN78NaOfUSxDPsXJLAcPr-xdg-ppMrsNW3lDWhC2WQanQI1m/s1302/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-14%20at%206.24.02%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="1302" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnaQDoj_Mgy5xFRm5YQS5YWhdCaiqNUOQX7C-JPQq6asMyEV3DzidiXVIqjMEZUKzjqI2HDRGrdyu-D0OdbKnygSOrqf86C3CgA1PovUDuE8ba42ZjdsVmkBhwri82fg-fB6cLRdCOGFZ_nN78NaOfUSxDPsXJLAcPr-xdg-ppMrsNW3lDWhC2WQanQI1m/w640-h336/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-14%20at%206.24.02%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Income Tax Distribution By Income Level<br />IRS Statistics of Income (2021 Returns)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>The United States income tax system is designed to be progressive meaning that the rich should pay more of their income than those with lower incomes.</p><p>However, how much more?</p><p>You can see from the above chart that the Top 1% of income earners had 26% of the total income in the United States but paid 46% of the total bill.</p><p>Their share of taxes is 1.77x their share of income? Is that fair?</p><p>The share of taxes for the top 10% is 76% compared to a 63% share of income.</p><p>Their share of taxes is 1.21x more than their share of income.</p><p>On the other hand, the bottom 50% is only paying .22x in taxes compared to their income.</p><p>Is that fair? Should the bottom half be getting away by not paying more if the rich are being asked to pay more?</p><p>The fact is that the share of income taxes paid by the top 1% earners in the United States has been increasing continually since 1980 when marginal tax rates were first reduced by Ronald Reagan.</p><p>In 1980, <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/02/29/us-news/data-prove-it-the-trump-tax-cuts-soaked-the-rich/">the top 1% were paying about 19%</a> of all income taxes. In 2021, they paid 46% despite the reduction in the tax rates across the board over the ensuing years.</p><p>Lower tax rates have seemingly incentivized more income that has resulted in more tax revenue.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ajTcp_BQ7xtzbUt61K6LL_2kGDili8ZZZHD6Lh2XhkmpHzqP3fxmjdiuvEP2PGEtTDqHvvksy3n_95zjXJi0dzlnEcJxTaR8SQteiDCEbHHseqSwvhWZi42SlUtkqVrV1ZqCqDwug5H84_7TLwyFsKHwRbxr-nIVCc_KaXxL37ymooCtOwNjxe9jpMU2/s2516/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-14%20at%206.44.54%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1390" data-original-width="2516" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ajTcp_BQ7xtzbUt61K6LL_2kGDili8ZZZHD6Lh2XhkmpHzqP3fxmjdiuvEP2PGEtTDqHvvksy3n_95zjXJi0dzlnEcJxTaR8SQteiDCEbHHseqSwvhWZi42SlUtkqVrV1ZqCqDwug5H84_7TLwyFsKHwRbxr-nIVCc_KaXxL37ymooCtOwNjxe9jpMU2/w640-h354/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-14%20at%206.44.54%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://nypost.com/2024/02/29/us-news/data-prove-it-the-trump-tax-cuts-soaked-the-rich/</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>Note that the share of income taxes the top 1% paid surged after the Trump tax cuts despite the fact you often hear Biden and the Democrats claiming that those tax cuts were a giveaway to the rich.</p><p>The truth is that the Trump tax cuts disproportionately benefited the middle income taxpayers just as was intended in the legislation.</p><p>You simply could not have the dramatic increase in the share of taxes paid by the top 1% shown above if that was not the case.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTbk_W5uT3LF6bBQuSml_JmR8IPWmLAtmubz-KJMYSXAJA_91M65sgQOnUrkAtwwqK7lLk86adBoeS93Decgvo6WfTy6TAAwmkEWSRoaxUD6j4AKJ2odskpnpVaBsXwOat6zla1n_B4Y9l4dRn-vE1yrcloQOlTt-3uGp7NXxzwmKnKw1lt6NS4YBwga4d/s1644/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-14%20at%206.53.39%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="1644" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTbk_W5uT3LF6bBQuSml_JmR8IPWmLAtmubz-KJMYSXAJA_91M65sgQOnUrkAtwwqK7lLk86adBoeS93Decgvo6WfTy6TAAwmkEWSRoaxUD6j4AKJ2odskpnpVaBsXwOat6zla1n_B4Y9l4dRn-vE1yrcloQOlTt-3uGp7NXxzwmKnKw1lt6NS4YBwga4d/w640-h122/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-14%20at%206.53.39%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/584190-irs-data-prove-trump-tax-cuts-benefited-middle-working-class-americans-most/</td></tr></tbody></table><p><i></i></p><blockquote><p><i>Income data published by the IRS clearly show that on average all income brackets benefited substantially from the Republicans’ tax reform law, with the biggest beneficiaries being working and middle-income filers, not the top 1 percent, as so many Democrats have argued.</i></p><div></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>Of course, if there is one thing that should be obvious to anyone who is familiar with the workings of our federal government is that no matter what the level of income taxes are it will never be enough.</div><div><br /></div><div>Witness where the federal government is right now.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is currently estimated that the federal budget will run a $1.9 billion deficit for the 2024 fiscal year ending in September.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is despite record high income tax collections.</div><div><br /></div><div>Income tax collections this year are +6% higher than last year.</div><div><br /></div><div>It took 222 years for the United States to accumulate $11 trillion in debt.</div><div><br /></div><div>This debt was used to pay for the Civil War, two World Wars, and the Louisiana Purchase. It was used to build the interstate highway system, the Hoover Dam, the Tennessee Valley Authority and put a man on the moon and countless other projects.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the last four years alone, the federal government has added $11 trillion to the federal debt.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0cwOY28ZCNsrqWiJWjrs6FFEBoW0pEtMZzAZpwDuEFreD8GhI-sJEDaMi5Mgg8Mw-NvY5kMpTmvBIxgIoYKd9EsNjCO5ZkERXXaDinMhnmh7otpbuWRIMQWucl39_KO_6g62K9gwKgbmprXuxuWAkzvdhlspmPfPX4lbCPrB-0b_WkE2QoXGFJOy7yto/s1698/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-14%20at%208.48.23%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="1698" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0cwOY28ZCNsrqWiJWjrs6FFEBoW0pEtMZzAZpwDuEFreD8GhI-sJEDaMi5Mgg8Mw-NvY5kMpTmvBIxgIoYKd9EsNjCO5ZkERXXaDinMhnmh7otpbuWRIMQWucl39_KO_6g62K9gwKgbmprXuxuWAkzvdhlspmPfPX4lbCPrB-0b_WkE2QoXGFJOy7yto/w640-h226/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-14%20at%208.48.23%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Do we really have anything that we can point to that can make us feel as if taking on this debt is going to produce long-term benefits to the American people?</div><div><br /></div><div>The Biden administration would be quick to answer that the "green investments" they are making would be examples where those investments financed by debt will produce future returns.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, considering this recent example, color me a little skeptical on that score.</div><div><br /></div><div>Exactly EIGHT electric vehicle charging stations have been built over two years after legislation was passed that was going to put chargers across the width and breadth of the United States.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQJWbgLqBTR4CY4umZrSZRIJQ1m-KRcPQc7qdvHIYEj9wV6bFPF-9-UlQtI4wxPxucoEU16h_2HPhzbFAzr1KRn4nNm8wPrpSdu4DOWz7GzJgW38WMDaJS9DjLJhbw60sgW4tWKPgyrt0ZmYpIyDDkWdFZAiHMOKMnAqB4V9E1Tj5VQpp_HCOUdGBjLF3/s1356/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-14%20at%209.12.02%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="1356" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQJWbgLqBTR4CY4umZrSZRIJQ1m-KRcPQc7qdvHIYEj9wV6bFPF-9-UlQtI4wxPxucoEU16h_2HPhzbFAzr1KRn4nNm8wPrpSdu4DOWz7GzJgW38WMDaJS9DjLJhbw60sgW4tWKPgyrt0ZmYpIyDDkWdFZAiHMOKMnAqB4V9E1Tj5VQpp_HCOUdGBjLF3/w640-h456/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-14%20at%209.12.02%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>It should also be noted that last month (February, 2024), 63% of all federal income tax revenues were needed just to pay the interest on the <a href="https://www.usdebtclock.org">$34.5 trillion federal debt.</a></div><div><br /></div><div>If you have to pay the interest on the federal debt first, and it is consuming over half of your income tax revenue, that does not leave much for anything else.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJauvP5SD3jeICx6teAq02_GMEHRcJO0fIKJhcPviBGzKE0sVUp-k4H0LSPw-esJ6LdFfDEa3J_8zJq0NiGZK6mbvVhpIiXmdRFCaaa1M1letrIPx0UdSmk4c4JyFfCVe0AHtagpjfvdphqeV7p8zpaMOmt4_4Iu0m0KmfaHQc0mEpw0iZu14MEYYoQm3B/s1724/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-14%20at%208.03.14%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1724" data-original-width="1178" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJauvP5SD3jeICx6teAq02_GMEHRcJO0fIKJhcPviBGzKE0sVUp-k4H0LSPw-esJ6LdFfDEa3J_8zJq0NiGZK6mbvVhpIiXmdRFCaaa1M1letrIPx0UdSmk4c4JyFfCVe0AHtagpjfvdphqeV7p8zpaMOmt4_4Iu0m0KmfaHQc0mEpw0iZu14MEYYoQm3B/w437-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-14%20at%208.03.14%20PM.png" width="437" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://twitter.com/RealEJAntoni/status/1767622355294048486<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>For the full year, interest on the debt is projected to consume 43% of all individual income taxes.</div><div><br /></div><div>To put the entire "the rich need to pay more taxes" argument in perspective, even if the income taxes paid by the top 1% were increased by 50%, the federal budget deficit would still be $1.4 trillion for this year.</div><div><br /></div><div>Make no mistake, a financial reckoning is ahead.</div><div><br /></div><div>Top 1%? Top 50? Bottom 50%?</div><div><br /></div><div>It does not matter where you are.</div><div><br /></div><div>When the federal spenders have their backs to the wall, everyone will be accused of not paying their fair share.</div><div><br /></div><div>And that day is getting closer every day.</div><p><br /></p>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-43189999661217290542024-03-13T07:00:00.009-04:002024-03-13T07:00:00.447-04:00Monica +30, Haiti +15<p>It has been a long time since I have heard the name Monica Lewinsky.</p><p>For those who many not have been around 30 years ago, Lewinsky was the young White House intern who Bill Clinton was carrying on an affair with in and around the Oval Office between 1995 and 1997.</p><p>This is Lewinsky in May, 1997. She was 22 years old at the time the affair began. Clinton was 49.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zZgSFT_JsjYoQqJW5TAjCZqj01deECwLpvjR90HiJQYCVevdhknNvAJYrkjQp8gBSS-IQorPi1xADdMnIVLl59myRGY8GKYt2xQuBuugXHUmmTnyl0yO_S7_Y3T4Q80v6hnDOCxlTpse26ccz1_ag58zcb1gYVHKTJ_oo4aBB37WWxW7bN1oyO3NaCET/s466/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-07%20at%208.49.29%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="310" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zZgSFT_JsjYoQqJW5TAjCZqj01deECwLpvjR90HiJQYCVevdhknNvAJYrkjQp8gBSS-IQorPi1xADdMnIVLl59myRGY8GKYt2xQuBuugXHUmmTnyl0yO_S7_Y3T4Q80v6hnDOCxlTpse26ccz1_ag58zcb1gYVHKTJ_oo4aBB37WWxW7bN1oyO3NaCET/w426-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-07%20at%208.49.29%20AM.png" width="426" /></a></div><br /><p>Clinton and Lewinsky in the Oval Office in 1997.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4m6INgQDaaD0jyviFuJeWMB7PQHON9rnIWGMRRywLYWdb97GlqwGMCw3jvIc-Uh1F-484xOZkO5iA_yCENny75ylRtZ0slyCSrlnySxyla3HGA5iukWAJAnApx7TvAoO_bZQdF1DhxEWPORY2eLBAW0QS_S559p5V4dWbnfD1bb_PIBsi1hFHFYTGUHX/s1142/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-07%20at%208.53.13%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="1142" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4m6INgQDaaD0jyviFuJeWMB7PQHON9rnIWGMRRywLYWdb97GlqwGMCw3jvIc-Uh1F-484xOZkO5iA_yCENny75ylRtZ0slyCSrlnySxyla3HGA5iukWAJAnApx7TvAoO_bZQdF1DhxEWPORY2eLBAW0QS_S559p5V4dWbnfD1bb_PIBsi1hFHFYTGUHX/w640-h406/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-07%20at%208.53.13%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>When the story of the affair leaked in 1998, Clinton went before the American public and looked at the camera and made this famous denial.</p><p><b>"I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky. I never told anybody to lie, not a single time; never. These allegations are false."</b></p><p>You can see a video of news coverage of the scandal here including the earnestness in which Clinton denied the affair <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aGbdni7QNs">here</a>.</p><p>It was a flat out lie.</p><p>Here is a photo of Clinton make that statement with Hillary by his side.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9aJ6_I3c-xcWtQ7mUiexM_zkwoTNuZlwDN6xijmEjgyosX3Nx2sKmDO2wV33_xaBxB08GDwK8SeKgqmn4axluyNNYD4GOY7T06u7yu_ThsmSUZBxgit98o8hsnTSkP0KI2cmEREjgI1NXZBzgZbx465k2kNRXZob39LhZut0PFxetljGe9yUkNcna3j5e/s1172/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-07%20at%208.40.59%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1172" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9aJ6_I3c-xcWtQ7mUiexM_zkwoTNuZlwDN6xijmEjgyosX3Nx2sKmDO2wV33_xaBxB08GDwK8SeKgqmn4axluyNNYD4GOY7T06u7yu_ThsmSUZBxgit98o8hsnTSkP0KI2cmEREjgI1NXZBzgZbx465k2kNRXZob39LhZut0PFxetljGe9yUkNcna3j5e/w640-h460/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-07%20at%208.40.59%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Clinton later was accused of lying to a special prosecutor when asked about the affair when he said this.</p><p><b>"There is not a sexual relationship, an improper sexual relationship or any other kind of improper relationship"</b></p><p>He later argued that he was being truthful because of his use of the present tense. There was nothing going on currently.</p><p>Clinton also defended his statement as not being a lie as it depended on "what the meaning of the world is is."</p><p>Clinton was later impeached by the House for lying under oath but was acquitted by the Senate.</p><p>Monica Lewinsky was in the news last week as she is now fronting a L.A. based apparel brand targeting working women called <a href="http://Reformation.">Reformation.</a></p><p>It appears that Lewinsky has aged very well depute the high profile and notoriety she had to endure in her early years.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxnuFbqEWunwngg41Y3gPuNU2qVgRwaickefnAfD5vmjlYdU9T8NUGyvb7wDWRltMmgUuL3uXlmKKfJPSRlN8h7cECdwylMBqbnPsfQdN8C4_SDW7MUeRkagCyVKbwIzItSKUm-dY0Z9pyAu7plWY_5AMeaA_gNOE4SUg7GxFoMeHMkCdA_AxadPP0PzP/s1116/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-07%20at%209.09.53%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1116" data-original-width="872" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxnuFbqEWunwngg41Y3gPuNU2qVgRwaickefnAfD5vmjlYdU9T8NUGyvb7wDWRltMmgUuL3uXlmKKfJPSRlN8h7cECdwylMBqbnPsfQdN8C4_SDW7MUeRkagCyVKbwIzItSKUm-dY0Z9pyAu7plWY_5AMeaA_gNOE4SUg7GxFoMeHMkCdA_AxadPP0PzP/w500-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-07%20at%209.09.53%20AM.png" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.thereformation.com/monica-lewinsky-for-ref.html</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrD1L9smm97bWlw1ye1DqC6DwBFmfv6hxewEt-Bj9PnpRuCnC0pYbTvLUmkD_UjNf-ReI4r47fGKsyYqIVVYnKweW6zT3YHFtOscREn7rwTgIePuKqBFEssFvWiTjjqY95h24uyuMjfweo4WifFtOWCKawKl7ltL6c9YJ6Ry4q-aWsa9TCyS39tWdeqVk/s2362/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-07%20at%209.10.51%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2362" data-original-width="1564" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrD1L9smm97bWlw1ye1DqC6DwBFmfv6hxewEt-Bj9PnpRuCnC0pYbTvLUmkD_UjNf-ReI4r47fGKsyYqIVVYnKweW6zT3YHFtOscREn7rwTgIePuKqBFEssFvWiTjjqY95h24uyuMjfweo4WifFtOWCKawKl7ltL6c9YJ6Ry4q-aWsa9TCyS39tWdeqVk/w424-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-07%20at%209.10.51%20AM.png" width="424" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.thereformation.com/monica-lewinsky-for-ref.html</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CnHP45PbHHpF7sJZgR232lu3AJLy_9eJVtgF7gaf10DsusTUp5v0jOd-4mg0UIOxVwIk6nMe2bNaUNNsCJxYqI69d1xeDAwj_CO9frZ7UU4r9MaaV6XqGjUTdhM6mv5RyzhW0D4owyeP6DRrKLO50CmOr7MpEg1-v7BdhWRJvUELn1nVSYBpUzNOVVQi/s2356/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-10%20at%206.31.05%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2356" data-original-width="1790" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CnHP45PbHHpF7sJZgR232lu3AJLy_9eJVtgF7gaf10DsusTUp5v0jOd-4mg0UIOxVwIk6nMe2bNaUNNsCJxYqI69d1xeDAwj_CO9frZ7UU4r9MaaV6XqGjUTdhM6mv5RyzhW0D4owyeP6DRrKLO50CmOr7MpEg1-v7BdhWRJvUELn1nVSYBpUzNOVVQi/w486-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-10%20at%206.31.05%20PM.png" width="486" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.thereformation.com/monica-lewinsky-for-ref.html</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>What I found interesting in researching this blog post is that Lewinsky is now older (she will be 51 this year) than Clinton was when he was having an affair with her!</p><p>Lewinsky has never married and it clearly would not have been easy for her to make a living and a life for herself considering where she was 30 years.</p><p>Congratulations on the reformation of her life. </p><p>As to Bill Clinton, I wonder if he has any regrets?</p><p>For that matter, I wonder if Bill and Hillary believe they ever did anything wrong in their lives to have regrets about?</p><p>Witness what is happening in Haiti.</p><p>Recall that the Clintons were deeply involved in rebuilding and fixing Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in that country in 2010.</p><p>Haiti and collapsed and descended into absolute chaos with armed gangs controlling much of the country.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJ8itD8ocE2Ewv6PsMa6iq86eL1XGG0h1Kk9Vb4Dh6d90JtLxxBzMWYZ9sVHl9VwG9Z00_n3qHt09qFmlloP0sgaBjgtH2UPNkIaVWfJKnOUVqpMGrepACe1Hdwojd9AnT-R8eCPpGFnm6HjjjdKzAetUoNLHiKq-v_XfA3cM4bTTPx6WkQ_7CbWAeJDX/s2302/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-12%20at%205.25.39%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="2302" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJ8itD8ocE2Ewv6PsMa6iq86eL1XGG0h1Kk9Vb4Dh6d90JtLxxBzMWYZ9sVHl9VwG9Z00_n3qHt09qFmlloP0sgaBjgtH2UPNkIaVWfJKnOUVqpMGrepACe1Hdwojd9AnT-R8eCPpGFnm6HjjjdKzAetUoNLHiKq-v_XfA3cM4bTTPx6WkQ_7CbWAeJDX/w640-h88/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-12%20at%205.25.39%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuj1Un4QHD67YN4I1pGq2tW0rsppTqolmxL1r7ixtCli-DiateN2cJXmfXKJOIUOUps-7tP0Rgn5F9EL0HKXAiBu0InkP822Q2fasulGEjE5Z6Evh3-aojUbT2q7vRJQ0CgkY3Nfwit9dWytUtQ_ssFUtz_UL7PHJ5iTj-AILAI9ZOMvYZ_Jf4H-teP_1/s1502/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-12%20at%205.27.30%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="1502" height="554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuj1Un4QHD67YN4I1pGq2tW0rsppTqolmxL1r7ixtCli-DiateN2cJXmfXKJOIUOUps-7tP0Rgn5F9EL0HKXAiBu0InkP822Q2fasulGEjE5Z6Evh3-aojUbT2q7vRJQ0CgkY3Nfwit9dWytUtQ_ssFUtz_UL7PHJ5iTj-AILAI9ZOMvYZ_Jf4H-teP_1/w640-h554/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-12%20at%205.27.30%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The Clintons used the Clinton Foundation to raise aid money for Haiti and Bill got himself appointed as Special Envoy to Haiti and assumed the role of determining where all the Clinton Foundation and other international aid got distributed.</p><p>Hillary, as Secretary of State, controlled most of the U.S. aid to Haiti.</p><p>They ultimately controlled over $13 billion in international donations to assist Haiti.</p><p>That is a lot of money especially considering that the entire <a href="https://countryeconomy.com/gdp/haiti?year=2010">GDP of Haiti in 2010 was $11.8 billion.</a></p><p>Hillary had stated even before the earthquake occurred in 1999 that as a Secretary of State she was going to use Haiti as a laboratory project to showcase her vision of enlightened development (translated "Progressive policies like increasing the minimum wage and having the government make investment business decisions").</p><p><i>Clinton announced that Haiti would be a laboratory where the United States could road-test new approaches to development, taking advantage of “the power of proximity.”</i></p><p>What we are seeing right now is further evidence of the utter failure of that lab experiment.</p><p>Haiti has been a path to chaos and disaster for years and Haitians and other observers are not kind to the Clintons in all of it.</p><p>A big question that surrounds all of it is ---<i>"<b>What happened to all the money?"</b></i></p><p>You can read about it in the following articles if you are interested.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOh3Fr7XIP2ApsSpp5tnhWennPN8XXbMmCTZWuav_EG5CVJkrs4teBS6XMxTaYT4B0joHJzFou_r48pVXXfgqKHPYyDPmfZ2Nbo9VW-2Ywoz-1o-0-ywBDRy_xn60sLvqFvDYwoKFS5hULrDzpu5Yj_WzQTW7a59z4fGcsindHGi6vn4GS1MGGKyM9bww4/s1338/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-12%20at%205.49.14%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1338" data-original-width="1274" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOh3Fr7XIP2ApsSpp5tnhWennPN8XXbMmCTZWuav_EG5CVJkrs4teBS6XMxTaYT4B0joHJzFou_r48pVXXfgqKHPYyDPmfZ2Nbo9VW-2Ywoz-1o-0-ywBDRy_xn60sLvqFvDYwoKFS5hULrDzpu5Yj_WzQTW7a59z4fGcsindHGi6vn4GS1MGGKyM9bww4/w610-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-12%20at%205.49.14%20AM.png" width="610" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2016/11/what-the-clintons-did-to-haiti">https://www.currentaffairs.org/2016/11/what-the-clintons-did-to-haiti</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizshlTR3bGzl78Qy2UxilTxYMj1kyWtwzyJeUWwoQk1tSZIQry9Q34PP58cm86PXpuCAs1s9XOnPEHjdQamowltgbBo-g8b27YzedKQuSyHI4qnuoWFzE8ivzhXPZVGCQtvYFp7IiDp_fqf_GhO2ChNlHApY2okrWztxJ-J1WcXyXC-cEplOomTyidTMQV/s1268/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-12%20at%205.52.20%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1268" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizshlTR3bGzl78Qy2UxilTxYMj1kyWtwzyJeUWwoQk1tSZIQry9Q34PP58cm86PXpuCAs1s9XOnPEHjdQamowltgbBo-g8b27YzedKQuSyHI4qnuoWFzE8ivzhXPZVGCQtvYFp7IiDp_fqf_GhO2ChNlHApY2okrWztxJ-J1WcXyXC-cEplOomTyidTMQV/w640-h344/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-12%20at%205.52.20%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://canada-haiti.ca/content/how-clintons-robbed-and-destroyed-haiti">https://canada-haiti.ca/content/how-clintons-robbed-and-destroyed-haiti</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>Monica Lewinsky got better with age.</p><p>Haiti did not.</p><p>It appears that Haiti needs its own reformation right now.</p>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-5198756226341099702024-03-11T07:00:00.008-04:002024-03-11T07:00:00.138-04:00Wind At Our Backs<p>I have been fairly successful in the stock market over the years.</p><p>Most of that success was due to buying well diversified mutual funds and holding for the long-term.</p><p>History shows that being invested in equities has been the surest way to build wealth in the United States over the years aside from owning your own business.</p><p>It has allowed average Americans to participate as part owners in advances in the economy and has also proven to be the best protection against inflation over the long run.</p><p>You could not have much more of a graphic example of that than in this chart that tracks returns of various asset classes over the last 100 years.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBktvHos_QH_YiddLdVuG3JFXI9G1XtyxQpUjDDeUyHo_WnUfm76MAKgEiwukKU7HjEJdH7lnY6X35EVTlglmIIYiEcdrNUq8qvbCtt3sEleZk2eEzbSCMopimsbkywvPlwKJllj_WyKgZ8q1aX2is82myKcfbXCPfbHAYG2p_ubfFldITsci0n2wxne3/s1740/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-09%20at%207.09.16%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="1740" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBktvHos_QH_YiddLdVuG3JFXI9G1XtyxQpUjDDeUyHo_WnUfm76MAKgEiwukKU7HjEJdH7lnY6X35EVTlglmIIYiEcdrNUq8qvbCtt3sEleZk2eEzbSCMopimsbkywvPlwKJllj_WyKgZ8q1aX2is82myKcfbXCPfbHAYG2p_ubfFldITsci0n2wxne3/w640-h388/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-09%20at%207.09.16%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://eldarinvest.com/en/historical-stock-returns/<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>.However, you may notice that this graph is misleading in that it is not drawn to scale.<p></p><p>To give you better perspective, consider this graph that compares REAL returns (after inflation) for the major asset classes.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuso78uY-LwRFEArMvjdHwvcOUKLagvjTCIXEji9jU6AFTN7i5IWNGRju2NqMBNeLguVytupnTSux0dDFz3KGbnit5TzffSfhfGuMxPI6aE7GwG61sTeOiIdSS27Bcd0rxJT8E_AS3mgcPbEUVBf9ojihRfue56sRlAedk5bLu9ZNrN9H5bA_x4P8isFrZ/s1758/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-08%20at%202.11.06%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1098" data-original-width="1758" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuso78uY-LwRFEArMvjdHwvcOUKLagvjTCIXEji9jU6AFTN7i5IWNGRju2NqMBNeLguVytupnTSux0dDFz3KGbnit5TzffSfhfGuMxPI6aE7GwG61sTeOiIdSS27Bcd0rxJT8E_AS3mgcPbEUVBf9ojihRfue56sRlAedk5bLu9ZNrN9H5bA_x4P8isFrZ/w640-h400/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-08%20at%202.11.06%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.investorsfriend.com/asset-performance/</td></tr></tbody></table> <p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Many believe that their house is their best investment and inflation hedge.. However, 100 years of data indicate that stocks have returned about 2% in extra absolute returns than residential real estate has.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vqKy7NeuFoqTlsmYd04zLwmfA3nLYlE8ciCNpuvd1tXrAV6FvpNTQpr4G9WAtxPj8RttDUHhHxWgfCQGVVgs-5Y5gh18dsFXwk2PoYFhHD8-Aego2kThGPICzzt7iNIgHeRyMWp_ryDA6hPKIK8llCch4drLFrT_2caCzMW7H_1Iy1TH0V05wLi0Rgaf/s1268/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-09%20at%207.21.40%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1268" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vqKy7NeuFoqTlsmYd04zLwmfA3nLYlE8ciCNpuvd1tXrAV6FvpNTQpr4G9WAtxPj8RttDUHhHxWgfCQGVVgs-5Y5gh18dsFXwk2PoYFhHD8-Aego2kThGPICzzt7iNIgHeRyMWp_ryDA6hPKIK8llCch4drLFrT_2caCzMW7H_1Iy1TH0V05wLi0Rgaf/w640-h258/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-09%20at%207.21.40%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://eldarinvest.com/en/historical-stock-returns/</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The stock calculation above also ignores dividend income on the stocks as the house values ignore possible rental income from the asset. Including dividends would increase the advantage to over five percentage points.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Notice that this graph is also not to scale,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBlrj_SZOto9kQmgBPm6Jo1ykoOCJ8O4RdUg9YdhW7pXTwGY6u2ETaCUXbUzGCKBj09caEM-WjX_UtAMLHMkZgEG-LauDptQ_SKHWxVUHI9xkahDFb3r20eVk2NmpeOYmF_Or5Nd-nXJHXk-qhhfMAXFUU_RXlew-It72aiaA6WN8mTcc-P37HlYQks7xu/s1738/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-08%20at%202.23.10%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="1738" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBlrj_SZOto9kQmgBPm6Jo1ykoOCJ8O4RdUg9YdhW7pXTwGY6u2ETaCUXbUzGCKBj09caEM-WjX_UtAMLHMkZgEG-LauDptQ_SKHWxVUHI9xkahDFb3r20eVk2NmpeOYmF_Or5Nd-nXJHXk-qhhfMAXFUU_RXlew-It72aiaA6WN8mTcc-P37HlYQks7xu/w640-h380/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-08%20at%202.23.10%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://eldarinvest.com/en/historical-stock-returns/</td></tr></tbody></table> </div><div><br /></div>That extra 2% per year compounded over 100 years adds up.<div><br /></div><div>$1,000 invested in stocks 100 years ago would be worth $398, 276.</div><div><br /></div><div>$1,000 invested in real estate 100 years ago would only be worth $50,505.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you include an extra 3% in dividends on stocks for those 100 years you would have $6.5 million.<br /><p>Real estate has performed better compared to stocks over the last 25 years as housing values increased substantially as mortgage rates dropped over the period.</p><p>However, stocks still win.</p><p>A few factoids that drive that point home. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>$10,000 invested in the S&P 500 would be worth over $1 million today.</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsbpB9cE98_8tp4Z2DniMv7AdPG4XWQZx9Zmu0P44P6KX5oLw8C3iNXVVCYJBqBk9V4XjgQ3_bGouYiM6vLl_kZ4vt4M_LDMoLfgBiKMZ5UscFAHNJ8KMPCGElO1-dtrVrMHI11DXS08N9QfQqRN2GG02q7712ZXnp5U7Z8Ws2-unPdsprwQwN5Ij9mRe1/s1490/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-09%20at%207.51.48%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="1490" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsbpB9cE98_8tp4Z2DniMv7AdPG4XWQZx9Zmu0P44P6KX5oLw8C3iNXVVCYJBqBk9V4XjgQ3_bGouYiM6vLl_kZ4vt4M_LDMoLfgBiKMZ5UscFAHNJ8KMPCGElO1-dtrVrMHI11DXS08N9QfQqRN2GG02q7712ZXnp5U7Z8Ws2-unPdsprwQwN5Ij9mRe1/w640-h106/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-09%20at%207.51.48%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>It is actually around $1.3 million. $340,000 in real dollars adjusted for inflation.</p><p>I am not aware of many $10,000 homes in 1980 that are now worth $1 million.</p><p>In addition, if there are any Baby Boomers out there who are not comfortable financially they did not save very much and/or did not invest in the stock market.</p><p>The wind was at their backs almost their entire adult lives.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>In the last 15 years the S&P 500 has increased over 10-fold.</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAagfyCVURxglL_dbJf8Ay6GbYh1dGcyGDy-RHLcZaR4YXcOxvpm9_UXYl_RTU5BNIOa3CyRWFAn5SWra9SAmi9yFeFBi27pVtXErEYAtoQfeIF-il8az5YLyJv7agOcpOBfAw46Xl5kc7a-ao2Y_71RnIBCJLI-EAjrwqtjgwPamYfE3Ojm8L1u7v_7d/s1340/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-09%20at%207.57.10%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1244" data-original-width="1340" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAagfyCVURxglL_dbJf8Ay6GbYh1dGcyGDy-RHLcZaR4YXcOxvpm9_UXYl_RTU5BNIOa3CyRWFAn5SWra9SAmi9yFeFBi27pVtXErEYAtoQfeIF-il8az5YLyJv7agOcpOBfAw46Xl5kc7a-ao2Y_71RnIBCJLI-EAjrwqtjgwPamYfE3Ojm8L1u7v_7d/w640-h594/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-09%20at%207.57.10%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />I know several people who got completely out of the stock market as stocks cratered during that bear market. I implored one of them at length to stay the course telling them they were making a mistake. I have often wondered whether they got back in. Unfortunately, human behavior would suggest otherwise.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><b>The S&P 500 is up 26% in the last 4 months. That is $9 trillion in extra value in just 88 trading days.</b></p><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFMUMYh3T7JQPOon-irxPkVE_c1kHkglq0j7QjSKjRwMD1W1wHnff2n-UdKDT4koZsBSiDXB46BjSdqxUbUhcoXZA9G4YOWGhobxwhxKuwMFIxvO2JD40P8Gbtrp9dBBRdAJwZq9GarLMqIakElT_4G_8fbT5g49rp95P0bxkth8Vj1Y0OGFuIbYDlqEO/s1960/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-09%20at%208.29.53%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="1508" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFMUMYh3T7JQPOon-irxPkVE_c1kHkglq0j7QjSKjRwMD1W1wHnff2n-UdKDT4koZsBSiDXB46BjSdqxUbUhcoXZA9G4YOWGhobxwhxKuwMFIxvO2JD40P8Gbtrp9dBBRdAJwZq9GarLMqIakElT_4G_8fbT5g49rp95P0bxkth8Vj1Y0OGFuIbYDlqEO/w492-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-09%20at%208.29.53%20AM.png" width="492" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Advances in technology stocks have been largely responsible for the large increase in stock market values since 1980, the last 15 years and the last four months.</div><div><br /></div><div>In particular, names such as Apple, Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Facebook (Meta), Microsoft, Tesla and Nvidia.</div><div><br /></div><div>These seven names are now referred to as the "Magnificent Seven" due to their size and influence on the stock market.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>You see that in this chart where these seven stocks alone now have a large market cap than any other country's entire stock market.</b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4YyvbcNphn-yP0JGb1T-Iy3nzpUH332xgRFDI6sgYG7gO0MV0goECYrT_ASWRRiCmcWjOOJd5BdnBS58Y8WtBnxw7Q2ij8VPBH7i0rulhGQO2Q-Mzd9HKkccsCWa9kzlqfg3LAw54RU6aH1VbMExV_C_HnDVXpJat2MgxP1EWkN9eRVULBLCz5YzyTFKg/s1582/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-09%20at%208.41.32%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1582" data-original-width="1354" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4YyvbcNphn-yP0JGb1T-Iy3nzpUH332xgRFDI6sgYG7gO0MV0goECYrT_ASWRRiCmcWjOOJd5BdnBS58Y8WtBnxw7Q2ij8VPBH7i0rulhGQO2Q-Mzd9HKkccsCWa9kzlqfg3LAw54RU6aH1VbMExV_C_HnDVXpJat2MgxP1EWkN9eRVULBLCz5YzyTFKg/w548-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-09%20at%208.41.32%20AM.png" width="548" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><b>The value of the U.S. stock market (59.6% of the total) is larger than the entire rest of the world combined.</b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMaHxINzZ4dNV_93MUG2V5yIzKDUdtDLlj6MhZ1NlVJ-9YMrsLusNHyLpdVXMBD-y8BF-eKPxtCN74HEOpGUh_gtHaOT8uYfKW28ZgKOOkU6_dJVzwjOeR8ptd6R1e0X2ugu9vjXIRcwTmLFnWpBwPJ4xa8S1UBSWfXASeW3XzFIvuVkese_GAb5NCjSXo/s1628/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-09%20at%209.11.25%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1534" data-original-width="1628" height="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMaHxINzZ4dNV_93MUG2V5yIzKDUdtDLlj6MhZ1NlVJ-9YMrsLusNHyLpdVXMBD-y8BF-eKPxtCN74HEOpGUh_gtHaOT8uYfKW28ZgKOOkU6_dJVzwjOeR8ptd6R1e0X2ugu9vjXIRcwTmLFnWpBwPJ4xa8S1UBSWfXASeW3XzFIvuVkese_GAb5NCjSXo/w640-h604/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-09%20at%209.11.25%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: https://www.visualcapitalist.com<br /><br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div>In 1989, the U.S. stock market was only 28.9% of the global stock market despite its share of global GDP actually being slightly higher then than it is now.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJwx0iJKMH1_B1GsnCZw80SvSbCSZzGfWs4YfcsenMk315wIDnwrOHeoUqAdxSFqBDHFXpw-t4ogxOuNCPOljwRtJ8FpYRgeYIRbK-Zdzhn9XoK9fUIGmKjDpqfFo38Pz54spDzmIPn2QAZghqV5XqqEPqSJv3AGZNXkNLwt8SIAIiOjdZVoWtag9PYYZ/s1638/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-09%20at%209.18.26%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1638" data-original-width="1630" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJwx0iJKMH1_B1GsnCZw80SvSbCSZzGfWs4YfcsenMk315wIDnwrOHeoUqAdxSFqBDHFXpw-t4ogxOuNCPOljwRtJ8FpYRgeYIRbK-Zdzhn9XoK9fUIGmKjDpqfFo38Pz54spDzmIPn2QAZghqV5XqqEPqSJv3AGZNXkNLwt8SIAIiOjdZVoWtag9PYYZ/w636-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-09%20at%209.18.26%20AM.png" width="636" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Why do so many people around the world dislike the United States while at the same time want to come here?</div><div><br /></div><div>Those charts say a lot.</div><div><br /></div><div>This chart also does.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlwI6UgLMqMrnh8Qja5MA8HUnYpuxh2t9_kswLohu-IdCkH5TdDFrVkerRLJQ7Kyxk6Fl6z_d0e-_N0c2b0hEXMWr0TMrOmKOCTCVFKrVL830RtqsK02meLKDQNsxfsI7NOTt8yfDTd0K3s2qN0WlL_RWwEKtk8MnGBia5gL5hjDBG1hY0VAGSBp1At88K/s1206/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-09%20at%202.17.02%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="1206" height="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlwI6UgLMqMrnh8Qja5MA8HUnYpuxh2t9_kswLohu-IdCkH5TdDFrVkerRLJQ7Kyxk6Fl6z_d0e-_N0c2b0hEXMWr0TMrOmKOCTCVFKrVL830RtqsK02meLKDQNsxfsI7NOTt8yfDTd0K3s2qN0WlL_RWwEKtk8MnGBia5gL5hjDBG1hY0VAGSBp1At88K/w640-h576/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-09%20at%202.17.02%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>The U.S. stock market in 1994 (right at the beginning of internet revolution) was valued at 66% of U.S. GDP. It is now valued at 193% of GDP---nearly 3 times more.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>How has all of this been possible?</div><div><br /></div><div>One reason is that all of those big technology names that have been created and founded in the United States.</div><div><br /></div><div>Is it just a coincidence that with all of the talent and intelligence in the world that it just so happened that it occurred in the United States?</div><div><br /></div><div>The other reason is the incredible amount of money that has been created by the Federal Reserve over the last 15 years.</div><div><br /></div><div>It started with what was called QE (quantitative easing) to deal with the 2009-2010 financial crisis and culminated in the money printing on steroids that resulted from the response to Covid.</div><div><br /></div><div>Look at this chart of the M1 Money Supply.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is the total cash in circulation including money in people's wallets, checking and savings accounts.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The money supply of dollars in circulation has increased more than 4-fold since 2020.</b></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlWeJKRzwBkL6jXSiRIBqi2FinJATgoT3_fs1Puj3O4OtYhl2Tv5kuTHM_lKLidwxgLPhmOGHZqXSZyqtgp3bYdYlelDClZ3aw1VJoXxnFD3iy9QblF3w7PHEfHVgmLStG8D6lqgAWBHsj0N6yy223VITPgnca5wyCl6OalMP3FWv-PCjk_A5XRLtK1Sa/s1274/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-09%20at%201.15.22%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1274" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlWeJKRzwBkL6jXSiRIBqi2FinJATgoT3_fs1Puj3O4OtYhl2Tv5kuTHM_lKLidwxgLPhmOGHZqXSZyqtgp3bYdYlelDClZ3aw1VJoXxnFD3iy9QblF3w7PHEfHVgmLStG8D6lqgAWBHsj0N6yy223VITPgnca5wyCl6OalMP3FWv-PCjk_A5XRLtK1Sa/w640-h428/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-09%20at%201.15.22%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/moneysupply.asp</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>That money had to go somewhere.</div><div><br /></div><div>It fueled inflation in everyday items and has also affected house and stock prices.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>What should we takeaway from all of this?<div><br /></div><div>1. The last 30-40 years have been one of the greatest periods for building wealth in history.</div><div><br /></div><div>2. That is particularly true for anyone who owned the S&P or the NASDAQ indexes in the U.S. However, those in bonds and real estate have also prospered like few other times in history.</div><div><br /></div><div>3. The wind has been at our backs but what if the winds turn?</div><div><br /></div><div>4. Understand that the drivers behind this wealth creation involved a unique combination of entrepreneurial, political and economic factors in the United States.</div><div><br /></div><div>5. Those factors are currently all at risk in the current environment in the United States. </div><div><br /></div><div>7. Interest rates have risen after falling for almost 40 years. </div><div><br /></div><div>8. Stock prices relative to the nation's GDP are 3x what they were in 1994.</div><div><br /></div><div>9. The current Presidential administration is also openly hostile to success and entrepreneurial freedom. It is more interested in picking winners and losers in the economy and in redistributing the economic pie than in making it larger.</div><div><br /></div><div>10. Understand that what goes up can come down. The wind can change direction. Protect yourself and your country. Plan and act accordingly knowing where we are.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-86675926758325314262024-03-08T07:00:00.001-05:002024-03-08T07:00:00.132-05:00Approval Ups and Downs<p>I recently came across an interesting summary of net approval ratings on Day 1,125 for Presidents going back as far as Harry Truman during their first elected terms.</p><p>Day 1,125 for Biden was February 19, 2024.</p><p>The net approval rating subtracts those who disapprove from those who approve of the President.</p><p>The data is from @FiveThirtyEight.</p><p>FiveThirtyEight obviously put the comparison together to show just how precarious the political position of Joe Biden is right now.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVP0AHYq7Mlg61Gwd6abPw5RDk7W1Qk67m7qard6rngkGbQEVyGcAyP_lGDOzHiXZN-jVr55NU-cJ13mQvxgCN_9b-ubFY7BQu1kfcpdA7UN88kZs8J6HZ_djV7Ov_y_Z0-04YSn0Y4T1ZHUNLOHdtUHmWqss5g37Q0iPJAofYOZ1hZZjbAtuZoh6E7CLq/s1504/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%206.47.57%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1108" data-original-width="1504" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVP0AHYq7Mlg61Gwd6abPw5RDk7W1Qk67m7qard6rngkGbQEVyGcAyP_lGDOzHiXZN-jVr55NU-cJ13mQvxgCN_9b-ubFY7BQu1kfcpdA7UN88kZs8J6HZ_djV7Ov_y_Z0-04YSn0Y4T1ZHUNLOHdtUHmWqss5g37Q0iPJAofYOZ1hZZjbAtuZoh6E7CLq/w640-h472/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%206.47.57%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Of those with negative ratings at this point in their terms, H.W. Bush lost, Trump lost and Truman did not run. LBJ was essentially even in his approval rating but he dropped out of the 1968 race about a month after this poll was taken.</p><p>All of the others with positive ratings at this point in their terms won re-election with the exception of Jimmy Carter.</p><p>The Carter number above took me by surprise. I did not remember Jimmy Carter having an approval rating that high that late in his Presidency.</p><p>The Jimmy Carter Presidency has many parallels with what we have witnessed with the Biden years.</p><p>Carter came into office with high hopes and a positive approval rating with the promise that he was going to bring the country together after the turmoil of Watergate. <i>Sound familiar? Turmoil of Trump and Covid?</i></p><p>Soon after being sworn in his net approval was +75%.</p><p>Over the summer of 1977 allegations of improprieties involving his close friend and adviser, Bert Lance, surfaced and damaged Carter's standing with the public until Lance had to resign his position as Director of OMB. Carter also had to deal with fallout surrounding his colorful brother Billy amid allegations he had received $200,000 for Libya for unclear reasons. <i>Sound familiar? Hunter?</i></p><p>Inflation took off during the Carter years that required the Federal Reserve to drastically hike interest rates. <i>Sound familiar? Do I need to say more?</i></p><p>Russia invaded Afghanistan that put us in a proxy war with the Russians as we supplied weapons to the Afghan resistance fighters. Carter sanctioned Russia including not allowing the United States to participate in the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. <i>Sound familiar? Ukraine?</i></p><p>There was an Islamic Revolution in Iran which ousted the Shah of Iran who was a close ally of the United States. Soon after, the U.S. Embassy was stormed by the Islamists taking 66 U.S. embassy personnel as hostages. A U.S.military operation to rescue the hostages in April, 1980 ended in total disaster with the deaths of 8 U.S. soldiers. The hostages were not released until Reagan was President. <i>Sound familiar? Middle East unrest? Israeli hostages held by Hamas? Disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan?</i></p><p>The reality is that Carter's approval rating was on a steady decline throughout his Presidency much like Biden's has been. </p><p>It just so happened that Carter received a short term boost in response to the taking of the Iranian hostages and the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in the Winter of 1980.</p><p>However, that boost in approval was short-lived and Carter went on to lose the 1980 election to Ronald Reagan winning only six states and collecting a mere 49 electoral votes.</p><p>You can see the complete picture of Carter's approval rating during his four years below.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-ej7LgN32QxJV1Z7OlUIYEmqO3r9ZLYFr2sCbmZaTGQpyJBRqxPJQpdsgELo1WljmVt2AXr6cK8eBE1h0xY7pHQqXlh5_jsCiFVEydwFCeoBTqJ4qJI1xCjXqH-_tg1K4ZlWDUEIFTMOKM6LaQDBX81SQiyhx8yKhxMLYJVBZ6UvJJ0Cg-dJrQNPsJil/s1528/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-06%20at%209.30.17%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1104" data-original-width="1528" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-ej7LgN32QxJV1Z7OlUIYEmqO3r9ZLYFr2sCbmZaTGQpyJBRqxPJQpdsgELo1WljmVt2AXr6cK8eBE1h0xY7pHQqXlh5_jsCiFVEydwFCeoBTqJ4qJI1xCjXqH-_tg1K4ZlWDUEIFTMOKM6LaQDBX81SQiyhx8yKhxMLYJVBZ6UvJJ0Cg-dJrQNPsJil/w640-h462/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-06%20at%209.30.17%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/statistics/data/jimmy-carter-public-approval</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>Although less pronounced, you see a similar pattern with Biden in the @FiveThirtyEight composite approval average.</p><p>Biden started with a net approval of +23.4%</p><p>He is now at -18.0%. ( Biden's approval rating is even lower today than on Day 1,125)</p><p>That is very close to where Carter's approval rating was on Election Day, 1980.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEuTQVXEbchznQ3oIKYlxhz307HHpskBfVU_jtWV3MG6EwtcM4EM5ZcRvIRhNoq0sriP5D1Qk2P7IYxpjcu59O8MxpFLnZ39ubk_00QhjoSQgu8lWJoHVrTYK7EBYxYq7vsEPrHe_5VE9AQ9STjnkX5L7gtr531zran_3RygP_mbMYTUyX1Tb0cGZ-Nv3/s2000/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-06%20at%209.35.10%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1318" data-original-width="2000" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEuTQVXEbchznQ3oIKYlxhz307HHpskBfVU_jtWV3MG6EwtcM4EM5ZcRvIRhNoq0sriP5D1Qk2P7IYxpjcu59O8MxpFLnZ39ubk_00QhjoSQgu8lWJoHVrTYK7EBYxYq7vsEPrHe_5VE9AQ9STjnkX5L7gtr531zran_3RygP_mbMYTUyX1Tb0cGZ-Nv3/w640-h422/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-06%20at%209.35.10%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/approval/joe-biden/</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>What are the key takeaways here?</p><p>Joe Biden is in serious trouble with the American electorate right now.</p><p>If the election was held today he would lose.</p><p>However, it is still eight months until Election Day.</p><p>A lot can happen in eight months to cause his Presidential approval to go up or down. That is very clear in looking at the Jimmy Carter data.</p><p>Many times the approval rating is impacted by external events that no one can predict.</p><p>Who knows what lies ahead for both Biden and Trump over the next eight months?</p><p>Hunter Biden? The Trump trials?</p><p>We have never had a Presidential race shaping up with two candidates that were this old. Health issues?</p><p>Both Trump (age 78) and Biden (age 82) would be older when the next Presidential terms begins than the age at which Reagan left office (age 77) as the oldest previous President. When Biden began his term he was already older than Reagan was when he left.</p><p>What is going to happen in Ukraine over the next few months?</p><p>What about Israel, Hamas and the Middle East?</p><p>Will the chaos at the southern border continue?</p><p>What will happen with the economy, the stock market and interest rates over the next eight months?</p><p>There are a lot of unknowns about these known issues.</p><p>Of course, there are additional unknowns lurking right now with new and emerging issues that are not on anyone's radar currently. Unknowns within unknown future issues.</p><p>The candidates in November may be set as of right now with Super Tuesday behind us.</p><p>How those candidates are going to be perceived by the voters and what the political landscape will look like in November is far from certain.</p><p><br /></p>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-40100112541040839352024-03-06T06:30:00.003-05:002024-03-06T07:36:26.246-05:00Will Biden Pivot On Illegal Immigration?<p>The State of the Union address is scheduled for tomorrow night (March 7).</p><p>Will we see Joe Biden pivot on illegal immigration?</p><p>Will he announce some type of executive order that would reduce the flood of illegals at the border and restrict the number of illegals being released into the country?</p><p>I don't know who is calling the shots for Joe but if you look at the polling numbers Biden is in deep, deep trouble on the issue of immigration.</p><p>Of course, it is all of his own making.</p><p>Biden entered office intent on opening up the border.</p><p>In the Democrat debates he stated he wanted all those from other countries that wanted asylum in the United States to surge to the border.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX8eEE4D0WS9oejRsjKwBqhieKVp0w654dR9GIcDM72N6g0rt5bWNL_v0fagpxfWmsFBCMhj-zPwKH2sNUMCkzgze3dfzCjwaX-RGHFFNJBueUzIsTQ0SoS0S1RU_sky-SY8qdhk9uG6O_KR88Swcond6xe4srJMU5AhPCa18kiZHBZ4nM2GXnG6cl3vDD/s464/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%206.45.42%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="464" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX8eEE4D0WS9oejRsjKwBqhieKVp0w654dR9GIcDM72N6g0rt5bWNL_v0fagpxfWmsFBCMhj-zPwKH2sNUMCkzgze3dfzCjwaX-RGHFFNJBueUzIsTQ0SoS0S1RU_sky-SY8qdhk9uG6O_KR88Swcond6xe4srJMU5AhPCa18kiZHBZ4nM2GXnG6cl3vDD/w640-h470/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%206.45.42%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://twitter.com/hodgetwins/status/1764255675582914734">https://twitter.com/hodgetwins/status/1764255675582914734</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div>On Day 1 of the Biden administration the following actions were taken by executive order.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>- The Border wall was immediately defunded </div><div>- Emergency Declaration withdrawn</div><div>- Deportation of illegal aliens paused </div><div>- Remain In Mexico policy terminated</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37uvmIkUfIOy_HLvVNeGrNrR_qJajdahKgmr6Jv6PLPRaMZdD4zxte45toBXgNGOoLxy-nbxJeaWm6L0k-vwaMAo4HSfq1rmnjqOSEsMSbJTnxiiZ6ARhcOYUh9JVFN9P4icHxnbvaN1CJinoS_vYzN_j_mPqLASG8SNGH6y7rIGhdoLKlcUuD-ff_g-r/s609/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%206.56.17%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="574" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37uvmIkUfIOy_HLvVNeGrNrR_qJajdahKgmr6Jv6PLPRaMZdD4zxte45toBXgNGOoLxy-nbxJeaWm6L0k-vwaMAo4HSfq1rmnjqOSEsMSbJTnxiiZ6ARhcOYUh9JVFN9P4icHxnbvaN1CJinoS_vYzN_j_mPqLASG8SNGH6y7rIGhdoLKlcUuD-ff_g-r/w604-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%206.56.17%20AM.png" width="604" /></a></div><br /><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BM-uwhp5EmGHid6eVk-qsFmojfKiRJmUH-hdN3biBYOFOZffvk_nOlcIYWj_0lm8aEc94v_NS516qWpcYbDoeftE3G63BqGUxYh9ytp8mCcGcpB0V-ui7uU_hzwVeoXuQtWDZaiGF5VQBqJpTw6fXvlE1AUBdgx6-L5JzIez_SI2EWcevI9yLqEc1huT/s634/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%206.57.21%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="565" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BM-uwhp5EmGHid6eVk-qsFmojfKiRJmUH-hdN3biBYOFOZffvk_nOlcIYWj_0lm8aEc94v_NS516qWpcYbDoeftE3G63BqGUxYh9ytp8mCcGcpB0V-ui7uU_hzwVeoXuQtWDZaiGF5VQBqJpTw6fXvlE1AUBdgx6-L5JzIez_SI2EWcevI9yLqEc1huT/w570-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%206.57.21%20AM.png" width="570" /></a></div><br /></div><div><p>What followed was predictable.</p><p>Even someone from Mars could look at this chart of illegals released into the country on their own recognizance and think that the immigration laws must have changed.</p><p>Did the law change"</p><p>No. Just the guy charged with enforcing the law changed.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXJb6FVDqSUgtHD_HjHvtIQ3nv0cM4rt60Njl1m91TkzoZfZm9S0RdjJJ7J7uUAOR1kESU87nXEGDfwykVGe1eO9rnTH_AvJp5xzsLKLTUT-rzpopu0XqsOzfXxMIky37pRbvEdmf6raGcW06XZq-C8pofwtcANBmmCYSKEd9T_Nt2gaW9BFJIPpwo9hv/s1006/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%207.03.21%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="1006" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXJb6FVDqSUgtHD_HjHvtIQ3nv0cM4rt60Njl1m91TkzoZfZm9S0RdjJJ7J7uUAOR1kESU87nXEGDfwykVGe1eO9rnTH_AvJp5xzsLKLTUT-rzpopu0XqsOzfXxMIky37pRbvEdmf6raGcW06XZq-C8pofwtcANBmmCYSKEd9T_Nt2gaW9BFJIPpwo9hv/w640-h388/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%207.03.21%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>On top of this we found out this week that the numbers above do not include 320,000 additional illegal immigrants that the Biden administration flew directly into the United States last year from their home countries without even having to show up at the southern border to claim asylum.</p><p>When asked where these illegal immigrants were flown to the Biden administration claimed that could not be revealed because it could create national security "vulnerabilities".</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYI76NBHqBc4hutIxQn8_HNg6KPwx-XzpHYPfJlB6U-AlrUi5_9KbQpJAlBws5VC9tv9QVhMx7jFYfzU2n2sCCKg6ksU6uF6kqwohpunhP5KTnoPWdRmtqpu8GR6GnTWKuy1Ay0SAL6_-98wre_-czNcDgf-yX4ZZx5kjk4pD-7x3R5DcW6TFJpVktzkZ/s640/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%207.27.24%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="526" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYI76NBHqBc4hutIxQn8_HNg6KPwx-XzpHYPfJlB6U-AlrUi5_9KbQpJAlBws5VC9tv9QVhMx7jFYfzU2n2sCCKg6ksU6uF6kqwohpunhP5KTnoPWdRmtqpu8GR6GnTWKuy1Ay0SAL6_-98wre_-czNcDgf-yX4ZZx5kjk4pD-7x3R5DcW6TFJpVktzkZ/w526-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%207.27.24%20AM.png" width="526" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13155765/amp/biden-illegal-migrant-flying-program-national-security-vulnerability.html</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>Through all of this the Biden administration has been claiming the border is secure and there is no problem with illegal immigration.</p><p>Biden has been arguing that he cannot do anything without Congressional action.</p><p>He seems to have forgotten the executive orders he signed to create this mess.</p><p>Biden is also ignoring a law that is already on the books that gives the President all the authority necessary to deal with illegal immigration.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvqV8H4z4RWnc6HGtnMyd5v_LlWzZhypOwTzczZvmoiqaJzC66Kg0mWGRbMwsnBojevUHcK9wEt9C0_kTphS_t_xa77py7D-aq371Qj07J-wj6ao-s9iFe2kkld6rIgE2cGFLDC_-Dshbg5h-OUyu8vjw0HROCidbMPBB5L4DRLG-5N8jo7iJFjrqNCrTw/s646/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%207.34.36%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="646" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvqV8H4z4RWnc6HGtnMyd5v_LlWzZhypOwTzczZvmoiqaJzC66Kg0mWGRbMwsnBojevUHcK9wEt9C0_kTphS_t_xa77py7D-aq371Qj07J-wj6ao-s9iFe2kkld6rIgE2cGFLDC_-Dshbg5h-OUyu8vjw0HROCidbMPBB5L4DRLG-5N8jo7iJFjrqNCrTw/w640-h304/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%207.34.36%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The American people appear to be totally fed up with the mess created by illegal immigration and are not buying any of Biden's excuses.</p><p><a href="https://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/WSJ_Partial_Results_Feb_2024.pdf">A Wall Street Journal poll </a>released this past weekend has Trump leading Biden by 5 points (40%-35%). Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is polling at 9%.</p><p>Biden was viewed favorably by only 37% of voters. 50% had a <u>very unfavorabl</u>e view of Biden.</p><p>Immigration (Fixing immigration system/U.S.Mexico border/migrants) has become the most important issue for voters in this election right now. It was mentioned by 20% of voters as the most critical issue in determining who they will vote for. </p><p>The economy was next at 14%.</p><p>A year ago only 6% mentioned immigration as the most important issue to them.</p><p>The chaos that Biden has created with illegal immigration is a big problem for him if he expects to be re-elected.</p><p>Worse for Biden is that immigration is Trump's signature issue.</p><p>Trump would have never received the Republican nomination in 2016 and defeated Hillary Clinton but for the bold manner he addressed the immigration issue back then.</p><p>To understand the depth of frustration that voters have with illegal immigration I found another recent poll (YouGov) to be particularly interesting.</p><p>It found that by a 56%-31% margin voters <b>approve of using the U.S. military to arrest and deport people who are in the U.S. illegally.</b></p><p>That strong-armed measure even gets majority support from Hispanics.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL49RzUB-LE6_Dexlr40PWk2QqX3TITlu6UC_0UXtR-w2S4nywSk_RN_bzJXsZNJYX9CodGf7n_vydIkmFNMD-UbacsjU90reQqGcqMZTn7HXYOK-Bl86zvlxQPZ3EDIOKn9EMFPEvgLa1fvcuwWF2kiakT7gAnHMcb4oGDBya-AMMPedB_QbX8eO1XKEz/s679/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%208.11.44%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="539" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL49RzUB-LE6_Dexlr40PWk2QqX3TITlu6UC_0UXtR-w2S4nywSk_RN_bzJXsZNJYX9CodGf7n_vydIkmFNMD-UbacsjU90reQqGcqMZTn7HXYOK-Bl86zvlxQPZ3EDIOKn9EMFPEvgLa1fvcuwWF2kiakT7gAnHMcb4oGDBya-AMMPedB_QbX8eO1XKEz/w508-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%208.11.44%20AM.png" width="508" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://twitter.com/IAPolls2022/status/1762913145524294076</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>In a recent Rasmussen poll of Arizona voters, 67% of <u>Hispanic voters</u> supported deportation of illegal crossers and 66% wanted to temporarily militarize the border.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5UebLj-Zylm2DLpKTkBiUH2isBjIW4nkRnPZpksm4dO0Cu65ozVP9FoxJscWFFDsmSFye6YbZ2u_2CyxxJVlpv4T-7biZ2N8stt3ZVETfxL0G3kOpOlTQF_DdCQaaqK6hRuUjR3ZnT9-6y-GQDPPsqMbuDnNXRBaxV0EEBP1bn8XYT376dVmnneZcPLn/s1346/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%209.30.09%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="1346" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5UebLj-Zylm2DLpKTkBiUH2isBjIW4nkRnPZpksm4dO0Cu65ozVP9FoxJscWFFDsmSFye6YbZ2u_2CyxxJVlpv4T-7biZ2N8stt3ZVETfxL0G3kOpOlTQF_DdCQaaqK6hRuUjR3ZnT9-6y-GQDPPsqMbuDnNXRBaxV0EEBP1bn8XYT376dVmnneZcPLn/w640-h186/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%209.30.09%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>The <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanGirdusky/status/1763914762880958888">New York Times/Siena poll</a> from this past weekend has Biden down 6 points to Trump with Hispanics. Biden's immigration policy is a big reason. Biden won this demographic by <a href="https://www.as-coa.org/articles/chart-how-us-latinos-voted-2020-presidential-election">34 points in 2020.</a></p><p>Could there be a bigger disconnect between what Joe Biden is doing and what the voters want?</p><p>Biden is flying illegal immigrants into the country in the dark of night and the voters by almost a 2:1 margin favor using the U.S. military to arrest and deport the same people.</p><p>I don't see how Biden cannot pivot in some way on illegal immigration and expect to have any chance in November.</p><p>However, even if Biden pivots with some modest measure to staunch the flow of illegals into the country, an additional 8+ million are already here due to his policies.</p><p>And those policies have consequences as we saw last week with the murder of a University of Georgia nursing student (Laken Riley was her name) at the hands of a suspect who was an illegal immigrant from Venezuela.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMbAMGNvnhqKD1rpkRttFxZ_UKz7Vi9Mo1YUwj4aoTGrCT3bGPrO131pr-gTPtm7LmygQiYrl0eAASbGemS0B0mMCW4sJVYrqBh2YXtZmuPgZseocTfT_EvOPFhuMLfRie0gIehOk2iagE_-jP3K24Mimoc8JVdWHX2n5H0CdTBrevTxABAjK4kVui26W/s2074/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%209.52.49%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="2074" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMbAMGNvnhqKD1rpkRttFxZ_UKz7Vi9Mo1YUwj4aoTGrCT3bGPrO131pr-gTPtm7LmygQiYrl0eAASbGemS0B0mMCW4sJVYrqBh2YXtZmuPgZseocTfT_EvOPFhuMLfRie0gIehOk2iagE_-jP3K24Mimoc8JVdWHX2n5H0CdTBrevTxABAjK4kVui26W/w640-h196/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%209.52.49%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/ice-confirms-georgia-student-murder-suspect-entered-us-illegally-was-previously-arrested-in-nyc</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>How many more murders, rapes and other violent crimes will be perpetrated by illegals that Biden let in during the months ahead?</p><p>This promises to be a continuing problem for Biden each time it occurs whatever he does short of rounding up the illegals himself and shipping them home.</p><p>In the meantime, the news out of Venezuela is that the murder rate in that country just dropped to its lowest level in 22 years.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisS3sHKFbxGTizvcGUf9AQlAackgx83E_vd6U7KlTKUCbwLBpuf5p6RHQn-o8Ttwf6855Mr9RHvWBJm_7WEPNpSv_i1tPWlJAvWzZIsE1moou7Z8oIxHluKx6qHy2GFwgFWfUNldEkIS3cSk7nyZt5xIOIb3On8FDb9R75aD7EOVnlE7QvRDNviqpXTYPo/s1744/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%2010.08.45%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="1744" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisS3sHKFbxGTizvcGUf9AQlAackgx83E_vd6U7KlTKUCbwLBpuf5p6RHQn-o8Ttwf6855Mr9RHvWBJm_7WEPNpSv_i1tPWlJAvWzZIsE1moou7Z8oIxHluKx6qHy2GFwgFWfUNldEkIS3cSk7nyZt5xIOIb3On8FDb9R75aD7EOVnlE7QvRDNviqpXTYPo/w640-h278/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%2010.08.45%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaisx9C1l8rvUpeJY-OiNoksLkIdrR8YY4i0MajmbiAwCsF2uWrs2HYnRh_KNA7Wrk9Ru1y6rFFlh1sASqv4ydoQ3mbl48-aXTGCVuypDg1sBWZIREfp6M4CAhEV3lIRRqHH7vViCKpO7monUN6rWAEtLxEEyG7D4iexxCJQxG_y8n1vG7BJ1QCyOLIqM/s1762/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%2010.10.46%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1762" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaisx9C1l8rvUpeJY-OiNoksLkIdrR8YY4i0MajmbiAwCsF2uWrs2HYnRh_KNA7Wrk9Ru1y6rFFlh1sASqv4ydoQ3mbl48-aXTGCVuypDg1sBWZIREfp6M4CAhEV3lIRRqHH7vViCKpO7monUN6rWAEtLxEEyG7D4iexxCJQxG_y8n1vG7BJ1QCyOLIqM/w640-h254/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%2010.10.46%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-28/venezuela-s-violent-deaths-fall-to-22-year-low-on-migration</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>The reason given---migration---many of the bad actors have left the country.</p><p>I wonder where they went?</p><p>It also recently got a lot more interesting last month when Venezuela stopped accepting any deportation flights from the United States and Mexico.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfCyCugcWWeljhb1f9TLAyRGCJkUyKaL4-LOxUowN73RJckN1v7y11aw-0FaeqWCoUK52SHdQRtYyXnfurVn7wcBMCVk9AMli8Ms7RygrY6ZyMeBnQ-4BoDWY9FBrcNyaph_lm44BR4c2yOAWqCZu6_97utabzQ10upTKYW_QIA2KCLe3stkAzJCjgTYFZ/s1404/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%205.48.38%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="1404" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfCyCugcWWeljhb1f9TLAyRGCJkUyKaL4-LOxUowN73RJckN1v7y11aw-0FaeqWCoUK52SHdQRtYyXnfurVn7wcBMCVk9AMli8Ms7RygrY6ZyMeBnQ-4BoDWY9FBrcNyaph_lm44BR4c2yOAWqCZu6_97utabzQ10upTKYW_QIA2KCLe3stkAzJCjgTYFZ/w640-h142/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-05%20at%205.48.38%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://nypost.com/2024/02/23/world-news/venezuela-stops-taking-flights-of-migrants-deported-from-us/</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>I guess Venezuela does not see those who left to be their best and brightest.</p><p>Who knows how many of those who have crossed the border were released from jail and given money on the condition they head to the United States?</p><p>Joe Biden has given out a lot of "get out of jail cards" with his open borders policy that is a gift to Venezuela and other countries.to clear out their jails and gang members and send them to the U.S.</p><p>Will Joe Biden pivot on immigration?</p><p>Looking at the facts you would have to be incompetent, a fool or totally detached from reality to not do something to show you are serious about protecting the borders of the United States.</p><p>What is it with Joe Biden?</p><p>I am betting on some type of small pivot that is more form than substance that the Democrats can build a narrative around to stop the bleeding in the polls.</p><p>However, I am basing that opinion on the facts in front of us.</p><p>That can be a bad assumption when Democrat politics are involved.</p></div>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-70110360279880424832024-03-04T07:00:00.001-05:002024-03-04T07:00:00.457-05:00Five Facts From February, 2024<p>BeeLine is rooted in facts and data. It is the foundation from which everything I write is based.</p><p>Five facts from February's BeeLine posts and in my research during the past month that I thought were particularly salient, surprising, or stupefying.</p><p>In a world in which opinions seem to be based more on feelings, emotions and prevailing narratives it might make sense to put more focus on straightforward facts, data and truths. </p><p>Consider these facts and data and consider the context they provide to the larger issues of our world today.</p><p><b><u>Illegal Immigration---Biden and Trump</u></b></p><div>Joe Biden and the Democrats are claiming that they can do nothing about the illegal immigration crisis at the border due to Republican inaction.</div><div><br /></div><div>Somehow Donald Trump found a way to deal with those who were attempting to cross the border and claim asylum.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9JE8-PC-ht4fBtsdmWCKS7Uj17PHT6CkBUSNKmnXS8vHDZlH7T7jf8_dzweTeLOP9Ntu618HbMKGmmDRVVuJgVaDoSkkWf1FfjghNhbaQsPCkLQAaU1-H1Jj2azYzn92CHujv18gfZ749cKD7GWfnRdOWq7oQ8-fn9y6LSn_APaobkPGzNYMiUORQHEIX/s643/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-26%20at%204.40.26%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="643" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9JE8-PC-ht4fBtsdmWCKS7Uj17PHT6CkBUSNKmnXS8vHDZlH7T7jf8_dzweTeLOP9Ntu618HbMKGmmDRVVuJgVaDoSkkWf1FfjghNhbaQsPCkLQAaU1-H1Jj2azYzn92CHujv18gfZ749cKD7GWfnRdOWq7oQ8-fn9y6LSn_APaobkPGzNYMiUORQHEIX/w640-h480/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-26%20at%204.40.26%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>The truth is that the current border crisis was effectively created by Joe Biden.</div><div><br /></div><div>Biden also has always had the power and authority (as Trump did) to restrict the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens from entering the country under the laws of the United States.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Kv_MTnnaZLg822eDEtpvdOC4y5QiY9pGfI4Z8CoW0N1RuuGGQpUqj-dQV1rU3cI2zip7btQpElluejpboYp7jnKeRwCqs96dxjONiQvcHQasWY9kOCsgj4l_ebI4fP0Upuf4llelzJXY-4S9EFIrY1tTjwkdTRiQp-EgzdmnHfUAqnhFlxChmc4eQej7/s536/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-26%20at%204.45.00%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="536" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Kv_MTnnaZLg822eDEtpvdOC4y5QiY9pGfI4Z8CoW0N1RuuGGQpUqj-dQV1rU3cI2zip7btQpElluejpboYp7jnKeRwCqs96dxjONiQvcHQasWY9kOCsgj4l_ebI4fP0Upuf4llelzJXY-4S9EFIrY1tTjwkdTRiQp-EgzdmnHfUAqnhFlxChmc4eQej7/w640-h450/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-26%20at%204.45.00%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><b><u>United States Population Increase</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>The United States just had its largest increase in population in one year in the nation's history.</div><div><br /></div><div>The increase was not due to an increase in births. Births have been trending down for a number of years.</div><div><br /></div><div>The increase was almost totally due to the number of illegal immigrants who entered the country over the last year.</div><div><br /></div><div>3.2 million illegals were apprehended at the border and a substantial number of those were released into the country.</div><div><br /></div><div>An untold number escaped detection altogether and are now living amidst us.</div><div><br /></div><div>One respected expert put the increase in population in the last year at 3.8 million adding births minus deaths (.5 million) plus legal immigration (1.2 million) plus illegal immigration (2.1 million). That population increase estimate may actually be low.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBSWIlYOgGLPNRhAWJvjTASRnWFZ2DAXTqyAspQ0XB1QIMwrs33hVyUJDRUGrpXhrrFY19Iwfe3R8Lame3tylTk4Zyq-itT0jZ81TVuBGC83mkET0X_bna0urpG4Fcwwu0vFQhNWlGsT6wJisIcRR0i_jsK2Yuasp7PHSk8fJ5UTsjWBZI1WvUgCsdB0m/s676/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-03%20at%207.26.30%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="676" height="578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBSWIlYOgGLPNRhAWJvjTASRnWFZ2DAXTqyAspQ0XB1QIMwrs33hVyUJDRUGrpXhrrFY19Iwfe3R8Lame3tylTk4Zyq-itT0jZ81TVuBGC83mkET0X_bna0urpG4Fcwwu0vFQhNWlGsT6wJisIcRR0i_jsK2Yuasp7PHSk8fJ5UTsjWBZI1WvUgCsdB0m/w640-h578/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-03%20at%207.26.30%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><div>How do you add almost 4 million people in one year to the population without creating enormous sustainability and societal problems?</div><div><br /></div><div>You can't do it.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, this is where we are.</div><div><br /></div><div>Make no mistake, this is all the work of Joe Biden and the Democrats.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Islamophobia?</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>In 1990 there were 500,000 Muslims in the United States.</div><div><br /></div><div>By 9/11/2001 that number had risen to 1.1 million.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today that number has quadrupled to 4.5 million Muslims in America.</div><div><br /></div><div>At the same time, the Christian population in Iraq has almost completely disappeared over the same period---from 1.5 million to 150,000.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-F4eSEKyjdLqb5-Bs-tWeLrNQFWTFnFBuRyh3ddLi7dbA-Z3jNFdycMevci52W2r19qxB95jhQvn6g-Ew3wn4eYyd77PiYXE_BVc36Y_hjYbxQ8-orOdZCl7nfkZSddHD-hVozpwV-eqLW1Qx6JGZYRpVwlfGKH4EPwWB2fuUYgLsrDApfq5wesEBrREF/s462/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-03%20at%201.00.46%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="232" data-original-width="462" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-F4eSEKyjdLqb5-Bs-tWeLrNQFWTFnFBuRyh3ddLi7dbA-Z3jNFdycMevci52W2r19qxB95jhQvn6g-Ew3wn4eYyd77PiYXE_BVc36Y_hjYbxQ8-orOdZCl7nfkZSddHD-hVozpwV-eqLW1Qx6JGZYRpVwlfGKH4EPwWB2fuUYgLsrDApfq5wesEBrREF/w640-h322/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-03%20at%201.00.46%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>To summarize, there are almost 10 times the number of Muslims in the U.S. today as there were in 1990.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, there are only 10% of the Christians in Iraq today compared to 20 years ago.</div><div><br /></div><div>Islamophobia or Christianophobia?</div><div><br /></div><div>Which is the bigger problem in the world today?</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, neither compares to the Anti-Semitism that is prevalent today.</div><div><br /></div><div>Would it not be nice if everyone could just get along?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Defund the Police in Portland</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Portland, Oregon was at the center of the defund the police and Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.</div><div><br /></div><div>How has it all worked out for them?</div><div><br /></div><div>Apparently not real well.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlxq9Q-0wc6EfbGpRqio4KQvfuq9IfQEBrGM-TLoqyo_x9RhHD5nN9M28PKep-fuN7AHUoDDca0xKUrfePPjtNxolYgiauEEUH1sx0g2Ixm3VCqDLH-Ni5ia4_LbXAw87WOboz9p1yO2HInWtvjGDDmVtzp9mBOw-_KQ7f0lEtOOTqnp3FcJ4smGdtAw7/s643/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-03%20at%208.05.48%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="643" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlxq9Q-0wc6EfbGpRqio4KQvfuq9IfQEBrGM-TLoqyo_x9RhHD5nN9M28PKep-fuN7AHUoDDca0xKUrfePPjtNxolYgiauEEUH1sx0g2Ixm3VCqDLH-Ni5ia4_LbXAw87WOboz9p1yO2HInWtvjGDDmVtzp9mBOw-_KQ7f0lEtOOTqnp3FcJ4smGdtAw7/w400-h303/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-03%20at%208.05.48%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b><u>Self-Esteem</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>We hear so much about "white privilege" these days you would think that white people would have self-esteem that is off the charts.</div><div><br /></div><div>You would also think that Blacks have the lowest self-esteem due to systemic racism.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, the exact opposite is true based on the data.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdHnlIQb8jSOAgrKYwb-BQPjL_YF4mqYLAwzZ510YHw_ao-CcI9IClE5QP-zgHeGFyk-EwLjPrEstZL_CaVgBprQi_QAjLQjJ7WTFom32LISHcFpASF-ukB3ruVtc42M8kEsidEnmn8GwUeNYwx6p3ai6OMYZjjHg7B4IWdBAsikSjWM0XmD0Z0TBck_2/s645/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-03%20at%208.27.31%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="645" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdHnlIQb8jSOAgrKYwb-BQPjL_YF4mqYLAwzZ510YHw_ao-CcI9IClE5QP-zgHeGFyk-EwLjPrEstZL_CaVgBprQi_QAjLQjJ7WTFom32LISHcFpASF-ukB3ruVtc42M8kEsidEnmn8GwUeNYwx6p3ai6OMYZjjHg7B4IWdBAsikSjWM0XmD0Z0TBck_2/w640-h426/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-03%20at%208.27.31%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><div>It is also generally true that all races feel better and have warmer feelings about their own race than they do of others. This has probably been the case since the beginning of time since familiarity drives favorability in the human mind.</div><div><br /></div><div>You see that fact in this chart which measures in-group bias by race/ethnicity.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2R51YiKRi6HhNkWD1VgcZyorzpehqW8T20rHyhBgEs7VbSmIQDhodZkAQiGFccZV5eAHWwAn3CQc6boTrfMflxAjQ75SVv-rrIcKXq-V_LOL3xmfhy4ew9et5fCv_-SYkmu9njQ55I6Q01vtbSs1lztRs9A9wdLNMSW5k-beiJDPxO5U7xoHuV3k5o-7/s652/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-03%20at%2012.14.49%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="652" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2R51YiKRi6HhNkWD1VgcZyorzpehqW8T20rHyhBgEs7VbSmIQDhodZkAQiGFccZV5eAHWwAn3CQc6boTrfMflxAjQ75SVv-rrIcKXq-V_LOL3xmfhy4ew9et5fCv_-SYkmu9njQ55I6Q01vtbSs1lztRs9A9wdLNMSW5k-beiJDPxO5U7xoHuV3k5o-7/w640-h316/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-03%20at%2012.14.49%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>However, there is one outlier---White liberals.</div><div><br /></div><div>White liberals are the only group who views themselves worse than they do others.</div><div><br /></div><div>They claim to feel more warmth to other races than they do to their own race.</div><div><br /></div><div>Is white guilt more prevalent than white privilege?</div><div><br /></div><div>The data suggests that is the case.</div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-52200243147216218072024-02-28T07:34:00.000-05:002024-02-28T07:34:41.605-05:00The Hands of Man<p>I am always in awe of those who can create something new and creative out of nothing.</p><p>It is relatively easy for someone to copy the work of others and add a couple of bells and whistles.</p><p>It is the original effort that is difficult. </p><p>Creating something where there is no model or experience.</p><p>There is no statement that says it better than what Sir Isaac Newton was known to have said.</p><p><b>"If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."</b></p><p>In these pages I have written before about some of those who stepped out and have truly done something original that also had transformative effects on society.</p><p>Newton would call all of them "giants".</p><p><a href="https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2015/06/on-shoulders-of-giants.html">The Wright Brothers.</a></p><p><a href="https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2011/10/we-need-more-jobs.html">Steve Jobs.</a></p><p><a href="https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2023/12/elon-musk-force-of-nature.html">Elon Musk.</a></p><p>I am a not a big "Arts" guy but I have similar respect for anyone who can create original work in music, film or art. </p><p>That is especially true of sculpture where you start with a block of stone or a mound of clay and turn it into a beautiful form.</p><p>I first gained a true appreciation for this when I was in Florence, Italy when I was 18 years old and had the opportunity to see Michelangelo's sculpture of David.</p><p>I remember being fixated on the right hand of the statue as I stood several feet away considering the detail and attempting to contemplate how this human shape could have been created from a single block of marble.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqRxnEehl04bg7w5lsorMhXRDNU6TNtHi2DQDRRP0bnvbRigjpu-pb28ytStD6vkJZ4t9z7d5kddnmfIEYI4ho_eqS_BQB_5PPSENrk8misTSLMIkB0LfyA4zQuUlCD3fVCytQH1Tj68Np1YXIi7sR7TAt7i0J-HmMWZcNnLyRdE8jiNv_EXzwdU0mVnp/s647/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-24%20at%206.33.17%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="502" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqRxnEehl04bg7w5lsorMhXRDNU6TNtHi2DQDRRP0bnvbRigjpu-pb28ytStD6vkJZ4t9z7d5kddnmfIEYI4ho_eqS_BQB_5PPSENrk8misTSLMIkB0LfyA4zQuUlCD3fVCytQH1Tj68Np1YXIi7sR7TAt7i0J-HmMWZcNnLyRdE8jiNv_EXzwdU0mVnp/w496-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-24%20at%206.33.17%20AM.png" width="496" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>It was also easy to feel a little small at 18 years of age when I learned that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_(Michelangelo)">Michelangelo was a mere eight years older than me</a> when he began working on David in 1501 A.D. that then consumed nearly three years of his life. </p><p>It was a giant statue created by a giant of a man.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv07r2iWjfytCOKY_5JWNjrmD6iAYhOmt_HyDp4Q_Ab_U1mT76hrYSKWSQg3Wa6bm3Rk9_jAjeykG8jdFu5wju2iwyW7-3fqPkV0HYXqUWPuH0Ef7jZHhqyJOw1JtpGAp38HTfIX13df3mGGYjY6-dAUTHoYc9FA31Jj3RmJOfBqqTI9qmLEPtwd8v6Do6/s537/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-25%20at%205.51.22%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="537" data-original-width="373" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv07r2iWjfytCOKY_5JWNjrmD6iAYhOmt_HyDp4Q_Ab_U1mT76hrYSKWSQg3Wa6bm3Rk9_jAjeykG8jdFu5wju2iwyW7-3fqPkV0HYXqUWPuH0Ef7jZHhqyJOw1JtpGAp38HTfIX13df3mGGYjY6-dAUTHoYc9FA31Jj3RmJOfBqqTI9qmLEPtwd8v6Do6/w444-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-25%20at%205.51.22%20AM.png" width="444" /></a></div><br /><p>I recently came across a <a href=" https://twitter.com/Culture_Crit/status/1735718901231579371">thread on X.com by @Culture_Crit </a>that highlighted some of the greatest works of lifelike sculptures ever produced.</p><p>Here is another marble sculpture by Michelangelo that depicts Moses that was completed in 1515.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1bP46h2Nh-R-4vSqG615eWJBnSb7EDyHrxCk_l5aM3gie5x39pBhLgI3qvklFieq1MVkuvLKcs73L0_rWJce0qcjEq4waKmtk9VW4tljap8jAP1VUcnMLeGyhfCfu-0YMndca1kqJ4pAcMy14A9zsbaLo2FTzzcVUrGgLbisXLoHlnosZrlgCXcf0ahx/s621/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-25%20at%205.59.45%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="423" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1bP46h2Nh-R-4vSqG615eWJBnSb7EDyHrxCk_l5aM3gie5x39pBhLgI3qvklFieq1MVkuvLKcs73L0_rWJce0qcjEq4waKmtk9VW4tljap8jAP1VUcnMLeGyhfCfu-0YMndca1kqJ4pAcMy14A9zsbaLo2FTzzcVUrGgLbisXLoHlnosZrlgCXcf0ahx/w436-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-25%20at%205.59.45%20AM.png" width="436" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Michelangelo did not miss many details in the human form.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjic0chTv0cDaFiUdmQR4LUJ1Nb6V5JheQFs9fFeZI5JoaVCKKlIOSPgClnz4P9Rcb8xTFKkNbW80hKhjI86lvBDituEKBil5YTRfUJ_0gzVksnA9o5txKejifZbdqsWQ0HFj8plb-raiQmD_b-NcwU0g7AkDGwhB2iAunjHlGGpgnI0Rk_r8RW65Ciggws/s563/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-25%20at%208.56.35%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjic0chTv0cDaFiUdmQR4LUJ1Nb6V5JheQFs9fFeZI5JoaVCKKlIOSPgClnz4P9Rcb8xTFKkNbW80hKhjI86lvBDituEKBil5YTRfUJ_0gzVksnA9o5txKejifZbdqsWQ0HFj8plb-raiQmD_b-NcwU0g7AkDGwhB2iAunjHlGGpgnI0Rk_r8RW65Ciggws/w546-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-25%20at%208.56.35%20PM.png" width="546" /></a></div><br /><p>Here is a sculpture by Chauncey Bradley Ives (1884) titled "Undine Rising From the Waters".</p><p>It does seem as if her garment is wet and clinging to her skin. However, it is all marble.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXg2c7vomTYUnbB6RUh6NWBdNgzkJvgswyzjn_TlQo3ZekHwT25tQsxtX1cIdT61P2pS8MV7rZ_GUd81QgK_FzLyXv4uXgq1Yq2sq8Gshu5wzcxblCmr4udTR-2AFxJDyQ7cKqmXFtpupaFVeIgrIHBPSH3QTehyphenhyphenXZk0AnsZGUIfBpBeeJdyBOWDIk_e4O/s463/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-26%20at%208.53.06%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="375" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXg2c7vomTYUnbB6RUh6NWBdNgzkJvgswyzjn_TlQo3ZekHwT25tQsxtX1cIdT61P2pS8MV7rZ_GUd81QgK_FzLyXv4uXgq1Yq2sq8Gshu5wzcxblCmr4udTR-2AFxJDyQ7cKqmXFtpupaFVeIgrIHBPSH3QTehyphenhyphenXZk0AnsZGUIfBpBeeJdyBOWDIk_e4O/w518-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-26%20at%208.53.06%20AM.png" width="518" /></a></div><br /><p>We also have this statue in marble by Antonio Corradini, "Modesty" (1753) that depicts a veil of sheer fabric over the face and body.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJUGKialZ2k7QplknixgSKlrKEeXuaIDvIyH4GFwtRm_6puhsuibMDLN7xwam2c6c-RaTvCdijCrdHF8x0dCCqCVXq0o0Q9US_iojBrjPo6VeBNFunRa3ssQq-Q4FvjFcHjN6CBH0WVWuddRVSgZZKqG-9qN0dVOtXjCYX0tVkfd1nGgV20OJ22MFpfeoR/s455/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-26%20at%208.58.12%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="345" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJUGKialZ2k7QplknixgSKlrKEeXuaIDvIyH4GFwtRm_6puhsuibMDLN7xwam2c6c-RaTvCdijCrdHF8x0dCCqCVXq0o0Q9US_iojBrjPo6VeBNFunRa3ssQq-Q4FvjFcHjN6CBH0WVWuddRVSgZZKqG-9qN0dVOtXjCYX0tVkfd1nGgV20OJ22MFpfeoR/w486-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-26%20at%208.58.12%20AM.png" width="486" /></a></div><br /><p>However, could there be a greater example of sculpting a veil out of marble than that created by Giovanni Strazza in the 1850's with "The Veiled Virgin"?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUXO7ZIW0SsBGr8q3B8SuenqJtt5OMmjl9y43hWfV2znPxCDlc0qhS7YNSFJNoSyAJu_PSfY4AE_H3CisV0BaQHNLwVU2bccWapYL6P7AnUSosr8poFKMJdnCDXnVLNhs2_whZjErxYSjeLaAQjsoaWv5MukxdogcWCdpDVudZXvyVwMI7wI4wY30k6ja8/s462/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-26%20at%209.02.10%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="345" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUXO7ZIW0SsBGr8q3B8SuenqJtt5OMmjl9y43hWfV2znPxCDlc0qhS7YNSFJNoSyAJu_PSfY4AE_H3CisV0BaQHNLwVU2bccWapYL6P7AnUSosr8poFKMJdnCDXnVLNhs2_whZjErxYSjeLaAQjsoaWv5MukxdogcWCdpDVudZXvyVwMI7wI4wY30k6ja8/w478-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-26%20at%209.02.10%20AM.png" width="478" /></a></div><br /><p>How about this piece by Francesco Queirolo which includes intricate netting?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gJ1GpZanLT_1F64HR05Cpzqr_qvnhYZveQHbtYEVdk9dCLCWQ1Ucv0DDOMqs0dfvwdTbfWitSzq7K2NWlui635asoYmCcjjO3o7_6puPah9-JHcbc7HUkkm3UDzbZSjKE4j5VXiRreNh7ma_7RUox-hEJngoP2QzHyi0p6Ps7FL38CfH4mU2C3cSPahL/s793/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-27%20at%209.49.19%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="793" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gJ1GpZanLT_1F64HR05Cpzqr_qvnhYZveQHbtYEVdk9dCLCWQ1Ucv0DDOMqs0dfvwdTbfWitSzq7K2NWlui635asoYmCcjjO3o7_6puPah9-JHcbc7HUkkm3UDzbZSjKE4j5VXiRreNh7ma_7RUox-hEJngoP2QzHyi0p6Ps7FL38CfH4mU2C3cSPahL/w640-h508/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-27%20at%209.49.19%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Incredibly, this work was done with one block of marble and took seven years (1752-1759) to complete.</p><p>A closer look at "The Release From Deception" by Queirolo.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6Sc4jtZHHAFD1Wx9LhBg24FxxBP1b5jyM1_2EadA6LHHPrA46zAOitBU2pU373eKlsAlcrm85R4pn8BKiS4CY7f_8SB78-Y2lyRMyl03M0UFDBqkIKHwIohDlG7gMBu6NcUkwwS-QwNlGI_TL-hXJg_dcutrFCAyS2zc0dxNmolvxsJhiqQhieaHAfNi/s634/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-27%20at%209.53.37%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="537" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6Sc4jtZHHAFD1Wx9LhBg24FxxBP1b5jyM1_2EadA6LHHPrA46zAOitBU2pU373eKlsAlcrm85R4pn8BKiS4CY7f_8SB78-Y2lyRMyl03M0UFDBqkIKHwIohDlG7gMBu6NcUkwwS-QwNlGI_TL-hXJg_dcutrFCAyS2zc0dxNmolvxsJhiqQhieaHAfNi/w542-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-27%20at%209.53.37%20AM.png" width="542" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>A detailed look at the netting.<div><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBBqVeTBPjeXMF1I2zwmKqCZO8r1ZqmnndOMma5KSIadkYASYUMpVytLZrVBcgcJFL70tv3pSGrZjSy_aiSTwaoPo2l6JLIHVXT4Q3CCdApTDb53yIsZmaIbDxUirgkTpuSnVcw7_7eSRa711Z4ImsardKyaueBw62TDxOH3uYW_ia0S86RZHll557-oV/s745/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-27%20at%209.59.30%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="745" height="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBBqVeTBPjeXMF1I2zwmKqCZO8r1ZqmnndOMma5KSIadkYASYUMpVytLZrVBcgcJFL70tv3pSGrZjSy_aiSTwaoPo2l6JLIHVXT4Q3CCdApTDb53yIsZmaIbDxUirgkTpuSnVcw7_7eSRa711Z4ImsardKyaueBw62TDxOH3uYW_ia0S86RZHll557-oV/w640-h604/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-27%20at%209.59.30%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: https://mymodernmet.com/francesco-queirolo-the-release-from-deception/</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><p>I am not sure there is a more realistic marble sculpture than "The Abduction of Prosperina" by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1622) .The hands gripping Prosperina's body are astounding.