“Every western society is confronted by an internal cultural conflict between those who wish to distance society from its civilizational legacy and those who wish to renew it.” —Frank Furedi on Substa
Not being able to face the hard, lonely "buck stops here" responsibility (including facing the high possibility of the void) is exactly how we got into this mess. I know many people *personally* who have blissfully ignored, for decades, where we were going because "God will provide". In my experience, there are a hell of a lot more of them than there are truly responsible believers. Living virtuously is in no way sufficient to counter intelligent psychopathy (that is, the people that believers assign the magical quality "evil"); in fact, it never has.
An honest follow-up question, Anti-Hip. What are people supposed to do? Go into a field and eat the muzzle of a shot gun and end themselves for the good of "mother Earth?" Sell all they have and become beggars on the street? Return to a hunter-gatherer tribe? I don't understand the point you are trying to make. We were born into this "blissful ignorant" lifestyles. What are people supposed to do?
That's a good question. The illusion of activism (delusion, maybe) is that YOU can change things in the world. Not really. We can only change us. Not the external world. That's why all those activists throwing fits on the street aren't effective at all. And notice how crazy they all seem.
My problem, Mary Rose, is I don't know what to do. I really don't. Everything I know to do I have done. I live debt free. I have a small modest home. I grow a garden. I have food storage. I drive old cars. I pay cash for my vacations. I vote. I contact my Congresscritters (even though I know that does no good). I have run for public office and lost each time. At this point, the only thing I can do is just live my life and try to be best I can. Everything else is pretty much out of my control.
That's where God comes in. He offers us stability in spirit. He does not want us to worry - that is stated many times. You've done all you can to take care of yourself. God will see to the rest - just trust. That's all you have to do. And don't live in fear. That's what you-know-who wants.
Yes, that is where I am at at this point in my life. Most of the croakings of doom I have endured in my 50 years on this earth have not come to fruition. I'm still waiting for the nukes to fly over the Ukraine-Russia war. I read article after article about Putin nuking Europe and more. Hasn't happened. Fear porn is real and is very addictive.
I agree, you are correct, Christianity is the answer. It is difficult to lead a Christian life in much of the world. In the West, and especially in the US, due to decadence, and in other lands, like Islamic nations, Israel, and others, due to repression.
If the path to Godliness is the right path, Catholicism was and is, the wrong path. And it spawned even more incorrect paths, Protestantism, Communism, Fascism, secular humanism, and so forth.
Orthodox Christianity is the most correct path.
The West has been at war with Orthodox Christianity, hot and cold, since the Schism.
Cankerpuss! Sounds like you're fighting the good fight and leading a good life!
We need a lot more Americans like you. I like your posts in general, because I think they make sense, and I really liked this one.
The macro things that affect our lives are largely out of our control.
I'd respectfully suggest looking into Eastern Orthodoxy, if there are any Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox (aka Orthodox Church of America), Serbian, whatever, on-line (google Metropolitan Neophytos, or Neophytos of Morphou, Cyprus). Hopefully, you will find a good priest/parish, or better a monastery.
It is Holy Week--not too late to start. Find out where they have services for Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Pascha, consider it. ("Easter" is from Astrid or some such thing--some pagan northern European "goddess" or ritual of spring. Even Catholics, from Romance language places call Christ's resurrection "Pasqua". There is your first clue as to where "Western Christianity" went wrong.... no offense meant to you or anyone else her. It's PASCHA, or PASQUA, or PASSOVER--the PASSOVER of the NEW COVENANT, NOT EASTER).
This April 14th Kunstler essay was an excellent summary of the situation.
Love or hate Trump (and I never loved HIM--I loved that he beat Bush and Clinton and showed the hypocrisy of the US elites, though he continued and continues their worst practices--war and debt), the situation has been unsustainable for decades, and it looks like it will blow up on Trump's watch, or he will be the one to go a step to far and blow it up... He is unable or unwilling to stop the war in Ukraine, and continues to support the wanton slaughter of the Palestinians. He has two sets of advisors. And he is a very old man for this job.
And the Presidency is too powerful, too imperial. The US Constitution is a nice document, but more and more ignored.
And worst of all, IMO, all the other contenders are younger and worst version of him.
Personally, I think the situation feels like April 1939 (from January 1939 at the start of the year--the official start of WW2 was yet to happen, that's Germany invades Poland and lame Britain/France declare war on Germany--but there was as hot war in the Far East, as major power Japan had invaded China), with touches of the late 70s (inflation), and Sept 1973 (just before the energy crisis).
Nothing ordinary people could do about these epic, man-made events.
SC, thank you for your kind words. Your words reflect my feelings almost to a "T" (not sure what that means but it sounds good).
I have said before that I feel like I am living in a dream. A dream where I am stuck in the middle of a road and I can see a large semi truck barreling down upon me. I can't move. My feet are paralyzed. I can't get out of the way. I see that truck coming and I know that when it collides with me that it is going to hurt, maybe even kill me. But, it just doesn't arrive. It's always right there but it just never gets close enough to hit me. Knowing that eventually it will hit me is the worst part.
That's the way that I feel about the world in general. Things are broken and are way off kilter. I know it. I can see it. But, like that truck in my dream, the big one just hasn't hit yet. When it does it is going to hurt and might even kill me.
The US Constitution is nothing but fancy, old butt fodder now. The President was never intended to have as much power as he does today. The Congress was supposed to have that power but the Congress pissed away their authority decades ago as now is nothing more than a squabbling club if self-important idiots. The Judiciary was supposed to be relegated to the basement of the US Capitol. It was the least of the "separate powers" defined by the Constitution and now we have judges stifling the Executive powers with the swipe of a pen. The Senate was supposed to represent the States, not the people. Ironically, all the damage was done 60 years before I was even conceived.
Worst? I see nobody in Congress with the will, desire, or know-how to fix this mess. Trump is trying, I'll give him that, but he cannot do anything without a willing Congress. Worse than that is most Americans don't give a fuck. As long as they can buy a Whopper at Burger Thing, as long as they can buy their drugs, porn, and stuff potato chips into their mouths while they watch "The Bachelor" or the NBA, all is fine and dandy to them.
Thank you for running for office. Being virtuous AND showing up does make a difference, but it takes time. It is the example that you have set that others may be seeing without you even realizing it.
I know the County Commissioners know who I am and that I am one to take notes and feel free to share information. Some people tell me they appreciate me going to those dreadful meetings.
Three times, Elysianfield. School Board. City Council. Mayor. Lost to women in each race. I was just too damned ugly and wanted to cut too much government perks. Not popular to the majority.
You faced the gimme syndrome that is stifling the whole country. Trump will not change the country, the people have to. Or it is finished and the beacon of light will be extinguished.
Yep. I wanted to eliminate the City run golf course (I love golf), the City run swimming pool, the City run library and cut the parks department. Government, IMO, should only be providing public safety, public utilities, roads and building safety. Everything else should be private. Yep, if I had won there would have been no more City sponsored concerts in the park, July 4th parades, or Santa Comes to Town celebrations. But, I would have slashed the budget and lowered taxes. As you probably can deduce, that is not popular to the general public.
The Roman Emperors gave the mob Games in the Colosseum so keep them “quiet”. Today is just a repeat of the same, some things just do not change. Your platform was right on, be proud of it. The “gimmes” will go down.
I see indications that Trump will change the format for life, and then your "gimme" crowd will game the new system, and he will achieve his desired results.
Countries throughout the world have bastardized their currencies in unison, and the jig is up.
What happens if the majority of countries agree to a 10% tariff that provides funding for their government, and this opens up new business activity (which increases government funding)? The consumer has to pay a higher price for goods, but there is tax relief for the lower and middle income citizens. Then they couple this with mega-projects that will be beneficial to the citizens and the world.
The tariffs are identifying the obstructionists. Trump will make deals with some of their partners (think in terms of Japan and India), and this will have the effect of busting up the 2030 Agenda holdouts, and possibly weaken the BRICS alliance, to where China agrees to cooperate, or at least is unable to obstruct the Trump agenda.
I know that tariffs are protectionist but also revenue raising. If the 10% tariff worldwide was just in addition to everything else, ie in the USA all other taxes remain, it is a money grab by government trying to cover their debt asses and everyone is 10% poorer. Why think that any of it is going to be used by government to fund anything, they are already broke.
Trump wants his tax cut continuation to be funded by tariff revenue, isn’t gonna happen, the deficit just grows every year. Yes, IMHO, Trump will use his power of the purse to get advantage over other countries, that is good.
Your China view is a big thing, we will find out in short order whether China feels a need to string along with the USA demands. I would bet no, but they are in tough shape too debt wise by trying to fake out the world.
Whatever gets "tariffed", all other things being equal, people will buy less of.
So, if Americans bought $1 billion in i-phones in 2024, and you put a 20% tariff, that doesn't mean tariff revenue will be $200 million.
Some people won't pay more, so perhaps sales will drop to $900 million, and revenue will be $180 million.
If the US had a competitive, home-made smart-phone, chance are those sales would rise. Chances are also that, the makers of US i-phones would raise their prices some--especially if they were "capacity-constrained" and couldn't increase their production to meet higher demand.
One big change in the auto industry since the 1960s (and I presume other big-ticket manufactured goods), is that production is more efficient.
Besides using more automation (which requires capital expenditures up-front, and thus feeds the process below), manufacturers have removed "slack" or "extra" capacity.
Here is an excellent example that older people here can relate to: the Ford Mustang!
It came out in April 1964. From then, until the end of 1966, the ORIGINAL Mustang sold about a million cars. Home run!
Ford originally estimated 200,000 per year. The Mustang sold DOUBLE (400k per year, 1M units over 2.5 years)
Ford was able to meet demand, because car plants in those days were "looser" and had excess capacity, and could be cranked up to run faster, in addition to overtime.
Those days are long gone. PRE-PANDEMIC, ALL the automakers set up their process for max efficiency for X units. If the vehicle is more popular than expected, they can run some overtime, which they do, and they sell more highly optioned cars, or just raise the price.
They cannot just "turn the knob" and make more. Those days were gone by the late 1970s, early 1980s.
That's what "Japanese" "just in time" manufacturing is all about. No waste.
You make only what you need, when you need it. No more. No stockpiles of parts (in case the UAW goes on strike, so plant can run an extra week or month). No extra length in assembly lines to add more people. In fact, in older plants, for a while, we CUT OUT un-used conveyor work stations.
There will be winners and loser, IMO, from the tariffs. But overall, it is a losing deal. Selected tariffs on selected products/industries, would have been more useful, IMO. Who knows? We may find out.
" If the 10% tariff worldwide was just in addition to everything else, ie in the USA all other taxes remain, it is a money grab by government trying to cover their debt asses and everyone is 10% poorer."
The poor do not consume the way the rich do, so it shifts the tax burden.
" Why think that any of it is going to be used by government to fund anything, they are already broke."
My 2 cents is that this will likely be resolved by devaluation, or default. Again, devaluation impacts the upper income more than the poor. So, where is a good place for the likes of Miriam Adelson to shield her wealth from devaluation? How about a Business in America (which ends up being a productive utilization of wealth, and generates tax revenue for the government)?
No, it's popular. The game is rigged. I have numbers. Lots of people have numbers. It is going to be coming out.
When Mitch McConnell showed up on my television screen, Dec. 2020, telling me to send money to Georgia for the two U.S. Senate races runoff, I emailed the GOP of KY (who had just censured him for some reason) telling them to send M. McConnell and L. Graham out to my state. I could show those two "money solicitors" some interesting numbers. They might be led to believe, if they took "a look see," that it was possible "to bag" one of their (R) U.S. Senators out here.
And I won't even bore you with how messed up the bond issue numbers are.
Yes sounds about right. Anybody who knows how to fix problems can't get elected because the public these days won't stand for even short term pain in exchange for long term gain. Your well thought out and planned for situation sounds like you'll be okay. You must be commended for having the foresight to get to where you are. It's those in debt who will suffer terribly in the next downturn.
I said "face the hard, lonely 'buck stops here' responsibility". That's it. I didn't say kill yourself out of despair, although I certainly sympathize, and sometimes empathize, with the feeling.