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9BPC5i7hkSrrq8MNsdc37ZdlTk5qVKGR5sUCFgluW0nmSWMSgMPyjhyIDJqi2chSYQEEZa67SRKOebExTzU-nQQO56w8hukKdklr8o9lv64TmPkEs3TvixBzRy9gBz-w7qUZnN6SxFYPXCJlHYX5IbejIE0_HXGhLpcOwWQ1cwC5E8TbwWxVGE2TFUF8M/s462/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-27%20at%2010.03.36%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="348" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9BPC5i7hkSrrq8MNsdc37ZdlTk5qVKGR5sUCFgluW0nmSWMSgMPyjhyIDJqi2chSYQEEZa67SRKOebExTzU-nQQO56w8hukKdklr8o9lv64TmPkEs3TvixBzRy9gBz-w7qUZnN6SxFYPXCJlHYX5IbejIE0_HXGhLpcOwWQ1cwC5E8TbwWxVGE2TFUF8M/w482-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-27%20at%2010.03.36%20AM.png" width="482" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmVUnALM69VauywS6_9PPFechkI_vAtgVM17-9f24Jo3VhIi97u5uxAawCAocGqcqAFZNz1zJIEATO7alMFOT7BJNme-wiNfnRt3IP2i2bvlao797x_Nd2VeToVkJg-JHwBnMsgIQmJsvycSJHzjifAR5NyP-lhWIgiHbG4cdwAv74pHYTs-7DEG3_YcF/s541/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-27%20at%2010.05.52%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="527" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmVUnALM69VauywS6_9PPFechkI_vAtgVM17-9f24Jo3VhIi97u5uxAawCAocGqcqAFZNz1zJIEATO7alMFOT7BJNme-wiNfnRt3IP2i2bvlao797x_Nd2VeToVkJg-JHwBnMsgIQmJsvycSJHzjifAR5NyP-lhWIgiHbG4cdwAv74pHYTs-7DEG3_YcF/w624-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-27%20at%2010.05.52%20AM.png" width="624" /></a></div><br /><p>What is most amazing about all of these sculptures is that they were done solely with the hands of man, a creative mind and some rudimentary tools such as a hammer and chisels.</p><p>There was no CAD-CAM, artificial intelligence, laser cutting tools or 3D printing.</p><p>The hands of man created these masterpieces.</p><p>Michelangelo <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_(Michelangelo)">reportedly stated in his later years</a> that he viewed his work not so much sculpture but of liberating figures that were already existing in the stone. He contended he could see them in his mind's eye and his work was to merely chip away the excess material around the figure.</p><p>Is there anyone alive today who could create such masterpieces using only their hands and the tools available in these prior periods of human history?</p><p>Seeing all of this reminds me of passage in Walter Isaacson's biography of Elon Musk that seems particularly relevant when considering all of this.</p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><p><i>Elon found it surprising---and frightening --- that technological progress was not inevitable. It could stop and even backslide. America had gone to the moon. But then came the grounding of the Shuttle missions and an end to the progress. </i></p><p><i>"Do we want to tell our children that going to the moon is the best we did, and then we gave up?, he asks.</i></p><p><i>Ancient Egyptians learned how to build the pyramids, but then that knowledge was lost. The same happened to Rome, which built aqueducts and other wonders that were lost in the Dark Ages. Was that happening to America?"</i></p><p><i>"People are mistaken when they think that technology just automatically improves", he would say in a TED talk a few years later. "It only improves if a lot of people work very hard to make it better."</i></p></blockquote><p>The truth of Elon's views hits home even more so right now considering the events of the last few days when an American built spacecraft returned to the moon for the first time in 51 years.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivv3T94OJ-aHN8b1Ij1UV1EZFAfvKMSU-gNuVEMfg4aqDia9WSO3M-4l6ReFOtdxUF-XqTQDKntz-kBokogocBZqjqG57marM6YztNwmMCyxyUjgzBfvpnfvhz8g238CAZNgGQr6IzCZddjBMlaXhQ7ODg8a_y19Ff6Sj1DqBUdj8Zwi1UYiAf6TCsIA_1/s573/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-27%20at%208.31.07%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="87" data-original-width="573" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivv3T94OJ-aHN8b1Ij1UV1EZFAfvKMSU-gNuVEMfg4aqDia9WSO3M-4l6ReFOtdxUF-XqTQDKntz-kBokogocBZqjqG57marM6YztNwmMCyxyUjgzBfvpnfvhz8g238CAZNgGQr6IzCZddjBMlaXhQ7ODg8a_y19Ff6Sj1DqBUdj8Zwi1UYiAf6TCsIA_1/w640-h98/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-27%20at%208.31.07%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://phys.org/news/2024-02-years-moon.html#google_vignette</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>What is also true in looking at these great works of art, even when technology improves, it does not necessarily mean that the final product is better or more inspiring than that which was done with the hands of man.</p><p>The same can be said of that moon landing last week when you compare the tools at hand today compared to what existed 51 years ago.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbsasvvjkdtV4XNsnTGL5wRwRPErSsPGl_1oJz_aydxQEJQLDTlM2Pjp7U9_kYT2cp_sGBXGQH-biy5Mjb5qclpdJoUMvxTOv9JW7ttoh-__USo5wlXnUpG6h6uFU-prywCg9ekGl1D5D_VL4aIoMHL0B8KlHk2ptxoeXUvXLO30sHtS9-yCb027sL0pX8/s797/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-28%20at%206.31.41%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="797" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbsasvvjkdtV4XNsnTGL5wRwRPErSsPGl_1oJz_aydxQEJQLDTlM2Pjp7U9_kYT2cp_sGBXGQH-biy5Mjb5qclpdJoUMvxTOv9JW7ttoh-__USo5wlXnUpG6h6uFU-prywCg9ekGl1D5D_VL4aIoMHL0B8KlHk2ptxoeXUvXLO30sHtS9-yCb027sL0pX8/w640-h408/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-28%20at%206.31.41%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2022/11/08/fast-forward-comparing-1980s-supercomputer-to-modern-smartphone</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><i></i></p></div></div>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-8525671923706122392024-02-26T07:00:00.023-05:002024-02-26T07:00:00.315-05:00Returning To BeeLine's Origins<p>My 12-year old grandson recently asked me how long I had been writing BeeLine.</p><p>It surprised me when I realized that I had been writing BeeLine since before he was born.</p><p>BeeLine was launched on January 1, 2011.</p><p>I pulled up the first BeeLine blog post so that I could read it with my grandson.</p><p>I was surprised at how closely BeeLine has adhered to the key principles and vision I had for it in that very first blog post.</p><p>My most important objective was to provide some coherence and context as to what was going on in the world. I also wanted to do it by getting above the clutter and chaos that fills our world with hard facts and data.</p><p>The blog posts that followed may not have been as concise as I originally envisioned but I soon discovered if I was going to provide the necessary factual content and context it would require more exposition and explanation.</p><p>I also found out that the time commitment to the blog was greater than I expected because of the additional research it took to verify and substantiate the facts or data I used in each post.</p><p>It is true that there is a lot of misinformation on the internet. I always endeavor to confirm or corroborate the key facts and data I use in BeeLine.</p><p>Unfortunately, since I started writing BeeLine, it seems more and more misinformation is found in the mainstream media where it is used as part of a narrative to advance the agenda or interests of progressives or the D.C. establishment (e.g. Russia collusion, Covid had natural origins, etc.)</p><p>Here is that f<a href="https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2011/01/welcome-to-beeline.html">irst blog post.</a></p><p>Over 1,800 blog post later, have I remained faithful to the original vision of BeeLine?</p><p>Your comments are welcome and appreciated...</p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Welcome to BeeLine </span></b><b>(originally published January 1, 2011)</b></p><p>A new year. A new beginning. A new blog. It certainly is debatable whether the world needs another blog. <a href="http://royal.pingdom.com/2010/01/22/internet-2009-in-numbers/">By one count (Pingdom)</a>, there were 126 million blogs on the internet in 2009. That compares to 234 million websites serving 1.73 billion internet users worldwide.<br /><br />90 trillion emails were also sent in 2009 (the final 2010 totals should be available in the next 30 days). However, 81% of all emails are spam according to Pingdom!!<br /><br />Keeping all this in mind, I want BeeLine to be useful and relevant. A"beeline" is defined in most dictionaries as a straight or direct route. The shortest line from one place to the other is probably the way I like to think of it. That is what I want this blog to be. There is so much information out there, but how do you get yourself above the clutter, chaos and calumny that we live with everyday? My hope is to provide some small modicum of coherence and context about the world and share it with you in a concise manner. That is my goal for BeeLine.<br /><br />I intend to write primarily about what interests me and what I also think you will find interesting. That will probably mean there will be a heavy dose of politics, public policy, economics, taxation, investing, employee benefits, neuroeconomics, sports and interesting trivia. However, anything and everything is fair game if it meets the BeeLine test of giving you a direct path to what I find interesting and what I think is worth sharing.<br /><br />How will I do this? Will there be enough worth sharing? I have no idea as I begin the New Year. However, experience tells me I will come across something that will meet the test. The only serious question is whether anyone will care. I start off knowing that of those 1.73 billion internet users, 738 million are in Asia. By contrast, only 250 million are in North America-only 15% of total worldwide internet users.<br /><br />When you add in the internet users in Latin America (179 million), Africa (67 million), the Middle East (57 million) and Europe (418 million of which a large majority do not speak English) I have to come to terms that none of us is as relevant as we think we are (or used to be). It is a new world. I will do my best to embrace it even if I am competing in a small market much like my local Cincinnati Reds baseball team.<br /><br />Happy New Year!</p>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-88614697426383749562024-02-21T06:27:00.000-05:002024-02-21T06:27:40.145-05:00This and That---February 21, 2024 Edition<p>A few random observations, charts and factoids to provide some context on what is going on in the world.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>What Is Going On In Portland?</u></b></p><p>Portland, Oregon was at the center of the defund the police movement a few years ago.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTPICJse1tCsPKoMBa9TA-XzlRiwKXkjMH-UO-XDyXZmChHyuhsyxKQ6gHGlD7bjBRYAENgNpMrw27MT4cY4aIPNCwnrhgdz410PwDMsluwrgIjUZnkpPqZ1-T5GtAKiZF64f5roly3rn6UkuDpM9KepB04zQzvxKeTxCT_fAkCW4U5YVskS4INQiTfEj/s1038/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-18%20at%202.38.27%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="1038" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTPICJse1tCsPKoMBa9TA-XzlRiwKXkjMH-UO-XDyXZmChHyuhsyxKQ6gHGlD7bjBRYAENgNpMrw27MT4cY4aIPNCwnrhgdz410PwDMsluwrgIjUZnkpPqZ1-T5GtAKiZF64f5roly3rn6UkuDpM9KepB04zQzvxKeTxCT_fAkCW4U5YVskS4INQiTfEj/w640-h102/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-18%20at%202.38.27%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://thehill.com/changing-america/sustainability/infrastructure/503940-portland-is-latest-city-to-defund-police/</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The argument was that resources would be better spent on psychologists, mental health professionals and paramedics than community policing.</p><p>This was how one of the young. liberal, female protestors confronted the police in Portland during the Black Lives Matter and Defund the Police movement in 2020.</p><p>It was one of my favorite images from that crazy year.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMeWL5vGwJLWXkJTYiJucI_JWDU3VRDceEc09UYGylvR0EBM8mGq5U-zunAlbfwt1AkWaMqS2cqu4QufCZItTem9Y941jMahcQ-Ybs1KmuQ7tqSjhdGuX6z0w1bqoiMlxlfZBsYCdbcxj39DbyuvF5YE9A67k8uAH_qvD__0nDLD7Nn8LcabdOlQ3EOMu/s528/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-18%20at%202.42.16%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="528" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMeWL5vGwJLWXkJTYiJucI_JWDU3VRDceEc09UYGylvR0EBM8mGq5U-zunAlbfwt1AkWaMqS2cqu4QufCZItTem9Y941jMahcQ-Ybs1KmuQ7tqSjhdGuX6z0w1bqoiMlxlfZBsYCdbcxj39DbyuvF5YE9A67k8uAH_qvD__0nDLD7Nn8LcabdOlQ3EOMu/w640-h448/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-18%20at%202.42.16%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>How have the progressive strategies worked out in Portland?</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOQMCnA_kxIWz883vq0UTMyIaJrMt4uRGyQxHRNsZiY8LHN-HXVpnm6yviIBdY13vlbnJysO7npo45W5j_9h7vLuGShmh9sYFZybR5pPbgcyqOn0EVBKrru73H-rAiPFq3vbBVAvn_x3CP61SaIKttGKa8pmfn15yZrvsIAn6k9KjlN7vdGB7LYAcaDL1/s549/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-18%20at%202.48.27%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="549" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOQMCnA_kxIWz883vq0UTMyIaJrMt4uRGyQxHRNsZiY8LHN-HXVpnm6yviIBdY13vlbnJysO7npo45W5j_9h7vLuGShmh9sYFZybR5pPbgcyqOn0EVBKrru73H-rAiPFq3vbBVAvn_x3CP61SaIKttGKa8pmfn15yZrvsIAn6k9KjlN7vdGB7LYAcaDL1/w640-h484/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-18%20at%202.48.27%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Another interesting factoid I saw about Portland recently.</p><p>It has the most strip clubs per capita of any city in the United States.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQa-8dB6ljBSLDH2u7s1ZIawq9G_j-N8Xd4nPQ337ijXnn3QNgSzjvl1opa3mrK6dUJ_rPKAGOlqgRPLwP6P9nxVST_YHcK-w1q5D5NfkAaQWzweBINw7kr4rvnKD8BifW6PLV-BNhlXAIhEom6CcIF89ERDCs_UYXJG3rnYUj8T4v6AsSatoZ3O5nhzh/s752/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-18%20at%204.53.58%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="752" height="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQa-8dB6ljBSLDH2u7s1ZIawq9G_j-N8Xd4nPQ337ijXnn3QNgSzjvl1opa3mrK6dUJ_rPKAGOlqgRPLwP6P9nxVST_YHcK-w1q5D5NfkAaQWzweBINw7kr4rvnKD8BifW6PLV-BNhlXAIhEom6CcIF89ERDCs_UYXJG3rnYUj8T4v6AsSatoZ3O5nhzh/w640-h576/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-18%20at%204.53.58%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://priceonomics.com/why-does-portland-have-so-many-strip-clubs/</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>I have to say that surprised me considering the progressive, feminist mindset that permeates politics in that city.</p><p>In attempting to get an explanation as to how it is that Portland became the strip club capital of America <a href="https://priceonomics.com/why-does-portland-have-so-many-strip-clubs/">I came across this explanation.</a></p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><i>When Oregon adopted its constitution in 1859, it included a very vague, open-to-interpretation statute (Article 1, Section 8): “No law shall be passed restraining the free expression of opinion, or restricting the right to speak, write or print freely on any subject whatever.” Since then, Oregon’s Supreme Court has vigorously defended this “free expression” in all forms, resulting in something of a garden of eden for strip clubs.</i></blockquote><p>Apparently that "free expression of opinion" allows strip clubs to proliferate and young women to protest the police while nude in the middle of the street but did not extend to those who did not want to wear a mask or to get vaccinated during Covid.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh43ENvhF2EEdJR5SpJNwOv8_kvEgScDkBJ61rkSP7i988g7yR3ZIbKFeVfIIUkzxPWxXSIscwwnHnt4n3NpNH17SuW8f06MqI5OFecw80A5MHj5UVRWWVjIoB-Jzy6mkwzdUFDhVLevKZpD0NvgLZ6REEO4X-xXYv9M_4oDjsJKxFsIdRMjs3sxkvJ7OR3/s893/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-18%20at%207.43.59%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="211" data-original-width="893" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh43ENvhF2EEdJR5SpJNwOv8_kvEgScDkBJ61rkSP7i988g7yR3ZIbKFeVfIIUkzxPWxXSIscwwnHnt4n3NpNH17SuW8f06MqI5OFecw80A5MHj5UVRWWVjIoB-Jzy6mkwzdUFDhVLevKZpD0NvgLZ6REEO4X-xXYv9M_4oDjsJKxFsIdRMjs3sxkvJ7OR3/w640-h152/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-18%20at%207.43.59%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.wmtw.com/article/portland-city-council-unanimously-passes-mask-mandate/38659539</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjry7JtpF7gCO9HluCkS6zdJfmohnH79k3p8X3ZdzrJnIQvXT8y6Oe5Kw5yKglN02tTkYyeIOPeAnrg58ZuregPPQCNGmrygnPotxO0Zy1Y5oQYfmePibjv9ID1u38a77rp72IuQWGk24Zw5xpmjrdH4fbnwa1i0QCcIzuEJVk1FquC3obBuQq1DujLG6Ig/s537/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-18%20at%207.45.19%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="537" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjry7JtpF7gCO9HluCkS6zdJfmohnH79k3p8X3ZdzrJnIQvXT8y6Oe5Kw5yKglN02tTkYyeIOPeAnrg58ZuregPPQCNGmrygnPotxO0Zy1Y5oQYfmePibjv9ID1u38a77rp72IuQWGk24Zw5xpmjrdH4fbnwa1i0QCcIzuEJVk1FquC3obBuQq1DujLG6Ig/w640-h172/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-18%20at%207.45.19%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://komonews.com/news/local/covid-19-vaccine-required-for-city-of-portland-employees#!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><b><u>White Males Die By Suicide, Black Males Die By Homicide </u></b></p><p>This is an interesting chart that shows violent death rates for males by race.</p><p>White males die by suicide. Black males by homicide.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81SVQggEyUIifMOnkYZeOGP68mOo1xSN1CWxpIEqpTbO4Vh5Zes7nkk2EEuBaqp3UmT6uz_jimMEwQP774oZX3mGemrUOYV6Z-yz_An0TyNX0nRwoWD3lR-cqlbQSvY5NhXBeJZvWFGzPcv_ixD2WDAip95hzFxLoNJHfiifNfd_m4aW8Fm2f3kfZROE4/s632/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-19%20at%209.07.56%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="632" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81SVQggEyUIifMOnkYZeOGP68mOo1xSN1CWxpIEqpTbO4Vh5Zes7nkk2EEuBaqp3UmT6uz_jimMEwQP774oZX3mGemrUOYV6Z-yz_An0TyNX0nRwoWD3lR-cqlbQSvY5NhXBeJZvWFGzPcv_ixD2WDAip95hzFxLoNJHfiifNfd_m4aW8Fm2f3kfZROE4/w636-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-19%20at%209.07.56%20AM.png" width="636" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: https://twitter.com/Foz89107323/status/1759271422956863600</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>It appears that destructive tensions in Whites are borne internally whereas the opposite is true in Blacks.</p><p>This appears to have been exacerbated in recent years as "White Guilt" has become a thing.</p><p>I referred to the following data in an earlier blog post <a href="https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2023/11/making-sense-of-self-esteem.html">("Making Sense of Self-Esteem")</a> that shows that in the U.S. Blacks have the highest level of self esteem and Whites have the lowest. This may partially explain the high suicide rates for White males compared to Blacks.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzPS4cg_6Skbd5wiSLpjyl_tD7i55hkgdagIHNV9fy_L8wHH4T2hzA-KJ930jrY1nG2z6o9ThNHUrzU_Oof3SLe8mgO_CZ56tAj0AEpJw9n3VMLEa5eB3AD2DVTrWzCiYz4fb23MQGFjfxJbHKgCq5NtDjmyGahy1XxPDA4RM39J8ifLQqX1Bp8uw2FcG/s642/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-19%20at%2012.29.29%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="642" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzPS4cg_6Skbd5wiSLpjyl_tD7i55hkgdagIHNV9fy_L8wHH4T2hzA-KJ930jrY1nG2z6o9ThNHUrzU_Oof3SLe8mgO_CZ56tAj0AEpJw9n3VMLEa5eB3AD2DVTrWzCiYz4fb23MQGFjfxJbHKgCq5NtDjmyGahy1XxPDA4RM39J8ifLQqX1Bp8uw2FcG/w640-h426/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-19%20at%2012.29.29%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>It has also generally been true that all races feel better and have warmer feelings about their own race than they do of others. This has probably been the case since the beginning of time since familiarity drives favorability in the human mind.</p><p>You see that fact in this chart which measures in-group bias by race/ethnicity.</p><p>However, there is one outlier---White liberals.</p><p>They claim to feel more warmth to other races than they do to their own race.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vXjtRGxnxgt5KEbhnYW1CA7W3wSfJKYCQrsm1iUexPWLl4-d5OYa93lQKwNES84SThLqR21gotQpNLIv5ZdaMbtZedvwsazGgkbsC_ZRqlhVaUa75yyuK-Z7qaVk61heliLX8vl2us-zTf_LuIlwt6xeaT2yXxpA99SFeJmOTaxRNP8KqBWDq4J3bDZw/s1056/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-19%20at%2012.31.57%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="1056" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vXjtRGxnxgt5KEbhnYW1CA7W3wSfJKYCQrsm1iUexPWLl4-d5OYa93lQKwNES84SThLqR21gotQpNLIv5ZdaMbtZedvwsazGgkbsC_ZRqlhVaUa75yyuK-Z7qaVk61heliLX8vl2us-zTf_LuIlwt6xeaT2yXxpA99SFeJmOTaxRNP8KqBWDq4J3bDZw/w640-h280/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-19%20at%2012.31.57%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: https://twitter.com/Foz89107323/status/1759271478120305101</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>White liberals are the only group who views themselves worse than they do others.</p><p>It is never a good thing to take anger out on someone else.</p><p>This data suggests that it is worse to take it out on yourself.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>Who Is Driving In Luxury?</u></b></p><p>Recent data suggests that 39% of the vehicles that Gen Z are interested in buying are luxury models.</p><p>Only 12% of the vehicles that Boomers are likely to buy are luxury brands..</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpohs4nX85bSE4i8bCKRWmisASp4V0Y_bK-B2_WHyBWZlYYVEkiPX_nq3_gVwJCpzxY3bu_0ijJ0eUaV_HCEWj1Qxo9D2rMYM61icf21-2TFneC6-lrAjT9fSS0jukyapmZ1RbNF0VPKXRQBU2mMhSeaaC3Uma5ZqvkCKL2TuHOF3vV7MgUezB0UOSOA2C/s545/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-19%20at%206.47.58%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="239" data-original-width="545" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpohs4nX85bSE4i8bCKRWmisASp4V0Y_bK-B2_WHyBWZlYYVEkiPX_nq3_gVwJCpzxY3bu_0ijJ0eUaV_HCEWj1Qxo9D2rMYM61icf21-2TFneC6-lrAjT9fSS0jukyapmZ1RbNF0VPKXRQBU2mMhSeaaC3Uma5ZqvkCKL2TuHOF3vV7MgUezB0UOSOA2C/w640-h280/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-19%20at%206.47.58%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Gen Z is generally defined as someone who was born in the mid-1990s or later making the oldest of that generation in their late 20's.</p><p>What is interesting is that the Federal Reserve is not even separately breaking out the wealth of this generation yet. due to lack of data. Anyone born after 1981 is considered a Millennial.</p><p>However, even considering this, Millennials only hold 8.5% of total wealth in the U.S.</p><p>Boomers hold 50%.</p><p>The fact that Boomers are not interested in buying luxury cars might be one reason why they have that wealth.</p><p>The fact that Gen Z wants to buy a luxury car must be a reason why they want their student loan debt to be cancelled.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCm3yheCWAC-AVfKCGTNFkygrXActkjSF5QheLyZDm8fcQeRbc7OSO7AweBEs2VxFwojOVHuCNk869onfxisUE1wmsNAV3T3jKMCUPZm5q8JspcSTGlw1AP-Scnv96kTQHvcoMfklwoEy7bhgKIyg4RO8oVUC-fpJ6_oMWUZst1SNtuLCfxNOXLsIT_0_/s598/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-19%20at%207.00.48%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="402" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCm3yheCWAC-AVfKCGTNFkygrXActkjSF5QheLyZDm8fcQeRbc7OSO7AweBEs2VxFwojOVHuCNk869onfxisUE1wmsNAV3T3jKMCUPZm5q8JspcSTGlw1AP-Scnv96kTQHvcoMfklwoEy7bhgKIyg4RO8oVUC-fpJ6_oMWUZst1SNtuLCfxNOXLsIT_0_/w430-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-19%20at%207.00.48%20PM.png" width="430" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/us-wealth-by-generation/#google_vignette</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><b><u>Catch and Release</u></b></p><p>Joe Biden claims that he needs Congress to pass new legislation in order to make the border more secure.</p><p>However, look at the chart below of the number of illegals who were apprehended at the southern border and then released into the country on their own recognizance to appear at an immigration hearing sometime in the future. </p><p>Many of those released will not get a court date for at least a decade. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtYW4sihaAaRS0WWyxTUipQQ07rzHkuCt33he4kBHhwrk-3NENFOdVcPoNPfg_UM7_MGyVr3elQFOoBkgXmdENXnpU94Etg-YPAfdi1qPwPN6Jrwkq1OqP5xRbaAgMJ9eDghX5NT6-GXnKfmE6nJvDwakdZ1OoFO8yrQR09T9Txfa7-zSSPgWmAMQJNWTo/s815/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-20%20at%206.01.37%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="815" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtYW4sihaAaRS0WWyxTUipQQ07rzHkuCt33he4kBHhwrk-3NENFOdVcPoNPfg_UM7_MGyVr3elQFOoBkgXmdENXnpU94Etg-YPAfdi1qPwPN6Jrwkq1OqP5xRbaAgMJ9eDghX5NT6-GXnKfmE6nJvDwakdZ1OoFO8yrQR09T9Txfa7-zSSPgWmAMQJNWTo/w640-h110/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-20%20at%206.01.37%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: Source: https://apnews.com/article/immigration-courts-wait-54bb5f7c18c4c37c6ca7f28231ff0edf<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>What are the chances that these illegals will even show up for that court date knowing they may be deported?</p><p>In 2020, under the Trump administration, just 365 border apprehensions were released into the United States with a notice to appear at a future court date.</p><p>In 2023, under the Biden administration, over 1 million illegals who were apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol were released into the country. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6gg2z-FwYZVrrCxOVTJasBGD5YqsNNKC2eaNRgAcZXe7_cyBwOg_MoK5CK4rps7enx44CuRzj2Z6UZeYQ2AZ84TsHRkSCKug0DZAib0ME9f4VOgQ3vFfIWfbnjz0pPih_i6tMYlLFLLu2lEdUsGU_LDqsj8al-0uQLZgWp9IfZ3LXNl3TTGwjQAapvLh/s1013/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-20%20at%206.04.06%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="1013" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6gg2z-FwYZVrrCxOVTJasBGD5YqsNNKC2eaNRgAcZXe7_cyBwOg_MoK5CK4rps7enx44CuRzj2Z6UZeYQ2AZ84TsHRkSCKug0DZAib0ME9f4VOgQ3vFfIWfbnjz0pPih_i6tMYlLFLLu2lEdUsGU_LDqsj8al-0uQLZgWp9IfZ3LXNl3TTGwjQAapvLh/w640-h384/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-20%20at%206.04.06%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: https://twitter.com/kerpen/status/1756811183410008148</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>You might believe the law changed in January, 2021.</p><p>It did not.</p><p>This was accomplished by the executive orders of Joe Biden.</p><p>No new law will fix this.</p><p>Laws do not mean anything if the person charged with enforcing the laws of the United States does not do so.</p>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-38668472077293176862024-02-19T07:00:00.001-05:002024-02-19T07:00:00.136-05:00Population Pressure<p>What is the population of the United States?</p><p>How much has it grown since the official census in 2020 determined that there was a population of <a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045223">331.5 million in the United States</a>?</p><p>How many were added in 2023?</p><p>It seems that you can get very different answers based on who you want to believe.</p><p>This investment researcher believes we are seeing the lowest population increases in the United States in more than 100+ years.</p><p>It is worse than what we saw in the Great Depression.</p><p>It is "scary".</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwDEv8QFxZaoSMDBmtbtBdw67NfC72azp37u-crF2vZvRcMQEs2wLXmykvPA3C629ST6TTgI5xG5IdU7itfq2SvgvRnfl3TFEFKu9kpGborvkRF-kcyONPD-_vbOquuxq_ChSbPDQoN_1Q-_X1EHhT2kkicTOp2TdlKTt0fx6JmsfCt50ITQDzH01ZSlW/s594/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-16%20at%202.47.08%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="594" height="606" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwDEv8QFxZaoSMDBmtbtBdw67NfC72azp37u-crF2vZvRcMQEs2wLXmykvPA3C629ST6TTgI5xG5IdU7itfq2SvgvRnfl3TFEFKu9kpGborvkRF-kcyONPD-_vbOquuxq_ChSbPDQoN_1Q-_X1EHhT2kkicTOp2TdlKTt0fx6JmsfCt50ITQDzH01ZSlW/w640-h606/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-16%20at%202.47.08%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>At the same time, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/us-population-largest-one-year-increase-history-1870560">Newsweek has a story</a> reporting that the United States has just seen the largest one-year growth in population in the nation's history citing a report by John Burns Research and Consulting.</p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtU4eKB1hWqLzhvNxkXGD1_yU2s4zrSRonW5c42eAgADunl5Pg1UqGvehY5M5BYOCtKYtzRg22za7qBT-Kx3PcVvST9FMDYDZl-l3l9PLNV-awvuyPIgqw45NnxZweKat4beLiLRPhHgFvPFMSanpSsGNKwa-ldne1XbwxgYVfBJ4G_tPbftkzzcX-G69/s1222/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-16%20at%208.17.14%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="1222" height="84" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtU4eKB1hWqLzhvNxkXGD1_yU2s4zrSRonW5c42eAgADunl5Pg1UqGvehY5M5BYOCtKYtzRg22za7qBT-Kx3PcVvST9FMDYDZl-l3l9PLNV-awvuyPIgqw45NnxZweKat4beLiLRPhHgFvPFMSanpSsGNKwa-ldne1XbwxgYVfBJ4G_tPbftkzzcX-G69/w640-h84/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-16%20at%208.17.14%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.newsweek.com/us-population-largest-one-year-increase-history-1870560</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9XVGExughoOZWtzDCX2HdfYMMc4AIMRqt36iNmwBWz2DJgqo3mBqzLStOIqfAZJyJ17F19k2x8h_KCdj0HrYeKI5l2w_d7wfpatvtxjjxKnx2RRWZVz3xsjuHx43W-9qkAStKFp_0VZIddAt-QfvMXBKTiIx_qXE-Bq9xtJLBlOfM_3g5xRCIAGeRqnb/s515/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-16%20at%208.19.00%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="515" height="592" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9XVGExughoOZWtzDCX2HdfYMMc4AIMRqt36iNmwBWz2DJgqo3mBqzLStOIqfAZJyJ17F19k2x8h_KCdj0HrYeKI5l2w_d7wfpatvtxjjxKnx2RRWZVz3xsjuHx43W-9qkAStKFp_0VZIddAt-QfvMXBKTiIx_qXE-Bq9xtJLBlOfM_3g5xRCIAGeRqnb/w640-h592/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-16%20at%208.19.00%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: https://www.newsweek.com/us-population-largest-one-year-increase-history-1870560</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Both of these reports cannot be true.</p><p>In addition, the <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/us-population-largest-one-year-increase-history-1870560">official U.S. Census Bureau estimate is that the population of the United States increased by 1.6 million</a> over the last year.</p><p>What are we to believe?</p><p>Let's analyze this issue the way we approach things at BeeLine.</p><p>That means we look at the underlying data and facts for the truth.</p><p>According to the U.S. Census Bureau there were 3.66 million births in 2023.</p><p>There were 3.15 million deaths.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Wt-RH_Vl0uoaLKgTEEMdxa6b_JwdILN-NOId_mA8V93bVtxQBNVGXjHfm6-teoE3uS8mfbaMhYK3Q-whdmYRH_OincUvYMsYMWvzIhBQ_Uy7nPmPaqGobvnWU_PCCUVw9_UQckerACIxZYnk4fOSs1NQLy8DFYwNXX-Kr92YjHqOeR2Wy_iy78LPeRZ4/s746/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-16%20at%208.31.29%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="746" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Wt-RH_Vl0uoaLKgTEEMdxa6b_JwdILN-NOId_mA8V93bVtxQBNVGXjHfm6-teoE3uS8mfbaMhYK3Q-whdmYRH_OincUvYMsYMWvzIhBQ_Uy7nPmPaqGobvnWU_PCCUVw9_UQckerACIxZYnk4fOSs1NQLy8DFYwNXX-Kr92YjHqOeR2Wy_iy78LPeRZ4/w640-h402/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-16%20at%208.31.29%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/12/state-population-estimates.html</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>The difference in births and deaths would give us a <b>net population increase of .51 million.</b></p><p><b><a href="https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/biden-three-immigration-record#:~:text=Post%2DPandemic%2C%20Legal%20Immigration%20at%20New%20Highs&text=The%20State%20Department%20issued%2010.4,the%20most%20since%20FY%202008.">1.2 million immigrants</a> were given lawful permanent residency </b>(green card status) in the United States in 2023.</p><p>We then have to consider the number of illegal immigrants who entered the country in 2023.</p><p>There were <b>3.2 million apprehensions and expulsions at the border in 2023.</b> There were an unknown number beyond this that entered the country undetected.</p><p>We know that the vast majority of those who were encountered and apprehended at the border were released into the country at the direction of the Biden administration.</p><p>Let's be conservative and estimate that <b>2.5</b> <b>million additional illegal immigrants</b> are now in the country that were not here a year ago.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWsyHS-sggm1Vwtkj6cMOm1INwZW2LvcVnk2JiBxnvTjLAE3JyOS6fagL3AXC8eLP3Tm6seu3bD-n_LCJhvwQMLdsT7iVnHyimDB-Gqp01zrhlHFxAnMg0yExLaAWPlmXyBQh_N_7vc18_l82Hm1p8IBCS0o3VTSHGp9ApzK6_4tc61gF9k8FP4dLQQ56/s833/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-16%20at%208.39.16%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="833" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWsyHS-sggm1Vwtkj6cMOm1INwZW2LvcVnk2JiBxnvTjLAE3JyOS6fagL3AXC8eLP3Tm6seu3bD-n_LCJhvwQMLdsT7iVnHyimDB-Gqp01zrhlHFxAnMg0yExLaAWPlmXyBQh_N_7vc18_l82Hm1p8IBCS0o3VTSHGp9ApzK6_4tc61gF9k8FP4dLQQ56/w640-h476/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-16%20at%208.39.16%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Bianco Research, L.L.C.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Let's do the math on the population increase in the United States in 2023 based on these facts.</p><p><b>Births minus deaths +.51 million</b></p><p><b>Legal immigrations +1.10 million</b></p><p><b><u>Illegal immigration +2.50 million</u></b></p><p><b>Net Population Increase +4.11 million</b></p><p>The BeeLine analysis suggests that the 3.8 million increase in the population cited in the Newsweek story is the most reliable number to believe.</p><p>The claim that U.S. population is seeing its lowest growth rate in over 100 years is clearly wrong in that this analysis is ignoring any immigration numbers.</p><p>The U.S. Census number is similarly inaccurate in that it appears to totally ignore illegal immigration in its numbers. Otherwise its 1.8 million growth numbers is very close to BeeLine's 1.71 million for births minus deaths plus legal immigration.</p><p>I would suggest that 3.8 million to 4.1 million is a sound estimate for the increase in population in the United States in 2023.</p><p>That would make it the largest yearly increase in population numbers in the United States in history.</p><p>What is interesting to me in all of this is that the Democrats are "all in" on an open border at the same time that they are so vocal about sustainability issues.</p><p>There seems to be no recognition of the enormous sustainability issues regarding their position on illegal immigration. This is especially surprising considering the importance of this issue with liberal and younger voters in particular.</p><p>Too many immigrants puts too much strain on our resources. It puts unnecessary strain on everything in our society---our water, our sewer systems, our roads, the electric grid, our infrastructure and our environment. It contributes to congestion and urban sprawl.</p><p>Add to this what it does to increase the financial strain on our schools and our health system and costs pressure on rents and housing costs, not to mention our law enforcement and justice system.</p><p>Adding too many immigrants, too quickly, also puts added pressure on the social order if those immigrant numbers outpace the ability to integrate and assimilate them into the general population.</p><p>How do you add 4 million people in one year without creating enormous sustainability and societal problems?</p><p>You can not do it.</p><p>However, this is where we are.</p><p>Thanks, Joe!</p>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-76405788917938969702024-02-16T06:49:00.000-05:002024-02-16T06:49:10.596-05:00Is the SAT Pendulum Swinging Back?<p>Six years ago I wrote a blog post entitled <a href="https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-sat-meets-pc.html">The SAT Meets PC"</a> about the emerging trend of eliminating standardized tests as an admission requirement at selective colleges and universities.</p><p>The move was apparently motivated by the fact that the test scores of those the universities wanted to give preference to were not scoring high enough on the standardized tests and those they wanted to reject were scoring too high.</p><p>The trend gained momentum over the succeeding years (particularly in 2020 as Covid disrupted the education sector) until almost all top colleges got rid of the SAT or ACT requirement in what they argued was in the interest of more diversity, equity and inclusion.</p><p>In my previous blog post I pointed out the absurdity of all of this in that the use of standardized aptitude and assessment tests like the SAT or ACT were introduced to begin with in order to identify talent and aptitude in the first place.</p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><p><i>What is interesting is that the argument for doing so is to "enhance diversity".</i></p><p><i>That seems particularly ironic in that standardized tests were introduced in order to "enhance diversity" in the first place. They were introduced to identify talent and aptitude without regard to anything else--family background, wealth, race, religion or gender.</i></p><p><i>We now have to get rid of these tests to do the same thing they were introduced to do?</i></p><p></p></blockquote><p>It appears that the pendulum is now swing back the other way.</p><p>In 2022, MIT reinstated the SAT/ACT requirement.</p><p>Last week Dartmouth said they were bringing it back as well.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpLaxZHlhP9y3BO3lBxtzo5hIs3QA2rVqZa8gb8Od_hV3vivYxIDH4nOleKW4cyL6ua1-gYKvd0G5DR-gozmx_f4HEi6QqvNElZAitisCR7kLEeBbPqYPHa8sEKj6fenDOwOBX83kgHpLeYcuOk1eEDLkh_KdBfQpBEa-fCmi-HHxr8-OAScv7jVpAjTNs/s724/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-15%20at%209.45.24%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="97" data-original-width="724" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpLaxZHlhP9y3BO3lBxtzo5hIs3QA2rVqZa8gb8Od_hV3vivYxIDH4nOleKW4cyL6ua1-gYKvd0G5DR-gozmx_f4HEi6QqvNElZAitisCR7kLEeBbPqYPHa8sEKj6fenDOwOBX83kgHpLeYcuOk1eEDLkh_KdBfQpBEa-fCmi-HHxr8-OAScv7jVpAjTNs/w640-h86/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-15%20at%209.45.24%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://abcnews.go.com/US/dartmouth-reinstates-satact-scores-drawing-attention-role-standardized/story?id=106987409</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>This week Yale announced it is considering reversing its position on the SAT.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiicUQqeCfUJKmqCGVa4lGRCrFBhuA1AE-yQcZpJBB5WzYqmEqxz7Xjqknjn5tSMqC1JdbmizBXaMv3EB5cg1wEK2ItXf5OY0KDOTe0-ZuMKeAgMST-htgnTvLuFpUJT2jp-UC17BLdnOyhW02w1H5XZUIlV5xb4a_ck-zrRNgr6I5o4wPn7y1IfgClXbqd/s773/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-15%20at%209.49.16%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="198" data-original-width="773" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiicUQqeCfUJKmqCGVa4lGRCrFBhuA1AE-yQcZpJBB5WzYqmEqxz7Xjqknjn5tSMqC1JdbmizBXaMv3EB5cg1wEK2ItXf5OY0KDOTe0-ZuMKeAgMST-htgnTvLuFpUJT2jp-UC17BLdnOyhW02w1H5XZUIlV5xb4a_ck-zrRNgr6I5o4wPn7y1IfgClXbqd/w640-h164/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-15%20at%209.49.16%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-02-14/yale-weighs-bringing-back-sats-after-dartmouth-mit-reversal?embedded-checkout=true</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>I know something about the subject of standardized tests. I have taken more of them than most people on this earth.</p><p>I have taken the PSAT, SAT, ACT, LSAT, the Multistate Bar Exam and the CPA exam.</p><p>Some argue that standardized tests are racist. However, they do not appear to be racist when it comes to Asian students, many of which have been brought up in families that have far different cultures than most Americans. Many parents of these students also only speak English as a second language. How is it Asians score even better than Whites on the SAT/ACT?</p><p>In fact, a <a href="https://humanvarieties.org/2023/08/06/a-remarkable-correlation-between-iq-and-sat-scores-across-ethnic-groups/">recent study</a> found that Asian students who had parents who did not graduate from high school scored higher on the SAT than Black students who had parents with doctorate degrees.</p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><p><i>A final analysis compares the SAT scores by ethnic group across each of the nine levels of parental education: no high school, high school, vocational training, associate’s degree, some college, bachelor, master degree, PhD professional, PhD scholarship. Earlier, I have examined 8 data sets and found that the black-white IQ gap increases when education level increases, consistent with the hypothesis that more education does not reduce the IQ gap. This pattern was replicated in the SAT scores, for both years. The asian-white gap maybe increases with education level, but not the hispanic-white gap. <b>It is striking that asians with parents who did not complete high school score 100 points above blacks with PhD parents.</b></i></p></blockquote><p>Asian students with parents who did not finish high school also had SAT scores about the same as White students with parents who had college bachelor's degrees. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVFcywMg0IkzHsljxBEETnDG-v17fAFXjOqQmuVJU6ON5OCAT2a2l0SNClxn-ZcUrvSkNQAQC-8-akxSD5ceUnWGcfWUHXk-s0CLtkyX-cO36XqY3DhOX9AD4Cte7x0dcww_7yusYKpV1UvLtA0YJRMNKEyIkUtIE-oTk20ZfleKBB3xeKpQ3d27HcSBj/s603/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-16%20at%205.39.26%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="555" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVFcywMg0IkzHsljxBEETnDG-v17fAFXjOqQmuVJU6ON5OCAT2a2l0SNClxn-ZcUrvSkNQAQC-8-akxSD5ceUnWGcfWUHXk-s0CLtkyX-cO36XqY3DhOX9AD4Cte7x0dcww_7yusYKpV1UvLtA0YJRMNKEyIkUtIE-oTk20ZfleKBB3xeKpQ3d27HcSBj/w590-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-16%20at%205.39.26%20AM.png" width="590" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://humanvarieties.org/2023/08/06/a-remarkable-correlation-between-iq-and-sat-scores-across-ethnic-groups/</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Standardized tests are designed to assess whether you have the abilities to succeed in college, law school, medical school and the like or the knowledge for professional certification. They have been used over years because <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/07/briefing/the-misguided-war-on-the-sat.html">most of the studies I have seen </a>(and these studies were well known before 2018) suggest that there is a strong correlation between those that do well on those tests and those who successfully complete the coursework. The correlation is also better than high school grades in predicting future higher academic success.</p><p>Why is Dartmouth bringing the SAT back?</p><p>Dartmouth explains that their own research has shown that the SAT does exactly what it was designed to do when it was first designed---identify talent across a broader spectrum of society and also predict college success.</p><p>From <a href="https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/apply/update-testing-policy">Dartmouth's explanation</a> about its research study on the reversal of the SAT policy.</p><p></p><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">...High school grades paired with standardized testing are the most reliable indicators for success in Dartmouth's course of study. They also found that test scores represent an especially valuable tool to identify high-achieving applicants from low and middle-income backgrounds; who are first-generation college-bound; as well as students from urban and rural backgrounds. It is also an important tool as we meet applicants from under-resourced or less familiar high schools across the increasingly wide geography of our applicant pool. That is, contrary to what some have perceived, standardized testing allows us to admit a broader and more diverse range of students.</blockquote><p>In that the pendulum on the SAT looks to be in the early stages of swinging back you might want to read in full what I wrote about six years ago when political correctness started to overtake merit and common sense.</p><p>It also provides you with some helpful perspective and context on why the standardized tests were instituted in the first place in order to level the playing field in favor of talent and away from privilege.</p><p>Isn't this what equity is supposed to be about?</p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The SAT Meets PC (</span>originally published August 9, 2018<span style="font-size: medium;">)</span></b></p><p>After World War II aptitude tests gained increased favor with both business and education due to their wide use in processing hundreds of thousands of military recruits into the right roles in the War effort. For example, my father was only a high school graduate at the beginning of World War II but he was assessed with high intelligence and trained as a cryptographer. He told me that he was one of the cryptographers who passed the top secret message to drop the atomic bomb.<br /><br />Business used the tests after the War for hiring for management positions based on whether someone had the aptitude to succeed rather than simply focusing on a college degree. It was the same reason that the Armed Forces used aptitude tests. Quite simply, in those days only 1 in 10 went to college. If someone did not attend college it most likely had nothing to do with their ambition or intelligence. They simply did not have the financial resources to continue their education.<br /><br />The use of standardized tests leveled the playing field. It did not matter if your father wasn't a bank president or you did not go to a boarding school. It only mattered if you had the smarts to succeed.<br /><br />Interestingly, <a href="https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2015/01/what-about-all-of-this-student-debt.html">a Supreme Court case in 1971</a> (Griggs v. Duke Power Co.) ruled that jobs-based aptitude tests were potentially discriminatory as they could cause "disparate impact" when used by employers to assess and predict the performance of workers for promotion and advancement. As a result, a college education became the "default" for determining who would get on the management track and college became the only ticket for future advancement. High school graduates were left out in the cold no matter what their abilities might be.<br /><br />The use of the SAT and ACT tests began being used extensively in college admissions decisions for similar reasons after the War and their importance grew after the Griggs decision. Admissions into the Ivy's and other top schools that were historically based on family connections and the East Coast boarding school they attended. The use of standardized tests like the SAT allowed college admissions to be democratized and merit based.<br /><br />Using a standardized test that measured one's aptitude for college work leveled the playing field. It allowed schools to find overlooked talent who may not have had all the advantages of the prepsters on the East Coast. It did not matter if you hailed from Michigan, Montana or Mississippi and did not have the same access to a quality high school education that the affluent had. The SAT showed whether you had the ability to do the work. The SAT also allowed admissions officers to objectively compare a student from the Choate School with students from Chillicothe, Ohio and South Central LA.<br /><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlSO-myPyW2GA9Q-MH28aYoLAiSAxOcPUBRvx7LRsUhMgBPdbVsCpb67tK3cHqrxffEIZTXAKAYyoUiTMTstHRN_9hPVRTgj_ZWy_4u_c41M2Nvu1vv3blmCilXY-7aMix9-lAF2j08kR/s1600/Screen+shot+2018-08-09+at+8.22.16+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="642" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlSO-myPyW2GA9Q-MH28aYoLAiSAxOcPUBRvx7LRsUhMgBPdbVsCpb67tK3cHqrxffEIZTXAKAYyoUiTMTstHRN_9hPVRTgj_ZWy_4u_c41M2Nvu1vv3blmCilXY-7aMix9-lAF2j08kR/s400/Screen+shot+2018-08-09+at+8.22.16+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /><br />You can therefore argue that standardized testing has been one of the biggest factors allowing deserving, overlooked people to be recognized and receive opportunities to get ahead in the military, business and education over the years. This led to millions being elevated in their class status in the United States.<br /><br />In fact, it would be difficult to point to anything else that has had a bigger impact on improving class mobility and opportunity for deserving people over the last 75 years.<br /><br />Therefore, I find it interesting that more and more colleges are dropping the SAT and/or ACT as part of their admissions process.<br /><br />The <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2018/06/19/university-chicago-drops-satact-requirement">University of Chicago</a> announced last month that it was dropping the requirement. Chicago joins over <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2018/06/19/university-chicago-drops-satact-requirement">1,000 other colleges and universities</a> that have eliminated the standardized test in their admission decisions.<br /><br />What is interesting is that the argument for doing so is to "enhance diversity".<br /><br />That seems particularly ironic in that standardized tests were introduced in order to "enhance diversity" in the first place. They were introduced to identify talent and aptitude without regard to anything else--family background, wealth, race, religion or gender.<br /><br />We now have to get rid of these tests to do the same thing they were introduced to do?<br /><br />Standardized tests are not just a big topic at the university level. They are also under attack in New York City where they are used for admission decisions for the city's top high schools.<br /><br />The reason?<br /><br />Too many Asians are scoring well and too many Blacks and Hispanics are scoring poorly.<br /><br />52% of admission offers to New York City's elite high schools for 2018 went to Asians.<br /><br />4% to Blacks.<br /><br />6% to Latinos.<br /><br />27% to Whites.<br /><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEieVkWKTAZbMkTVwTvH0shylVQ5zlwbxubQM2Lo3wkCdASuoTkF2ZH8RsgIVn2hOoaylgCqKx9bku1O8O-HWzdQnwdTCmzsam7QFWuWzTe5-sbrZj6AAhDYs4FyRnFdQCWCw-7hqGHvQ_/s1600/Screen+shot+2018-07-05+at+8.32.36+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="185" data-original-width="561" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEieVkWKTAZbMkTVwTvH0shylVQ5zlwbxubQM2Lo3wkCdASuoTkF2ZH8RsgIVn2hOoaylgCqKx9bku1O8O-HWzdQnwdTCmzsam7QFWuWzTe5-sbrZj6AAhDYs4FyRnFdQCWCw-7hqGHvQ_/s1600/Screen+shot+2018-07-05+at+8.32.36+PM.png" /></a></div><p><br /><br />This is not fair according to New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio because Blacks and Hispanics make up about 70% of the city's school population but they are only getting 10% of the spots in the elite high schools due to their standardized test scores.<br /><br />On the other hand, Asians make up 13% of the school population but got 52% of the spots.<br /><br />Accordingly, <a href="https://nypost.com/2018/06/06/de-blasios-plan-to-ditch-admission-test-for-top-high-schools-wins-approval/">DeBlasio has won approval to get rid of the standardized test</a> and allocate spots in the elite high schools so that Blacks and Hispanics get somewhere close to 50% of the admission offers.<br /><br />All in the name of diversity.<br /><br />Of course, if the NFL determined who made their rosters with similar thinking they would no longer consider 40-yard dash times or how much an athlete could bench press. They would also allocate a set number of roster positions to those that played in the Ivy, Patriot and Mountain West conferences and cut back those who played at Alabama, Ohio State or USC.<br /><br />All in the name of diversity.<br /><br />Of course, there remains the question as to whether putting individuals in positions where they are in over their heads is really in their best interest.<br /><br />Well-regarded African American economist<a href="https://www.creators.com/read/thomas-sowell/06/16/the-fraud-goes-on"> Dr. Thomas Sowell</a> argues that affirmative action programs aimed at promoting diversity actually do more harm than good for minorities. After all, it easy to see that putting someone in an NFL game that is ill-equipped could hurt them. It is harder to see that in college or high school admission decisions.<br /><br /></p><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>Minority students admitted to institutions whose academic standards they do not meet are all too often needlessly turned into failures, even when they have the prerequisites for success in some other institution whose normal standards they do meet.</i></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>When black students who scored at the 90th percentile in math were admitted to M.I.T., where the other students scored at the 99th percentile, a significant number of black students failed to graduate there, even though they could have graduated with honors at most other academic institutions.</i></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>We do not have so many students with that kind of ability that we can afford to sacrifice them on the altar to political correctness.</i></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>Such negative consequences of mismatching minority students with institutions, for the sake of racial body count, have been documented in a number of studies, most notably "Mismatch," a book by Richard Sander and Stuart Taylor, Jr., whose sub-title is: "How Affirmative Action Hurts Students It's Intended to Help, and Why Universities Won't Admit It."</i><i><br /></i></blockquote><p><br />A law professor at the University of Pennsylvania named Amy Wax was recently placed on probation and prohibited from teaching required first year courses because she questioned the wisdom of the school's affirmative action program. In doing so she stated that she had never seen a black student rank in the top quarter of the class and only rarely in the top half. She claimed that almost all black law students gained admittance due to diversity mandates.<br /><br />Penn's law school dean refuted Wax's claims. However, he produced no data to support his claim that "black students have graduated in the top of the class" at Penn Law.<br /><br />Wouldn't that be relatively easy to do considering the amount of data that a law school typically compiles for accreditation purposes and for the annual law rankings that are done by <a href="https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/university-of-pennsylvania-03140">US New</a>s and others?<br /><br />The Dean's defenders state that he cannot release that data due to privacy concerns. That is nonsense. We are talking about aggregate data. I would like to see the class rank distribution and graduation rates for all admitted minority students at Penn for the last 10 years.<br /><br />Is Professor Wax right or wrong in her assertion? If wrong, the discipline is warranted. However, if she is right doesn't Penn owe everybody an explanation and shouldn't more research and thought go into whether its affirmative action programs are helping (or hindering) minority students?<br /><br />In the meantime, the SAT has met PC (political correctness) and ability seems to be losing in the name of diversity.</p>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-8542685475300114152024-02-14T07:00:00.018-05:002024-02-14T07:00:00.154-05:00Wine and Vinegar<p>In July, 2021 I wrote a blog post titled "<a href="https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2021/07/trump-2024.html">Trump 2024?"</a></p><p>It was barely six months after Trump had left office and I was evaluating the prospects of whether Trump would run again in 2024.</p><p>The general consensus at the time was that Trump would face an uphill battle if he were to run in 2024. He was coming off of two impeachments in just over the last year of his Presidency and the specter of January 6th was also fresh in everyone's mind. Many thought that he would find it impossible to run again..</p><p>However, even at that early date in 2021, Trump was doing rallies and drawing large crowds. That told me there was no doubt he was running in 2024 and he would be a force if he was healthy.</p><p></p><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">I know that there are many in the GOP establishment and in media that want to believe that Trump is done. Those types of turnout and viewer numbers suggest that Trump is still a force to reckon with.</blockquote><p>However, I also predicted at that time that the Democrats were going to do everything they could to make Trump a convicted felon.</p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><i>Democrats have long claimed that Trump is a crook or has been involved in nefarious activities. However, we have heard this for five years and they have not been able to turn up anything on the man.</i></blockquote><p></p><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">There is little question that the Democrats are going to turn over every rock and throw everything they can at Trump and his family the next few years They clearly live in fear of the man. They may get something that sticks and get people to believe that it is more than political retribution. If they do, Trump will not be viable in 2024 as his political brand will be permanently damaged. Once you lose trust you don't get it back.</blockquote><p>Three years later the Democrats have literally thrown everything at Trump you can think of from a legal perspective.</p><p>However, Trump is still standing and all of it appears to have made him stronger.</p><p>Why?</p><p>It goes back to what I wrote three years ago.</p><p>All of it appears to be nothing more than political retribution.</p><p>For example, let's consider the differing treatment of Biden and Trump on the alleged retention of classified documents.</p><p>First, Trump was President and would additional latitude with regard to the possession of classified documents under the Presidential Records Act compared to Biden.</p><p>All of the records that Biden had (some dating back a decade or more) were from his time as Vice President of which there are no exceptions for the possession of classified material.</p><p>Some of Biden's records were stored in open boxes in his garage and in an <a href="https://twitter.com/Jude_62/status/1755728094168535304">office that he shared with the Chinese.</a> Trump's were kept under lock and key at Mar-A-Lago.</p><p>However, Biden's conduct is excused because he was an old, confused man.</p><p>Trump needs to be convicted of a felony and sent to prison.</p><p>Who was the greater risk to national security?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizz9DKpSm-X_p7DNpSOhNZ4MDYzI-ly74fcw4bJAJLUQ1fMUMkilST9dYjl81HujJtZrkEzCbSooNFByclI-oQd97xlqpvWTHk2GcqOnT776VJhJj0Xwpbz_jOjXPey8bBqHr9_C0acyYUqqmhcgWR0R7HR2XT4qyH93O_QTE2owO1FvEUUriWijljUp5S/s602/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-13%20at%209.11.46%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="602" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizz9DKpSm-X_p7DNpSOhNZ4MDYzI-ly74fcw4bJAJLUQ1fMUMkilST9dYjl81HujJtZrkEzCbSooNFByclI-oQd97xlqpvWTHk2GcqOnT776VJhJj0Xwpbz_jOjXPey8bBqHr9_C0acyYUqqmhcgWR0R7HR2XT4qyH93O_QTE2owO1FvEUUriWijljUp5S/w640-h364/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-13%20at%209.11.46%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>It is this unequal application of justice that is working in Trump's favor right now.</p><p>Of course, the biggest thing going for Trump is Biden.</p><p>I predicted in 2021 that an implosion of the country under Biden/Harris could be a huge factor for Trump's resurgence in 2024.</p><p>When people are in trouble they are less concerned with personality and more concerned about performance.</p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><i>An implosion of the country under the Democrats and Biden/Harris. Trump has many critics but hard times have a way of focusing people on what is most important. Trump's personality is the most cited reason why many did not like him. When people are in trouble they are less concerned with personality and more concerned about performance. A deteriorating situation in the country will make Trump a lot more attractive to more people than you can imagine. </i></blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Let's look at some recent polling data to understand this better.<p></p><p>In a <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/voters-are-rating-trumps-presidency-better-expected-hindsight-rcna137971">recent NBC poll</a>, 40% stated that Trump performed better than expected as President compared to only 14% who believed that of Biden.</p><p>42% believed that Biden had performed worse than expected compared to 29% who said that of Trump.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOo4eBH33-RznAvkt2vZJuq410m3zuIPWVgh3yr8x85nUO6jcgcZJk1Vowq6uUix0bv44hphlSVdO2FJmiIDomkT8xb16MlMT44O6SDYz-Y5iAs0pRc-Kk3xp83P5moPT7eRZt62YaoRD39A58tHXfYs7QvHy5k3HTVSMufrb43uA0MRj6yGZd97mQVue/s608/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-13%20at%209.34.47%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="608" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOo4eBH33-RznAvkt2vZJuq410m3zuIPWVgh3yr8x85nUO6jcgcZJk1Vowq6uUix0bv44hphlSVdO2FJmiIDomkT8xb16MlMT44O6SDYz-Y5iAs0pRc-Kk3xp83P5moPT7eRZt62YaoRD39A58tHXfYs7QvHy5k3HTVSMufrb43uA0MRj6yGZd97mQVue/w640-h342/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-13%20at%209.34.47%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/voters-are-rating-trumps-presidency-better-expected-hindsight-rcna137971</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>The views of Independents about Biden's performance should be particularly troubling to Democrats.</p><p>Only 6% of Independents believe Biden has done better than expected and 52% say it has been worse.</p><p>I don't think there is a more important indicator on how the 2024 election might go than looking at the question of voter remorse. In other words, how many of Biden's 2020 voters are going to vote for him again seeing how things have turned out compared to Trump 2020 voters.</p><p>This was a question asked in a recent Morning Consult poll. </p><p>90% of 2020 Trump voters indicated they are willing to vote for him again.</p><p>Only 82% of Biden voters state they will do the same.</p><p>The election could turn on this question when we get to November.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sDZLQ4YZrGD0zj0eYHYrCl5Vn3bj-igJLxita8pNEcsKMQ1j2OoHMRXemlvN3ta9fsd-7OQO-pexevsL0nfg1fSaU_fZGDCjik5hEFZJogqMTqDcu82I09aRKI8jnzN1Z3M11yI16lx5v-u-DwH3wbAg2-lanYgglXx-LHWwM674gGCOiqnOE7QDlJXa/s820/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-13%20at%201.23.27%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="820" data-original-width="538" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sDZLQ4YZrGD0zj0eYHYrCl5Vn3bj-igJLxita8pNEcsKMQ1j2OoHMRXemlvN3ta9fsd-7OQO-pexevsL0nfg1fSaU_fZGDCjik5hEFZJogqMTqDcu82I09aRKI8jnzN1Z3M11yI16lx5v-u-DwH3wbAg2-lanYgglXx-LHWwM674gGCOiqnOE7QDlJXa/w420-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-13%20at%201.23.27%20PM.png" width="420" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://twitter.com/PpollingNumbers/status/1752083582372159829</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>You get a good sense of how perspectives have changed with the passage of time by looking at some questions in the NBC News poll where they asked voters to compare Trump and Biden on some issues and personal characteristics.</p><p>It is particularly interesting to compare the results in the new poll to one taken right before the 2020 election.</p><p>For example, on the issue of who was most competent and effective, Biden was preferred by a net +9 on this question in 2020. Trump is now +16. That is a 25 point swing.</p><p>Trump was +2 on dealing with crime and violence in 2020. He is now +20.</p><p>Trump was +16 on the border and immigration. He is now +32.</p><p>Trump was +10 on the economy in 2020. He is now +22.</p><p>All of these are a reflection on how voters are viewing the deterioration of the country under Biden.</p><p>On the other hand, regrading the issue that the Democrats talk most about, "protecting democracy", Biden is only +2.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjflsj3m1-NcWfU-itygzCwD2_W8mKmwDGiwvnhDKr_C8vpJ3OiXL-ercvzHEbnp7f8w4-ewipJCm1Yw0aESRYF9KsT3KKZArwLWHoFi38F5b6vCTJy0VELZIBesRMSZcfzVmbUdDaZuXSGTTfVa6E4IXNqGz-kNFnFyetVCMei2PK4iKuhgV0Az0nZfpGf/s1053/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-13%20at%2012.53.38%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="1053" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjflsj3m1-NcWfU-itygzCwD2_W8mKmwDGiwvnhDKr_C8vpJ3OiXL-ercvzHEbnp7f8w4-ewipJCm1Yw0aESRYF9KsT3KKZArwLWHoFi38F5b6vCTJy0VELZIBesRMSZcfzVmbUdDaZuXSGTTfVa6E4IXNqGz-kNFnFyetVCMei2PK4iKuhgV0Az0nZfpGf/w640-h316/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-13%20at%2012.53.38%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://pos.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Bill-NBC-Executive-Summary-Presentation-d1a.pdf</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Who has changed their minds the most about Biden and Trump since 2020?</p><p>A look at the cross tabs is revealing.</p><p>Biden is losing the most support among minority voters.</p><p>The biggest change is in Latino voters.</p><p>Biden was +33 points in 2020 exit polling. Trump is now +1 with Latinos.</p><p>Among Blacks, Biden's support has dropped from +75 to +59.</p><p>Biden has also lost significant support among younger voters.</p><p>He has gone from +24 to +8 with 18-29 year old voters, +6 to -5 with age 30-44 voters, and -1 to -12 with 45-64 year olds.</p><p>The Democrat party traditionally wins elections due to the votes of minorities and younger voters. These groups are deserting Biden in droves in recent polling.</p><p>It is due to these numbers I continue to believe that Democrats will have to find a way to get Biden off the ballot before November.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ToxXpr58KuzUhO5DJSMbrc1CymR3333FwAd_ABxqZBdtxPsi8S3-X-tXieITDbd65Nycva_R73pGhOg6i88yrViJsQhK_X4co32xFphgqA0rxxri3NHZozTdFGMKgztE5vGcvhzzRpWpP2evLSNL7UxCzoe7u_KH4ErHI6PrmoN7-b1jIw2oW1xvLETI/s1070/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-13%20at%201.54.47%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="1070" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ToxXpr58KuzUhO5DJSMbrc1CymR3333FwAd_ABxqZBdtxPsi8S3-X-tXieITDbd65Nycva_R73pGhOg6i88yrViJsQhK_X4co32xFphgqA0rxxri3NHZozTdFGMKgztE5vGcvhzzRpWpP2evLSNL7UxCzoe7u_KH4ErHI6PrmoN7-b1jIw2oW1xvLETI/w640-h350/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-13%20at%201.54.47%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://pos.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Bill-NBC-Executive-Summary-Presentation-d1a.pdf</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Given Biden's declining mental capabilities and poll numbers over the last two years, it is beyond me why the Democrat establishment has not already moved Biden to the sidelines.</p><p>The only explantation is that they do not want the rank and file of the Democrat party to decide.</p><p>They must prefer to let a couple thousand (Democrat delegates at the DNC convention) or a couple hundred (the Democrat National Committee) decide rather than the voters.</p><p>It says a lot about what is supposed to be a "Democrat" party which is arguing that this election is about "protecting democracy".</p><p>Political analyst Nate Silver in a recent tweet summarizes it very well.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioq73UMB8AlAaf3pFndZT-ej8RdC4axLUK61b0jmH8CnpT3rSC_I8HsSPU6UM1c9spju5ClFysOAxNCOci_2uUyDm1GqpvPfvEC-Od-xUfJOBsnU1X_QiZ0NB_kxcv1hG4kSI_1jN62f0o1kTKPEl5PDekzLJZ2VVWcOgbcVgMy144qCAFXzr_cFJWW1s7/s543/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-13%20at%202.52.07%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="543" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioq73UMB8AlAaf3pFndZT-ej8RdC4axLUK61b0jmH8CnpT3rSC_I8HsSPU6UM1c9spju5ClFysOAxNCOci_2uUyDm1GqpvPfvEC-Od-xUfJOBsnU1X_QiZ0NB_kxcv1hG4kSI_1jN62f0o1kTKPEl5PDekzLJZ2VVWcOgbcVgMy144qCAFXzr_cFJWW1s7/w640-h230/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-13%20at%202.52.07%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>As wine ages some varieties get better and some turn to vinegar.</p><p>It is also true that even a wine with imperfections is preferable to vinegar.</p><p>All of this indicates that the same may be true with political candidates.</p><p><br /></p>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-35038509636230523962024-02-12T07:26:00.000-05:002024-02-12T07:26:55.271-05:00Melt-Ups and Melt-Downs<p><b>What Is a Melt-Up? </b><a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/melt-up.asp#:~:text=What%20Is%20a%20Melt%2DUp,fundamental%20improvements%20in%20the%20economy.">(per Investopedia</a>)</p><p><i>A melt-up is a sustained and often unexpected improvement in the investment performance of an asset or asset class, driven partly by a stampede of investors who don't want to miss out on its rise, rather than by fundamental improvements in the economy.</i></p><p>Let's consider a few data points and see whether we might be in a stock market melt-up.</p><p>The S&P 500 is up 22% in the last 3-1/2 months.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4qLGG2OUJTrNt23rg1n__6Z_7HdqxoePUPYRv5djYizL7TbYKwy3CD9qHaO7YMI_RHUBQESbL2xq3aeXmRWms_6kf0bauPJaO7_0AeCIDANECR4H7iwN1XGsv585wZzr4XgyTJtd8Khv8QvXxCkYs0xxyvVY7geYXsyoYXWcTmceei424Y86SdQ_85WoF/s544/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-11%20at%206.52.31%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="544" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4qLGG2OUJTrNt23rg1n__6Z_7HdqxoePUPYRv5djYizL7TbYKwy3CD9qHaO7YMI_RHUBQESbL2xq3aeXmRWms_6kf0bauPJaO7_0AeCIDANECR4H7iwN1XGsv585wZzr4XgyTJtd8Khv8QvXxCkYs0xxyvVY7geYXsyoYXWcTmceei424Y86SdQ_85WoF/w640-h380/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-11%20at%206.52.31%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The S&P 500 has also closed higher in 14 of the last 15 weeks. That has not happened since 1972.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQv6XX7lBsFiycnKVGTk6V1_Z4uT5GKHw6fr6KKMiuwFltglfFFodMvY3Ll4-r3sdcmlXOmPXlT91hwUsf82v8PUV00ktg4JnwcmYR_0GHzAtUmqOnWnGHwz2d0BiW_OKLtBlBc5cllnFDy5brZT7fbxFXWO_xyic-FPcmm020ADraaCIgn7bb79zKRdx/s535/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-11%20at%207.11.08%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="535" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQv6XX7lBsFiycnKVGTk6V1_Z4uT5GKHw6fr6KKMiuwFltglfFFodMvY3Ll4-r3sdcmlXOmPXlT91hwUsf82v8PUV00ktg4JnwcmYR_0GHzAtUmqOnWnGHwz2d0BiW_OKLtBlBc5cllnFDy5brZT7fbxFXWO_xyic-FPcmm020ADraaCIgn7bb79zKRdx/w640-h510/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-11%20at%207.11.08%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>This has never occurred at any time when the stock market was also up +20% during the 15 weeks.</p><p>What is particularly interesting to me is that the stock market advances we have seen have been despite the increase in interest rates.</p><p>The usual pattern would be for stock prices to be under pressure as interest rates rise in that investors are drawn to higher yields and the relative safety of bonds, money market funds and interest-bearing bank deposits.</p><p>However, the S&P 500 is actually 15% higher than when the Fed started raising interest rates in March, 2022. Rates are now 525 basis points (5.25%) higher than they were two years ago.</p><p>Market analyst and investor John Hussman has calculated that the equity risk premium for stocks as compared to treasury yields right now is worse than it was in both 1929 and 1999.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjh9iXUq-_MAJFnsrH2STpPC0PPSCvB_dMThP2-q-oggFbQFUVTJz_SCdq4CX_5SMpxw60caB_e5o0sJHLLSkJMfat8Bt7iV4cM-rrCbrSRdXLlqg2k9vOlOZe5YW0OEI-bzbfhYDlTfXct7vwtfs5ipHyx82N78ywi9WB3lLxdbA_Qze07xXJZUTypkZ/s1049/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-11%20at%207.29.21%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="1049" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjh9iXUq-_MAJFnsrH2STpPC0PPSCvB_dMThP2-q-oggFbQFUVTJz_SCdq4CX_5SMpxw60caB_e5o0sJHLLSkJMfat8Bt7iV4cM-rrCbrSRdXLlqg2k9vOlOZe5YW0OEI-bzbfhYDlTfXct7vwtfs5ipHyx82N78ywi9WB3lLxdbA_Qze07xXJZUTypkZ/w640-h358/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-11%20at%207.29.21%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>We know what happened next in those two cases.</p><p>The DJIA from that high point in 1929.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tFezvrSlW4BzMGuSFVVevVn05vP6VdrqXevMx2xaCTAC_yJQbx67y2ayqZ9PIsn8UqiAzudjdWIQeXU-44gD1bTpgKdGVWAjjAFv18cuT2uOi8umDxAmlp_5PLc9_XoowWE-GQ7Ksd1uoeEYE9m31s0h4H5UQVzGEl63UtwgbXSIINPaEHLHSXDjTEim/s302/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-11%20at%207.37.25%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="302" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tFezvrSlW4BzMGuSFVVevVn05vP6VdrqXevMx2xaCTAC_yJQbx67y2ayqZ9PIsn8UqiAzudjdWIQeXU-44gD1bTpgKdGVWAjjAFv18cuT2uOi8umDxAmlp_5PLc9_XoowWE-GQ7Ksd1uoeEYE9m31s0h4H5UQVzGEl63UtwgbXSIINPaEHLHSXDjTEim/w400-h396/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-11%20at%207.37.25%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/stock-market-crash-of-1929</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>The tech-heavy NASDAQ from the dot.com high in 1999.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59LzFByGn53gyu-VPnJj3ebDLY1Bnwlrky6v-de009dpMGPB5Gtm5WjFDR2x_tRc4WqNbwmBBEWfoBRoP8PAThkCvFLRB46DP7h_lRUxW8_2H0Q_zubA96RTkvAa509Idg2C2ZXN3BwqA_TFEOeuopOK_phVPgmyP-ka1VrI1B4eIvkGygxtXKINVGlMl/s469/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-11%20at%2011.49.23%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="469" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59LzFByGn53gyu-VPnJj3ebDLY1Bnwlrky6v-de009dpMGPB5Gtm5WjFDR2x_tRc4WqNbwmBBEWfoBRoP8PAThkCvFLRB46DP7h_lRUxW8_2H0Q_zubA96RTkvAa509Idg2C2ZXN3BwqA_TFEOeuopOK_phVPgmyP-ka1VrI1B4eIvkGygxtXKINVGlMl/w400-h291/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-11%20at%2011.49.23%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://vishalnoel7.medium.com/the-dot-com-bubble-of-2001-18bf817abcbd</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>It also should be noted that about <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-s-p-500-futures-inch-higher-as-ai-frenzy-continues/card/-magnificent-7-acting-more-like-magnificent-4-in-early-2024-zVAkRWLZy8issuPp7KMm">75% of the S&P 500 gains this year</a> are due to the performance of just four stocks----Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and Nvidia.</p><p>You can see from this chart of the performance of these stocks compared to the overall S&P 500 how large the impact these names have had on the overall index.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUrIBAdl_y8I1RWnBvfDfCwowxzRq6hcWnb2cvnZI_jnM3iPkgO8uXcHgpyLC_pSrWcPeAsQOQcjaLg5V5qkfkBoD-13PvUSucLh-yfi41D2jSmbogv87AVUQ7cGO0Xo26gqiIUpYT6bNCxCqFgi3vbBhlqhRwa0YgZfjhvNKFR13kXJOWUc76XklRfsdR/s704/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-11%20at%201.20.21%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="704" height="598" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUrIBAdl_y8I1RWnBvfDfCwowxzRq6hcWnb2cvnZI_jnM3iPkgO8uXcHgpyLC_pSrWcPeAsQOQcjaLg5V5qkfkBoD-13PvUSucLh-yfi41D2jSmbogv87AVUQ7cGO0Xo26gqiIUpYT6bNCxCqFgi3vbBhlqhRwa0YgZfjhvNKFR13kXJOWUc76XklRfsdR/w640-h598/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-11%20at%201.20.21%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Of course, no stock has had more influence on the S&P 500 than that of Nvidia.</p><p>It is up 231% over the last year, 77% over the last six months, 50% year-to-date and 32% in the last month.</p><p>Can you say melt-up?</p><p>Nvidia's stock price is being stoked based on its dominant position in the manufacture of chips that are being used in artificial intelligence applications.</p><p><a href="https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2023/05/this-and-that-may-26-2023-edition.html">I expressed reservations about Nvidia's stock price last May</a> when its price/sales (not revenue, SALES) was 35. </p><p>Since that time the stock price has doubled to almost $725 per share.</p><p>I guess that shows how much I know.</p><p>Nvidia has seen tremendous revenue growth over the last year but the stock price has increased even faster. The price sales/ ratio is now 40!</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvz4SoTxxXYJBPHuyhJ_wCOa1wTbE7RAUFbYy_R1eYuXRX9amG8wsToDiUKUOwfwxAhJG3mtZzhuSe5xM8phwFsWt4ZIwsNV6nGqXIJzjQ9UvOAlFMXFQWwevfwnZavQKfY7lqyZCGJxTqcuvBxplWquTQDF1l3lo2raafiK6QscYr5YONQnwIIROKJ0wG/s767/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-11%20at%204.05.37%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="245" data-original-width="767" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvz4SoTxxXYJBPHuyhJ_wCOa1wTbE7RAUFbYy_R1eYuXRX9amG8wsToDiUKUOwfwxAhJG3mtZzhuSe5xM8phwFsWt4ZIwsNV6nGqXIJzjQ9UvOAlFMXFQWwevfwnZavQKfY7lqyZCGJxTqcuvBxplWquTQDF1l3lo2raafiK6QscYr5YONQnwIIROKJ0wG/w640-h204/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-11%20at%204.05.37%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: Nvidia (NVDA) Price to Sales Ratio</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Nvidia is now valued at over $1.7 trillion.</p><p>Let's put that in context.</p><p>That is now more than the entire Chinese stock market represented by shares on the Hong Kong stock exchange.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4V0SxPg97gflwCveJgTjgR8ccP1AcqtRCexmfHz2eQNnk5fhS3oVQKclrPn3DS3JH96kiLBUNFQhbCJHvzK3wkJR0jT2Mxc5PJ0ZmsKEzxvNFiislo0UgsEHOboe1mimvyJmLCTAJGNW7DR213f51eHdSqdNffpnubkQQZJM2_MW3wUTddHUgaqZe088E/s886/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-11%20at%204.09.04%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="886" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4V0SxPg97gflwCveJgTjgR8ccP1AcqtRCexmfHz2eQNnk5fhS3oVQKclrPn3DS3JH96kiLBUNFQhbCJHvzK3wkJR0jT2Mxc5PJ0ZmsKEzxvNFiislo0UgsEHOboe1mimvyJmLCTAJGNW7DR213f51eHdSqdNffpnubkQQZJM2_MW3wUTddHUgaqZe088E/w640-h116/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-11%20at%204.09.04%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/nvidias-now-worth-as-much-as-the-entire-chinese-stock-market-8ca1208d</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Nvidia's market cap is approaching the entire <a href="https://www.worldeconomics.com/Country-Size/Canada.aspx#:~:text=The%20official%20estimate%20for%20Canada's,date%20GDP%20base%20year%20data.">GDP of Canada of $1.9 trillion.</a> Some market analysts believe Nvidia will surpass $2 trillion in value this year.</p><p>Nvidia has a higher market value than the entire S&P 500 Energy Sector although Nvidia right now is only producing $19 billion of total net income compared to the Energy Sector's $147 billion.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWr2lNXTL1WAB3xhtB5Nsd1_EwpUpUSn1P7RtswCpEE2WPuXyoZmBeq-7SZsjIdmCiB-0SIjafnIp7KKtR70rtU1wyPhEaw7QYak5yrXX7sEqxJh3v7qeXaGLi4VPtIRE9KBaHDw5ioYCiYNQuaEUscg4X9tCE2D1gB9mKgHwDw8bRyCsc2ndAM5aEbjjL/s683/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-11%20at%209.56.35%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="541" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWr2lNXTL1WAB3xhtB5Nsd1_EwpUpUSn1P7RtswCpEE2WPuXyoZmBeq-7SZsjIdmCiB-0SIjafnIp7KKtR70rtU1wyPhEaw7QYak5yrXX7sEqxJh3v7qeXaGLi4VPtIRE9KBaHDw5ioYCiYNQuaEUscg4X9tCE2D1gB9mKgHwDw8bRyCsc2ndAM5aEbjjL/w506-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-11%20at%209.56.35%20PM.png" width="506" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Nvidia's earnings from AI may ultimately justify that stratospheric stock price. However, that is extremely unlikely. Stocks like Amazon and Tesla once had similar price to sales ratios but there are many, many more companies that could not grow revenues and profits fast enough to meet the expectations of their stock price long term.</p><p>Nvidia's stock may go to even higher multiples of sales and earnings in the near term than where it is today. Crazy can get even crazier in the short term.</p><p>However, it is almost certain that a melt-down will follow the melt-up.</p><p>Whenever I see something like this unfold in the stock market I consider the words of former Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy who provided this sage advice over 20 years ago when talking about the challenge of meeting the expectations of stock prices in the tech sector gone wild in the 2000 dot.com craze.</p><p>This interview came after many of those high flyers came back to earth, including his own company, which had a price/sales ratio of around 10 at the peak of the market.</p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><p><i>At 10 times revenues, to give you a 10-year payback, I have to pay you 100% of revenues for 10 straight years in dividends. That assumes I can get that by my shareholders. That assumes I have zero cost of goods sold, which is very hard for a computer company. That assumes zero expenses, which is really hard with 39,000 employees. That assumes I pay no taxes, which is very hard. And that assumes you pay no taxes on your dividends, which is kind of illegal. And that assumes with zero R&D for the next 10 years, I can maintain the current revenue run rate. Now, having done that, would any of you like to buy my stock at $64? Do you realize how ridiculous those basic assumptions are? You don’t need any transparency. You don’t need any footnotes. What were you thinking?’— Scott McNealy, Business Week, 2002</i></p><p></p></blockquote><p>It also reminds me of the story of the stock price of RCA (Radio Corporation of America) in the 1920's and 1930's.</p><p>RCA was the high-flying stock of the Roaring 1920's. It was the leading company in the emerging "wireless" communication for the masses era". The stock appreciated almost 10-fold between 1924 and 1929. However, an investor who purchased RCA at its 1929 high had to wait 57 years to recoup their investment. That is a long time. </p><p>Investors got a little ahead of reality.</p><p>A more familiar name of recent years is Cisco Systems. It has been a great company for a long time.</p><p>However, 24 years after its high in the dot.com madness it still has not exceeded its value from a quarter century ago.</p><p>This is despite Cisco increasing revenues by over 400% and net income rising from $2 billion in 1999 to $12.6 billion in 2023.</p><p>It had a market cap of almost $400 billion in early 2000. Today, 24 years later. Cisco is valued at barely half of that ($204 billion). </p><p>Some analysts state that there is an eerie resemblance between Cisco's stock price chart leading up to 1999-2000 and the stock performance of Nvidia recently.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ho<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGHquWm_M2NnDgzs6X9k5AV0kNVs00B7F4yhOJYO3nq1UBhaSty_lqmWKmzbYfRg6KeH_pZIyv3IlXyr6nh_KcYOIHP5ydC_0q3o-6L0baDlRsMxyJAuOzhTR2LsdC0onmn4t0YmoRkNb3dhRxVlP-95AEAstXTBm4RCO3Gc6J86CEqvPyAXlMgPUa7EJ/s1060/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-11%20at%208.31.09%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="1060" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGHquWm_M2NnDgzs6X9k5AV0kNVs00B7F4yhOJYO3nq1UBhaSty_lqmWKmzbYfRg6KeH_pZIyv3IlXyr6nh_KcYOIHP5ydC_0q3o-6L0baDlRsMxyJAuOzhTR2LsdC0onmn4t0YmoRkNb3dhRxVlP-95AEAstXTBm4RCO3Gc6J86CEqvPyAXlMgPUa7EJ/w640-h356/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-11%20at%208.31.09%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Why did RCA and Cisco stock fall in price so rapidly?</p><p>They were both great companies that performed well for years and years despite the falling stock price.</p><p>The problem was that in both cases investors became overly optimistic about a new, transformative technology.</p><p>However, at some point investors realized that the companies were not going to grow revenues and profits at 50%, 70% or 100% every year.</p><p>The same will prove true with AI.</p><p>At some point, sales or earnings growth is going to disappoint investors for the simple fact that castles cannot be built into the air to infinity.</p><p>A melt-down of the stock will follow.</p><p>It is no different with the broader stock market.</p><p>The S&P 500 is up 80% the last five years. The NASDAQ is +112%.</p><p>We will reach a point (probably sooner rather than later) when a realization will come to investors that the fundamentals of the economy are not as good as is being portrayed and that stocks are overvalued compared to interest rates.</p><p>A melt-down will follow.</p><p>Japan had a melt-up in stock prices in the late 1980's that peaked in 1990. </p><p>It is only now after 34 years that the Nikkei index is almost back to where it was in 1990.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1h4Z5QzkahqoAD9eu05QhLcMcYRS62Oqe5fu-22QRc3tdbN82LoQBYeR245Bu4v-qjzYWsTt6QqaF-s0xMwborU6eDFNU-sDHKqJnHhVezFdhK647W-g5wp1or1lVBM6Txy_LDe-t1v5uFMutpNv0VEuhOgUb-OGtkU7FLpOx_FoPyWa8_M2kMWZ4pjm/s865/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-11%20at%2010.21.03%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="865" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1h4Z5QzkahqoAD9eu05QhLcMcYRS62Oqe5fu-22QRc3tdbN82LoQBYeR245Bu4v-qjzYWsTt6QqaF-s0xMwborU6eDFNU-sDHKqJnHhVezFdhK647W-g5wp1or1lVBM6Txy_LDe-t1v5uFMutpNv0VEuhOgUb-OGtkU7FLpOx_FoPyWa8_M2kMWZ4pjm/w640-h342/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-11%20at%2010.21.03%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://tradingeconomics.com/japan/stock-market</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Melt-ups are great.</p><p>However, melt-downs invariably follow.</p><p>Plan and protect yourself accordingly.</p>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-25346876897886788862024-02-09T07:15:00.000-05:002024-02-09T07:15:16.643-05:00The Power of the People<p>We often hear the complaint that our government is not responsive to the will of the people.</p><p>I understand why that is said. </p><p>However, if there is a disconnect the responsibility rests more on the people than the politicians.</p><p>The people are sovereign in our system. Their power is absolute Unfortunately, too many people don't believe it. The simple fact is that politicians have no power unless the people provide it.</p><p>A politician is NOTHING unless they are elected. They only have power if they hold office. They cannot hold office unless they get more votes than their opponent.</p><p>Therefore, a politician is ALWAYS going to be focused primarily on gaining (or retaining) that power.</p><p>Laws that do not have public backing do not survive over the long term. Lawmakers who make laws that people do not support do not stay in office very long. Politicians who do not do the will of the people soon need to find other employment.