Trump 47 has now opened up the battle. We have to go through this fire. If one wants to link what's now happening to "higher powers", especially to a specific interpretation, that's one's choice, but if one rejects cooperation with others on the basis of that POV, we're certainly going to fail. TPTB like nothing better than the divide-and-conquer strategy.
Anti-Hip, it was not my intention to induce anger, I was merely responding with a question. The message I received from your post was that if the "buck stops here" that I should be doing something about it. I never quoted you as saying that we needed to go out and kill ourselves but used it as an example of asking how are we supposed to change it? Seriously. I was born into this slavery. So were my parents and grand parents. I know nothing else. So in regards to the "buck stops here" what does that mean? Does that mean we all take responsibility for our decadent and wasteful lifestyles? Buy smaller homes? Drive hybrid vehicles? Recycle more?
I don't have any disagreement with your comment, I'm just trying to understand what you mean. I feel kind of the same way about JHK's essay today. What are we to do about it? Everything about our lives is dependent upon fossil fuels and abundant energy. Sure, I can grow a big garden and eat food I grow but I am dependent upon the municipality to provide me with the water I need to grow the garden and the municipality is dependent upon diesel fuel to power the well pumps to draw the water out of the ground. The well is 1200 feet deep. Do I attempt to drill my own well? I am wholly dependent upon a system I had no say or assistance in designing. I don't know how to break free. I don't know how to stop the buck.
Thank you, I have no issue with your approach, even if I sounded abrupt above.
"I was born into this slavery. So were my parents and grand parents. I know nothing else."
But you are conscious of it. That is still, right now, further than a majority of US citizens of voting age.
"in regards to the 'buck stops here' what does that mean?"
Political evolution follows consciousness. Question is, do we let the consciousness be artificially imposed, as it has in the schools and MSM for several decades, culminating in the recent/current woke madness, or does it bubble up genuinely ("grass-roots"), from the circumstances of our lives?
IMO, we need mostly to continue encouraging grass-roots consciousness. This is well in progress, at least a decade, and maybe since GFC (as it was for me). Lifestyle changes, IMO, are completely optional, as they should depend on individual circumstances, not virtue signaling.
In practice, I think it first simply means our learning what goes on in the world. Not just through media -- which is by definition *always mediated* -- but getting to know people from as many walks of life as one can, and discussing that "what goes on" with them. Electronic life and communication in general, especially resulting from the COVID "public health" crap, has really gotten in the way. (And although a lot of people here bash the cities, that's actually one of the most practical settings for individuals to do this broad-swath outreach.)
Second is the continual brainstorming of how to confront existing authority in the most effective ways, and following through with that. We (the majority) had gotten awfully flabby at this (or rather, shepherded away from this) in seventy-eighty years.
If sufficient people are, perpetually, widely aware, that by itself restores political efficacy, and much good follows, without even any pre-planned recipes (political parties) for specific solutions (e.g. capitalism, socialism, etc.). Trump 47, in fact, bumpy as it is and certain to have missteps, has finally channeled this at the top, and the chaos that is resulting as I mentioned earlier is the fire we must go through.
You are too intense about what could be coming. Jesus told us to "not worry about tomorrow, today's problems are enough".
If the SHTF, like the WMBH, most people are going to die. That is a fact. Humanity will divide into two groups, regular folks who will go on living as best they can, and predators who will spend their time stealing from the former.
THere is nothing you can do to change that fact, there is nothing I can do, there is nothing Trump can do. When TLE happens, and it will, the world will never be the same.
There is a spiritual battle on earth, the good (God) vs. evil (satan). You pick a side. You can't be lukewarm. If you think you will win on the good side while partaking of all satan has to offer, that's not going to work - whether you are a believer or not - that's how it is.
Again, this is a *belief*. It is *your* belief (along with the belief, admittedly, of millions others). But it is not a *universal* belief, and it is certainly not manifestly obvious to all, the way it is manifestly obvious (to all sane people with, say, 80+ IQ) that the sun rises in the east.
Anti-Hip is correct that what you express as your beliefs are not universal, nor obvious to all. That does not make those people demons. It does make me want to avoid people who express such bigoted opinions like the proverbial plague.
Seems like you are not really grokking what I said. When someone ad-hominem attacks personally rather than arguing a point, that seems demonic to me. It's literally what demons do. They are in charge of all things negative. So when someone has a hair-trigger meltdown over a different opinion, I'd say that's a negative reaction, yes?
And what's this about my beliefs not being universal?
They most certainly are. No matter what religion or spiritual corner you reside in, heck, even if you are an atheist, there is the "Tao" or "Way" of the world. Sin is bad, good deeds are good.
"When someone ad-hominem attacks personally rather than arguing a point"
So, my getting meta about this is "attacking you personally"?
I said: "Again, this is a *belief*. It is *your* belief (along with the belief, admittedly, of millions others). But it is not a *universal* belief"
But I can accept the exact same thing about myself, as *everything* is belief. For any human being, there is no such thing as unimpeachably verifiable truth. (I think I'm in pretty decent company, with both Socrates and Protagoras in essential agreement, et al.) It is, in part, why claims about beings that are impossible to pro-actively sense look so silly. There are only assertions, and those made by others can always either be accepted or rejected by the receiver. That's why democracy, modern science, and adversarial justice are, and operate, the way they do.
So I am not "attacking" with "ad hominem". I am describing the fact that your confidence about your belief ("There is a spiritual battle on earth, the good (God) vs. evil (satan). ") -- exclusive of an argument that attempts its proof -- is just that. To an atheist or other skeptic, it demonstrates nothing. In fact, it, seems silly and outrageous, although I respect that to you it is very serious. So, I took a step back.
I realize I am, or can be seen, as doing the same (as time for most of us is limited), so I can accept that my claims look as ridiculous to you as yours do to me.
So I won't bother you any more. But I wanted to take a second look first at how you believe I am playing games and otherwise disrespecting you.
Problem is, Mary, that God does have a plan. It is the evil of Mankind that keeps getting in the way and periodically pissing God off enough to do something about it. Evil (Satan) is Man inspired. Most of the bad items in the two Testaments are caused by men, not God.