</p><p>This seems to be lost on too many people who complain that they have no influence or power in the affairs of state. It may seem that way when you are just one vote. However, those votes add up quickly.</p><p>The reality is that the people too often lack the organization and voice to wield their power effectively.</p><p>Too many people do not raise their voices and those that do are disorganized.</p><p>People have the right to vote, but outside of Presidential election years, voter turnout is usually a small percentage of eligible voters.</p><p>For example, only 37% of eligible U.S. citizens voted in all of the elections of 2018, 2020 and 2022.</p><p>On the other hand 30% of eligible voters did not cast one vote in any of those three elections.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVcXR9KD6lzYV3G64y5fhtCG4wCAQwE0OrmvCVTsXfyROR5AeaOHwDIPDdvc1j7ZPKC2XvP79iH685C1kNhHs_FZJg0LaFxOl3vEvzImjlkxZY4M9rkLZaXQPTi9TIX0MbO7lnnR2WOG1CI6m6RaP8vcBsXKKM_zAif_NFKV2tdcBi8n4SpNSQNrxwsCd/s376/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%204.38.46%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="314" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVcXR9KD6lzYV3G64y5fhtCG4wCAQwE0OrmvCVTsXfyROR5AeaOHwDIPDdvc1j7ZPKC2XvP79iH685C1kNhHs_FZJg0LaFxOl3vEvzImjlkxZY4M9rkLZaXQPTi9TIX0MbO7lnnR2WOG1CI6m6RaP8vcBsXKKM_zAif_NFKV2tdcBi8n4SpNSQNrxwsCd/w534-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%204.38.46%20PM.png" width="534" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/07/12/voter-turnout-2018-2022/</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>They are no match for the political class. If there is no accountability politicians will do as they please or as special interests dictate.</p><p>However, every once in awhile, the full power of the people is revealed.</p><p>We saw it this week.</p><p>The U.S. Senate worked for the last four months behind the scenes on what was supposed to be a border security bill that was to be attached to a Ukraine and Israel funding bill.</p><p>GOP Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had named Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma to be the chief negotiator for the Republicans in discussions with the Democrats on the contents of the bill.</p><p>The political class and mainstream media had been in overdrive for several weeks claiming how this border security bill was going to make a big difference in curbing illegal immigration.</p><p>Joe Biden claimed that his hands were tied on doing anything about the border unless this bill passed. He needed more power and money to act.</p><p>Left unsaid was the fact that every problem at the border right now can be traced back to unilateral executive actions that Biden took when he took office.</p><p>It is shocking to see what Biden's reckless policies have created.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ep1e5tsZXBWeicZyDYVZbThCR-XALoTGmqGj7E1Q_EvW4TlqmFRUwE8zlGPGE2UkX02DNHpOYQU1mUiX_T3uwP0xl5REPHKgAhgtAMux6WqSCZ8bPMN6mQpjQ2jPUT27iaByPY1rHjCnCdqt84tW4UN_-uGTC0WqQ_C4R9AQRcP0Qrr-GEcItEz9EUBC/s728/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%207.40.06%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="614" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ep1e5tsZXBWeicZyDYVZbThCR-XALoTGmqGj7E1Q_EvW4TlqmFRUwE8zlGPGE2UkX02DNHpOYQU1mUiX_T3uwP0xl5REPHKgAhgtAMux6WqSCZ8bPMN6mQpjQ2jPUT27iaByPY1rHjCnCdqt84tW4UN_-uGTC0WqQ_C4R9AQRcP0Qrr-GEcItEz9EUBC/w540-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%207.40.06%20PM.png" width="540" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ao8XykHpUtmIox_OOrsr38JPPLKvVb-C2_UVqD6Bf-5GHrXq2SuYghLDjlPHRe2HBO9iAmtJ1r1WVteRhcpPqBFutxJHqSsnPCtRMMGMw9vi6qh5khZ3gXIz4sjagnqgtb4Au3JXOE9CvJV4SBw7ZYujhy8LPsjRYslgGsF5xbYEsQR0dpoLPmx0i2yr/s553/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%208.22.33%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="553" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ao8XykHpUtmIox_OOrsr38JPPLKvVb-C2_UVqD6Bf-5GHrXq2SuYghLDjlPHRe2HBO9iAmtJ1r1WVteRhcpPqBFutxJHqSsnPCtRMMGMw9vi6qh5khZ3gXIz4sjagnqgtb4Au3JXOE9CvJV4SBw7ZYujhy8LPsjRYslgGsF5xbYEsQR0dpoLPmx0i2yr/w640-h484/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%208.22.33%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Biden now says he has no power to undo what he already did by executive order?</p><p>The political class thought that they had all their ducks in a row for passage of the bill.</p><p>However, details about the bill started being released and analyzed by various people on X.com. (another reason to thank Elon Musk for his purchase of the platform and his commitment to free speech). </p><p>The biggest detail in the bill's provisions is the the flow of migrants would only be curtailed when illegal encounters at the border surpassed 5,000 per day (measured over a 7-day period).</p><p>In other words, it was potentially giving a free pass for over 150,000 illegals to enter the United States every month. That is almost 2,000,000 per year.</p><p>For context, consider that current law only allows for about 1,000,000 LEGAL immigrants to enter the United States per year.</p><p>It also is worth remembering that during the Obama administration the head of HHS, Jeh Johnson, stated that 1,000 illegal crossings per day was a crisis in that it was overwhelming the system.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVXnWIkIXQ735KKvg3pTAD7ZSaz9nLfNSUvlntIw0W2PSlGarBfwJjO99HYjHvgJGVO8yEF9f_wY1fb2YnzYYEZtMh-LdVoekyWl-IkitjmGb1sEKArgTW0w-Sil12Nd6jUWY971xf7G2zy6Kw4jRH1AzXv76-_zUDIA0zqk3PO__BJ9wvWePtamHyU-vO/s605/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%207.30.35%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="605" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVXnWIkIXQ735KKvg3pTAD7ZSaz9nLfNSUvlntIw0W2PSlGarBfwJjO99HYjHvgJGVO8yEF9f_wY1fb2YnzYYEZtMh-LdVoekyWl-IkitjmGb1sEKArgTW0w-Sil12Nd6jUWY971xf7G2zy6Kw4jRH1AzXv76-_zUDIA0zqk3PO__BJ9wvWePtamHyU-vO/w640-h314/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%207.30.35%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>As details and analysis were released (much of it on X.com because the mainstream media and other social media sites censored the truth) it did not take long for the Republicans in the House (who all face elections every two years) to run away from the bill.</p><p>The same thing eventually occurred in the Senate where even Mitch McConnell who appointed Lankford eventually was forced to state he was voting against what effectively was his own bill.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnIrySEkF5WlP872bAten1VpwuOzRU0QF43q1IdLDcE7E-i4FYM8mGCTzZAbxY0_Sb6Gu4bOY5aq6oOyQBMFIuZlY3GGXOolR51cx8mL8qnma1vJcyj7F58mrt3sE4Bj5w-gwaFoiWBTsyNMmovvdZe0N8nBVpRcUhViThzWll9t1bhcnd7caUHnjBu6BA/s748/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-09%20at%206.04.37%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="97" data-original-width="748" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnIrySEkF5WlP872bAten1VpwuOzRU0QF43q1IdLDcE7E-i4FYM8mGCTzZAbxY0_Sb6Gu4bOY5aq6oOyQBMFIuZlY3GGXOolR51cx8mL8qnma1vJcyj7F58mrt3sE4Bj5w-gwaFoiWBTsyNMmovvdZe0N8nBVpRcUhViThzWll9t1bhcnd7caUHnjBu6BA/w640-h82/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-09%20at%206.04.37%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/02/06/congress/border-senate-mcconnell-schumer-ukraine-aid-00139925</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><i></i></p><blockquote><i>But after four months of border policy negotiations, which McConnell had personally called for and repeatedly supported, the GOP leader said the deal lacks support in his conference. And he noted staunch opposition from House Republican leadership.</i></blockquote><p></p><p>Two days ago the Republicans in the Senate officially dropped the "border security" bill altogether .</p><p>Supporting the bill was simply too risky for their political futures.</p><p>And without a political future they have no power as that is the only currency of a politician.</p><p>We are witnessing a similar dynamic involving the Texas border and the Biden administration's attempts to get the state of Texas to roll back its enforcement efforts there.</p><p>They argue that immigration enforcement and administration is reserved to the federal government in the U.S. Constitution.</p><p>However, that ignores another responsibility that the federal government owes to the states.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJERh8OrFU_lVyT753NP70kWiPb44eJfk9HGF-yEtMv25uVI3DrM_CjMzwPH8KZlYvEyOzVM0AC5z3Ac8aVq-LVPs48l0YXIJDXxpGOpAg8qXaE6SdVM7XNxzhAcb0sPPhrhx65Q6hKzGGJyPfnzEDSLmAbsw2mjwGfp9hLbkzR_zq4kGbKpTJUgnL43vv/s512/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%208.30.04%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="512" height="618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJERh8OrFU_lVyT753NP70kWiPb44eJfk9HGF-yEtMv25uVI3DrM_CjMzwPH8KZlYvEyOzVM0AC5z3Ac8aVq-LVPs48l0YXIJDXxpGOpAg8qXaE6SdVM7XNxzhAcb0sPPhrhx65Q6hKzGGJyPfnzEDSLmAbsw2mjwGfp9hLbkzR_zq4kGbKpTJUgnL43vv/w640-h618/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%208.30.04%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/article-4/section-4/</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>What do you call 8 million illegals crossing into the United States in three years?</p><p>The Biden administration even got a Supreme Court injunction to allow them to stop what Texas was doing to protect its border with their own law enforcement resources including the National Guard.</p><p>However, the Biden administration has been treading very cautiously on the issue. They clearly do not want confrontation with the state enforcement groups.</p><p>They certainly don't want video of federal agents confronting National Guard units from Texas and other states for the "crime" of trying to keep illegal immigrants from entering the United States.</p><p>Why?</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpuodY359OaSK5TnauVqplP961QFPrkAuIlERGpjP8gFMMEB_jJ24FeslfV5mzsjITezGwi7X91fCCKOcF-bCLsIckpQ497kdrUlPIyLrNQ3esqFUn72ecRzyqx2cdwKcoagU2MvU_vfAZ2_5LvK-hE0pQ2yxh7KHcNflvhc9ACHuDclVTDD4csP66jAV_/s990/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%207.55.27%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="174" data-original-width="990" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpuodY359OaSK5TnauVqplP961QFPrkAuIlERGpjP8gFMMEB_jJ24FeslfV5mzsjITezGwi7X91fCCKOcF-bCLsIckpQ497kdrUlPIyLrNQ3esqFUn72ecRzyqx2cdwKcoagU2MvU_vfAZ2_5LvK-hE0pQ2yxh7KHcNflvhc9ACHuDclVTDD4csP66jAV_/w640-h112/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%207.55.27%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4422273-immigration-overtakes-inflation-top-voter-concern-poll/</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTW44EnGJUahC8mFnbKjha34Rb2WaUyZxksMPazjLp6zKun-ejUnR7pLluKpR-BZvbJ4mz4MiYw6YGDEVxF1SuAxBDUHadKFD79zxCo2-ApHH9wFClP1xnSXkSQdgqKgsb9Eih6FKPJNouoco4QCyyrV4hu0LB9O7uUpadeRrxcfEYFPhDHfrRzWgXbmJ/s768/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%208.01.06%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="768" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTW44EnGJUahC8mFnbKjha34Rb2WaUyZxksMPazjLp6zKun-ejUnR7pLluKpR-BZvbJ4mz4MiYw6YGDEVxF1SuAxBDUHadKFD79zxCo2-ApHH9wFClP1xnSXkSQdgqKgsb9Eih6FKPJNouoco4QCyyrV4hu0LB9O7uUpadeRrxcfEYFPhDHfrRzWgXbmJ/w640-h156/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%208.01.06%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.axios.com/2024/01/31/bloomberg-poll-biden-immigration-trump</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5oHSkRjPXxZCTImAh_EUQqW1xgdibWWeyhfND392BQwDJtQ7o4Svp_r16ZlKZpSACGyiLeJ01DkqxUC1zZFia6S-dN2vDqdo1PCftHUUj52Em7MqPjQm_znG8nY62H6mbxMAZWNAmErSd2nmPVC8erosv7ca32FdTsTatTiuCdhN8AYsM9TsnGhHhSjXF/s1053/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%208.04.55%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="1053" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5oHSkRjPXxZCTImAh_EUQqW1xgdibWWeyhfND392BQwDJtQ7o4Svp_r16ZlKZpSACGyiLeJ01DkqxUC1zZFia6S-dN2vDqdo1PCftHUUj52Em7MqPjQm_znG8nY62H6mbxMAZWNAmErSd2nmPVC8erosv7ca32FdTsTatTiuCdhN8AYsM9TsnGhHhSjXF/w640-h284/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%208.04.55%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/approval/joe-biden/immigration</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>The People have the power to direct policy and move the politicians to their will.</p><p>Too few take it seriously.</p><p>We saw this week how it can work in the United States.</p><p>It was even more apparent in Europe where farmers rose up against climate rules, rising costs and red tape that are affecting the agriculture sector.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98ULkRT5duDsSG7Hhdyw0iNKD-659LUecPdq6qWEDIa5U2oanjM-XeiSd59F5bLIYNX35QH2mEKZ99tWGnfLbc6AHTohmhSCAAaqiJHA4fchwAqct-W1BwyTSRQJctbrO-Dsl67lj1_GTSeAuXn_MZ6DsJxS7VUi_AN5KmY7zYAur4dGrYC85ybXv0D2q/s694/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%208.35.42%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="694" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98ULkRT5duDsSG7Hhdyw0iNKD-659LUecPdq6qWEDIa5U2oanjM-XeiSd59F5bLIYNX35QH2mEKZ99tWGnfLbc6AHTohmhSCAAaqiJHA4fchwAqct-W1BwyTSRQJctbrO-Dsl67lj1_GTSeAuXn_MZ6DsJxS7VUi_AN5KmY7zYAur4dGrYC85ybXv0D2q/w640-h238/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%208.35.42%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-eases-farming-demands-in-2040-climate-proposal/</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>It appears the politicians are listening in Europe.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8zbq0KY7Wbru2ov6yXD0LwH7Rb55JLAN9LtTIOTpwzNDQGyARhKqIj5HmZisDn7wNLb-PuOo4UnabVR_9zEdBqrnguXGA2NYTDiZ1dvlIGTqaT4f5GP7G76j_aDKk4Tk1Ogzb53mUOsuu6WuyXgprnrSgPa8GdxGb_RYieREKABLrxK4iR36MTvCc7XIH/s837/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%208.38.05%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="837" data-original-width="590" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8zbq0KY7Wbru2ov6yXD0LwH7Rb55JLAN9LtTIOTpwzNDQGyARhKqIj5HmZisDn7wNLb-PuOo4UnabVR_9zEdBqrnguXGA2NYTDiZ1dvlIGTqaT4f5GP7G76j_aDKk4Tk1Ogzb53mUOsuu6WuyXgprnrSgPa8GdxGb_RYieREKABLrxK4iR36MTvCc7XIH/w452-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-08%20at%208.38.05%20PM.png" width="452" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://twitter.com/WallStreetSilv/status/1755334094508917186</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Where do we go after the 2024 election?</p><p>That is totally up to the people who vote.</p><p>Do we continue down the current path where it seems we are careening from one disaster to the next?</p><p>Or do the people send a loud and clear message so that all politicians get the message?</p><p>Are there enough clear thinking voters left to even understand the danger the country is in?</p><p>We will find out in November.</p><p>The only thing I know for sure is that the People have the power to get anything they want if they say it loud enough in sufficient numbers.</p><p>Politicians either listen or they do not survive.</p><p>That is the Power of the People.</p>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-92196293795826276612024-02-07T07:14:00.000-05:002024-02-07T07:14:23.695-05:00Tails You Lose, Heads You Lose <p>One of the traditional hallmarks of the United States is that it was a nation in which anyone could achieve success if they worked for it and they would be rewarded for their success.</p><p>Elon Musk grew up in South Africa and it was always his dream to come to the United States to achieve success. He knew that was not possible in his home country. If he had stayed in South Africa he would have probably ended up being a Physics professor.</p><p>Musk made it to the United States when he attended the University of Pennsylvania where he earned two undergraduate degrees---Physics and Economics.</p><p>After graduation he headed to Silicon Valley in California where he became a serial entrepreneur.</p><p>He was a principal in two successful tech ventures that he developed and sold--one of which was PayPal--which put a substantial amount of money in his pocket.</p><p>This allowed Musk to pursue what could be described as two core visions he had going back to the time he was a student.</p><p>Building a spaceship capable of traveling to Mars and developing an electric car.</p><p>Today we see Musk's SpaceX company and Tesla as the fulfillments of that vision from over 30 years ago.</p><p>In 2008, despite 15 years of effort, Tesla had not shown a profit in any given year</p><p>The Tesla board approved a compensation plan for Elon Musk that would provide him stock options based on meeting a number of revenue and profit goals as well as meeting a market capitalization target of at least $650 billion.</p><p>At the time the performance compensation plan was approved by the shareholders (73% voting in favor) it was clearly known that Musk would be eligible to receive $55 billion in stock options in Tesla stock if he was successful. Even then, based on the terms of the plan, that once exercised Musk would still need to retain the stock for at least five years before selling.</p><p>At the time, Tesla's market cap was less than $60 billion, and as stated above, it had never shown a profit.</p><p>The compensation deal would provide Musk no other pay---no annual salary, no annual bonus, no annual stock options---his entire pay from Tesla was dependent on meeting the ambitious goals in the performance plan.</p><p>In 2018, when Musk's pay plan was approved, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/23/business/dealbook/tesla-elon-musk-pay.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb">The New York Times did a story</a> on it saying that it may have been the boldest pay plan in history. It also cited experts who called it "laughingly impossible" and others who called it a publicity stunt to cover up for continuing production problems and operating losses.</p><p>The article compared Musk to P.T. Barnum as someone who only portrays an "illusion of success while consistently missing production estimates".</p><p>In short, it was viewed at the time that it would be next to impossible for Musk to collect on the pay plan. The goals were too ambitious.</p><p>The Times story from six years ago also reported that one short seller of Tesla believed the company was worthless seeing that it had recently been losing a half million dollars an hour.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwN6iE7ro2UIyk9XGGD9vvAQpN_32NDeh1TLn5lF015B7m2LIJZdNC-KOVNnJHt8wv8moCkf5utCy-misoVPLusSoASKE0YgyhzvYN45jr7QaGm5P-AwpLLI_kGMMKidGYfdAQlpXk7IP8fwC04tGdX0W3lJawsXBRjTeeTIOS0g3Woy0rnhvW9aawSCt/s626/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-04%20at%206.42.50%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="411" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwN6iE7ro2UIyk9XGGD9vvAQpN_32NDeh1TLn5lF015B7m2LIJZdNC-KOVNnJHt8wv8moCkf5utCy-misoVPLusSoASKE0YgyhzvYN45jr7QaGm5P-AwpLLI_kGMMKidGYfdAQlpXk7IP8fwC04tGdX0W3lJawsXBRjTeeTIOS0g3Woy0rnhvW9aawSCt/w420-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-04%20at%206.42.50%20AM.png" width="420" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9uQ5FahrqAYRBWnj9dRlENocFLt9JIsjbbQzdqzxDOur__7QcitOI-rMskvn57DOTnWNx_gzw2YhdIO3Lc85VXEC2cfLpecV7pHABwSLy9qsLF4XbxKDitih8MhTZAiJZJfXI-socV0muBjWuxHb64e5S9IcEQxH1HecoUcRIdi6bE_4gCHghx-EBBLF7/s625/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-04%20at%206.43.51%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="347" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9uQ5FahrqAYRBWnj9dRlENocFLt9JIsjbbQzdqzxDOur__7QcitOI-rMskvn57DOTnWNx_gzw2YhdIO3Lc85VXEC2cfLpecV7pHABwSLy9qsLF4XbxKDitih8MhTZAiJZJfXI-socV0muBjWuxHb64e5S9IcEQxH1HecoUcRIdi6bE_4gCHghx-EBBLF7/w356-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-04%20at%206.43.51%20AM.png" width="356" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/23/business/dealbook/tesla-elon-musk-pay.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>This was the state of Tesla when the pay package was approved by its board and shareholders.</p><p>If Tesla continued in this state Musk would have worked the next five years for no pay at all--ZERO, NADA, ZILCH.</p><p>It is important to remember all of this as context for what follows.</p><p>A shareholder who owned the grand total of nine shares of Tesla stock filed a shareholder derivative lawsuit claiming the pay plan was excessive and asked ta Delaware court (the state of incorporation for Tesla) to rescind it.</p><p><a href="https://assets.bwbx.io/documents/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/rpaOEefQse00/v0">A Delaware Chancery Court judge invalidated the pay plan</a> last week ruling that it was excessive and that the Tesla board was not sufficiently independent or adversarial in establishing the plan for Musk. She further ruled that the shareholder vote approving the plan was invalid in that the shareholders were not sufficiently informed about the Board's lack of independence and some other details about the plan.</p><p>The judge rescinded the entire plan has the effect that Musk will have received no compensation at all from Tesla for anything he has done for the company since 2018.</p><p>What has Musk done for Tesla since 2018?</p><p>Revenues.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Tj3TWQ0wP-CV_2NH3GKzCnViMIUOZJFV8fWHVs2tzRkK4JzWUxwPKHSLzVqilwVZZVRS4BoYz9mlHjPbtq4OAhn8M3ErF9QFsLjm4Ku1JFRuz5vO9cm4tk_zzOqQKw80TjnmucN3_hQj_Yd-CyZEWnirs6V4dKUYWr2-EMarZNnq37SZzZ0bvmfnpQXH/s792/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-04%20at%208.27.03%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="219" data-original-width="792" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Tj3TWQ0wP-CV_2NH3GKzCnViMIUOZJFV8fWHVs2tzRkK4JzWUxwPKHSLzVqilwVZZVRS4BoYz9mlHjPbtq4OAhn8M3ErF9QFsLjm4Ku1JFRuz5vO9cm4tk_zzOqQKw80TjnmucN3_hQj_Yd-CyZEWnirs6V4dKUYWr2-EMarZNnq37SZzZ0bvmfnpQXH/w640-h176/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-04%20at%208.27.03%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Net Income.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDO6wmS3I9tvFmvOWX-eUNZlkZNBmquTxdy1RINu5JavdgCCU4cnNqMC1HE9ck2XrObIekXgBEC5jBZ6I58ii6LXeroRQm78Vxyj29cF5aNbACmzivuxMevR818exSePJ0quqrJq1Ow5C8mRBwJjiLeN81TQRZ_Pv9DvNOEcVf237j0x4lvRKJpG91-ZE0/s818/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-04%20at%2011.22.53%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="818" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDO6wmS3I9tvFmvOWX-eUNZlkZNBmquTxdy1RINu5JavdgCCU4cnNqMC1HE9ck2XrObIekXgBEC5jBZ6I58ii6LXeroRQm78Vxyj29cF5aNbACmzivuxMevR818exSePJ0quqrJq1Ow5C8mRBwJjiLeN81TQRZ_Pv9DvNOEcVf237j0x4lvRKJpG91-ZE0/w640-h168/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-04%20at%2011.22.53%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Total Market Capitalization</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilT605pJlnN3hV4btXMZMzabTOD88vob5ivmyq5L-AaioF39k9ykcwUoXjYgbhDTzqUQ-FkKCaMlIOk4ppIOlCJTwXklWGtdiiguOBBvsD6u0mEVOMVGySl0B1tzWk5TzD6hNjeJZSMLfGB0TRJtz3Q3vCAN_HfOas43tXlelUXUovlkHRZaOGltd5p-Ot/s610/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-04%20at%2011.34.07%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="610" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilT605pJlnN3hV4btXMZMzabTOD88vob5ivmyq5L-AaioF39k9ykcwUoXjYgbhDTzqUQ-FkKCaMlIOk4ppIOlCJTwXklWGtdiiguOBBvsD6u0mEVOMVGySl0B1tzWk5TzD6hNjeJZSMLfGB0TRJtz3Q3vCAN_HfOas43tXlelUXUovlkHRZaOGltd5p-Ot/w640-h504/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-04%20at%2011.34.07%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>Stock Price.<div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkE8Ho6o87sPChICi-jX7QWsWb5C0f7b3IIJ0k3YzMcAqgZE2DHd70biwk_spOf5zONWtt-q_45JzVjaxbo4TvRN58q5A9Hm0GokFj_PKzxgeQeTm1TI3uMwNmvgqMl3XNXMGFiaN3sH7HWd7udLLTOwaLIum9ny7HwZIpp1F9cao8VkiBKxiR-YoWXMJs/s601/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-04%20at%2011.48.04%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="601" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkE8Ho6o87sPChICi-jX7QWsWb5C0f7b3IIJ0k3YzMcAqgZE2DHd70biwk_spOf5zONWtt-q_45JzVjaxbo4TvRN58q5A9Hm0GokFj_PKzxgeQeTm1TI3uMwNmvgqMl3XNXMGFiaN3sH7HWd7udLLTOwaLIum9ny7HwZIpp1F9cao8VkiBKxiR-YoWXMJs/w640-h466/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-04%20at%2011.48.04%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Tesla stock was trading at around $20/per share when the compensation plan with Musk was adopted.</div><div><br /></div><div>The stock ultimately traded for over $400/per share. That is 20x what it was when the pay plan was approved in 2018.</div><div><br /></div><div>Even after the stock has pulled back, Tesla shareholders who owned the stock when the pay plan was adopted, have seen their stock increase almost 10-fold.</div><div><br /></div><div>Shareholders have also earned at least ten times the value of any compensation Musk would have gotten under the plan---$600 billion or so in additional value. The plan proposed that Musk would get an additional 6% of Tesla stock for that $600 billion of increased value.</div><div><br /></div><div>The plan would have meant that Musk would have received no compensation at all should Tesla not have met the ambitious goals established. <b>Tails you lose.</b></div><div> </div><div>In fact, Musk led Tesla to heights that almost no one thought possible back in 2018.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, he did succeed.</div><div><br /></div><div>What is the reward for his success? Nothing. Zero. Zilch. <b>Heads you lose</b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>There is something fundamentally wrong in all of this.</div><div><br /></div><div>How is it that a single, solitary judge in Delaware can do something like this and it can be called justice?</div><div><br /></div><div>Rescinding a compensation deal that was approved by the Tesla board?</div><div><br /></div><div>Cancelling a deal that was approved by a super majority of the company's shareholders?</div><div><br /></div><div>Overlooking the massive value that Musk added to Tesla and its shareholders?</div><div><br /></div><div>Leaving Musk with absolutely no compensation for six years of effort.</div><div><br /></div><div>There was a time in the United States when success was celebrated.</div><div><br /></div><div>There was a time when a deal was a deal.</div><div><br /></div><div>No one in Delaware would have cared one iota if Elon Musk had run Tesla into bankruptcy while chasing his dream of building a revolutionary electric car.</div><div><br /></div><div>What is worse is that Elon Musk created an electric car that none of the global car companies can match, created over a half billion in value for its shareholders and the effect of the ruling is he does not get one cent of compensation for any of his efforts?</div><div><br /></div><div>In reading the Judge's opinion you get the sense that she believes that Tesla would have succeeded and prospered without Musk getting one additional cent of compensation. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Elon Musk was already rich. He already owned 22% of Tesla. He had every incentive to make Tesla successful. He didn't deserve another 6% of the stock for his efforts according to the judge's ruling.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>It is a common trait you see often in the minds of liberals.</div><div><br /></div><div>They see the harvest that the United States has provided but neglect the seeds that were sown to make it so.</div><div><br /></div><div>They think it just happens. The harvest will be there no matter what.</div><div><br /></div><div>It doesn't matter how much we tax, how much we borrow, how many illegals cross the border or how much we push DEI and ignore merit.</div><div><br /></div><div>It doesn't matter if we defund the police, do not arrest people for stealing less than $950 or let those we do arrest out with no bail.</div><div><br /></div><div>They don't see the connection between incentives and results.</div><div><br /></div><div>They assume you can seed the craziest policies across our landscape and the harvest will always be there.</div><div><br /></div><div>They don't understand that incentives drive behavior---both good and bad.</div><div><br /></div><div>There is also something in all of this is very troubling.</div><div><br /></div><div>Elon Musk was the treated like a conquering hero by the mainstream media and the government establishment when he was making Tesla successful and saving the U.S. space program with his SpaceX rockets.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since he bought Twitter and challenged government censorship of social media ,and the mainstream media news outlets see X as competing for viewer eyeballs, he has suddenly come under all sorts of scrutiny by the Biden administration and mainstream media.</div><div><br /></div><div>Consider the numerous stories in the mainstream media about drug use by Musk including allegations of consuming with some of his board members. Coincidental?</div><div><br /></div><div>However, Musk has stated that he has undergone drug testing as a requirement of his work with NASA which have not even found trace amounts of drugs in his system.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWiASpRqKdpTYZzb3FVB03V8Q_J4dmBcLEVQAM-ngbXUYhVBfqTDYguV9PlcpwggMGt5k9QcxgYkQ_S0yaYDmOcFCUamMO5v7oFvoc373a1hyphenhyphenLeAsjCVC6WP3EvnxvM8miRGYLezPzUzlOZK4n_yntdrRMyFewH7KrNbUknxXsXzCo8UCsouwqL8OWP-1/s493/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-07%20at%206.12.14%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="493" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWiASpRqKdpTYZzb3FVB03V8Q_J4dmBcLEVQAM-ngbXUYhVBfqTDYguV9PlcpwggMGt5k9QcxgYkQ_S0yaYDmOcFCUamMO5v7oFvoc373a1hyphenhyphenLeAsjCVC6WP3EvnxvM8miRGYLezPzUzlOZK4n_yntdrRMyFewH7KrNbUknxXsXzCo8UCsouwqL8OWP-1/w640-h356/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-07%20at%206.12.14%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacharyfolk/2024/01/07/elon-musk-claims-not-even-trace-amounts-of-drugs-in-his-system-after-report-detailed-drug-concerns-from-tesla-spacex-execs/?sh=95f6b9634878</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Another example is the DOJ sued Musk's SpaceX last year because it would not hire illegal immigrants at SpaceX.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Biden administration wants to force Musk to hire illegal immigrants to work at a company that has the most advanced rocket science in the world and is working on many projects with national security implications?</div><div><br /></div><div>Seriously?</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9uXcb5wUE-dvvPghHBhVPiKr4A6plCkFsExMTbyMEQnE1WDIgnW0wEWEJgd4yJVw2gEqE_j1rb6gnuJdj_wcI6zVR8lpOujzZ3WR0DFIXQFcGHIY45MychHEEquOMo__fmgm9emFea1JEhyE4QuDfjKrh7zVaEuNS-7cPpOPZw1qZtaqdKeQrtd0_Tic-/s683/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-06%20at%2011.14.15%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="683" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9uXcb5wUE-dvvPghHBhVPiKr4A6plCkFsExMTbyMEQnE1WDIgnW0wEWEJgd4yJVw2gEqE_j1rb6gnuJdj_wcI6zVR8lpOujzZ3WR0DFIXQFcGHIY45MychHEEquOMo__fmgm9emFea1JEhyE4QuDfjKrh7zVaEuNS-7cPpOPZw1qZtaqdKeQrtd0_Tic-/w640-h276/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-06%20at%2011.14.15%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-spacex-discriminating-against-asylees-and-refugees-hiring</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Let's also not forget that the compensation decision just happened to be rendered by a judge in Joe Biden's home state as well. Yes, Tesla was incorporated in Delaware. However,<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2024/01/31/after-adding-550-billion-to-teslas-value-court-cancels-elon-musks--558-billion-pay-deal/?sh=296ec48a6624"> no one can cite any other example </a>where a court in that state has rescinded a shareholder approved pay plan.</div><div><br /></div><div>I guess sometimes it just does not pay to be successful.</div><div><br /></div><div>That is especially true today when you are not aligned with the powers that be.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tails you lose.</div><div><br /></div><div>Heads you lose.</div><div><br /></div></div>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-77169282775752469282024-02-05T06:46:00.000-05:002024-02-05T06:46:59.571-05:00Five Facts From January, 2024<p>BeeLine is rooted in facts and data. It is the foundation from which everything I write is based.</p><p>In this blog post I am initiating a new feature in which I highlight five facts I learned during the previous month in writing BeeLine that were particularly salient, surprising, or stupefying as I reflected on the prior month's writings.</p><p>In a world in which opinions seem to be based more on feelings, emotions and prevailing narratives it might make sense to put more focus on straightforward facts, data and truths. </p><p>Consider these facts and data again that I previously wrote about and think about the larger issues to which they relate. It is only when we understand the reality of our world that we can make the proper judgments about it and the best ways to improve it.</p><p>Critical thinking is something that is obviously not done very often these days.</p><p>Five Facts From January, 2024 ...</p><p><b><u>Electric Vehicles</u></b></p><p>EV's are only driven about 62% of the miles annually that a gas-powered vehicle is. 7,175 miles for the EV compared to 11, 642 for gas-powered vehicles.</p><p></p><p>This indicates that most EV owners are not relying on that vehicle as the primary vehicle in the household. It is a second car used for commuting and around town but not considered practical for longer trips.</p><p>Until electric vehicles can significantly see their range increase and charging times decrease there will not be any widespread adoption of EV's by consumers. This is true irrespective of other issues regarding costs, the electric grid and the scarcity of rare minerals necessary for the manufacture of EV's at scale. All of these factors argue against widespread adoption of EV's anytime soon despite the relentless push to mandate their use by our current government and others.</p><p><a href="https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2024/01/electric-vehicles-short-hype.html">https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2024/01/electric-vehicles-short-hype.html</a></p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>Illegal Immigrants</u></b></p><p>Over the last several months more illegal immigrants entered the United States than the number of births that have been recorded!</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvmoyary54UKWcaJBKYVoZJcTaU9b8QhpCpgGOiBgBVCx8srQVkRGUy7ExFYsJTZaUxOBdPZa6BsmMdRdAi9PROHkpfaFzxuP_7hl-lkKmU-7vM_Zmh2-1EQPc1kN5LnSXKsDNp8d7txfIYFpm6Z6qS-tMl76J0kEMQ94vcUj3YqzEQZ_rJdHdzO6-O6j/s567/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-07%20at%2011.57.27%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="567" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvmoyary54UKWcaJBKYVoZJcTaU9b8QhpCpgGOiBgBVCx8srQVkRGUy7ExFYsJTZaUxOBdPZa6BsmMdRdAi9PROHkpfaFzxuP_7hl-lkKmU-7vM_Zmh2-1EQPc1kN5LnSXKsDNp8d7txfIYFpm6Z6qS-tMl76J0kEMQ94vcUj3YqzEQZ_rJdHdzO6-O6j/w640-h528/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-07%20at%2011.57.27%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: https://twitter.com/fentasyl/status/1740779371529740380</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>Bear in mind that the number of illegals in that chart are just those that were encountered by the Border Patrol. Nobody knows how many others snuck into the country and avoided detection.</p><p>How can this be described as anything other than a foreign invasion?</p><div><a href="https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2024/01/demography-destiny-and-destruction.html">https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2024/01/demography-destiny-and-destruction.html</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Federal Debt</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Borrowings have become the largest single revenue source of the federal government over the last six months. Larger than individual income taxes, social insurance taxes or corporate income taxes.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>I knew it was bad but I did not know it was quite this bad.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here is a summary of where the revenues came from in the federal government's fourth quarter (July 1, 2023-September 30, 2023).</div><div><br /></div><div>This was in a tweet from Stephen Moore citing numbers puts together by @EuroConOfficial.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6uvuVf2wptCX1H25JkA0iAdcDDil73xsyRbiNqkUg4sf6nP2bTBVrZLjXKLgEf4e7EM49xBgAIDXjq0DP1pVGDux-G37pWmRHqadP49kju_qiiTfyLv2krgQYv4KDP6oWYsYMvi40EUcCbipT4-5_Xs4DpYFn6cQ-XashJgoV8xqqZXG9o08A7YZQFaQ5/s641/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-04%20at%201.14.26%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="641" height="628" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6uvuVf2wptCX1H25JkA0iAdcDDil73xsyRbiNqkUg4sf6nP2bTBVrZLjXKLgEf4e7EM49xBgAIDXjq0DP1pVGDux-G37pWmRHqadP49kju_qiiTfyLv2krgQYv4KDP6oWYsYMvi40EUcCbipT4-5_Xs4DpYFn6cQ-XashJgoV8xqqZXG9o08A7YZQFaQ5/w640-h628/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-04%20at%201.14.26%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Credit: https://twitter.com/StephenMoore/status/1745923645073924326</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2024/01/this-and-that-january-22-2024.html">https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2024/01/this-and-that-january-22-2024.html</a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div><b><u>Urban Elites vs. Everyday Americans</u></b></div></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>It was shocking for me to see the authoritarian views held by urban elites (defined as those having a graduate degree, a household with more than $150,000 of income, and living in a zip code with more than 10,000 residents per square mile) as compared to everyday Americans in a recent survey.</div><div><br /></div><div>Almost 50% of Elites think that there is too much freedom in the United States. This compares to 16% for everyday Americans. At the same time, only 21% of Elites believe that the government has too much control compared to 57% of everyday Americans.</div><div><br /></div><div>The disparity is even larger among those Elites who graduated from Ivy League or other similar universities.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5t2OXTzKh-5PVhmgWy64mtsDdzzNLMgcx-gAk6MhLSiKL-OL4ACvc4udNfbg_8DaJ8LHumBMwhplrhHo1Iz2rdth9WhkNAqsQAtPVXR7zhf5-gOyIREOzN68JAcCtyilyDrfcLVQjaRh5z4zlluquY3IfXmSIKa98TE0WTfn7zJasU_F9qBJXTEJsh6GF/s662/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-04%20at%203.43.09%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="294" data-original-width="662" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5t2OXTzKh-5PVhmgWy64mtsDdzzNLMgcx-gAk6MhLSiKL-OL4ACvc4udNfbg_8DaJ8LHumBMwhplrhHo1Iz2rdth9WhkNAqsQAtPVXR7zhf5-gOyIREOzN68JAcCtyilyDrfcLVQjaRh5z4zlluquY3IfXmSIKa98TE0WTfn7zJasU_F9qBJXTEJsh6GF/w640-h284/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-04%20at%203.43.09%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: Source: https://committeetounleashprosperity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Them-vs-Us_CTUP-Rasmussen-Study-FINAL.pdf</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>This translates to a stupefying number of Elites who want to ban some of the basic conveniences of modern life (gas stoves, gas-powered cars, SUV's, air travel and private air conditioning) in order to combat climate change.<div><br /></div><div>A majority of Elites favor all of these bans and restrictions on individual freedoms.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh11fsHWfJNGZ-rLolzct2_fHQgB-WKd9-tqu1KdJI03bjmNHuUqoKCY3QkgQcHpN5KuVJv2NmH2TVtKjOlvLrV3kqZ2LBlwRXEi0GBhVgC04JpdkN6KPz9x3LTMIA7QwqH2pQKCXuRxEMlyLbZMPq3102ZEHHhiXxvWbKx2aRQHf-FbzLB8tqggp_gmrlA/s713/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-04%20at%208.00.07%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="713" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh11fsHWfJNGZ-rLolzct2_fHQgB-WKd9-tqu1KdJI03bjmNHuUqoKCY3QkgQcHpN5KuVJv2NmH2TVtKjOlvLrV3kqZ2LBlwRXEi0GBhVgC04JpdkN6KPz9x3LTMIA7QwqH2pQKCXuRxEMlyLbZMPq3102ZEHHhiXxvWbKx2aRQHf-FbzLB8tqggp_gmrlA/w640-h294/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-04%20at%208.00.07%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Left unsaid is that the Elites want to restrict the freedom of everyone else but do not expect those restrictions to apply to them. After all, they are elite and they know better than anyone else.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><b><u>Marriage and Politics</u></b></div></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>The fact that I found most interesting last month was that only 3.6% of marriages in the United States included both a Republican and Democrat in the household. 17% include a Republican or Democrat and an Independent. 80% of marriages are equally matched from a political perspective.</div><div><br /></div><div>Putting two people together with different backgrounds, personalities and habits in any marriage is a challenge in itself. It seems that adding differing political views to the mix clearly proves to be irreconcilable most of the time.</div><div><br /></div><div>These numbers indicate that differing political views must be sorted out during the dating process so that marriage does not result very often if there are political differences between the couple. Alternatively, if it does. there must be a good chance that couples with differing political views ends in divorce. That is the only way you can get the type of number that came up in that study.</div><div><br /></div><div>To put 4% in context here, consider that 10% of all marriage today involve mixed races.</div><div><br /></div><div>40% of all marriages today are interfaith.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is pretty astounding to consider that political views are a better indicator that couples in a marriage are equally yoked that either race or faith!</div>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-34216224269556319532024-01-31T07:02:00.000-05:002024-01-31T07:02:10.863-05:00Mars, Venus and Planet Earth<p>I have written several times over the years about the strong liberal leanings that are evident in the voting patterns of young, single women in the United States.</p><p>This liberal bias is even more pronounced when comparing women to men among the college educated.</p><p>Single, young white females typically vote Democrat at least 2/3 of the time according to most exit polls in recent years.</p><p>Unmarried women of all ages and races voted 68%-31% for the Democrat in House races in 2022.</p><p>Married women overall voted 56%-42% for Republicans.