Might be, although I think I recognize his moniker, so maybe not. Derwood is a bit more caustic, as well. I think it's all the crisp Chardonnay hangovers. 😂
Well, God WILL provide. He has - otherwise, I certainly wouldn't be here. Neither would many people I know, who live despite massive challenges. Thing is, God provides in direct correlation with what you put into it. If someone believes that God provides and they don't need to put in effort well, they are not going to fare well.
The problem is people, NOT God. I did not say that you said God is a problem. Evil stems from people. God is the definition of Good.
IMHO, Dennis has a problem. Where does the human concept of Good come from? Where does the idea of the Golden Rule originate? Humans, by their behavior, did not come up with the bipolar notions of Good and Evil. They are responsible for the evil part only. Without the God introduced concept of Good, we would just still be competing on the Veldt in Africa with all the other apes.
You chose to believe it. Therefore, it becomes "your interpretation". (You "own" your beliefs.) Notice that I am not struggling with that belief: Even though, I, too, believe "it is scripture", I know that I do not (and very likely cannot) know where it has come from, and primarily for that reason, choose not to believe it.
Nobody cares what you or I believe when it all boils down.
I stated it's not my interpretation because it's not. It is scripture's. I follow scripture, so my response reflects that. The only one who cares what you believe - truly - is God. Whether you acknowledge it or not. I'm aware of this, as well as millions of others - as you admit - you aren't.
And that's fine. I'm happy with my choice.
If you actually read scripture or even studied it, you would discover where it comes from.
Obviously. Therefore, *you* are the one making the *choice* to believe it.
Actually, on second thought, and on lower level, it's not even your choice. You're "programmed", by nature + nurture, to believe it, possibly as soon as you encountered it. What instead was likely your "choice" (back at the higher level) was to either indulge or ignore this belief.
"If you actually read scripture or even studied it, you would discover where it comes from."
Actually, I'm not "programmed." I was raised Catholic, rejected that, was an atheist for 20 years, as well as an agnostic for probably 15 or so. So, no, every belief I have has been carefully considered, researched, pondered over, read about, and internalized sufficiently before I would embrace it. That being said, I don't care what you believe - there are universal truths that all men live by, and that is fact. Some call it "The Golden Rule." You can say it doesn't exist all you want to, but you live by it every day. Society's mores are built on the 10 Commandments. Why? Because they are a great guide as to how to live. All religions and even states follow this same set of rules. Are you saying it's made-up magical woo woo? If so, that's pretty strange.
By "programmed", I should have used a more neutral word. I don't mean here that others forced you, but rather, that it was your mind, or how it developed, that did so. We are not, because we cannot be, the authors of our minds, although the illusion to the contrary is mighty strong. I readily admit that, in this sense, I am just as "programmed" as you, and can hardly do anything about it.
I, too, was raised Catholic (w/10 of 12 years in their schools, and the HS a good one nevertheless), and have never encountered any claim from the faith as to *divinity* -- as opposed to claims about *human nature*, i.e. your "universal truths" -- that, upon careful reflection, I haven't found utterly ridiculous. Accordingly, I find nothing nothing divine about the Golden Rule and the Ten Commandments. They are all-too-human, requiring no magical super-being(s) to vouch for their value and near-universality. That said, being human, *some* of these rules can be revised; there's plenty in the Bible that we today reject. Why? Because *humans* (including, ironically, the Catholic Church) have further *evolved*.
Recently, I've been pondering why a God (of the Abrahamic claims) would *ever* need *any* godmonger as a salesman, and certainly not an infinite supply of them constantly arguing with each other. Given God's claimed ultra-super nature, it seems preposterous to believe so; he can, at any point, reveal directly anything desired to anyone and *everyone*. Personally, his lifelong absence to me, then, certainly seals the deal. So, instead, I think the scripture and ongoing churches of the Abrahamic God is more accurately the Mother of all Psy-ops, going now three millenia strong taking advantage of that widely distributed, evolved feature of human psychology, religiosity.
God is obvious and visible all day every day. It's bizarre that you can't see it - but I suppose that's what differentiates those who believe from those who don't. In any case, thanks for sharing.
I like your ideas in general but I think "industrialism" and "mass production" is how we got here. All those little products coming down the assembly line. All the product items look perfect. All cheap. All coming down the production line. Millions of items, exactly the same. Finally making every PERSON the same. There is no going back to strip malls or Pop-Tarts or Cheerios or whatever. These are new time. We should just have generic corn flakes supplied by the government. Who the fu*k else???? Sure, you need a better government but it is our job to get that better government. Start by turning on the billionaires. They are the most useless element of society. Do not turn the whole thing over to them. Trump is different, but not better. After Trump tries to turn this country into a psychotic murder regime, sending innocent persons to El Salvador because the name sounded kind of Spanish....? Garcia. Get him the fu*k back here. Raise hell.
"Start by turning on the billionaires. They are the most useless element of society."
As I like to point out, there is no legitimate reason in a healthy society for any individual (or small family) to have a billion dollars, much less hundreds of billions. One cannot both personally and healthfully *consume* a billion dollars of goods and services. Billions of dollars are only needed for controlling industries, countries, and other populations; transferring wealth-power through generations (as monarchy does it with political power); and otherwise dick-waving to other billionaires.
I do get really tired of the anti-billionaire BS all the time. Are you envious? What is a billionaire after all? A person that came up with an idea for a new good or service that they are able to sell billions of dollars worth to us the people. What would the world be without Amazon? Or Tesla?
I am not including the financial parasites in that statement that make their billions feeding off of others.
LOL no. I oppose the extreme power that is put in their hands, unreasonably distorting politics in all sorts of venues. The idea that this power should be limitless, simply because widgets or software can, in modern times, be copied without limit at negligible cost, is absurd. Ostensibly, we don't allow it for political power, and neither should we for wealth (which performs the same way).
Amazon and Tesla easily could have, and IMO definitely would have, if we had long ago put a reasonable limit on this remuneration. I'm not talking a million or two, I'm still talking a fairly large sum such as $100 million that very few should find problematic.
Money does mean power. Where should the billionaires put their money? Give it to the clowns in DC, absolutely not. Give it to charity? Nope, so many are corrupt. Buy more stuff? Hmmm, that puts people to work.
I had the privilege of living in Newport RI while in the Navy. A small city built entirely for the billionaires of the Gilded Age. An entire community built up serving the wealthy old Belleview Avenue and their cottages. Remember most of the wealthy, first order, earned their wealth.
The center of slave trade in the North. Jews controlled much of it. No doubt the Yankees were in on it too of course. Charleston was the center in the South
Exactly. But do the revolution just as our first American revolution was done: with intelligence, historical reference, and universal wisdom. Build, not destroy.
I am watching from the sidelines the most "diverse & inclusive", "mostly peaceful", self-inflicted civilizational collapse in history. Why the sidelines? because when a locomotive is coming at you, your first priority is to get off the tracks.
I have reordered my life (relocated to where I am among like minded, decent people) to avoid (or reduce) the negative impacts of certain cultural trends, politics and demographics. Yes, I have given up some things, but in life there are no solutions... only tradeoffs. These days, being newly re-positioned, I would say that my philosophical approach to "staying sane" is> I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused.
What does it mean to stay "sane?" Not follow group-think? Stay away from the trends? Go the opposite direction of the masses? Resist government mandates? Not pay taxes? Avoid religions? Become religious?
We live in an insane world and it is becoming harder and harder to understand what sanity is anymore.
When a group of people want to live outside the norms of the society they live in, for example the Constitution, they either pack up and leave or just shut up and go with the flow. I like the term abberant behavior to describe the insanity, behavior outside of the norm.
It is clear that MAGA will not restore America to the 50s or 60s. The work force has changed and Americas collective IQ is less than Bevis and Butthead. However Trump is resetting the playing field, trying to dump our debt get rid of the grifters and sycophants. He will reset the financial markets, screw the Democrat running Wall Street. In the process help the future Americans whom one day will be free to live a more peaceful live.
Much truth in the assessment of the collective IQ. Will Trump’s reset be enough to avoid the pitfalls of “the cope-less”? These are the people destined to live sacrificially in 15-minute cities. Perhaps all of us, if the president is not 100% successful. I, too, am counting on his success to reset in a way the globalists do not approve.
There's an awful lot of flyover country that will never become 15-minute cities. Move somewhere there - and relax. We're having a great time watching the Dem apparatus implode because of Trump & Elon, et. al.
Great advice. My wife and I retired to the middle of nowhere Arkansas about 2 hours away from any big cities so........if and when the excrement hits the fan, the grifters will be weeded out considerably before they approach where we live and most people here are well stocked on ammo so it will be no picnic but......we will get rid of a lot of grifters before they start any serious trouble. We will go down fighting and may not prevail but.....
I'm thinking the same thing as well, especially since I grew up there. But beware, "sanctuary cities" now dot the landscape everywhere, forcing many of the now-former locals out. I have at least two sets of relatives in Nebraska who fled locally to escape them.
What about Chicago, it makes no sense to me. THe Blacks in South Chicago are getting wind of the fact that the illegals are eating up their opportunities. So why does the Mayor of Chicago want to be a sanctuary city? His own citizens and race are calling him out.
Kind of like leaving Ethiopia when there was starvation. Most of us are stuck in cities and in jobs that don't translate to moving to Kansas. Would it were so....
Yep----- Bevis and Butthead are genius' -----no doubt about it.
My grandchildren told me this weekend that their school in Texas does not require children to learn their multiplication tables. My daughter drills it into their heads anyway. They will need it when the electric goes out and.....nobody is smart enough to make change. sad
IMHO, the Left has been removing the individual rights to Life, Liberty and Opportunity AKA the pursuit of happiness. That is what Trump is trying to remove, the government controls that restrict those rights. Anything to remove the socialistic trends of the Left over the decades is a good thing.
It’s just as well, b/c the 50’s ushered in what eventually became rabid feminism as influenced by Herbert Marcuse & Kate Millett - (an unwanted side effect of universal suffrage), degradation of spiritualism in favor of rampant materialism and Lord only knows what other kernels of societal dysfunction were planted and have yet to spread like rhyzomic weeds. e.g., crab grass and quack grass in the garden of civility
We elders are indeed fortunate to be around to see the ship being turned, and to understand the reference of the “hamburger on Tuesday” from Popeye’s Wimpy.
We elders are here to show the youngsters what the world should look like and not let insanity take over the world. Then again, there are insane elders, Bernie Sanders comes to mind.
The liberal arts days are over, falling weightier than Rome’s thud. Incoming farmettes, independent ranches and steel mills and homespun. In some drawer there are framed degrees that mean nothing.
The response of the home working federal employees to the order to return to the office shows what exists in the Deep State about the work ethic. They have probably noticed the work ethic of the Congress.
Stage one thinking is a wonderous thing. Many of the people touting an AI driven future with electronic gadgets galore and digital currencies are the same people claiming that we must reduce our carbon footprint by doing with less energy. I've read a number of articles disclosing that the data centers required for AI, not to mention digital currency, will require an amount of electricity that will dwarf the current usage. Apparently, the thinking is that if we can just plow enough energy into enough AI, said AI will figure out a way to reduce its own energy consumption. However, AI begets more AI, wiping out any energy savings that may be developed by the old AI.
The wife and I are building a new house on modest acreage in a fairly rural section of Pennsylvania. We are taking pains to make it energy efficient. Going to learn to garden.
I did the same in rural Arkansas. couple of suggestions:
1. get a reliable whole house generator, not for 24/7 use but as a backup and power it with propane and have a large tank-----1000 gallons or so. Power may be out for a while.
2. Have your own well or spring so as not to have to rely on city our county water.
3. Have a wood burning heater. Comes in real handy when the power is out or.....if you are up to it, burn it all winter and save a ton of money. We use about 3 cords of wood for the whole winter and can stay nice and warm.
4. Get proficient with firearms and have not only self defense guns but hunting guns as well. You may need to know how to kill, skin and cut up a deer or other large animal. Have a lot of extra ammo.
5. If you have the acres, get a few farm animals. Cows are a lot easier to tend to than goats and..... there are not too many predators that can bother cows but.....coyotes and bobcats love to feast on goats or anything smaller.
Additionally, we have septic, and geothermal heating and cooling. ICF construction for insulation and sturdy construction. We are planning on installing solar on a planned pole barn.