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgToAL4ArmCVceK-4c1I2zF9yIHwp6lJXdgcck_eMsYII1ym_liAUGBWFxSatoU3yDU4FrtdC9Y2ooIBNDZBCUkf6AUK9WnGFJN4pmJO1R0R6pOQgbg5kg4sxyMq2k6aPANf7qvjrz5sIoOtM9PDwEvuEUuKpfKDbn58pf1Snz-A1JqZHQ9W-svE-QuBauZ/s677/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-30%20at%202.00.42%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="677" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgToAL4ArmCVceK-4c1I2zF9yIHwp6lJXdgcck_eMsYII1ym_liAUGBWFxSatoU3yDU4FrtdC9Y2ooIBNDZBCUkf6AUK9WnGFJN4pmJO1R0R6pOQgbg5kg4sxyMq2k6aPANf7qvjrz5sIoOtM9PDwEvuEUuKpfKDbn58pf1Snz-A1JqZHQ9W-svE-QuBauZ/w640-h156/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-30%20at%202.00.42%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.cnn.com/election/2022/exit-polls/national-results/house</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>I came across an <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/29fd9b5c-2f35-41bf-9d4c-994db4e12998">interesting article</a> by John Burn-Murdoch in The Financial Times recently that looks at the gender divide issue from a wider global perspective.</p><p>It seems that the United States is not the only country that is seeing a widening gap between increasingly liberal political views among its young women compared to its men.</p><p>There is no country that this gap is larger than in South Korea.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31_x2yWJ88bXv_b1DMvOP4EY9uJJXqpZY68MeLwE04OunNM0N7i2ug6KWrHPVjZQPeTqHlLtEJffhZuuxhhFkaskrbarHettngROfFS_HA5HlRxJdQIbJk3FXSYTgDSNTsgwiqw6XlAg7oHgc7qeS2LNluJr5Bn8BzPyOj1tyeSG_vhXJ9LsKVuRzFdQP/s1233/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-30%20at%202.13.23%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="1233" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31_x2yWJ88bXv_b1DMvOP4EY9uJJXqpZY68MeLwE04OunNM0N7i2ug6KWrHPVjZQPeTqHlLtEJffhZuuxhhFkaskrbarHettngROfFS_HA5HlRxJdQIbJk3FXSYTgDSNTsgwiqw6XlAg7oHgc7qeS2LNluJr5Bn8BzPyOj1tyeSG_vhXJ9LsKVuRzFdQP/w640-h216/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-30%20at%202.13.23%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.ft.com/content/29fd9b5c-2f35-41bf-9d4c-994db4e12998</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>The data also seems to suggest that as the young women in a society move to the left politically the young men are moving to the right.</p><p>What is also interesting is that this ideological gap has almost totally come about within the last 10-15 years.</p><p>This divergence in views based on gender is something we have never seen before. Shifts in political ideology have historically moved generationally as all members of a generation share the same general formative experiences and reach significant milestones at the same stages of life. </p><p>John Gray did not know how right he was when he wrote his best selling book over 20 years ago.</p><p>Young men and women truly seem as if they are living on different planets today.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhscA8xom-l_5kvSi32EBzqwxozsNYL-Di4E1H4KA9jBpy0KpsJaT-2MPSH9cpAhexpV1HM4FbHXR4S-59El8NJDcUnw8QEffP4TLv-PubmfM4bTe-2n_VP56g4kg3GWb95QWRxJ0IxALOHk-UGvuw3y9Q8UQhYI26RpPBBtu7zkAUTzu1tvCvCzKhiDckR/s384/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-30%20at%204.31.19%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="257" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhscA8xom-l_5kvSi32EBzqwxozsNYL-Di4E1H4KA9jBpy0KpsJaT-2MPSH9cpAhexpV1HM4FbHXR4S-59El8NJDcUnw8QEffP4TLv-PubmfM4bTe-2n_VP56g4kg3GWb95QWRxJ0IxALOHk-UGvuw3y9Q8UQhYI26RpPBBtu7zkAUTzu1tvCvCzKhiDckR/w428-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-30%20at%204.31.19%20PM.png" width="428" /></a></div><br /><p>However, what is now causing young men and women of the same generation, who have grown up together, gone to school together and now work together have such diametrically opposed political views?</p><p>In previous blog posts I hypothesized that young, single women in the United States have become more liberal politically than their male counterparts due to two factors.</p><p>1) an innate need for security that pushes them to support large government safety net programs</p><p>2) a need to belong that is provided by the large number of "causes" that make up the progressive agenda</p><p>It can be argued that both of these are the result of the fact that there are now more young, unmarried women than we have ever had in history.</p><p>In fact, the most recent Census Bureau data indicates that 29% of all mid-life adults today(age 30-49) have never been married.</p><p>That is almost twice what it was in the year 2000 and over four times what it was in 1970.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggOPWzfxYi_9n9DxweP2kqGCVY1KD8DqPwEh-YyHIeX4DXoA39sK7eaqeBTdEMZHCUQHi8UFWmwvvti_5pxAjTvi3etnNzoXEMkvbPEIfIRJ4PfX48dKRdgDBgh_mKSroaSBl73SkiMcPOxrUX29lF8yCzVIbyJbyd2luth1uo_MezTCnf_N-6puiqKGIR/s961/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-30%20at%203.19.41%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="753" data-original-width="961" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggOPWzfxYi_9n9DxweP2kqGCVY1KD8DqPwEh-YyHIeX4DXoA39sK7eaqeBTdEMZHCUQHi8UFWmwvvti_5pxAjTvi3etnNzoXEMkvbPEIfIRJ4PfX48dKRdgDBgh_mKSroaSBl73SkiMcPOxrUX29lF8yCzVIbyJbyd2luth1uo_MezTCnf_N-6puiqKGIR/w640-h502/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-30%20at%203.19.41%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.bgsu.edu/ncfmr/resources/data/family-profiles/marino-geographic-variation-percentage-mid-life-never-marrried-adults-2021-fp-23-13.html</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>The numbers are even higher for those under age 35.</p><p>And higher still for <a href="https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2019/11/looking-for-few-good-men.html">college educated, young women who vastly outnumber college educated, young men making it even more challenging to find a marriage partner.</a></p><p>During the Black Lives Matter and Antifa protests of 2020 <a href="https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2020/07/what-is-it-with-millennial-women.html">I made the observation</a> that a large percentage of the protestors were young, white, single women.</p><p>In fact, they vastly outnumbered the protestors who were Black.</p><p>It defied logic.</p><p>How was defunding the police or emptying prisons going to make single women feel more secure?</p><p>The same can be said for several more of the larger liberal, progressive causes of today.</p><p>How is allowing a biological male to use a women's restroom going to make her feel safer?</p><p>How does allowing biological males to compete with females in athletics advance the opportunities for women?</p><p>Is there any group today that feels more lonely, is more misunderstood and wants to belong than young, single, college-educated white women? </p><p>Many have no man in their life. There are no children or likely prospects that marriage or children will occur soon due to the imbalance between male and female college graduates. They live in rental apartments in large cities leading hectic, anonymous lives with little sense of community and huge sums of student loan debt.</p><p>They have no family of their own or children they belong with. They can belong with a "cause".</p><p>On the other side of the planet, what is driving the enormous ideological political chasm between young men and women in South Korea?</p><p>It appears to involve an explosion of young, single women in that country.</p><p>42.5% of people in their 30's in South Korea are unmarried. That is up 13.3 percentage points compared to just 10 years ago.</p><p>Most troubling in South Korea is that the institution of marriage does not seem to be of much interest to either men or women anymore. Only one-third have a positive view of marriage.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHE03Y1dpZBNQy0sw0askkb6Szwe7D8BTnLOlutyb3mFmIpn6pM_4rbk24oEvoORAST5E0lG5PuqBq4A3TBq1ovmh4veJ64DT1WI0eeXNYZ8h5bmQ8ergsTqHfeWAwKWyPNOQ8INy8Fxzzlovhj5kE0FsRwJhYivfoN1yl_M_UHSCRXDKO8fy52XugwqwU/s897/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-30%20at%204.56.45%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="106" data-original-width="897" height="76" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHE03Y1dpZBNQy0sw0askkb6Szwe7D8BTnLOlutyb3mFmIpn6pM_4rbk24oEvoORAST5E0lG5PuqBq4A3TBq1ovmh4veJ64DT1WI0eeXNYZ8h5bmQ8ergsTqHfeWAwKWyPNOQ8INy8Fxzzlovhj5kE0FsRwJhYivfoN1yl_M_UHSCRXDKO8fy52XugwqwU/w640-h76/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-30%20at%204.56.45%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.wionews.com/world/south-koreans-losing-interest-in-marriage-report-finds-630642</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Of those who still look at marriage positively, the majority are men.</p><p>Only 28% of women viewed marriage positively in South Korea.</p><p>The attitudes on marriage have even given rise to a <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Society/South-Koreans-choice-of-staying-single-gains-wider-acceptance">new word in Korean---"<i>bihon</i>"-</a>--which describes someone who has willingly chosen to be single.</p><p>A subset of young South Korean women have taken it a step further and <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/03/south-korea-fertility-rate-misogyny-feminism/673435/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email">started a women's movement based on four NO's.</a> (Hat tip to Alex Berenson for pointing me to this info).</p><p><b>NO to dating</b></p><p><b>NO to sex with men</b></p><p><b>NO to marriage</b></p><p><b>NO to childbirth</b></p><p>What could go wrong?</p><p>In a country in which cultural norms do not look kindly on out of wedlock births, the effect of what is going on in South Korea on that nation's birth rate is predictable.'</p><p>Fewer marriages means there are fewer babies being born in South Korea.</p><p>South Korea now has <a href="https://time.com/6488894/south-korea-low-fertility-rate-trend-decline/">the lowest birth rate in the world</a>.</p><p>The total fertility rate (TFR) is .72 and is expected to go even lower. A 2.1 rate is considered necessary to maintain a stable population meaning each woman would, on average, give birth to 2.1 children during her lifetime. </p><p>North Korea's TFR is estimated at 1.79, still below replacement, but well more than double that of the South. </p><p>North Korean leader Kim Jung Un recently told women in that country that it is their national duty to have more children to strengthen its national power.</p><p>The reality is that if the North's birth rate goes up, and the South's continues to fall, Kim Jung Un's heirs might conquer the South without firing a single shot or missile. After all, demography is destiny.</p><p>My theory is that the same fundamentals that I believe are behind the move to liberalism in the United States also applies to young women in South Korea.</p><p>High rates of young, unmarried women drives an innate desire for security that they see as being provided by big government and the lack of a mate and children means there is a need to "belong" to something. That includes belonging to a movement based on NO's.</p><p>However, what explains the apparent movement of young men to conservatism?</p><p>On his Twitter feed, John Burn-Murdoch, offers two theories.</p><p>The first is that young men are just reacting negatively to the "wokeism" in young women.</p><p>He calls it "negative polarisation".</p><p><i>"If you are going to be woke, I am going to be anti-woke."</i></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg729M9Q0vhpmqqnnO72vhyphenhypheniqOwKKV2VzgZKDIKW-QgatCk975zLkxTpTQ5-Zmuy6jPixkHOkePkiGRkHm6D1U3CITM1LHZErnzGT4smN9wDt2z7K1nIbG9wYV26IiMftKF0pyNt6Yy6IVgO4P0oHb05xyYZ8VjS2oXlpjBXVzRHN1-kW7R3WMhTsDw-8ZK/s564/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-30%20at%205.53.57%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="564" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg729M9Q0vhpmqqnnO72vhyphenhypheniqOwKKV2VzgZKDIKW-QgatCk975zLkxTpTQ5-Zmuy6jPixkHOkePkiGRkHm6D1U3CITM1LHZErnzGT4smN9wDt2z7K1nIbG9wYV26IiMftKF0pyNt6Yy6IVgO4P0oHb05xyYZ8VjS2oXlpjBXVzRHN1-kW7R3WMhTsDw-8ZK/w640-h484/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-30%20at%205.53.57%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>This ideological polarization that Burn-Murdoch describes is not a positive sign when it comes to getting more men and women together in marriage either.'</p><p>A s<a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/522987-the-partisan-marriage-gap-is-bigger-than-ever/?rl=1&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email">tudy done in 2020 that was reported in The Hill</a> found that only 3.6% of marriages in the United States included a Democrat and a Republican. That is <a href="https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2018/07/interracial-marriages.html">less than half the number of mixed race marriages</a> in the United States! It is pretty incredible to think that it is more likely to have a mixed race marriage than to find a Republican and Democrat married to each other today.</p><p>Only about 17% of marriages have a Democrat or Republican and an Independent. In other words, about 80% of marriages involve partners who have similar political views. (Hat tip again to Alex Berenson for referencing this study in a recent Substack).</p><p>Burn-Murdoch's second theory is that this ideological divide is caused by social media where young women and men increasingly inhabit different parts of that world and rarely are exposed to each other.and any divergent views.</p><p>We really have created a Mars and Venus without leaving planet Earth.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsyzoff7ACRc63BoHlJacgBkpVYuDbvk9IfcMVRtmTHAnGi9onUXEOK4LtWeiFjKJvwQa4Ng09ybVHt-VzJ28uOaD-GxbIWscdUCWlPPrlZIfmK_qdoT5S4f3t7sqa9p0LafaEHeaJxTQOg9fxeZ_6z0-w625nT2tXFgw3oYZOy4mFdyx_7VPvZQbZ72_l/s550/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-30%20at%205.58.30%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="550" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsyzoff7ACRc63BoHlJacgBkpVYuDbvk9IfcMVRtmTHAnGi9onUXEOK4LtWeiFjKJvwQa4Ng09ybVHt-VzJ28uOaD-GxbIWscdUCWlPPrlZIfmK_qdoT5S4f3t7sqa9p0LafaEHeaJxTQOg9fxeZ_6z0-w625nT2tXFgw3oYZOy4mFdyx_7VPvZQbZ72_l/w640-h346/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-30%20at%205.58.30%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />What is my take from all of this?<p></p><p>I wrote the following words exactly one year ago today in a blog post titled "<a href="https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-natural-order-has-become-unordered.html">The Natural Order Has Become Disordered".</a> that was looking at the political divide between young men and women and single and married women in the United States.</p><p>There is one fundamental truth that underlies all of this.</p><p>Women who are married and those with children are much happier than those who are single or who do not have children.</p><p><i>One final factoid that gets us back to where we started.</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_HCx4PNon-pO7-NIqOJiOM_TAMY2Bp1fw25V2EqlnXoUyHY8P-hQAylXIDP9O648csbaganLoLplypMUZ6KBeEt18zGUEJZKUD5yAqbKMya4pIrohTX8RTMJ_SJIP_VFzK6HAWrg4MrkYvNEH7gzFZGkXMCXNEoG2fFc2AqAWjJ2-lMfAdFcWuHwuuoiQ/s708/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-30%20at%206.58.43%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="708" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_HCx4PNon-pO7-NIqOJiOM_TAMY2Bp1fw25V2EqlnXoUyHY8P-hQAylXIDP9O648csbaganLoLplypMUZ6KBeEt18zGUEJZKUD5yAqbKMya4pIrohTX8RTMJ_SJIP_VFzK6HAWrg4MrkYvNEH7gzFZGkXMCXNEoG2fFc2AqAWjJ2-lMfAdFcWuHwuuoiQ/w640-h334/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-30%20at%206.58.43%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><i>Women who are married are much, much happier than women who are single.</i></p><p><i>Women who have had children are also happier than those who are childless. </i></p><p><i>Contrast the percentage of women who say they are "very happy" at all ages between those married with children and those unmarried and childless.</i></p><p><i>Why is it a problem that there are so many single people in the United States today?</i></p><p><i>Why is it a problem that the birth rates have been dropping for years?</i></p><p><i>These are both having the effect of further destabilizing our society by interfering with the necessary social and relationship infrastructure.</i></p><p><i>Human beings are social animals.</i></p><p><i>They need meaningful human connections and relationships in their lives to thrive.</i></p><p><i>In families. In friendships. In day to day life.</i></p><p><i>God established a natural order in his design for humans to live happy and fulfilled lives</i></p><p><i>Men and Women each bringing their unique gifts to society.</i></p><p><i>Marriage and commitment between men and women.</i></p><p><i>Children born of those unions.</i></p><p><i>Families supporting each other.</i></p><p><i>Supportive friends and communities built on a bedrock of values, beliefs and faith.</i></p><p><i>Do you want to know why everything seems off these days?</i></p><p><i>The natural order has become unordered.</i></p><p><i>Don't take my word for it.</i></p><p><i>What do the facts and data say about it?</i></p><p>It does not matter if it is the United States, South Korea or some other place else on Planet Earth.</p><p>There is a natural order and it has become disordered.</p><p>The disorder has affected single, young women the most.</p><p>However, the effects have the potential to erode the most fundamental underpinnings of society.</p><p><span style="white-space: normal;">There are those that think the greatest risk to Planet Earth is climate change.</span></p><p><span style="white-space: normal;">Think again.</span></p><p><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></p>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-69679888062152360642024-01-29T06:52:00.000-05:002024-01-29T06:52:57.161-05:00The Illusion of Prosperity<p>Last week's <a href="https://www.bea.gov/sites/default/files/2024-01/gdp4q23-adv.pdf">GDP numbers</a> came in at what looked like an impressive 3.3% annual rate for the fourth quarter, 2023 in the United States.</p><p>The mainstream media fell all over themselves trumpeting the news.</p><p>CNN called it "shockingly robust"</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23lnz3tNfeisLQc7pGxYEHrFGPlpwK66D1LNRbCrccsMok5T4ZIA3iKzkW0zj_Gngl098UW8zDtmEbd86iujP0YtiLe1OrYltmfRli8eO2hnTFre119-TiFfY-CgG0ykcwmP24uc2sTbYQ4FGKo1U-aWfmvwbCeiVSK_FWM2ywQqLchSxsVM7ubuQ0q2Z/s642/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%204.37.24%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="126" data-original-width="642" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23lnz3tNfeisLQc7pGxYEHrFGPlpwK66D1LNRbCrccsMok5T4ZIA3iKzkW0zj_Gngl098UW8zDtmEbd86iujP0YtiLe1OrYltmfRli8eO2hnTFre119-TiFfY-CgG0ykcwmP24uc2sTbYQ4FGKo1U-aWfmvwbCeiVSK_FWM2ywQqLchSxsVM7ubuQ0q2Z/w640-h126/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%204.37.24%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/25/economy/fourth-quarter-gdp/index.html</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>U.S. News and World Report referred to "boom" times.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEhxPUkiAtjycvcEb9oh8BRZUb6ORPTbhPBJgYCImvpUsGGRjLx9DTpuQGgZ1v_IcR4Oj0DzF_ij-F6MIr3oDmoHSWiTYi42LQ-hXB5KOgVQasBTeCvB8T45g8LXUijJHw8SPp0dk-m0IpVMCea4SQs3HSxHZH0HFXZNGxsBkd3K5_V7YR-eMpWPAY3joS/s1067/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%204.43.36%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="1067" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEhxPUkiAtjycvcEb9oh8BRZUb6ORPTbhPBJgYCImvpUsGGRjLx9DTpuQGgZ1v_IcR4Oj0DzF_ij-F6MIr3oDmoHSWiTYi42LQ-hXB5KOgVQasBTeCvB8T45g8LXUijJHw8SPp0dk-m0IpVMCea4SQs3HSxHZH0HFXZNGxsBkd3K5_V7YR-eMpWPAY3joS/w640-h118/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%204.43.36%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The New York Times said that the U.S. economy "continues to defy expectations."</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2u-jqZSk-4aiRiJ1A7JuBrDI_aIY8UgTkoANd5SybFrOlM6yUzu7CJGnmJP7Tj26J4O7wOTaBAG130Lric74K_NqMSpU4LU-1Q_Oq7pv5lrrUXRrq30gff_wAwGVhmZI1qsQMPe1z2wcUv42zhC0tQXLc1f3L_yyXDHQUaE1rvbH2NYOyAmU8Qb9XXmX_/s538/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%204.46.16%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="538" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2u-jqZSk-4aiRiJ1A7JuBrDI_aIY8UgTkoANd5SybFrOlM6yUzu7CJGnmJP7Tj26J4O7wOTaBAG130Lric74K_NqMSpU4LU-1Q_Oq7pv5lrrUXRrq30gff_wAwGVhmZI1qsQMPe1z2wcUv42zhC0tQXLc1f3L_yyXDHQUaE1rvbH2NYOyAmU8Qb9XXmX_/w640-h124/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%204.46.16%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/25/briefing/us-economy-growth-north-korea-threats.html</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>MSNBC reported that Biden-era economic growth exceeded all expectations.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFThX81IoID6UlVPv9kaaABhoRR2rlVM62kRTVO6JsZOL2lAwSOa7MIQEd5P8swENQbqxW7QVekTtW1p1gD6-mpCL1GmYkEGznw7Jx9JVRljtwruGr91_l1ZvPx1jKbdQjkIEFg9HoTh_aL4S99kN7sWce23Zl4jjAmmPpX7PiXlqJi9KCtVwrnw6F8gDP/s560/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%204.50.17%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="198" data-original-width="560" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFThX81IoID6UlVPv9kaaABhoRR2rlVM62kRTVO6JsZOL2lAwSOa7MIQEd5P8swENQbqxW7QVekTtW1p1gD6-mpCL1GmYkEGznw7Jx9JVRljtwruGr91_l1ZvPx1jKbdQjkIEFg9HoTh_aL4S99kN7sWce23Zl4jjAmmPpX7PiXlqJi9KCtVwrnw6F8gDP/w640-h226/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%204.50.17%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/biden-era-economic-growth-exceeds-expectations-yet-rcna135690</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>What I am having a difficult time understanding is that in light of these GDP numbers how is it that polling shows the American people have a very negative view about the condition of the economy?</p><p>Gallup's polling on economic confidence in December, 2023 showed that 45% believed the economic conditions in the U.S. were poor and another 33% believed that conditions were only fair.</p><p>Just 3% described economic conditions as excellent.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5h0yFftVnebvx35ZBq5C8EciDLfyAmzDJaUFZwFOMoUergXpR7qvl-DlZvp_EmveH3zSTEK97OXiBb__bo8gtUvZYZKPONio8j9HSXbTShFjnAstsOgdMe_NzTQhbP5uYDtV7fRgMibHi3mcRPkf1iM58Q9IupoLs9Fcocc1_Cgra5RKjkm8nEerLItK/s702/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%204.59.10%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="702" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5h0yFftVnebvx35ZBq5C8EciDLfyAmzDJaUFZwFOMoUergXpR7qvl-DlZvp_EmveH3zSTEK97OXiBb__bo8gtUvZYZKPONio8j9HSXbTShFjnAstsOgdMe_NzTQhbP5uYDtV7fRgMibHi3mcRPkf1iM58Q9IupoLs9Fcocc1_Cgra5RKjkm8nEerLItK/w640-h194/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%204.59.10%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://news.gallup.com/poll/1609/consumer-views-economy.aspx</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Gallup's Economic Confidence Index is at one the lowest levels it has been in the last 30 years.</p><p>It has been in negative territory almost the entirety of the Biden administration.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuix_iBHTecH3sTpUUemOzwvs2h8JbdUCq_QNkhhoNJNv8XNEq9EezB2aeBkG-CBzC6Rm70yvDqzFYlQGq-gML9g0RYdr5w5myRV8k7qk_txOko3t3_jQ-syaelme_RGjhT79yGZ9SG_WBpC21kGMGyw-YRK8Lq9KjPaIyc8NLliumfEscQk5sZZGh-Um7/s737/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%205.00.15%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="737" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuix_iBHTecH3sTpUUemOzwvs2h8JbdUCq_QNkhhoNJNv8XNEq9EezB2aeBkG-CBzC6Rm70yvDqzFYlQGq-gML9g0RYdr5w5myRV8k7qk_txOko3t3_jQ-syaelme_RGjhT79yGZ9SG_WBpC21kGMGyw-YRK8Lq9KjPaIyc8NLliumfEscQk5sZZGh-Um7/w640-h362/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%205.00.15%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://news.gallup.com/poll/1609/consumer-views-economy.aspx</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>How can there be this large of a disconnect between what the government numbers say and what the American people believe?</p><p>This is of particular interest in this case because GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is supposed to be the best indicator of the health of a nation's economy and its prosperity in that it is the sum total of the value of all the goods and services produced during a specific period.</p><p>All of this is better understood in considering the basic formula for how GDP is calculated.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJkUbT4MHLn-xoiYztOt4APt7FiuTGNgyAOnVeU6WbvYOfBAiPjOjEdFH0SXhgTWDuQpwqeYjTdwv6SO0VqNs5QXL3vc6hLT_vQ9Gwzt1nSi4lxTk6Of96R6Lz4sIdQ79BZzknGWt6-nEWppDnlHy9nGSGE9qpGhggvPyaco8FqkPofgHUnq5caXQMuPW/s753/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%205.41.35%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="753" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJkUbT4MHLn-xoiYztOt4APt7FiuTGNgyAOnVeU6WbvYOfBAiPjOjEdFH0SXhgTWDuQpwqeYjTdwv6SO0VqNs5QXL3vc6hLT_vQ9Gwzt1nSi4lxTk6Of96R6Lz4sIdQ79BZzknGWt6-nEWppDnlHy9nGSGE9qpGhggvPyaco8FqkPofgHUnq5caXQMuPW/w640-h296/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%205.41.35%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The best analysis and explantation as to why the GDP number looks good on paper, but it is not being felt by the American people, is the fact that private consumption (by individuals and private sector businesses) is lagging while government expenditures are exploding.</p><p>You can see this graphically in this chart by E.J Antoni that shows that in the GDP numbers Government Expenditures (the G in the formula above) has exceeded Personal Consumption Expenditures (the C in the formula above) in each of the last six quarters.</p><p>That is not the way it is supposed to work in a growing, healthy economy.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwhMQUZn73-qkFdd85sBD6yg7sZOPvtsR2RpQM5ZvX-hxo4_aZGQWnlNTV5U4ltV4D7kliHwRBf5Z3ztEyMuDSDwiUza4C9phBrr9-EnXWmH96vItjZ9LZzJn8z0D0C-tRKcIABF08R3fFqRHuPRHfPvxGGUplixCjXYAacPdheDZLlUVjtLecwbZHk1j/s642/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%206.31.45%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="599" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwhMQUZn73-qkFdd85sBD6yg7sZOPvtsR2RpQM5ZvX-hxo4_aZGQWnlNTV5U4ltV4D7kliHwRBf5Z3ztEyMuDSDwiUza4C9phBrr9-EnXWmH96vItjZ9LZzJn8z0D0C-tRKcIABF08R3fFqRHuPRHfPvxGGUplixCjXYAacPdheDZLlUVjtLecwbZHk1j/w598-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%206.31.45%20PM.png" width="598" /></a></div><br /><p>The bottom line is that the federal government increased federal debt by $834 billion in the fourth quarter but that only resulted in an overall total increase in GDP of $328 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_MUgUp7XvKMO1Dkt_iSbBy5pGELeM0lXKDNgdHhuMDQfvREoj3ckFKYDbIWVmXEiIXd_j9zDvnjAWGU6shaIyYo-nCG_QIKanBB9EZiwY47D2LQrO0XQM9rj4GQIwDHvacC-iUI8Ph1GktL6rttRQLH1hmy9Yzp-pHwtZ5_rJIyWX6bOm7b2NkTTZWBH/s739/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%206.35.23%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="590" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_MUgUp7XvKMO1Dkt_iSbBy5pGELeM0lXKDNgdHhuMDQfvREoj3ckFKYDbIWVmXEiIXd_j9zDvnjAWGU6shaIyYo-nCG_QIKanBB9EZiwY47D2LQrO0XQM9rj4GQIwDHvacC-iUI8Ph1GktL6rttRQLH1hmy9Yzp-pHwtZ5_rJIyWX6bOm7b2NkTTZWBH/w510-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%206.35.23%20PM.png" width="510" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Put another way, there is a big difference when the private sector borrows and invests in plants, equipment and inventories that have an expected future return and when government borrows to mainly fulfill past political promises.</p><p>There is a lot of waste and leakage between the amounts borrowed and it becoming real added value in the economy.</p><p>And the federal government has been borrowing like no tomorrow since the debt ceiling limit was suspended in June,2023.</p><p>As I pointed out in an <a href="https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2024/01/this-and-that-january-22-2024.html">earlier blog post,</a> borrowings have been the single largest revenue source for the federal government over the last six months.</p><p>You can see below how the $834 billion of federal borrowings in the 4th Q fiscal quarter dwarfed other revenue sources.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjhAuUzXV9LjOY3yV8QQAxPOrxgcuif9U2o9uDrU6mdfIETUNr9amYv70Gpl3ryrjVUpSVwfMqMuItE4Q8CJUqsHHCWjyl_QH0wVosO6lbzKHOnAwTp4htJEDNXwqGF_RYGSGXS_EQmFzxH-ZpsJ9K6E1chDfKHubGJDaeYspwpIuNstAybdRrSZCjfoN2/s670/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%207.59.59%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="639" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjhAuUzXV9LjOY3yV8QQAxPOrxgcuif9U2o9uDrU6mdfIETUNr9amYv70Gpl3ryrjVUpSVwfMqMuItE4Q8CJUqsHHCWjyl_QH0wVosO6lbzKHOnAwTp4htJEDNXwqGF_RYGSGXS_EQmFzxH-ZpsJ9K6E1chDfKHubGJDaeYspwpIuNstAybdRrSZCjfoN2/w610-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%207.59.59%20PM.png" width="610" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5sQlkYBQ46PogWoVMGP5yo3OM2UvsjkeF2gXDcxXx4cKQ7oDc04H1uQdT78ITxPM3Rdgl7vTo2DcGYpr1ycVaxeEI1YfmkuIZWNEkdqynqxPsdYsFD43EKY6FwvPjRhBoyZ7CSfOdOgiIzBMF-M_f__7dmMUj0ggOEBLmzAIrvohZRYCnEka4A221DFOM/s649/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%208.00.13%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="649" height="610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5sQlkYBQ46PogWoVMGP5yo3OM2UvsjkeF2gXDcxXx4cKQ7oDc04H1uQdT78ITxPM3Rdgl7vTo2DcGYpr1ycVaxeEI1YfmkuIZWNEkdqynqxPsdYsFD43EKY6FwvPjRhBoyZ7CSfOdOgiIzBMF-M_f__7dmMUj0ggOEBLmzAIrvohZRYCnEka4A221DFOM/w640-h610/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%208.00.13%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>In just eight months since the federal debt ceiling was suspended, federal debt has increased almost $3 trillion.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil56P4N8UuVnTWRMM4-8i8Wtq0KxxoW0DTsUjreW-VWFhXCoLjbZDtRWkvpxDHYzByIlMLMj2mTykkWTzofsHSWSsRLauXgGweglFWh1Rny7ShILU9oKIpt11iIb4l0Isl7hL5FxYmJCgHOLfXSCrrF3hcBHaaW4auycbBL8dFT2WS6sdSqYbED9Mx91Rb/s454/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%207.15.33%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="454" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil56P4N8UuVnTWRMM4-8i8Wtq0KxxoW0DTsUjreW-VWFhXCoLjbZDtRWkvpxDHYzByIlMLMj2mTykkWTzofsHSWSsRLauXgGweglFWh1Rny7ShILU9oKIpt11iIb4l0Isl7hL5FxYmJCgHOLfXSCrrF3hcBHaaW4auycbBL8dFT2WS6sdSqYbED9Mx91Rb/w640-h434/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%207.15.33%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: https://twitter.com/RealEJAntoni/status/1750987793663135854</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Each dollar of borrowing will also require more and more interest to be paid on that debt in the future that will be a further drag on economic activity.</p><p>Antoni believes that given the current trend in government spending, GDP, price indices and interest rates we could possibly see interest costs on the federal debt go from $1 trillion currently to $3 trillion by 2030.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31oCRxeWuez0XLdjSclxvjsfd2SlvlfKi0o9YEO38_0iq-BQPApt2ZbKlZw_95BUXlNZGL9_PBBZ0cz8Na-vztjUNibcH52u09GgZgG1ASUMa6OcDj_ZZ4NPFzhpY_o3ULgqV6LUlwGEALHJccPnVZPhR0_3L28By2SLMHlvoyaFk8xEmoDydjE27IrYr/s719/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%207.34.19%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31oCRxeWuez0XLdjSclxvjsfd2SlvlfKi0o9YEO38_0iq-BQPApt2ZbKlZw_95BUXlNZGL9_PBBZ0cz8Na-vztjUNibcH52u09GgZgG1ASUMa6OcDj_ZZ4NPFzhpY_o3ULgqV6LUlwGEALHJccPnVZPhR0_3L28By2SLMHlvoyaFk8xEmoDydjE27IrYr/w534-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-28%20at%207.34.19%20PM.png" width="534" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Even if indexed for inflation, the $1 trillion could become $2 trillion. That is close to the what is currently collected in total individual income taxes per year.</p><p>It is hard not to conclude that all of this borrowing and government spending is just providing an illusion of prosperity in the GDP numbers.</p><p>Everyone in the mainstream media and the D.C. bureaucracy thinks everything is great.</p><p>It seems that only everyday Americans realize that something is seriously amiss.</p><p>Beware the illusion of prosperity.</p>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-84179927709105546872024-01-26T07:08:00.000-05:002024-01-26T07:08:39.227-05:00Truth and Lies<p>Exactly four years ago today <a href="https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2020/01/coronavirus-and-china.html">I wrote a blog post</a> about a mysterious and deadly virus that had gripped the Chinese city of Wuhan.</p><p>At that point, only five cases of the virus that would eventually be named Covid-19, had been identified in the United States.</p><p>It would be the first of almost 200 blog posts I would write about Covid over the next several years.</p><p>When I wrote that initial blog post it was suggested that the virus originated in a wet market in Wuhan in which bats and other unauthorized animals had been sold.</p><p>However, even at that early date in January, 2020, I reported that I was troubled that the outbreak could very possibly be traced to a Chinese biolab in Wuhan that was known to be studying the highest risk pathogens in the world.</p><p><i><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-7922379/Chinas-lab-studying-SARS-Ebola-Wuhan-outbreaks-center.html?fbclid=IwAR12Oz9S0q8hl9T7_tlqfT7Ng6Xc4ltt7OYADoZHnM3OhUyngXXmhjijqs8">More troubling are reports </a>that this virus may have escaped from a Chinese biolab that is located in Wuhan and was involved in studying the highest risk pathogens in the world.<br /><br />U.S. scientists were worried about the risks that pathogens like this could escape from facilities like this one as evidenced by this <a href="https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/lab-made-coronavirus-triggers-debate-34502/amp">article in The Scientist </a>back in 2015.<br /></i><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1g7aZE1upZsHfNwmtxl1xpeDmhxLiPg0GFZufpsY9Rd8OXw7XLs-XHj1F2Yr8fT97bVAedH1XgoqFMKdLJwUpFMf0LoEamwfaG2IRyM4HUozpcY9V4gnr3VGBMk1vnfIe3eZvsUKFVzRc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-01-25+at+8.39.37+AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="756" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1g7aZE1upZsHfNwmtxl1xpeDmhxLiPg0GFZufpsY9Rd8OXw7XLs-XHj1F2Yr8fT97bVAedH1XgoqFMKdLJwUpFMf0LoEamwfaG2IRyM4HUozpcY9V4gnr3VGBMk1vnfIe3eZvsUKFVzRc/w640-h117/Screen+Shot+2020-01-25+at+8.39.37+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /><br /><br /><i>As a result, the United States ceased funding any of this "gain-of-function" research back in 2013 because it determined the risk of creating a pandemic was much greater than any information gained from the research.<br /><br />It is worthwhile to note that at that time this decision was made there was research being done in the U.S. on an engineered coronavirus. Note as well where the surface protein came for that virus.<br /></i><br /></p><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>Ralph Baric, an infectious-disease researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, last week (November 9) published a study on his team’s efforts to engineer a virus with the surface protein of the SHC014 coronavirus, found in horseshoe bats in China, and the backbone of to one that causes human-like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in mice. The hybrid virus could infect human airway cells and caused disease in mice, according to the team’s results, which were published in Nature Medicine.</i></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>Little did I know that at the same time that I was writing that blog post in late January, 2020, Dr. Anthony Fauci was desperately working behind the scenes to steer any suspicions away from the lab leak theory as well as cover up his involvement in the funding of gain of function research on coronaviruses at the Wuhan lab.</p><p>The full truth of what went on with the origins of Covid and the subsequent illogical response by the public health establishment is coming into better focus with each succeeding day.</p><p>Senator Rand Paul in his book <u>Deception </u>does a great job in detailing what appears to be a coverup perpetrated by Dr. Fauci and others involving Covid.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJZW4Ki5-yqB0bES9CkcHr07J4E4UJHV1GiRXSHbjPUxdLV1kWBCXXwtRIdi1VvmfeBplRbZeuqd8HBME-oZoVGW7zzwoZd2AzdL6CRTEqNed3Patte6mUFRWiiNHI2cK-F3Wl64aeOQ-cdyPI8HPWPZSMzp6zzvGFdF56lbhTz0_1Lv6UOD2xiNTJuA0/s525/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-25%20at%203.58.19%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="363" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJZW4Ki5-yqB0bES9CkcHr07J4E4UJHV1GiRXSHbjPUxdLV1kWBCXXwtRIdi1VvmfeBplRbZeuqd8HBME-oZoVGW7zzwoZd2AzdL6CRTEqNed3Patte6mUFRWiiNHI2cK-F3Wl64aeOQ-cdyPI8HPWPZSMzp6zzvGFdF56lbhTz0_1Lv6UOD2xiNTJuA0/w442-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-25%20at%203.58.19%20PM.png" width="442" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.amazon.com/Deception-Great-Cover-Up-Rand-Paul/dp/1684515130</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Dr. Paul drew much of the material for his book from emails obtained under FOIA requests involving Fauci and others at the National Institute of Health and other government agencies.</p><p>What is particularly revealing in those emails was the time and effort Fauci spent at the end of January, 2020 working to discredit the lab leak theory both within the public health community and with the media.</p><p>A few excerpts from <u>Deception</u>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16BZkSjIqWO8CNs0z-1rRMIHW0S_uT7qY2mefZCu4CPmN90UZyVQKlzs1jUZFq-MJcNhu1S_v6OD8lJXmHQNWXSv-tuwvDUe8hh115gsSY49tteqybRJPE7SjLVkFWUYa4FydqIi1NhlxiRY5pZBRiNRTeDDn2yENHC30fxHA82e7SGt2xf6XoOeRlXtI/s724/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-25%20at%204.05.01%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="724" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16BZkSjIqWO8CNs0z-1rRMIHW0S_uT7qY2mefZCu4CPmN90UZyVQKlzs1jUZFq-MJcNhu1S_v6OD8lJXmHQNWXSv-tuwvDUe8hh115gsSY49tteqybRJPE7SjLVkFWUYa4FydqIi1NhlxiRY5pZBRiNRTeDDn2yENHC30fxHA82e7SGt2xf6XoOeRlXtI/w640-h252/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-25%20at%204.05.01%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh__pz8e6mghYixsKVVLmOrSma7s5rWiEM6DYRudpTM1T7uzNo427xHEDFQeDCQ8dmSzwci6kGCqmj_TvcyDp3Lku5oyF-_ZokT3r2v2JZ1mAnAcnpx_9fo-owVLUcOK15vCLkSFvP-KuRPuV0Q5kTr67eqs7W1qR0lPRrYjnMI2luKFYvQUvGK-Mv9z1gK/s709/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-25%20at%204.08.17%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="709" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh__pz8e6mghYixsKVVLmOrSma7s5rWiEM6DYRudpTM1T7uzNo427xHEDFQeDCQ8dmSzwci6kGCqmj_TvcyDp3Lku5oyF-_ZokT3r2v2JZ1mAnAcnpx_9fo-owVLUcOK15vCLkSFvP-KuRPuV0Q5kTr67eqs7W1qR0lPRrYjnMI2luKFYvQUvGK-Mv9z1gK/w640-h414/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-25%20at%204.08.17%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Fauci's efforts at working to discredit the lab leak theory reached a fever pitch on January 31, 2020.</p><p>Based on the emails, it appears that Fauci did not sleep that night.</p><p>He had to be living in mortal fear knowing the hand he had in all of this.</p><p>Why else would he be emailing and phoning people in the wee hours of the morning on that day?</p><p>Is that something that would be normal for someone who should not be particularly concerned with the origins of the virus but should be focused on how to protect the American public from it?</p><p>For example, Fauci sent an email to his second in command at 12;29 am that morning that included a paper on the gain of function work that had been going on at the Wuhan lab. Fauci told him that it was "essential we speak this morning. Keep your cell phone...read this paper...you will have tasks today that must be done".</p><p>At 3:00 am Fauci sent another email out to the individual in government whose duties included chairing the committee that was supposed to screen all gain of function funding requests and disapprove any that were considered too dangerous. He sent along an article suggesting the virus was natural in origin</p><p>The problem for Fauci and the NIH was they had been funding the gain of function research at Wuhan but had purposely not sent the funding request for the required exception to the gain of function ban that was in place.</p><p>All of this explains a lot of what followed.</p><p>Fauci and the NIH were living in fear of it being found out they were funding the work on the coronaviruses at Wuhan.</p><p>They also knew that the purpose of the work was to create a virus that was more contagious and deadly than was currently in place in nature.</p><p>Knowing all of this, it undoubtedly caused Fauci and the NIH to overreact and recommend the draconian response to the virus they did knowing that it was totally at odds with established protocols in dealing with a pandemic.</p><p>Fear and guilt had to be enormous motivating factors in what Fauci and his brethren did next.</p><p>They could not leave any stone unturned in the Covid response knowing what they appeared to have unleashed.</p><p>What would the response be if the truth came out and Fauci had not gone all out in the response in order to stop the virus?</p><p>As I wrote in that first blog post, the science was clear on what the public health response should be.</p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><i>The most effective way to stop an outbreak of a virus such as this one is to aggressively isolate and quarantine those that are ill so as to not infect other people. They need to be identified, treated aggressively by medical professionals, and isolated.</i></blockquote><p></p><p>What did Fauci and his public health officials do instead?</p><p>They shutdown the economy and schools and quarantined and isolated the healthy. That was completely counter to over 100 years of hard learned pandemic guidelines.</p><p>You see how absurd it all was in a <a href="https://boriquagato.substack.com/p/mistakes-were-made-collins-edition?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email#media-811aaa8f-6159-4104-9acf-8f3ac3a22aaa">recent interview of Francis Collins </a>(Fauci's former boss at NIH) in which he admitted "mistakes were made"</p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><p><i>“If you're a public health person, and you're trying to make a decision, you have this very narrow view of what the right decision is, and that is something that will save a life. doesn't matter what else happens, so you attach infinite value to stopping the disease and saving a life. you attach zero value to whether this actually totally disrupts people's lives, ruins the economy, and has many kids kept out of school in a way that they never might quite recover from. this is a public health mindset… and that was really unfortunate, it's another mistake we made."</i></p><p></p></blockquote><p>This is how a public health person is supposed to think?</p><p>You attach infinite value in saving one life but zero value on what you are doing as a result to millions and millions of others that totally disrupts their lives, ruins the economy and keeps kids out of school such they may never recover from it?</p><p>I thought their responsibility was PUBLIC HEALTH? Does that not include a broad view of all elements of health in a society--physical, mental and economic?