Until the predators come streaming out of the cities to take it all away. All the preppers are so naive, if the SHTF in a big way, survival will be tough and all the prep work will just set you up to be a target. Best we work on not letting the SHTF.
Good book, "Lucifer's Hammer" describes the world after the SHTF due to a comet strike. Not pretty.
And supposedly these "Stanford Kool-Aid" drinkers truly believe we will have robots in our homes. That's Not happening in my home. Even if a robot comes knocking at my door looking like Rosey the Maid from the Jetsons.
I live with my son, DIL and two elementary kids in Hawthorne.
The third grader has learned her multiplication table and the kindergartner has to write book reports!
As to the “robots” I am constantly looking (and listening to) their stupid Roomba running around the house. Tripping hazard for me when it stops “somewhere”. They are leaving for Maui in a few days and their robot vacuum will be out of the way for a Blessed week.
When you stop to contemplate the effort the Trump administration is attempting to undertake in restoring the country to its original Constitutional structure and foundations, you will inevitably run-up against the fact that very few people of the current makeup of the citizenry have barely the slightest knowledge of the document itself, much less its higher purpose and wisdom.
At this moment in time, the majority of them are looking on mostly wondering or worrying about what’s in it for them, or what they might stand to lose in the process. Over decades we’ve created a near total national constituency of dependents who feel they live by the whim and the largesse of the behemoth known as “the government”.
Trump’s tinkering with it instills a fear and dread that is easily manipulated into appearing as a threat to their very way of life. The Democrats are banking on that.
Trump 2.0 is trying to rebuild the country on a more solid foundation. But in the process, he has to destroy the corroded foundation that has been erected by those who’d been charged with protecting it, but instead let it rot beneath them.
The very ground is shaking beneath the feet of every American, who, due to a dereliction of duty by our educational system, are wholly unequipped to recognize the value in his efforts, and are therefore more than vulnerable to the fear-mongering of the Left shouting, “We’re all going to die!”
Breaking through, or even just bypassing that wall of ignorance that’s been constructed over decades, will be the toughest part of Trump’s entire enterprise.
Suzie---great comment. If we are highlighting who is derelict in their duties, I believe number 1 should be the 90% of our politicians who care less about the long term viability of our society but do care about how large their bank account will be when they retire from "gov't service". And.....we also need to include about 50+% of the judges we have elected and about half of our Supremes, some of which do not know what a woman is and most likely care less what the Constitution says about anything.
I also argue that the states have failed. The states themselves could unite and hold a convention of states and change the Constitution to resolve the problems. But, like the US Congress, the States have failed. They too are too partisan, too corrupted, too beholden to fake federal dollars.
The solutions are there! We could fix what ails America in a short amount of time if the American people would unite and come together. But we don't. It's always Democrat till I die or Republican till I die mentality. What ever happened to just being an "American?"
THe solutions are not there, that is why nothing happens. 50% of this country believes that the government, that collection of clowns, should run our lives. That, all be itself, makes solutions impossible.
Like the Great Depression, it is going to take a major hit for this country to ever come together. IMHO., it is going to take the unification of North America to offset the incursions of China into our country and maybe its takeover. What do you think, is there enough sympathy for the Constitution in this country to stop the Chinese takeover?
You make good points. Please keep in mind that the solutions are only there if the people would come together, find common ground and resolve the problems. It really isn't that complicated. But, you said perfectly, problems cannot be resolved when the people are so perfectly bifurcated right down the middle.
And the bifurcation is just human nature. Prior to the 30s, people who did not work, doing something to support themselves, starved. FDR originated the safety net, which has been enlarged over and over to buy votes.
"90% of our politicians" = THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS.
The US Congress today is more worried about whether pregnant members of Congress can vote by proxy or not than they are about passing a Federal budget, ending foreign wars, reducing taxation, reducing Federal deficits, immigration, et.
The US Congress is a dismal failure. The elections process has resulted in career politicians beholden to lobbyists and special interests and campaign contributors. Corruption abounds. Representation of the people no longer exists.
The US Congress needs to be scrapped and re-designed. No more elections. A bi-annual Federal lottery where net-taxpaying US born citizens are drafted for ONE three month legislative session where they pass a budget, consider new law and then they go home to their jobs again. No more election campaign contributions. No more special interests. No more lobbyists.
"very few people of the current makeup of the citizenry have barely the slightest knowledge of the document itself"
Oh so absolutely true. What people don't understand is that Trump as the President cannot do a DAMNED thing when it comes to making law. His Executive Orders apply only to the Federal agencies under the Executive branch of government, not to the public at large.
What people do NOT understand is that the Congress IS TO BLAME for everything that currently ails America. Congress is the sovereign under the US Constitution (meaningless document today). Congress controls the money. Congress controls taxation. Congress controls what the Executive branch should be executing. Our inept and failed Congress bears the guilt for ruining America. Not Biden. Not Trump. Not Obama. Not FDR. Not W Wilson. Congress.
Every American should be spitting mad that the US Congress populated by our "representatives" has failed the people in such a colossal and monumental way. But they aren't. Instead they focus on one man and blame him. The US Congress can tell the President to go take a flying fuck if they wanted to. They can override every veto if they wanted to. But the idiots in Congress are too loyal to their political tribe and have pissed away any and all authority the US Congress once had and should have.
They're basically a parasitical body of people that consume our tax dollars for little in return except for more taxes and more laws telling us what we can't do.
"No one will really understand politics until they understand that politicians are not trying to solve our problems. They are trying to solve their own problems - of which getting elected and re-elected are number one and number two. Whatever is number three is far behind."
The problem congress has is the amount of money they need to raise every two years to keep their seat. The money buys the advertisements that influences the vast middle, and ultimately wins elections. The lobbyists (and powerful congressmen) who control the flow of money dictate what laws get pushed through and what type of spending cuts, if any, are allowed. That is why the current "MAGA" congress can't get any real substantial cuts through. They can talk about reducing the size of government, but it always involves cutting spending of some other congressional district, never their own. If they were smart, they'd try another round of campaign financing reform.
Well said, another apt description of the epic disaster that is the United States Congress demonstrating why elections result in failure and why we need a national lottery of net-taxpaying US born citizens, drafted for one legislative session (3 months) every two years.
THe problem is that the people need sustenance from the government to survive now, so much that the government has lost the power to cut back. THe interest on the debt now surpasses the primary job of the governmetn, the defense budget. There are so many entitlement programs that cannot be touched that budget reduction is damn near impossible. Discretionary spending is less than 10% of the federal budget now, so what do you cut? The Congress will just keep kicking the can down the road, it has no choice. The only solution is for a substantial portion of the USA to get off the fedral tit. That is the main difference between Trump and the Dems. The Dems want all of us on thetit, that way they maintain power. Trump is trying to break peope's dependence on the government and is getting hell for it. His "victory" at re-schooling America is what will "Make America Great Again". His chances? Slim to none.
I will be more basic. The goal of the Bernie Sanders types of our society is its Constitution’s destruction. To Bernie, “democracy” is the installation of his favorite philosophy, IOW Soviet Communism-Fascism. That is his ideal. That is the falsehood of the Ult-Left, convincing the population that stealing the wealth from its normal societal distribution and giving it to the Have-Nots is the solution to everything. The problem is that they do not do that, they take their absconded wealth and keep it for themselves. The people get screwed not matter who is in charge.
Trump’s polling increases with Blacks and Latinos should be a huge warning to the Left that these groups are “getting it”.
The Constitution is already destroyed. It is only used to guide elections and some minor separations of powers. Otherwise, it is a tattered old piece of worn out butt fodder. We can thank old Abraham Lincoln for overthrowing the Constitution of 1788. We can also thank Woodrow Wilson and that Congress for turning the Senate into a glorified House of Representatives.
Hear, hear! Well said and lamentably true. However, I ultimately lay the blame for that at the feet of the church. The world will act according to its nature. It is easily deceived. All politicians do is appeal to that fallen nature. They "ping" the programming. The church is supposed to be the salt of humanity, the diviner, if you will, of what's true and not true. Unfortunately, the church has dropped the ball.
Some of us have abandoned the dysfunctional cities, which became mechanisms for extracting our labor and sacrifice with no transactional benefit (broken streets, broken societies), in favor of nearby (gasp, horror!) suburbs, for reasons of proximity to our work/businesses and families. It ain't perfect but it sure beats bleeding out in "the city" to spend our last years paying extortion property taxes and insurance premiums. ymmv
I happen to LIKE living within a 15-minute walk (5-minute bike ride) to my public library, post office, used sporting goods store, coffee shop, ice cream shop, dry cleaners, public recreation center, city park, liquor store, and light rail stop.
I realize that’s just me, and it ain’t for everybody. But can’t we at least strive to *provide more of these kinds of options*, affordably, for those people that DON’T want to be tethered to an automobile 24/7?
"Elm Street" was fine, "Main Street" with a couple of residential floors over businesses is fine too. But zoning and the worship of automobiles/ticky tacky box style suburbia destroyed the possibility for these 15 minutes solutions. Walmart, no housing in business districts, required automobile ownership or accept being a 2nd class citizen (or less!) and miles to drive for both employment and basic necessities are what we get.
Sounds great until you find out that you're also a 15-minute walk from the mandatory low-income housing project that got foisted on your town by the State supreme court.
I live in NYC. As you know, the war is primarily cultural, and has been going on for a century. No reason to run from it. I fight the insanities where the battle needs joining, not just writing on blogs. If I'm unlucky, that means I'll go down with the ship. Every bit as relevant right now as defending the southern border.
I have family in NYC and enjoy visiting that incredible city. But I enjoyed it much more in 2012-2015 when it was demonstrably cleaner and more civilized. The subways were a joy to ride. They're still tolerable but not nearly as safe. At 67 I was looking at $1000 a month nut to pay prop taxes and home insurance. Nah. Life's too short. I moved six miles, still work (occasionally) in the city, and get absolute silence at night (I lived on a busy, noisy corner) plus birdsong all day long. Your mileage may vary, but I ain't built for constant urban tension.
"I enjoyed it much more in 2012-2015 when it was demonstrably cleaner and more civilized."
Here in my part deep in Queens I've been fortunate to have very good community maintenance, and almost no visible crime. I don't use the subways too much, I've taken up walking everywhere, even 5 mi once or twice a week to downtown.
I don't blame you re costs etc., though: If it weren't for my (co-op 2004 owned) housing expense being miniscule by NYC standards it would be a problem. But I'm happy here with 375 sf in an outer borough for a pittance, still connected to all that is NYC. And at home away from the main avenues, it's quiet enough.
Plus, you have the fascinating Louis Armstrong Museum in Queens, which includes his actual home, preserved to remain as it was when he lived there (though I didn't see any muggles laying around). I've also heard that Queens is the safest borough. I'd probably live there if I lived there ;-) "boy the way Glenn Millah played.." it's a nice spot.
The harsh reality is that, at home and abroad, the nonproductive part of the population is going to fall by the wayside. Eventually, Darwinism wins out, including in economics. The challenge is that Socialism, in either its Fascist or Communist form, embraces an ideology of using the government to transfer wealth from the productive to support the nonproductive. Left to endure, Socialism eventually starves everyone. Free market capitalism may, in fact, be cruel to the nonproductive, but the percentage of the population that is nonproductive will be much lower and the economy and the society can survive that. Indeed, the whole premise of free market capitalism is to produce the maximum amount of goods and services with the minimum amount of land, labor, and capital as necessary.
What the American version of Socialism has done is to subsidize the nonproductive part of the population to the point that much of that demographic doesn't want to work, is not emotionally capable of working, and is increasingly physically incapable of working. They are parasitic dead weight on the productive part of the economy and upon productive people. If America is to survive, the public welfare system that discourages work must be dismantled. That, of course, will be fought tooth and nail by the nonproductive population and the leftist politicians who pander to it. In fact, subsidizing the nonproductive is the very basis of the Democrat Party platform--it now is nearly their entire voter base. If the Socialist Democrat Party controls the government again, America will starve and fail long before it runs out natural resources--it will run out of willing labor and capital. Left unrecognized in the discussion is that "MAGA people" make up most of the working American population. They are the folks keeping America afloat right now--and the leftists hate them for it.
"Yes, a mandatory 10% tithe to the Church of your choice to take care of your sick, old, and crazy. If you don't have a Church, one will be selected for you."