</p><p>If you are in public health how do you totally disregard the lives of 100's of millions of people, the economy, business owners, schoolchildren and the damage your policies are causing to focus on the narrow view of single lives balanced against the needs and future of society?</p><p>That is especially true in that early in the pandemic it was clear that there was minimal risk to most everyone under the age of 70. These were individuals for which it was easiest to isolate and protect.</p><p>I questioned what was being done in April, 2020 at the height of the lockdowns in a blog post <a href="https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2020/04/two-faced-fauci.html">"Two-Faced Fauci"</a>. Little did I know how accurate I was in describing Fauci at that early juncture in the pandemic.</p><p><br /></p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><p><i>I also have a hard time in understanding how Dr. Fauci can stand up at those press conferences and say that his sole focus is on health recommendations to the President. He is being charged with overseeing the public health of the United States. Yes, that includes the nation's short term response to the virus. However, how do public health concerns also not extend to the longer term implications of the economic shutdown. He says he is not an economist. In my view, it is not enough for him to say that it is not his concern. There is a public health component in that as well that he should be considering and weighing in his recommendations.</i></p><p> </p></blockquote><p>We also have the recent testimony of Fauci that the six feet recommendation on social distancing was totally made up as there was no scientific basis for it at all.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTng1M93GGNLV0ZKAB-1lDw58DANdNjSNBBi1HZpTSDJfL6V8g78QUOjZjk71d66S0ICWzEGdiqkFAoISje1jFPwiWKD5EXAaD1qeO1Nx2WlVCIYFLBtym96hyQ9DdgKzjUXWPRUDNLke8kplIdnHetJg8nB4moA-BroPr0bswHssGU9TcUHU0bJsU3kQc/s748/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-25%20at%205.27.23%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="198" data-original-width="748" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTng1M93GGNLV0ZKAB-1lDw58DANdNjSNBBi1HZpTSDJfL6V8g78QUOjZjk71d66S0ICWzEGdiqkFAoISje1jFPwiWKD5EXAaD1qeO1Nx2WlVCIYFLBtym96hyQ9DdgKzjUXWPRUDNLke8kplIdnHetJg8nB4moA-BroPr0bswHssGU9TcUHU0bJsU3kQc/w640-h170/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-25%20at%205.27.23%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://nypost.com/2024/01/10/news/fauci-admits-to-congress-that-certain-covid-social-distancing-guidelines-lacked-scientific-basis-sort-of-just-appeared/</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>More and more studies have also confirmed that face mask mandates were not effective tools to protect against the virus. I cited research (read <a href="https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2020/07/unmasking-masks.html">"Unmasking Masks"</a> that i wrote in July, 2020) about the limitations of masking at the beginning of the pandemic. However, Fauci and others totally disregarded the science. They wanted to make sure it looked they were doing something to protect the public. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_H438vqOfPs5LES_O2aURo6LaVkkJFi28BLpqDvOQ2jy62u4gTpKZEWTNgWgllP70xeGJjfNjYsPnn8qRKGXO8nwZbOZbG37VWk9b1gP1vAkvmQ0ugsiS1ilsA0C9AedLeOOj_zA70htamBqxU5Qb5Ozclex418_P1BLABxovPiemsKiJFjVGlVYTsKM/s555/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-25%20at%205.29.46%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="136" data-original-width="555" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_H438vqOfPs5LES_O2aURo6LaVkkJFi28BLpqDvOQ2jy62u4gTpKZEWTNgWgllP70xeGJjfNjYsPnn8qRKGXO8nwZbOZbG37VWk9b1gP1vAkvmQ0ugsiS1ilsA0C9AedLeOOj_zA70htamBqxU5Qb5Ozclex418_P1BLABxovPiemsKiJFjVGlVYTsKM/w640-h156/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-25%20at%205.29.46%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/21/opinion/do-mask-mandates-work.html</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Dr. Deborah Birx wrote in her book that "15 days to slow the spread " was just the term they used to convince Trump to approve the initial lockdown. They all knew that it was just the start and they wanted to lockdown much longer.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiof-62zmDn0P91gWIE7dlCqDfzavQeN1hriEQrDqFKbusZnir5JeR-D3tvTkbdvGfIHBAZnQotmvDRwQbadPbAIGywzRH-keufvS1UYQd4N2dLp5XpG5nljnRN6gPDlVcX_pzOdUL99NbyqtZuacZ2YXe0I_3LgnzWrECnkiYoWhMo_kdRnRUaf6BH9xTH/s678/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-25%20at%205.33.18%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="110" data-original-width="678" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiof-62zmDn0P91gWIE7dlCqDfzavQeN1hriEQrDqFKbusZnir5JeR-D3tvTkbdvGfIHBAZnQotmvDRwQbadPbAIGywzRH-keufvS1UYQd4N2dLp5XpG5nljnRN6gPDlVcX_pzOdUL99NbyqtZuacZ2YXe0I_3LgnzWrECnkiYoWhMo_kdRnRUaf6BH9xTH/w640-h104/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-25%20at%205.33.18%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.independentsentinel.com/dr-birx-admits-they-lied-about-the-15-days-to-flatten-the-curve/</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Of course, I am not even touching on the experimental Covid vaccines, the vaccine mandates that followed and all the lies surrounding how safe and effective they would be in preventing the disease and transmission. After all, preventing the disease and its transmission would be the only logical reason to justify a mandate to begin with.</p><p>Do you remember, as I do, all of the statements that were made that the vaccines would stop the virus and create a dead end for transmission? We were told it was the only way to end the pandemic.</p><p>Fauci made that claim himself in May, 2021 in an appearance on Face the Nation.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP2tzewYA02qkMiaJJfX-L3jfFodlGZFB3_w9b_IkLWfxOEWOqhLHGYIJWncEbZnigOLnaE7BextojThMOtnTL2eDBXitG7SJ-37uFyh6qjyi9nMWMXX4VUbO5RSaIRCBTwdNskfzSOFI-LeASdzAHKyRVaM62lYMCFzimr_BC0DdeBvhADaotA96f1d2E/s997/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-25%20at%208.22.39%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="997" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP2tzewYA02qkMiaJJfX-L3jfFodlGZFB3_w9b_IkLWfxOEWOqhLHGYIJWncEbZnigOLnaE7BextojThMOtnTL2eDBXitG7SJ-37uFyh6qjyi9nMWMXX4VUbO5RSaIRCBTwdNskfzSOFI-LeASdzAHKyRVaM62lYMCFzimr_BC0DdeBvhADaotA96f1d2E/w640-h114/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-25%20at%208.22.39%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/553773-fauci-vaccinated-people-become-dead-ends-for-the-coronavirus/</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>Who were they misleading and lying to?</p><p>It wasn't just the American people. They were also lying to the President of the United States.</p><p>It should also be remembered that in the early days of the pandemic President Trump stated that he had seen evidence that Covid-19 had originated in that Wuhan lab.</p><p>However, every chance Fauci got he contradicted Trump and argued that the origin of the virus was entirely within nature. He consistently stated there was nothing to the theory that the Covid-19 virus came out of work done at the Wuhan lab.</p><p>Of course, consider the recent finding of Dr. Richard Ebright of Rutgers University, who has closely examined the chemical and biological makeup of Covid-19 and compared it to the proposal that the EcoHealth Alliance developed and sent to the Wuhan lab that was funded by Fauci and the NIH.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjQ46-Y8gWf4m5tx7lfDmqsbn_9GGvgoIyw6_JjXXm831MUcARFt66Gnke31DGrLDkKoUDlrGJxQb127-k9qKtKsPtpVuFZWBvnnmlnwpDjHSQ5zAYqSXxGbkyRwGXhImgFJrE1sPEKGMKa-RKuVpERD8FPg1G1GMtKKpJ68en4F8uVwspmdMIUDUxmZu/s598/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-25%20at%206.09.36%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="247" data-original-width="598" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjQ46-Y8gWf4m5tx7lfDmqsbn_9GGvgoIyw6_JjXXm831MUcARFt66Gnke31DGrLDkKoUDlrGJxQb127-k9qKtKsPtpVuFZWBvnnmlnwpDjHSQ5zAYqSXxGbkyRwGXhImgFJrE1sPEKGMKa-RKuVpERD8FPg1G1GMtKKpJ68en4F8uVwspmdMIUDUxmZu/w640-h264/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-25%20at%206.09.36%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vZxkIvLemu4nsQdT73T-Wn-LjENfBfVuMNoSQqpBr27E6fjJDYzaQtaPWPnrjok2OIQkovIRwZg9Pn5AXhhSTN-9jQLlUVPUZe3PGsCHu2425ydoR-DiRaCTP-ebxEyxpGC0fBm6bbac-QIHG9uSu3XwzkVxQpzOLwo8-dU_KyY9dX2RuERFbQTSUInS/s605/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-25%20at%206.10.37%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="605" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vZxkIvLemu4nsQdT73T-Wn-LjENfBfVuMNoSQqpBr27E6fjJDYzaQtaPWPnrjok2OIQkovIRwZg9Pn5AXhhSTN-9jQLlUVPUZe3PGsCHu2425ydoR-DiRaCTP-ebxEyxpGC0fBm6bbac-QIHG9uSu3XwzkVxQpzOLwo8-dU_KyY9dX2RuERFbQTSUInS/w640-h234/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-25%20at%206.10.37%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>When it came to the media trusting Trump or Fauci on this question you know who they believed.</p><p>This CNN article from May, 2020 says it all.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7JCyXoioyQZlC7CA-q82nw06Vig2U3OLXdDYhv9dXOorjXoBN_zJVka-jCFT2a0Efmeu7xxdfIkR3EJKKID38-LkUceQlnEgEmmCAMqIwHUugP9FPH81A7lqXVplGKNz-neFZY1Geu-sfuI8SzYP8bcXX5FVmB43tpvP5CH1yUKmtYntxeC0MFiIPp7w3/s644/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-25%20at%205.53.11%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="129" data-original-width="644" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7JCyXoioyQZlC7CA-q82nw06Vig2U3OLXdDYhv9dXOorjXoBN_zJVka-jCFT2a0Efmeu7xxdfIkR3EJKKID38-LkUceQlnEgEmmCAMqIwHUugP9FPH81A7lqXVplGKNz-neFZY1Geu-sfuI8SzYP8bcXX5FVmB43tpvP5CH1yUKmtYntxeC0MFiIPp7w3/w640-h128/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-25%20at%205.53.11%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/05/politics/fauci-trump-coronavirus-wuhan-lab/index.html</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><i></i></p><blockquote><p><i>Now, before we play the game of “he said, he said” remember this: Only one of these two people is a world-renowned infectious disease expert. And it’s not Donald Trump.</i></p><p><i>In short, Fauci’s view on the origins of the disease matters a whole lot more than Trump’s opinion about where it came from. Especially because, outside of Trump and his immediate inner circle, most people in a position to know are very, very skeptical of the Trump narrative that the virus came out of a lab – whether accidentally or on purpose.</i></p><p></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>There is truth and there are lies.</p><p>Four years later it should be pretty clear where the lies were coming from.</p><p>Will Dr. Fauci or anyone else be held accountable for the lies, deceit and malpractice now that four years have passed and the truth is becoming more apparent every day?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-86718008869593249092024-01-24T06:54:00.000-05:002024-01-24T06:54:02.574-05:00The Great Divide<p>There are those that claim that the United States is more divided than it has ever been.</p><p>I believe that is overstated.</p><p>Many forget that there were very stark divisions going back to the Revolutionary War with <a href="https://billofrightsinstitute.org/essays/loyalist-vs-patriot">only about a third of the colonists actively supported the rebellion</a> against the British. About 20% were Loyalists who were completely against acting against the British Crown and the remainder were neutral.</p><p>Of course, consider the division that existed on the issue of slavery in the mid-1800's that led to the Civil War </p><p>We have seen significant rifts in public opinions leading up to the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War and the abortion issue during my lifetime.</p><p>However, with all that being said, a recent polling survey reveals some startling evidence of what underlies much of the division we see in the United States today.</p><p>It shows a shocking and stunning divide and disconnect in the views of the urban elites in this country compared to the rest of America.</p><p>You could call it The Great Divide.</p><p>The polling survey was completed recently under the auspices of the Committee To Unleash Prosperity.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MMvt9-Neu1vtJQbnKZ2g6sdroeSrWSx2SR2Zlh6GEVPkq9DRSHfj7YiiqLfCEwFnH26Oovhz2jaDj1ScCblRM6U1XwGL0S3_hOhtpAR-BBHzFGOqwhvJGKyrMgNRACEnVotRSFALGV99xzbmxumMUZd76vwJFdPUawwxAsCnLF56e_xbNALMajOsPr9u/s807/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-23%20at%205.52.49%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="807" data-original-width="705" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MMvt9-Neu1vtJQbnKZ2g6sdroeSrWSx2SR2Zlh6GEVPkq9DRSHfj7YiiqLfCEwFnH26Oovhz2jaDj1ScCblRM6U1XwGL0S3_hOhtpAR-BBHzFGOqwhvJGKyrMgNRACEnVotRSFALGV99xzbmxumMUZd76vwJFdPUawwxAsCnLF56e_xbNALMajOsPr9u/w560-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-23%20at%205.52.49%20PM.png" width="560" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://committeetounleashprosperity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Them-vs-Us_CTUP-Rasmussen-Study-FINAL.pdf</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>For purposes of the survey, the Elites were defined as those having a graduate degree, a household with more than $150,000 of household income, and living in a zip code with more than 10,000 residents per square mile. </p><p>A subset of the Elites included graduates of Ivy League universities and other elite institutions such as Northwestern, Duke, Stanford and the University of Chicago. This sub-group was labeled as "Ivy League Graduates" in the survey results.</p><p>Look first at how the Elites view the status of their personal finances compared to everyday Americans.</p><p>74% of Elites and 80% of Ivy League Graduates said their personal finances were getting better these days compared to only 20% for everyone else.</p><p>40% of Americans say things are getting worse for them compared to almost no Elites saying the same.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnIeNNTvlXNv0AdTsvyx_oG5ecCzdsLgyUSUvSFMBhRgezqT6v3RHm8Sr9_M4xJvjdViCa1rMALV_4DNUNcpYBrdGPqTm_f9ZrpBdknC7Er2al08zPMTUy-9iqPyhL6Ljx1jaBa8uVJNhyaWeBHAmksTKTiRnyyDDtcylbDaB-RFEiH5aRKFdl3h_-Cs1/s698/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-23%20at%204.20.38%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="698" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnIeNNTvlXNv0AdTsvyx_oG5ecCzdsLgyUSUvSFMBhRgezqT6v3RHm8Sr9_M4xJvjdViCa1rMALV_4DNUNcpYBrdGPqTm_f9ZrpBdknC7Er2al08zPMTUy-9iqPyhL6Ljx1jaBa8uVJNhyaWeBHAmksTKTiRnyyDDtcylbDaB-RFEiH5aRKFdl3h_-Cs1/w640-h282/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-23%20at%204.20.38%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://committeetounleashprosperity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Them-vs-Us_CTUP-Rasmussen-Study-FINAL.pdf</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>You could probably not have a greater divide than that.</p><p>It probably should not surprise you after seeing these responses that the Elites strongly approve of Biden as president.</p><p>84% approve of Biden compared to 44% for Americans overall,</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94InMYCryf7Ky-aGyvBl8qPn0g5Bid0Ol8aQ_6xG7tp7FPDke6wzH7NTX1FXAM_AT_bV9xfyfpdQ70RqiDu1W0RmNeWHRt-RU7BwIaLLpqpMO7k4f80fWWICKD0Xi3UmvhC0KccLF-QbNPa662AsJrBSmEerX0pAfGz3hzEPvDDs0LGFjEzTxKcpMJ_qp/s366/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-24%20at%205.49.52%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="366" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94InMYCryf7Ky-aGyvBl8qPn0g5Bid0Ol8aQ_6xG7tp7FPDke6wzH7NTX1FXAM_AT_bV9xfyfpdQ70RqiDu1W0RmNeWHRt-RU7BwIaLLpqpMO7k4f80fWWICKD0Xi3UmvhC0KccLF-QbNPa662AsJrBSmEerX0pAfGz3hzEPvDDs0LGFjEzTxKcpMJ_qp/w640-h466/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-24%20at%205.49.52%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://committeetounleashprosperity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Them-vs-Us_CTUP-Rasmussen-Study-FINAL.pdf<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>What I found most troubling in the survey results is the authoritarian bent in the survey responses when it came to individual issues.</p><p>It is clear that these Elites really believe that they know best.</p><p>Elites were <u>three times more likely</u> to say that there is <u>too much individual freedom</u> in the United States compared to the views of everyone else.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_50ECYe7P17o5OJrb6H92UHeDm4SwAutQpDUQr1zGCpQPKMYq3YiQINMwXH4sCojCju-Q-9PweSrt36GqaVb2MPIxFs95TnnY-4BLpvNSCo9lWadQU0DLnUIfEz2BX-fo4HHG-yOn04TYiyZ0sNMLA71z4yhSzDhE5JVO8ChfdG4dpK5pewOaq8S_1T-a/s666/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-23%20at%205.03.50%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="666" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_50ECYe7P17o5OJrb6H92UHeDm4SwAutQpDUQr1zGCpQPKMYq3YiQINMwXH4sCojCju-Q-9PweSrt36GqaVb2MPIxFs95TnnY-4BLpvNSCo9lWadQU0DLnUIfEz2BX-fo4HHG-yOn04TYiyZ0sNMLA71z4yhSzDhE5JVO8ChfdG4dpK5pewOaq8S_1T-a/w640-h286/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-23%20at%205.03.50%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://committeetounleashprosperity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Them-vs-Us_CTUP-Rasmussen-Study-FINAL.pdf</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>Of course, these Elites were the same people who were largely responsible for setting Covid policy and also believed that parents who spoke out against school closures needed to be investigated by the FBI. </p><p>Interestingly, there is a significant difference even within the Elites on the issue of individual freedom based on age. Among members of the Elites who are 55 or older, just 10% think there is too much individual freedom in the United States today. However, a majority (54%) of Elites under the age 35 believe it.</p><p>That is a sobering finding for anyone looking to the future of America.</p><p>You get a better sense of how the Elites believe that individual freedom should be curtailed when you look at their responses involving one of their pet issues----climate change.</p><p>The Elites largely favor banning a number of modern conveniences that are an integral part of the fabric of American life in the name of fighting climate change.</p><p>Somewhere between 60% and 80% of Elites favor banning gas stoves, gas powered cars, non-essential air travel, SUV's and private air conditioning.</p><p>None of these proposals gets more than 25% support among the rest of Americans.</p><p><br /></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwpd7piDIopN9Bts-qJS8elu2DCJuHH-tS6YOgK506EFONtN6goJFjAggD92x53Yyp0wRBfh26JejMgrQP15RaAOVJ7ba0aF1CLDNcW8_hF5m4YHOUhyxAMNhRN4oHE6nVGID_l6DFD6leUaJ2Vq5b8HEUviwm3H4NW4tee6sqkSBajQwREGhVts2dMx6/s660/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-23%20at%205.27.27%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="660" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwpd7piDIopN9Bts-qJS8elu2DCJuHH-tS6YOgK506EFONtN6goJFjAggD92x53Yyp0wRBfh26JejMgrQP15RaAOVJ7ba0aF1CLDNcW8_hF5m4YHOUhyxAMNhRN4oHE6nVGID_l6DFD6leUaJ2Vq5b8HEUviwm3H4NW4tee6sqkSBajQwREGhVts2dMx6/w640-h266/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-23%20at%205.27.27%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://committeetounleashprosperity.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Them-vs-Us_CTUP-Rasmussen-Study-FINAL.pdf</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Those views are shocking especially when you consider that there is no clear scientific consensus on whether we are really experiencing climate change. In addition, even if we are experiencing change, it is unclear whether any of these proposals would have the slightest effect globally when considering a myriad of other factors---China and India emissions, sun activity, cloud cover, ocean activity and other possible effects.<p></p><p>None of that matters to the Elites.</p><p>They think they know best and believe you have too much freedom to make your own decisions on how to live your life.</p><p>I can't help but wonder what our Founding Fathers would think of all of this.</p><p>After all, they were the Elites in that day and age.</p><p>They generally were all prospering under British rule. They had a lot to lose by rebelling against the British crown.</p><p>However, they desired individual freedom and the ability of the people to make decisions in their collective interest rather than the whims and will of an authoritarian class.</p><p>It is well worth keeping all of this in mind in this election year.</p><p>There is a Great Divide between what the Elites believe and want for you and this country compared to what normal American voters believe is in their best interest and in the people's business.</p><p>Be aware of this divide. </p><p>You, your family and friends may find yourselves being led to a place on the wrong side of that Great Divide without even knowing it.</p><p>Are the candidates you are voting for doing the bidding of the Elites or are they interested in protecting the rights and freedoms of everyday Americans?</p><p>It might be the most important consideration of all in who you vote for in 2024.</p>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-54436437085161865092024-01-22T06:55:00.001-05:002024-01-22T06:55:44.169-05:00This and That---January 22, 2024<p>A few random observations, charts and factoids to provide some context on what is going on in the world as we begin 2024.</p><p><b><u>DeSantis and Ramaswamy Drop Out Of GOP Race</u></b></p><p>In the wake of the Iowa caucus results both Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy have dropped out of the race for the nominee to be the Republican candidate for President in 2024.</p><p>This comes after just 110,000 voted were cast in Iowa. That is not even half of what it normally takes to win a U.S. Congressional sear.</p><p>Both immediately endorsed Donald Trump.</p><p>As I pointed out in my <a href="https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2024/01/it-begins-where-will-it-end.html">blog post right before the Iowa caucus</a>, it shows just how the nomination process has accelerated over the decades.</p><p>In 1968, Bobby Kennedy did not even get into the race for the Democrat nominee until March 16 of that year.</p><p>All but two Republicans have dropped out of the race after one state caucus compared to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Republican_Party_presidential_primaries">the 14 legitimate candidates that began.</a></p><p>It is logical to ask how can a mere 110,000 votes compared to the more than 74 million votes cast for a Republican candidate in the last election determine who the nominee is?</p><p>However, Vivek and DeSantis are not out of the race because of Iowa alone. Trump leads the field by 60 points in the two most recent national polls.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxLXrlNKov85x3NpSbRKjvvyBAXsbHIfs9qmJwEZQOTO1R2XeDJRx8oaSbjvBd9n_hkpzviWL1orx5Qb5p9TImgATKPBxcnc__ZbjsNr7WfJHfalyFEhM0PfZkwGmjEifqLiPY1h3l8Jrt9R_O9KAyGTPrHKZqmTl9Dickld-GMxJD8-OcX6o1OdDllr2/s929/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-22%20at%205.31.07%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="142" data-original-width="929" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxLXrlNKov85x3NpSbRKjvvyBAXsbHIfs9qmJwEZQOTO1R2XeDJRx8oaSbjvBd9n_hkpzviWL1orx5Qb5p9TImgATKPBxcnc__ZbjsNr7WfJHfalyFEhM0PfZkwGmjEifqLiPY1h3l8Jrt9R_O9KAyGTPrHKZqmTl9Dickld-GMxJD8-OcX6o1OdDllr2/w640-h98/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-22%20at%205.31.07%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.realclearpolling.com/latest-polls/election</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>DeSantis was only polling at 7% in New Hampshire in the RealClearPolitics average over the last five polls conducted in that state before he dropped out yesterday.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQx-4HsvVcdwoTgFWlO5VJ483KLSEGiBWbxI7mos1acjP0UlSQcZlhLAfQfaciPDrSIGBlYRRB665X7cRnJp9xqtZJOfeIiIq5eLxNkCGtEW47wLb1dMGPDes6ckT0Dd9rzsBF3J2VMzhS2m888ZcmE8e3-kwCh3VyBhbTPUq0cMvA8xbN1yK93edLx9w5/s1041/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-22%20at%205.34.54%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="241" data-original-width="1041" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQx-4HsvVcdwoTgFWlO5VJ483KLSEGiBWbxI7mos1acjP0UlSQcZlhLAfQfaciPDrSIGBlYRRB665X7cRnJp9xqtZJOfeIiIq5eLxNkCGtEW47wLb1dMGPDes6ckT0Dd9rzsBF3J2VMzhS2m888ZcmE8e3-kwCh3VyBhbTPUq0cMvA8xbN1yK93edLx9w5/w640-h148/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-22%20at%205.34.54%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/republican-primary/2024/new-hampshire</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>DeSantis clearly saw no path forward and it was better to get out now and try to salvage his reputation for another day. After all, he is only 45 years old. Vivek is 38. Both have a lot of politics ahead of them.</p><p>It also made no sense for either to endorse Haley. You don't advance your political career by betting on the long shot choice this late in the game.</p><p>Every Republican candidate is now out except for Trump and Nikki Haley. This is the one-on-match up the anti-Trumpers have been hoping for.</p><p>As I wrote before, Haley could not have a better situation to take on Trump in the next two contests. Tomorrow they vote in blue state New Hamspshire that is not known to be a Trump stronghold and Nikki's home state of South Carolina is next later in February..</p><p>We will see if Haley can gain any of the momentum coming out of New Hampshire that she desperately needs going to South Carolina. </p><p>We will also see if there are enough voters opposed to Trump to deny him the nomination.</p><p>The reality is that if she cannot defeat Trump in her home state of South Carolina I think we will see her have to drop out as well and endorse Trump.</p><p>A 25+ point loss to Trump in New Hampshire may mean that Haley does not even stay on the ballot for South Carolina. It may be better to drop out than get embarrassed in her home state.</p><p>This race looks like it could be over before we even get to Super Tuesday in early March.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>Are Borrowings Supposed To Be Your Biggest Revenue Source?</u></b></p><p>You probably know that the federal government printed a lot of money to meet spending requirements during Covid.</p><p>The Federal Reserve printed the money and then lent it to the federal government.</p><p>Would it surprise you to know that over the last six months that borrowed money is the biggest revenue source for the federal government?</p><p>I knew it was bad I did not know it was quite this bad.</p><p>Here is a summary of where the revenues came from in the federal government's fourth quarter (July 1, 2023-September 30, 2023).</p><p>This was in a tweet from Stephen Moore citing numbers puts together by <a class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3 r-1ny4l3l r-1ddef8g r-tjvw6i r-1loqt21" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/EuroConOfficial" role="link" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d9bf0; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline-style: none; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-thickness: 1px; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;">@EuroConOfficial</a>.</p><p><br /></p><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="background-color: white; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-overflow: unset; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNncgTvvf2Z265Hw9f8Z0yix9yJLLV1c4pBjx8j_bafuFDB6FkctD8GXjvvIW-lOIHpFuTjClZSIqt1IsQE14Xd3KvU_dC2XH8PEri1WnCbKAOhEkqkU6f2iOZ-yk1i-KVkNaVMj35EUwliGNlmbfzUynYT_hmUN5K3yApK6vVxtaW_PAYVS15wgY5Yibn/s569/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-21%20at%207.33.18%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="569" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNncgTvvf2Z265Hw9f8Z0yix9yJLLV1c4pBjx8j_bafuFDB6FkctD8GXjvvIW-lOIHpFuTjClZSIqt1IsQE14Xd3KvU_dC2XH8PEri1WnCbKAOhEkqkU6f2iOZ-yk1i-KVkNaVMj35EUwliGNlmbfzUynYT_hmUN5K3yApK6vVxtaW_PAYVS15wgY5Yibn/w640-h636/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-21%20at%207.33.18%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: https://twitter.com/StephenMoore/status/1745923645073924326</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>I went to the <a href="https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/government-revenue/">U.S. Treasury website</a> for the first quarter 2024 numbers (October 1, 2023-December 31, 2023).</p><p>Borrowings were down but they are still almost equal to individual income tax collections as a revenue source.</p><p>However, for the last six months, borrowings are over $1.3 trillion compared to less than $1.1 trillion in individual income tax collections.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKmfz066MaTLrwnaBbsHcskI5-79YxyqZoj96sopGwtM1xuGJDbxOXJnreEDRcCIGz0t9MCcEljbxveoSgQX_E95hIFOcaH2cvXfgeuGXTkBQA-WLgiQA8im9yicANYwXmPOSZda9wZsyfEbBR1j6zKvu9O9Hf4GvXQeWcBZf3sVz2UTCj-6NemsetYl4/s595/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-21%20at%209.39.15%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="595" height="608" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKmfz066MaTLrwnaBbsHcskI5-79YxyqZoj96sopGwtM1xuGJDbxOXJnreEDRcCIGz0t9MCcEljbxveoSgQX_E95hIFOcaH2cvXfgeuGXTkBQA-WLgiQA8im9yicANYwXmPOSZda9wZsyfEbBR1j6zKvu9O9Hf4GvXQeWcBZf3sVz2UTCj-6NemsetYl4/w640-h608/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-21%20at%209.39.15%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Consider what this means.</p><p>To balance the federal budget at current levels of spending would require that individual income taxes be doubled.</p><p>When you see how out of control the budget situation is in Washington, D.C. you begin to see why there are many who do not believe that the answer to fixing it is to send anyone there other than an outsider there.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>Does the U.S. Stock Market Make Any Sense?</u></b></p><p>The stock market in the United States has defied gravity and remains close to all-time highs despite higher interest rates and concerns about a softening economy.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAc8ueQJ7gLjvsavHalIZqFaD086F_EAoykxf1uYawUCwhPSkDsrNSby7D9xR2xhAmAvuBQvlEiPxTijtq7Cl4UisN3l9bqPLuvTnmnLGVAlCBfVKZBuk16G5cGlc7DLQDuwhLQj0eJ3uJpmnxhx9wp7g6qaObkOPOgrvMTn5ZPO3_YqNiDFhdyQjN_133/s1387/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-22%20at%205.48.40%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="1387" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAc8ueQJ7gLjvsavHalIZqFaD086F_EAoykxf1uYawUCwhPSkDsrNSby7D9xR2xhAmAvuBQvlEiPxTijtq7Cl4UisN3l9bqPLuvTnmnLGVAlCBfVKZBuk16G5cGlc7DLQDuwhLQj0eJ3uJpmnxhx9wp7g6qaObkOPOgrvMTn5ZPO3_YqNiDFhdyQjN_133/w640-h222/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-22%20at%205.48.40%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.tradingview.com/symbols/SPX/</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>For example, consider the fact that the combined market caps of Apple and Microsoft alone ($5.8 trillion) in the S&P 500 is greater than the entire Japanese NIkkei 225 Index which is the second largest stock market in the world.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0t0HneNCPW5JrWHbLLV9Pk6cRD-Eyqadjm9w3_V7-PioyuH7hejNUewGRBUN6b2uPmGMVkU8WUQ-rRpkAym3kP8y0EIG7VJaKKHLqsPFARBOkd4QBiRaEGXAMSvVlYl21mJHjrBnuTPMOLfJ-c0GO6HJtNrvZCSUtVYwDNXtHu4VIcrLM2QVRdnOl1pB/s568/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-21%20at%209.12.03%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="568" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0t0HneNCPW5JrWHbLLV9Pk6cRD-Eyqadjm9w3_V7-PioyuH7hejNUewGRBUN6b2uPmGMVkU8WUQ-rRpkAym3kP8y0EIG7VJaKKHLqsPFARBOkd4QBiRaEGXAMSvVlYl21mJHjrBnuTPMOLfJ-c0GO6HJtNrvZCSUtVYwDNXtHu4VIcrLM2QVRdnOl1pB/w640-h518/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-21%20at%209.12.03%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Another point of reference is the fact that the price-earnings ratio of the S&P 500 is now 8 times the value of international stocks generally.</p><p>There has never been a time in which the United States market has been more overvalued compared to international stocks.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPCeI6MiYCvnggY0Vxsff-W7nmUo8x1d5kgR6fmFiXFs6XIW1ZZEYwrKNFdbsSltCzoo1Zx6J-xkdVLRPpAg0OwAfGIJw9fmogjl17la5EnQ8rQdiq18vx3pMIl4ha7XOk557HHR8UIcTnvwgogMG5R23aP93eDltkKzGNmyD3t_SUCA3R6QoU279YNgP/s840/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-21%20at%209.16.20%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="587" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPCeI6MiYCvnggY0Vxsff-W7nmUo8x1d5kgR6fmFiXFs6XIW1ZZEYwrKNFdbsSltCzoo1Zx6J-xkdVLRPpAg0OwAfGIJw9fmogjl17la5EnQ8rQdiq18vx3pMIl4ha7XOk557HHR8UIcTnvwgogMG5R23aP93eDltkKzGNmyD3t_SUCA3R6QoU279YNgP/w448-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-21%20at%209.16.20%20PM.png" width="448" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Something would seem to have to give at some point.<div><br /></div><div>Do U.S. values revert to the mean or do international stocks advance to make up the difference?<br /><div><p><br /></p><p><b><u>Long-Term Use of Antidepressants</u></b></p><p>We hear so much about white privilege and white supremacy that you would wonder how any white person could be depressed.</p><p>It would seem to follow that we would see the highest level of depression in those who are bearing the brunt of white privilege.</p><p>How then do you explain this chart on the long-term use of antidepressants?</p><p>White women age 45 and over account for 58% of all those who have used antidepressants for at least five years.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9CgvhFC_LZQw-hQUkOxVqvvIpQb2Wm1hVvNbgUT3JwhBdaHM1Ezfn7nSBsU-0RFPwlrQwW0OD8ZyEXTslUqvggFnbCvGcz9-Q0aTzLpJT5rejeUmgbLCQ5iM4dKI1_zLBb8t66iodwyTNBPLvkJSrXTBe-ZNL5OUUBn6Y3VVQ5lke4MgZvixPjQkfOQug/s631/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-20%20at%202.51.01%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="483" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9CgvhFC_LZQw-hQUkOxVqvvIpQb2Wm1hVvNbgUT3JwhBdaHM1Ezfn7nSBsU-0RFPwlrQwW0OD8ZyEXTslUqvggFnbCvGcz9-Q0aTzLpJT5rejeUmgbLCQ5iM4dKI1_zLBb8t66iodwyTNBPLvkJSrXTBe-ZNL5OUUBn6Y3VVQ5lke4MgZvixPjQkfOQug/w490-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-20%20at%202.51.01%20PM.png" width="490" /></a></div><br /><p>The chart is a little misleading as it is not adjusted for population. </p><p>However, even on a per-capita basis, long-term use of antidepressants is higher with whites (especially white women age 45+) than minorities.</p><p>Notice the substantial increase generally in the long-term use of antidepressants beginning in 2010 that is reflected in the chart.</p><p>Why?</p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>Demographics of the U.S. Psychology Workforce</u></b></p><p>Who are the psychologists treating those who are depressed?</p><p>The psychologists in the U.S. are overwhelmingly female---69%.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTKOcSxLVWD-yl8sO4neZwDFhDATQlt0AiVKxf2E5N61iDFVbJmvqHZ8JMtMFmyVVQs9DibuqpztBW8emVaUcoNxW-6a1Egq-lueqj6hpfzFVr5BceHogcVTCiRwE3UEvEY_qcS6Vv_lXbMCdgGb40DfTrOctHNgfsliNGNImO0vObhR_PfkZW49nAxzR/s262/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-20%20at%203.28.50%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="262" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTKOcSxLVWD-yl8sO4neZwDFhDATQlt0AiVKxf2E5N61iDFVbJmvqHZ8JMtMFmyVVQs9DibuqpztBW8emVaUcoNxW-6a1Egq-lueqj6hpfzFVr5BceHogcVTCiRwE3UEvEY_qcS6Vv_lXbMCdgGb40DfTrOctHNgfsliNGNImO0vObhR_PfkZW49nAxzR/s1600/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-20%20at%203.28.50%20PM.png" width="262" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.apa.org/workforce/data-tools/demographics<br />2021 Data</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>This is particularly true for psychologists under the age of 45 where about 80% are female (blue in chart below).<div><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAz9eORYnXxy4BbfvGWz4D5W6YwXtLe-Zx5uOny0dQ5gk89Tsf48sgrbgbNxWnU0FABYe36e5Co9I8HuUBuEUBLvg50T1zNbXp66_vEi9eNdtLrCySdaJhGFE2UBuYY69w12HRUhQAmRjepRsxAgX7rNok764AcZaJ6HbKAYgCyQ0mS37tUFcG9-Y2_yo/s523/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-20%20at%203.32.41%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="523" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAz9eORYnXxy4BbfvGWz4D5W6YwXtLe-Zx5uOny0dQ5gk89Tsf48sgrbgbNxWnU0FABYe36e5Co9I8HuUBuEUBLvg50T1zNbXp66_vEi9eNdtLrCySdaJhGFE2UBuYY69w12HRUhQAmRjepRsxAgX7rNok764AcZaJ6HbKAYgCyQ0mS37tUFcG9-Y2_yo/w640-h386/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-20%20at%203.32.41%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.apa.org/workforce/data-tools/demographics<br />2021 Data</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>81% of all psychologists are also white.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwoQZLZOMYlrYpS1P-5keDQ5rqUuz_BnxpXeZ-HWC-K1ZlILk_1D20NmkeoGEd12oLlvf0M8oBnqj48l3DrnPU-SoQ5Sjs5Ez6mY6yrWySLNNa-k2ObHejlw-j5yMXz812O-63DdDLNSUNa1Dzoozx61yXcoNgrGDOeFyVG7wasL50v-fBZtSK0yeKZC6/s322/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-20%20at%203.36.12%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="202" data-original-width="322" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwoQZLZOMYlrYpS1P-5keDQ5rqUuz_BnxpXeZ-HWC-K1ZlILk_1D20NmkeoGEd12oLlvf0M8oBnqj48l3DrnPU-SoQ5Sjs5Ez6mY6yrWySLNNa-k2ObHejlw-j5yMXz812O-63DdDLNSUNa1Dzoozx61yXcoNgrGDOeFyVG7wasL50v-fBZtSK0yeKZC6/w640-h402/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-20%20at%203.36.12%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source:https://www.apa.org/workforce/data-tools/demographic<br />2021 Data</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><p>Do you think there might be something to conclude in all of this?</p></div></div></div></div>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-17911805242546108192024-01-18T07:30:00.088-05:002024-01-18T07:30:00.135-05:00Continuing To Confound His Critics<p>We are two days beyond the Iowa GOP Caucus and five days from the New Hampshire primary next Tuesday.</p><p>What have we learned about the Republican Presidential race since my <a href="https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2024/01/it-begins-where-will-it-end.html">last blog post</a>?</p><p>Two of the five remaining candidates that were on the Iowa ballot have dropped out---Vivek Ramaswamy and Asa Hutchinson.</p><p>Vivek quickly endorsed Trump after suspending his campaign.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZDQATQIdPOZG5pKKPoN22GdezSPbpO4qfX4hCWYmoPwICo2TxD39osrBnW5mUbZgeCG0xAJOrsBvCoXjO272eAk77Am2cUr6bOSyP-iydVdJYUfwZ3F-H_V7jXst1CXCfxaclwUr5-XvDl2t2Vf89iD_H79hLYEm98AOpPutxRqkrUxT8USOW01HT1CnJ/s826/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-17%20at%204.29.06%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="118" data-original-width="826" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZDQATQIdPOZG5pKKPoN22GdezSPbpO4qfX4hCWYmoPwICo2TxD39osrBnW5mUbZgeCG0xAJOrsBvCoXjO272eAk77Am2cUr6bOSyP-iydVdJYUfwZ3F-H_V7jXst1CXCfxaclwUr5-XvDl2t2Vf89iD_H79hLYEm98AOpPutxRqkrUxT8USOW01HT1CnJ/w640-h92/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-17%20at%204.29.06%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4047227-vivek-ramaswamy-2024-race-donald-trump-iowa-caucuses/</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>Donald Trump won the Iowa caucus as expected. However, even more importantly, he met the high expectations that had been set for him in recent polling. </p><p>I wrote this in that blog post the morning of the votes in Iowa.</p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><i>Trump's biggest problem tonight is that the polls have established high expectations for him. If he does not win by 30 points it is going to feel like a loss.</i></blockquote> Trump won by 30 points.<p></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoByeSrzu_eHcoqmIAuhKC6wlLMFauvaE4YcrIzOWEVi85RLBkHVi-rK7xI9q7ixNnziCQf8tzB0XrWzUiOaat9ajy6UUavqmSu8gHiPd0BygBby-dcznOBYvzcN442KHf-yuxtbD03ANOEcqzepHttfx5v0jcu8LjQJE5IIvh92vLdvX20bnWHG0v_FuJ/s637/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-17%20at%204.11.35%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="637" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoByeSrzu_eHcoqmIAuhKC6wlLMFauvaE4YcrIzOWEVi85RLBkHVi-rK7xI9q7ixNnziCQf8tzB0XrWzUiOaat9ajy6UUavqmSu8gHiPd0BygBby-dcznOBYvzcN442KHf-yuxtbD03ANOEcqzepHttfx5v0jcu8LjQJE5IIvh92vLdvX20bnWHG0v_FuJ/w640-h348/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-17%20at%204.11.35%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/01/15/us/elections/results-iowa-caucus.html</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>DeSantis exceeded the expectations that had been suggested in recent polling by five points or so but I wrote that I believed he needed to take 25% of the vote to gain some momentum heading to New Hampshire.</p><p>I mentioned in my previous blog post that the DeSantis team said before the caucus that they had 60,000 signed commitment cards for their candidate. If that was true, only a little more than 1/3 of them showed up to vote.</p><p>Of course, the weather clearly affected turnout and it did not help DeSantis that the networks called Trump the winner 15 minutes after voting started.</p><p>In the end, only 110,000 total votes were cast in Iowa compared to 185,000 in 2016.</p><p>Nikki Haley had registered 20% support in the last poll done before the caucus and her 19% vote percent had to be disappointing to her team.</p><p>Of course, that did not stop Haley from claiming after the Iowa vote that it was now a two person race despite finishing third in Iowa.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8iIq1A55YaSmiIu72fZRlVACSR2tu-bD95Zmdy7sq8DVDkwy0vHMPwaEN2tWKN-VqlL2ZhXAXQRpOfQ5oNE2TevcA38XghKfqoke5XGm4x3aSmQpisD9JyQ5wmJrZiP3wIQVm1FXMCot4UU1oN7QHL8mYCdotHQvANPrbaNUyFDand2VqZVz3cOa7RjD/s616/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-17%20at%204.26.24%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="84" data-original-width="616" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8iIq1A55YaSmiIu72fZRlVACSR2tu-bD95Zmdy7sq8DVDkwy0vHMPwaEN2tWKN-VqlL2ZhXAXQRpOfQ5oNE2TevcA38XghKfqoke5XGm4x3aSmQpisD9JyQ5wmJrZiP3wIQVm1FXMCot4UU1oN7QHL8mYCdotHQvANPrbaNUyFDand2VqZVz3cOa7RjD/w640-h88/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-17%20at%204.26.24%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/iowa-caucus-republican-primary-2024/card/haley-after-finishing-third-in-iowa-calls-it-a-two-person-race-F7Ssqi0bS2EwcBV4nvpu</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p><p>It is true that Haley could not be better positioned to challenge Trump than in the next two primaries on the calendar--New Hampshire and South Carolina.</p><p>New Hampshire tends to be a blue state. It twice voted against Trump in the general election. The primary is also an open primary allowing unaffiliated voters to vote in the election. Since there is no Democrat primary this means that you could have many Independents voting in the Republican election who do not like Trump and want to send a message. Both of these factors favor Haley.</p><p>Haley also has the opportunity to make a splash in her home state of South Carolina that follows New Hampshire later in February (February 24). However, it is a two-edged sword for her. If Haley cannot defeat Trump in her own state how can she be expected to beat him nationwide?</p><p>What continues to be interesting to me are the mainstream media personalities and political pundits who cannot understand how Trump is dominating the Republican field.</p><p>Jake Tapper on CNN seemed shocked at Trump's margin of victory and suggested his supporters voted for him based on "lies". One of the "lies" supposedly is that Trump was cheated in the 2020 election.</p><p>Tapper and others suggest that this is a "fringe" position.</p><p>However, a Rasmussen poll done in May, 2023 found that <u>62% of all voters believed it was very or somewhat likely that cheating</u> affected the results of the 2020 election.</p><p>That view was held by 80% of Republicans, 64% of Independents and 45% of Democrats.</p><p>53% of Republicans, 46% of Independents and even 32% of Democrats believed it was VERY LIKELY.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBrsf4fp341l_J7VW65lryMWKQoY1WatmWLArQij7TrVNd8qM3Zk3uk2Nu2dVR66DNEcQYWaqgyPzFiwRiN6z5wODAAuJGM-xhmItvQmR7vVgYDHxeb5UuCpezGs6b56YVVq0FKbyEKRM7Ra_-Hy9ehmj8cvSFhjiTSgeibKWdgapiXfaJfF9rSPbRZSj/s1030/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-17%20at%209.42.24%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1030" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBrsf4fp341l_J7VW65lryMWKQoY1WatmWLArQij7TrVNd8qM3Zk3uk2Nu2dVR66DNEcQYWaqgyPzFiwRiN6z5wODAAuJGM-xhmItvQmR7vVgYDHxeb5UuCpezGs6b56YVVq0FKbyEKRM7Ra_-Hy9ehmj8cvSFhjiTSgeibKWdgapiXfaJfF9rSPbRZSj/w640-h370/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-17%20at%209.42.24%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://twitter.com/Rasmussen_Poll/status/1742170916090474727/photo/1</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Does that look like a "fringe" idea?</p><p>CNN cut off Trump's victory speech claiming they were not going to televise his anti-immigrant views.</p><p>Did Tapper forget that Trump married an immigrant and his mother was also an immigrant?</p><p>Is there no difference any more between a legal and illegal immigrant?</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlhKNxk3HPXTninlOsZu4pLcAqqlaTcjuJfvKvAgSdXhOSCOonx-RGv0rfpIYgYEumVnCYaaXAp_8ifDrpVVmZlKYoAKWhGK-9uy8BjrSeIBccZBX0h0xkeR4GW2KtBPcuOz0UrZrEjqGbB8OCEbeMLBGcCLJFXfPmo_S5kwTT-fTL4YhJdL8UiT9ko-G/s573/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-17%20at%205.54.29%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="573" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlhKNxk3HPXTninlOsZu4pLcAqqlaTcjuJfvKvAgSdXhOSCOonx-RGv0rfpIYgYEumVnCYaaXAp_8ifDrpVVmZlKYoAKWhGK-9uy8BjrSeIBccZBX0h0xkeR4GW2KtBPcuOz0UrZrEjqGbB8OCEbeMLBGcCLJFXfPmo_S5kwTT-fTL4YhJdL8UiT9ko-G/w640-h516/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-17%20at%205.54.29%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://twitter.com/shellenberger/status/1747108634797228153</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>An excerpt from CNN at the time that they cut away from Trump's speech.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJiiVkiVKmo-eqb0sdfWs6p3anRsQVr3yxPdDdPyun0dOS5vfxbcibAOsXmljiQZUNSXhK5SKx7vfhJMvOVZwGLsvhXSWaqLamDW2e7qngZJKMn72yBzSQ44BF94LinSctkti8FP9ncbC_a7GNwtjHHHnoHDZPD6TcX9k0aWJAfR4HY77x2avz9vHm7y-H/s685/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-17%20at%206.01.29%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="587" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJiiVkiVKmo-eqb0sdfWs6p3anRsQVr3yxPdDdPyun0dOS5vfxbcibAOsXmljiQZUNSXhK5SKx7vfhJMvOVZwGLsvhXSWaqLamDW2e7qngZJKMn72yBzSQ44BF94LinSctkti8FP9ncbC_a7GNwtjHHHnoHDZPD6TcX9k0aWJAfR4HY77x2avz9vHm7y-H/w548-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-17%20at%206.01.29%20PM.png" width="548" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.mediaite.com/news/cnns-jake-tapper-dumps-out-of-trump-victory-speech-just-as-he-starts-to-rant-about-immigrant-invasion/</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>MSNBC, NBC and other mainstream news outlets did not televise the speech at all.</p><p>They say they have a responsibility to not spread his "lies".</p><p>Isn't it interesting that was the same reason they did not report the Hunter Biden laptop story in October, 2020.</p><p>What was truth and what was the lie?</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWlxwRJJE7tFCYGXAbkPL8M1ELFb4Mmoj6JF-iIXwc6QLZxM5FGe5YgINQJa6u9mO0tRP2KZC6BfrXHZAAlewID_iqgo2skmmL3zzEIhPKjSskqNcm7PYxgE-XFI2a-TnvDE5__5603UmR1OIe9uuxcBUfcxd_zvMb-6xEOzXcCOX31IzS358IHMUKccI/s643/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-17%20at%208.05.19%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="643" height="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWlxwRJJE7tFCYGXAbkPL8M1ELFb4Mmoj6JF-iIXwc6QLZxM5FGe5YgINQJa6u9mO0tRP2KZC6BfrXHZAAlewID_iqgo2skmmL3zzEIhPKjSskqNcm7PYxgE-XFI2a-TnvDE5__5603UmR1OIe9uuxcBUfcxd_zvMb-6xEOzXcCOX31IzS358IHMUKccI/w640-h620/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-17%20at%208.05.19%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://twitter.com/shellenberger/status/1747769799013528013</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>They call themselves "news" networks?</p><p>The mainstream news experts don't seem to understand how it is that Trump is dominating the vote and the polls .</p><p>Let's consider a couple of reasons why Trump is dominating right now.</p><p>1. Voters do not trust the establishment and think that Trump has been unfairly treated from the moment he first ran for President. That continues to this day. He has been ruthlessly targeted every step of the way. (Russian collusion, two impeachments, a questionable election, selective prosecutions).</p><p>It is more apparent every day that there are two systems of justice in place in Washington. One for Trump and another for the Democrats who control the D.C. bureaucracy. (Trump got 4% of the vote in D.C. in 2016 and 5% in 2020. Putin's opponent did better than that in Russia!)</p><p>A good example was revealed this week. The Department of Justice disclosed in a filing in federal court that it had obtained Hunter Biden's iCloud contents back in 2018 pursuant to a search warrant related to the tax evasion investigation of Hunter by the IRS. This is the same tax fraud case that was going to be swept under the rug until two IRS whistleblowers came forward last year and called out the special treatment Biden was getting from the DOJ.</p><p>That filing reveals that the iCloud contents confirmed that Hunter's laptop that they got in 2019 was genuine. Despite knowing this for over one year, the IRS stayed silent when The New York Post broke the story about the laptop several weeks before the 2020 election. In fact, the FBI had previously told media and social media outlets to be aware of possible Russian disinformation in the campaign. On cue, 51 supposed "national security experts" stated that the laptop story had all the earmarks of a Russian plot and the story was censored by all the large media outlets in the lead up to the election. The FBI said nothing even though it had known the contents on the laptop were genuine back in 2019. </p><p>Is this even handed justice? Election interference?</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBBTl1kTAfIkFHQbc6y7JmarkdYtyJPqxdTJXGpALz219T05ZmFrj00LuMc7RQEN34UeyYD4XSMWICrJXBM4TVS0AoXSvkoUyvrFL0j_etTtSGl_WsPPcmITaDVO3ghTL1-7c2OAlxLcMp7BN7PrmxZGpGQWUZRnbK-MPg7avfeCBRw5BNpaC8jMqig8_/s687/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-17%20at%206.21.59%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="687" data-original-width="647" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBBTl1kTAfIkFHQbc6y7JmarkdYtyJPqxdTJXGpALz219T05ZmFrj00LuMc7RQEN34UeyYD4XSMWICrJXBM4TVS0AoXSvkoUyvrFL0j_etTtSGl_WsPPcmITaDVO3ghTL1-7c2OAlxLcMp7BN7PrmxZGpGQWUZRnbK-MPg7avfeCBRw5BNpaC8jMqig8_/w602-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-17%20at%206.21.59%20PM.png" width="602" /></a></div><br /><p>That filing also indicated that traces of cocaine were found in the gun pouch of the handgun that Hunter illegally obtained by lying on his federal firearm application. However, the DOJ was originally going to give Biden a plea deal that would have required no jail time for a charge that carries up to a 5-year prison sentence. That plea deal was blown up when a federal judge started asking some questions when it was brought to her for approval.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJPSQbGL1mvEz0pZtEzYXC5JiO5-nbvGFRuBh2JH8cfkfGscTDvra3zDYUrcguHEwa9CMUJOejReGGO7o6-PeJ4cSsDxToMd1PEDLv7wpJLz_WHuVbwI8dA-8SleiTshNHPMbOveft_7tCadzQGWkMLIVc3IgH9GpxkK1wKb4PhXMxnVN0HlYhRmiHpY2/s571/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-17%20at%206.26.16%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="571" height="592" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJPSQbGL1mvEz0pZtEzYXC5JiO5-nbvGFRuBh2JH8cfkfGscTDvra3zDYUrcguHEwa9CMUJOejReGGO7o6-PeJ4cSsDxToMd1PEDLv7wpJLz_WHuVbwI8dA-8SleiTshNHPMbOveft_7tCadzQGWkMLIVc3IgH9GpxkK1wKb4PhXMxnVN0HlYhRmiHpY2/w640-h592/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-17%20at%206.26.16%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>It seems that there have been a lot of lies told to the American people over the last few years.</p><p>Jake Tapper, Rachel Maddow and the rest seem to be selective in considering what they consider to be lies and truth.</p><p>People know that there is something seriously wrong with the D.C. establishment. They also know that putting another Washington insider is not going to make anything better.</p><p>Despite his flaws, they know there is no better person than Trump to take on that establishment.</p><p> </p><p>2. The other big thing voters are paying attention to is the state of the nation.</p><p>Trump has tons of detractors. They don't like his bombast, they call him a buffoon or don't like his mean tweets. However, the big thing he has going for him is that people can easily assess how things were going for them and the country when he was President versus how they have been going the last three years.</p><p>It is an easy, binary choice for voters.</p><p>Were things better when Trump was President or are they better now?</p><p>I wrote the following in July, 2021 when most political observers were writing off any hope of Trump being relevant in 2024 as to what could bring voters back to Trump.</p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><i>An implosion of the country under the Democrats and Biden/Harris. Trump has many critics but hard times have a way of focusing people on what is most important. Trump's personality is the most cited reason why many did not like him. When people are in trouble they are less concerned with personality and more concerned about performance. A deteriorating situation in the country will make Trump a lot more attractive to more people than you can imagine. </i></blockquote><p></p><p><a href="https://archives.chu.cam.ac.uk/education/churchill-era/exercises/appeasement/churchill-rearmament-and-appeasement/churchills-reputation-1930s/">The British also wrote off Winston Churchill in the 1930'</a>s as being coarse, intemperate and of unreliable judgment. That view changed when Great Britain had their backs against the wall in World War II. Hard times have a way of getting people to focus on ability compared to appearances.</p><p>Consider as well the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jamie-dimon-trump-nato-immigration-maga-biden-presidential-election-2024-1">comments that JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said in Davos, Switzerland yesterday about Trump</a> while at the World Economic Forum meeting.</p><p>Dimon is hardly a right wing Republican. Most of his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Dimon#:~:text=fiscal%20year%202022.-,Political%20endeavors,work%20ethic%20and%20successful%20people.">political donations have been to the Democrat party.</a></p><p>He made it clear he believes Biden is making a big mistake by trying to paint 70 million plus voters from the last election as extremists because they supported Trump.</p><p>He also stated that Trump was "kind of right" about most of the big issues.</p><p></p><blockquote><p><i>JPMorgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon said that former President Donald Trump was "kind of right" about NATO and immigration and urged Democrats to "be a little more respectful" of voters who are backing the ex-president's 2024 campaign.</i></p><p><i>During a CNBC "Squawk Box" interview conducted in Davos, the site of the World Economic Forum's annual meeting, Dimon on Wednesday said that Americans who adhere to the Make America Great Again movement were fond of Trump's policies and not necessarily backing the former president's personal conduct as they head into ballot booths.</i></p><p><i>"When people say MAGA, they're actually looking at people voting for Trump, and they think they're voting — they're basically scapegoating them, that you are like him. But I don't think they're voting for Trump because of his family values," Dimon said.</i></p><p><i>"He's kind of right about NATO. Kind of right about immigration," the chief executive continued. "He grew the economy quite well. Tax reform worked. He was right about some of China."</i></p><p></p></blockquote><p>In the meantime, it appears that Biden's campaign strategy is nothing more than claiming Trump supporters are extremists.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPpDJXE8JCnbr1ojI_Yat1AYqhmRFXo4ILk1r1MdkGY7n5oNSLPWTOLZRmNGMBda5yo_f9O4_ZvR6dCUBadJKgpw9_RMXdKRCzKo-uKJmU3TM0G5XXG-i8V82dVQz99bE085UFjLEMStIEGus9hHgkcs4OKmard6TdmYLEmWdn6AvUr3ZihBTHZtO7g1S/s659/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-17%20at%207.24.03%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="659" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPpDJXE8JCnbr1ojI_Yat1AYqhmRFXo4ILk1r1MdkGY7n5oNSLPWTOLZRmNGMBda5yo_f9O4_ZvR6dCUBadJKgpw9_RMXdKRCzKo-uKJmU3TM0G5XXG-i8V82dVQz99bE085UFjLEMStIEGus9hHgkcs4OKmard6TdmYLEmWdn6AvUr3ZihBTHZtO7g1S/w640-h326/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-17%20at%207.24.03%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>I have yet to hear one concrete proposal from Biden as to what he will do differently in a second term other than he is going to save "democracy." I guess that involves maligning voters who don't like your policies, using the media to censor Trump and using your DOJ to try to throw your opponent in jail.</p><p>I have previously written that I prefer Ron DeSantis as the 2024 Republican candidate.</p><p>I believe he is the superior candidate to face Biden or someone else that the Democrats may substitute for him on the general election ballot in 2024.</p><p>However, I am smart enough to understand why Donald Trump has the support he does.</p><p>How come the supposed media experts have so much trouble seeing it?</p><p>The one thing that can be said to be absolutely true is that Trump continues to confound his critics.</p><p>That is no lie.</p>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-12642031826273227882024-01-15T07:30:00.028-05:002024-01-15T07:30:00.127-05:00It Begins. Where Will It End?<p>The first votes will be cast tonight in Iowa for who will be the Republican nominee for President in 2024.</p><p>The Presidential nomination process is both long and arduous these days.</p><p>For example, John F. Kennedy did not <a href="https://www.jfklibrary.org/archives/other-resources/john-f-kennedy-speeches/presidential-candidacy-19600102#:~:text=Senator%20John%20F.-,Kennedy%20Announcing%20his%20Candidacy%20for%20the%20Presidency,United%20States%2C%20January%202%2C%201960">announce he was running for President in 1960</a> until January 2 of that year. His brother, Bobby, did not announce he was running for President in 1968 until <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Kennedy_1968_presidential_campaign#:~:text=On%20March%2016%2C%20Kennedy%20declared,presidency%20of%20the%20United%20States.">March 16 of that year.</a> He was assassinated three months later on the night he won the California primary.</p><p>11 legitimate Republican candidates announced they were running in 2024 as far back as over a year ago.</p><p>Only five are left for Iowans to select from.</p><p>The others became the victims of poor poll numbers, the inability to raise money and the failure to qualify for the debate stage.</p><p>Included in this group are former VP Mike Pence, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota and Chris Christie, former Governor of New Jersey.</p><p>It is crazy to think that all of them were in and OUT of the Presidential race before the Kennedys' even got in.</p><p>Times have changed.</p><p>The remaining candidates in the race for the first primary race of 2024 are:</p><p>Donald Trump</p><p>Ron DeSantis</p><p>Nikki Haley</p><p>Vivek Ramaswamy</p><p>Asa Hutchinson</p><p>I have to say that I was surprised that Hutchinson was still in race considering his poll numbers. I was under the impression that he had suspended his campaign several months ago.</p><p>The latest Iowa poll by NBC News/Des Moines Register shows Trump with a 30 point lead over Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis. Trump is up 40 points on Vivek.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08JQunuuPmoR4bWmlGvNtwsHfaZlWIv1WLu8UyDv2Maa-HwOtscY03v0OZxvHSH4Syy3dqICz8ivDMC1HfwvGzXNfrwCxhKmN-tUPsxOPfYkLVeVDarpPtP0CVx-tD1RyuqHWIz8RTjQN3-Dh-JRHN6KixGMz7u08VLL-o0O2-swqnRyXk3UjQuDK-92B/s603/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-14%20at%205.57.27%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="603" height="590" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08JQunuuPmoR4bWmlGvNtwsHfaZlWIv1WLu8UyDv2Maa-HwOtscY03v0OZxvHSH4Syy3dqICz8ivDMC1HfwvGzXNfrwCxhKmN-tUPsxOPfYkLVeVDarpPtP0CVx-tD1RyuqHWIz8RTjQN3-Dh-JRHN6KixGMz7u08VLL-o0O2-swqnRyXk3UjQuDK-92B/w640-h590/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-14%20at%205.57.27%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/final-iowa-poll-trump-maintains-dominant-lead-caucuses-rcna132669</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Let's look at the top four finalists in the GOP race and a few observations I have on each candidate as we head to the first real votes.</p><p><b><u>Trump</u></b></p><p>Every poll shows Trump as the frontrunner by a large margin. However, my sense is that he no longer has the passionate support he had in 2016 and 2020.</p><p>I have never seen anything in politics that compares to what Trump was able to do in 2016 and 2020 in turning out tens of thousands of people for his rallies.</p><p>The fervor behind Trump's support is not what it was but he has benefited considerably by the feeling of many voters that he was treated unfairly with the fake Russian collusion story throughout his term in office, a questionable 2020 election and the indictments that he faces that smell of selective and unequal justice.</p><p>I don't think it is a coincidence that Trump's support grew with each indictment.</p><p>Trump's biggest problem tonight is that the polls have established high expectations for him. If he does not win by 30 points it is going to feel like a loss. </p><p>Many forget that Trump did not win Iowa in 2016. Ted Cruz did.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZmypeG-1yrLHjSt7-flVvs82eo344p_rbAL5SUZXvG9TGyUMSEchqrETUw97O6WPLLgSeQEcmXv53w_VznO3HvX0-Uj2etDhyphenhyphenAU9ISYotRuIyakPKZskEdchySQIBGHBqMJBDZpIU97uCbMzFx00XYECObqENqNCkJG47vfyQPZ9af8E4p3vBb0cRUQl6/s531/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-14%20at%205.55.50%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="531" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZmypeG-1yrLHjSt7-flVvs82eo344p_rbAL5SUZXvG9TGyUMSEchqrETUw97O6WPLLgSeQEcmXv53w_VznO3HvX0-Uj2etDhyphenhyphenAU9ISYotRuIyakPKZskEdchySQIBGHBqMJBDZpIU97uCbMzFx00XYECObqENqNCkJG47vfyQPZ9af8E4p3vBb0cRUQl6/w640-h492/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-14%20at%205.55.50%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/primaries/iowa</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>It is not unusual for the GOP Iowa Caucus winner to not end up being the Republican nominee.</p><p>For example, Ronald Reagan did not win Iowa in 1980. George H.W. Bush did not win Iowa in 1988. John McCain did not win Iowa in 2008 and Mitt Romney did not win it in 2012 in addition to Trump falling short in 2016. </p><p>It used to be said that Trump's core supporters would crawl over broken glass to cast a vote for him. Will they show up for him with wind chill temperatures approaching -30F over most of the state tomorrow night?</p><p>The same can be said for other candidates.</p><p>How committed are those caucus voters for their candidates?</p><p>Forecasted wind chills temperatures for tonight across Iowa.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3dJQuAz_UDdPfjqLQTkqPTWvza0RoVi9xroAlVxsx9s1iyB7ZbuOMlxN_hlUwFnLbUP_IekoQ3LgF5XMqY7dof4j97kX5DHjW2GmdnhDNVYKddAJWO-iO1T94VmdOiaQUk2U688tvZm404b5w23SPhg38GAs0NLcHGKNRc9w7j86XKeaDd8Js1WPYcPny/s873/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-14%20at%206.45.17%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="873" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3dJQuAz_UDdPfjqLQTkqPTWvza0RoVi9xroAlVxsx9s1iyB7ZbuOMlxN_hlUwFnLbUP_IekoQ3LgF5XMqY7dof4j97kX5DHjW2GmdnhDNVYKddAJWO-iO1T94VmdOiaQUk2U688tvZm404b5w23SPhg38GAs0NLcHGKNRc9w7j86XKeaDd8Js1WPYcPny/w640-h360/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-14%20at%206.45.17%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.weather.gov/dmx/IAgraphics</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>Trump's greatest strength right now is that his nomination looks inevitable.</p><p>However, if any weakness in Trump's support becomes evident in the early votes it could open the door for another candidate to build momentum.</p><p>Momentum is the most important factor in a Presidential primary season.</p><p>Trump tapped into it in 2016. Can he prevent anyone else from grabbing it in 2024?</p><p>My prediction is that Trump will not be able to get close to the 50% of the vote that the polls are predicting. That seems a tall order considering he only got 24% in 2016.</p><p>However, whatever the result, it is worthwhile to keep these votes in context.</p><p>If 200,000 votes are cast in Iowa tonight that is about <a href="https://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/where-people-voted-in-2022-and-where-they-didnt/">50,000 less than the votes cast in an average Congressional district race.</a></p><p>The Iowa caucus is more akin to another poll with a large sample size when you really think about it.</p><p><b><u>DeSantis</u></b></p><p>I continue to be perplexed as to why DeSantis has not been able to muster more support than he has in this race.</p><p>I think it shows just how powerful and effective Trump can be in painting his opponents in a negative light.</p><p>In my mind, DeSantis is about as close to a model candidate for the GOP in this race as you can get.</p><p>He is just 45 years old but has served three terms in the House of Representatives and won an overwhelming victory to a second term as Florida's Governor.</p><p>If elected, DeSantis would be younger than Obama was when he became President. He would also have considerably more governmental experience.</p><p>DeSantis graduated from Yale where he was captain of the baseball team with a batting average of .336.</p><p>He went on to Harvard Law School where he graduated with honors.</p><p>He then went into the Navy where he was a JAG officer and served in Iraq as a legal advisor to a SEAL team.</p><p>He is the most consistently conservative candidate left in the race. I have more faith in DeSantis governing conservatively than Trump.</p><p>He will also only elicit a fraction of the animus that Trump will from the media and the Democrats. However, make no mistake, any Republican will be made out to be a monster (see Mitt Romney, John McCain and Bob Dole) and DeSantis will be no exception. DeSantis does have an advantage---he is not Trump.</p><p>DeSantis also had the unique privilege of playing in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA when he was 12 years old. Not many can say that.</p><p>Of course, it is well known how well DeSantis navigated the Covid pandemic. It was not easy because he did not follow the lockdown, school closure mantra that most every other governor did. That took courage and confidence to not take the road of least resistance. If he had been wrong his political career would have been over. He was not wrong. He made the right call now that we can look back.</p><p>DeSantis has the endorsement of Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and the state's influential Evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats</p><p>The DeSantis camp claims that they have 60,000 commitment cards from Iowans for the caucus. </p><p>If he could count on all those commitments showing up that is almost 10,000 more votes than Cruz got in 2016 to win.</p><p>DeSantis is not likely going to be able to count on all of those voters showing up. However, if he gets 50,000 of that number to show up that would probably put him at 25% of the vote which would greatly exceed expectations. That would be a win for DeSantis tonight and give him momentum going forward.</p><p>If he falls short of his poll numbers (18%) above it is going to be hard to come back,</p><p>DeSantis remains my preferred candidate in this race.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>Haley</u></b></p><p>On paper, Nikki Haley is a great candidate for the Republicans in 2024.</p><p>She is a woman.</p><p>She is a first generation American born of immigrant parents who came here from India.</p><p>She is the right age---she will be 52 on January 20.</p><p>She has been a governor and also was Trump's United Nations representative.</p><p>She has the potential to appeal to independents and suburban women which will be important voting blocs if the GOP is to recapture the Presidency.</p><p>Haley has come the furthest in the polls over the last several months. She appears to have become the preferred candidate of the establishment Republicans who want to prevent Trump from gaining the nomination. This has meant she has been able to tap into a lot of the big donors in the party.</p><p>That big money is a political advantage for Haley but, at the same time, the core voters in the Republican party today have become very distrustful of the establishment. That is a big reason that Trump appeals to so many voters. </p><p>Haley will have to walk a fine line to keep her establishment backers happy at the same time trying to gain the trust of those core GOP voters.</p><p>My concern is that Haley will be owned by the establishment if she wins. The power of the pursestrings will control over anything the people may want. </p><p>For that reason Haley is my least preferred candidate of the four remaining.</p><p>I expect Haley will do well in New Hampshire (January 23) in which she has put more focus on than Iowa. She has the endorsement of Governor Sununu and crossover voting in the state means a number of independents and Democrats may turn out and vote for her as well.</p><p>Haley could get some real momentum coming out of New Hampshire but it will mean nothing if she cannot win her home state of South Carolina on February 24. A significant loss there could end any hopes she has on Super Tuesday and beyond.</p><p><b><u><br /></u></b></p><p><b><u>Ramaswamy</u></b></p><p>No candidate has raised his profile and benefited more from the primary process to this point than Vivek Ramaswamy.</p><p>Almost no one had ever heard of the man when he first announced his candidacy for President.</p><p>The fact that he has fought his way into the final four candidates and is still standing is a testament to his intelligence and the articulate manner in which he outlines and defends his positions.</p><p>There is little question in my mind that he is the most intelligent person in the race.</p><p>Vivek has also shown he is not afraid to work for what he wants.</p><p>Nobody has worked harder to connect with voters in Iowa.</p><p>He has done more events than the other three leading candidates combined.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLsVjteOB_snLzOi8CPB8J_uSl0yGqEPLrH0pET_dEvKsH7gU6zIfIFshnNFFr7Q0ACPpABmKmQnawRnydeva1v0_8yAa44ZYH38B6agZecFHq-QIIXDsp678HeBNS6f7Skhtc3liJoL598YZh9Sh4TGCSRBrsof7xMPY_Cte7eIw4pg8k4Ry-2_SfLLk/s630/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-14%20at%208.13.50%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="630" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLsVjteOB_snLzOi8CPB8J_uSl0yGqEPLrH0pET_dEvKsH7gU6zIfIFshnNFFr7Q0ACPpABmKmQnawRnydeva1v0_8yAa44ZYH38B6agZecFHq-QIIXDsp678HeBNS6f7Skhtc3liJoL598YZh9Sh4TGCSRBrsof7xMPY_Cte7eIw4pg8k4Ry-2_SfLLk/w640-h336/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-14%20at%208.13.50%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: https://twitter.com/james_jinnette1/status/1744509068570513440</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>At 38 years of age he is likely not ready for prime time in the eyes of most voters but he has given a great audition of the potential he has for the future.</p><p>It is tough call for me whether I prefer Trump or Vivek as my second choice right now.</p><p>Trump has a proven record of performance. However, he is a lightning rod with a bunch of baggage attached.</p><p>Vivek has a ton of potential and it is hard to ignore his intellect. It is also hard to ignore the contrast of a Republican candidate who is less than half the age of Joe Biden and an Indian-American on top of it. That is a powerful combination considering the electorate of today.</p><p>For Vivek to remain in the race I would think he needs to beat expectations and get a vote percentage at least in the double digits in Iowa tonight.</p><p>The bigger question for Vivek is what is the next step he can take to build experience and stay relevant for the future?</p><p>Could he be a VP candidate?</p><p>Cabinet post?</p><p>Run for Ohio Governor in 2026?</p><p>It all begins tonight.</p><p>Who knows where it will end in November?</p><p>I certainly don't.</p><p>I still believe that Joe Biden will not be on the ballot in November as I first predicted a year ago.</p><p>What do I know?</p><p>What does anyone know right now of what things are going to look like in November?</p><p>A lot can happen in 10 months.</p><p><br /></p>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1589260955254004648.post-47544135741817481892024-01-12T06:57:00.002-05:002024-01-12T08:46:04.895-05:00More Illegal Immigration Insanity<p>Earlier this week <a href="https://beelineblogger.blogspot.com/2024/01/demography-destiny-and-destruction.html">I wrote abou</a>t some mind boggling illegal immigration numbers.</p><p>The number of illegals encountered at the border each month are now exceeding the number of births in the United States.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHoyYMXu_sGSgW-XVHNwFn6e3VMQaV6uF98W9onqW2vx7ZfI1dMnodPv0a2KGkE2okjFyt0ISeCxzkNEWp1iC5BB-Df2jp6QjR3HESvqgExFmLBkrBNoQgbEJvpCSc3d_fIOFjFOgWAkOqc3jPeBmrkB5mGdEhygZfHdArGT5PRjB2sp8mnvSzHnlsWaP/s651/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-11%20at%204.21.45%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="571" data-original-width="651" height="562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHoyYMXu_sGSgW-XVHNwFn6e3VMQaV6uF98W9onqW2vx7ZfI1dMnodPv0a2KGkE2okjFyt0ISeCxzkNEWp1iC5BB-Df2jp6QjR3HESvqgExFmLBkrBNoQgbEJvpCSc3d_fIOFjFOgWAkOqc3jPeBmrkB5mGdEhygZfHdArGT5PRjB2sp8mnvSzHnlsWaP/w640-h562/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-11%20at%204.21.45%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>At least 8 million illegal immigrants have entered the United States in the last three years.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSLXczWPMeawpIFpT6N9jNMm4EdOnH7YITi5f7G1U9QBzY6wpTPvbgImlsd3d6sbhAvBQrAwbehCPwaYmoSvqdf2s5KlO7AQu3J3tTl3U0m4P9UuCl98dYpeLnRRusknnJeDu-LyTC7UWqncMTjuWJZfYgQ8EseXen6Q2uH2pMuaaZZJANFNc9ylEiU3_/s649/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-11%20at%204.23.28%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="649" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSLXczWPMeawpIFpT6N9jNMm4EdOnH7YITi5f7G1U9QBzY6wpTPvbgImlsd3d6sbhAvBQrAwbehCPwaYmoSvqdf2s5KlO7AQu3J3tTl3U0m4P9UuCl98dYpeLnRRusknnJeDu-LyTC7UWqncMTjuWJZfYgQ8EseXen6Q2uH2pMuaaZZJANFNc9ylEiU3_/w640-h482/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-11%20at%204.23.28%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The sheer numbers of illegals that have entered the United States in such a short time is now creating enormous problems on where to house all of them.</p><p>In Chicago, illegals are now being housed at O'Hare International Airport.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyFD-qw5-_IjhrrRiDLVAmtB1O7sTo7EmROKlqFzj7XU-flP3Z9EfvpMeS1pjORo1LUbNc70DdVHE96748BqAfx2pPJDWbKukatjjV0L7J0rEXvmLkKIZNPCWGnviFbqPOWA8oK3QmCto5dbECw7l9zW4fspmloZbSbJCNJx5rHPX2s6YcosIAB67BzM9/s1133/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-11%20at%204.27.22%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="159" data-original-width="1133" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyFD-qw5-_IjhrrRiDLVAmtB1O7sTo7EmROKlqFzj7XU-flP3Z9EfvpMeS1pjORo1LUbNc70DdVHE96748BqAfx2pPJDWbKukatjjV0L7J0rEXvmLkKIZNPCWGnviFbqPOWA8oK3QmCto5dbECw7l9zW4fspmloZbSbJCNJx5rHPX2s6YcosIAB67BzM9/w640-h90/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-11%20at%204.27.22%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://townhall.com/tipsheet/madelineleesman/2024/01/10/airport-migrants-chicago-n2633450#google_vignette</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><i></i></p><blockquote><p><i>A new video shared by Libs of Tik Tok shows that illegal immigrants are being housed in sections of O’Hare Airport in Chicago. </i></p><p><i>“There were too many illegals and now they overflowed into the terminal area,” Libs of Tik Tok wrote in a post shared on X. “My source says they were mainly Hispanic men and he was asked not to record. Why are they trying to hide this?!”</i></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>I think we know the answer as to why they want to this this, don't we?</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1745121846704648219?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1745121846704648219%7Ctwgr%5E8f488c8f36727ad5b71463256c5d629fa60c6f39%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftownhall.com%2Ftipsheet%2Fmadelineleesman%2F2024%2F01%2F10%2Fairport-migrants-chicago-n2633450">You can view the video here. </a></p><p>I wonder if Chicago is throwing in a membership in the United or American sky club for the illegals while they are staying at O'Hare?</p><p>In New York City, city hall told 2,000 students at James Madison High School in Brooklyn that they needed to vacate the school and have remote classes so that illegal aliens could be housed at the school.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLqk0qmMhay1vV4TzwEUNbwEYSLAyZ1PfMxYElzVlK9ieRfktU18pQd_9b6fPNlvaAFF-zUhrmF-Hh0mRMWNJGoK0ejfpKwlhXF7YB9FULyxM8XpA7CIbO1K25syYbQ8pGyAREhbNnMVGUTkcoOfKP3__bBNC6L90IX_uy00Xicz2zSl0tAyQW8n3IB-3/s817/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-11%20at%206.00.04%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="817" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLqk0qmMhay1vV4TzwEUNbwEYSLAyZ1PfMxYElzVlK9ieRfktU18pQd_9b6fPNlvaAFF-zUhrmF-Hh0mRMWNJGoK0ejfpKwlhXF7YB9FULyxM8XpA7CIbO1K25syYbQ8pGyAREhbNnMVGUTkcoOfKP3__bBNC6L90IX_uy00Xicz2zSl0tAyQW8n3IB-3/w640-h110/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-11%20at%206.00.04%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/asylum-seekers-relocated-from-shelter-at-floyd-bennett-field-to-james-madison-high-school-due-to-storm-prompting-remote-learning/</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Of course, I assume it was just a coincidence that the high school is in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood that is one of the few areas in the city that voted for Trump in 2020.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjez6kFkJlVq8rQIyMqY67Eo7KEU6qm6OStSkES7n2UtIl9eDjr-Ow4U1C5zeyu55dVH-x7cu_t1z_pdNBychRnOGYQ_2c4ia31nI8fABM2GY10ld-g0ThW7AK0kt76xFD38UabVjfjn6rFeu8jhoQgWGXY9FcRQhfwCqwK6nVG9bo85wfS9xuLzF3E-Rdr/s660/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-11%20at%207.46.58%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="658" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjez6kFkJlVq8rQIyMqY67Eo7KEU6qm6OStSkES7n2UtIl9eDjr-Ow4U1C5zeyu55dVH-x7cu_t1z_pdNBychRnOGYQ_2c4ia31nI8fABM2GY10ld-g0ThW7AK0kt76xFD38UabVjfjn6rFeu8jhoQgWGXY9FcRQhfwCqwK6nVG9bo85wfS9xuLzF3E-Rdr/w638-h640/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-11%20at%207.46.58%20PM.png" width="638" /></a></div><br /><p>Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is on X declaring that America is in the middle of a full blown housing crisis that she knows how to fix.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GertLCrcPnw5AQfu2T3dODjf1SXU7BGeIS-ccwzrOKIwGXfvEDV24Hfjlev4ol1eFbD51tsa_aFDUX9GduRQwGHS3GdR3XCC8uEscguBtilJyD_ZYJN2w0w7JlNCBE4uVUFufszb61mrlTwbWmI7BuJEaiqp30XgUoL79RXg8t_SHv5zL8JPELRXcJdo/s657/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-11%20at%207.51.30%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="232" data-original-width="657" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GertLCrcPnw5AQfu2T3dODjf1SXU7BGeIS-ccwzrOKIwGXfvEDV24Hfjlev4ol1eFbD51tsa_aFDUX9GduRQwGHS3GdR3XCC8uEscguBtilJyD_ZYJN2w0w7JlNCBE4uVUFufszb61mrlTwbWmI7BuJEaiqp30XgUoL79RXg8t_SHv5zL8JPELRXcJdo/w640-h226/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-11%20at%207.51.30%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>We just need to increase the housing supply. It's just plain old Econ 101 according to Warren.</p><p>You might ask how we all of a sudden ended up with a housing crisis?</p><p>I can't help but think that letting 8 million illegals into the country in three years might have something to do with why we are 7 million housing units short.</p><p>It appears lost on Senator Warren that it would be far easier to enforce the immigration laws and prevent 8 million illegals from entering the country than to build more housing.</p><p>The supply of illegals seems endless while the supply of affordable housing is limited.</p><p>What does Econ 101 say is the result in this situation?</p><p>Housing gets more expensive as demand increases. Rather than building more housing units we should not be feeding demand with millions of more people who need housing.</p><p>It is so bad in Massachusetts right now that the Governor and Lt. Governor have declared a state of emergency about the migrant crisis the Democrat party created and are now asking residents to house illegal immigrants in their homes.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQeXxnhhqOiIv2A2esk3yrRm-Okxf-oTznj6EzUcT6zyKC96n9BjLDfnKijN3euMQiBw42fDVC-4s6yWuPFMTrcbrl_IXvAp2tzFidnmtwv0eIO5m97pFaiZ-Ep0wM5Z42_SU7YHhXjkDqJEcJoZTbBG9THQJaZ2d0FcrpHXZ876-A13glk1hyphenhyphenfommGQ-1/s944/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-11%20at%208.03.45%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="137" data-original-width="944" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQeXxnhhqOiIv2A2esk3yrRm-Okxf-oTznj6EzUcT6zyKC96n9BjLDfnKijN3euMQiBw42fDVC-4s6yWuPFMTrcbrl_IXvAp2tzFidnmtwv0eIO5m97pFaiZ-Ep0wM5Z42_SU7YHhXjkDqJEcJoZTbBG9THQJaZ2d0FcrpHXZ876-A13glk1hyphenhyphenfommGQ-1/w640-h92/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-11%20at%208.03.45%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/01/massachusetts-governor-lt-governor-declare-emergency-migrant-crisis/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=massachusetts-governor-lt-governor-declare-emergency-migrant-crisis</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><i></i></p><blockquote><p><i>Governor Healey says close to 5,600 families are currently housed in the state’s emergency shelter system. That number is 80% higher than one year ago. Massachusetts is the only state in the country with a right-to-shelter law that guarantees homeless families access to emergency shelters. She says Massachusetts has been spending around $45 million a month to help assist these families. The situation is so bad, the Healey administration is now asking people to open their homes and businesses to help people in need.</i></p><p><i>“Most importantly, if you have an extra room or suite in your home, please consider hosting a family. Housing and shelter is our most pressing need and become a sponsor family,” said Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll.</i></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>Consider as well that the foreign born population is higher today than at any time in the nation's history.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAlJVvIYPmROlYLzO-mhYBXkcuYeajxyXvdws-dfV5TR2cKAGGHsf50dofglRhT2LaCEiBaFqrxQl_sIgDBT-kaFY9UFuhnK0C42R_UZ5LMYVvrWBu2xBmRX5ZPMzhf6YIk7wu81EOEUxJeEee1bP6gTCYV4t2vYZuuaMHWMW8qaofrc81Xe1Ad0ksTTH/s750/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-12%20at%205.48.26%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="750" height="552" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAlJVvIYPmROlYLzO-mhYBXkcuYeajxyXvdws-dfV5TR2cKAGGHsf50dofglRhT2LaCEiBaFqrxQl_sIgDBT-kaFY9UFuhnK0C42R_UZ5LMYVvrWBu2xBmRX5ZPMzhf6YIk7wu81EOEUxJeEee1bP6gTCYV4t2vYZuuaMHWMW8qaofrc81Xe1Ad0ksTTH/w640-h552/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-12%20at%205.48.26%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: https://cis.org/Report/October-2023-ForeignBorn-Share-Was-Highest-History</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Higher than when those from English, Scotland and Wales were the main source of immigrants in the early years of the republic.</p><p>Higher than when scores of Irish immigrated during the potato famine in the 1840's-1850's period.</p><p>More than when Germans and Italians sought to change their fortunes in the United States shortly thereafter.</p><p>For context, consider that between 1861 and 1890, 10.4 million immigrants came to the United States, mainly from Southern and Eastern Europe (Italy, Poland etc) to support the emerging industrialization of the country.</p><p>We will see more illegals enter the United States during the four years of the Biden Administration than we did in that 30 year period.</p><p>There are more people now living in the United States who are foreign born than during all the years that Ellis Island was open in New York as the main point of entry for almost everyone immigrating to the United States (1892-1954).</p><p>All of this is going on and Senator Warren thinks the problem is that we have not built enough housing?</p><p>The Governor of Massachusetts wants residents to share their homes with illegals?</p><p>The Mayor of New York City is kicking high school students out of school to house illegals?</p><p>Chicago is using O'Hare Airport as an immigrant shelter?</p><p>How much more insane does it have to get?</p><p>Enforce the immigration laws, secure the border and stop this insanity.</p><p><i></i></p><p><i></i></p>BeeLinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04065018970505964953noreply@blogger.com0