Including the many churches that support open borders and endless aid for dysfunctional African nations?
Socialism attempts to make everyone a “C” student, the government attempts to keep every one “ignorant” to put off rebellions. Mediocrity makes societies go extinct, because there is another society that is smarter and wants to kick its ass. China is interesting right now as the CCP is sowing the seeds of its own demise by pushing its people to become educated and excel.
Huh? The CCP is sowing its own demise as people that are intelligent and wanting to be independent will not put up with socialism. It is the USA undr Dem socialist control that is tearing down the intelligence of this country.
Did you know that government mandated "testing" takes away six to eight weeks of classroom time every year? Oh yes, no student left behind, my foot.
Yes, a mandatory 10% tithe to the Church of your choice to take care of your sick, old, and crazy. If you don't have a Church, one will be selected for you. Or would you turn America's cities into Calcutta? Choose.
Better that than some idiot is DC to tell us what to do, they have no answers. The stupidity of DC has been apparent for three generation with no discernible improvements.
If the nation's people decide they want to live in Calcutta, isn't it their perogative? Socialism just makes the journey more painful.
I got a kick out of the Silicon Valley hack yesterday, where the “walk” buttons at dozens of crosswalks were reprogrammed to broadcast Musk and Zuckerberg’s AI voices, telling us to trust them with our futures, because they are needy personalities who like to be in control.
Much appreciate your incredible writing & clear insights. I agree. Our job - the only thing any of us can do at this point - is to remain sane (& do our best not to add to the insanity). & that gets harder & harder by the day.
Frightening essay today Jim. A bit of a swing from your usual posts involving a little bit of positivity.
Perhaps the time is coming where mankind will finally suck this planet dry of its resources. I don't necessarily share that doomed outlook. Humanity itself is already taking the steps to reduce overall population by not having sufficient children to enable proper replacement of the aged and dying. In a decade or two as the Boomer generation dies off in droves populations will begin to decrease leaving most great economies in shambles.
I have always forced myself to live on less. I only eat two meals a day and have grown accustomed to going long periods of fasting and hunger. I live in a modest home on a quarter acre lot in a rural community. I live a debt free life, drive old cars, and never use loans as a means to purchase items and goods.
I've done all I can do to be as prepared as possible. Someday my time will come. Either from starvation, sickness, violence or accident. Little good it does to sit in my living room and ring my hands over how I am going to die. Until that time, I am just going to do the best I can to live the best life I can and help those that I am able to help.
I have faith that all things will end as they are supposed to, one way or another.
I am much more afraid of disease than running out of resources. Overcrowding is the cause and overcrowding comes from megapolises. Look at our cities right now, crime, disease, riots, unhappy people and no one is really doing much about it. Oh yeah, I forgot, sanctuary cities, encouraging all the “bad elements” to localize there is going to make things very dark in the future.
"and no one is really doing much about it." Nobody knows what to do because nobody can agree on anything. Solutions cannot be found as long as there is this partisan bickering and finger pointing.
One more. Cankerpuss. Where do you think those 20 or so million immigrants go? As long as there are two parties so wide appart on the political spectrum, nothing will happen. Sometimes things have to happen, such as war, and the Congress, in its inability to make a decision or act, tosses the ball over the fence to the President who is only to happy to take the power. Congress is the source of all power in DC, according to the Constitution, but you could never guess that today.
Bingo Congress needs an enema complete and utter flushing to clean out the deadwood and members so old they fall asleep while it is in session.
There should be an age limit to the top end just like there is an age requirement to serve in the offices.
"Under the Constitution of the United States, a person must be aged 35 or over to serve as president. To be a senator, a person must be aged 30 or over. To be a Representative, a person must be aged 25 or older. This is specified in the U.S. Constitution."
Remember that when it was written, life spans were 35 to 60.
Term limits to two is much better. As Democrats are mostly Lifers, that will redo the Democrat Party, for the better. It will also end the Deep State. What a joy that would be.
I remember myself and some friends talking in the early 1990s. We were all in our mid to late 20s. We were looking around at industry being shut down and, even though young and inexperienced with "life", we were saying to each other, "if they keep shutting all of this down in the name of the "environment" or whatever other excuse they were giving, there will come a time when we won't know how, or remember how to make things in the United States." "It will destroy our country." Little did we know how prophetic we were...
I was thinking the same thing when the assholes were closing down all the "non-essential" businesses during Covid. I kept thinking if they close down all the businesses except the Walmarts and the Home Depots there won't be any non-essentials left to shop at the essentials. No business is "non-essential." All business is essential to a healthy economy.
I can't believe I witnessed such idiotic insanity from our "leaders." Still stunning to me.
Once a society stops doing something, it loses not only the associated skills, but also the complex value-added chain that was optimized over decades of arduous experience. It was madness to parcel out the nation's expertise to China with the excuse that we were thereby undercutting the Soviets. Hell, along the way, NASA even forgot how to make the world's most powerful rocket Saturn V, that pushed the astronauts to the moon. Then along came evil Walmart with its insistence to suppliers that they either lower their prices by relocating to China, or else they wouldn't be allowed access to Walmart stores.
At that point, offshoring manufacturing really picked up steam, as we surreptitiously also exported pollution and unions and regulations. What a miserable, dishonest, unbelievable travesty. The rise of the evil financialists during this process was a forgone conclusion, since it presented a perfect environment for them to thrive and do their slimy business. Now we're a hollowed-out, depressed, narcissistic, insane society, without skills, knowledge, experience, expertise, motivation, hope, or the abilities to increase productivity with research and development. Hell, we don't even have the skills to do routine maintenance on legacy systems from earlier generations. All we know how to do is stuff imported goods into our maws. Into this spiritual and intellectual vacuum has crept woke leftism, with all the insanity that entails. With his bluster and back-and-forthing, if Trump can implement policies to begin to get even 1/10 of all that back, then he will be the greatest President since Andrew Jackson.
Yes, the madness of Capitalism. The nutcase below blames the Left - as if the Corporations didn't elect to leave of their own accord.
To the extent the market works in the classic sense, it has to be a closed system. Just like an INTERNAL combustion engine is closed and thus can do "work". The pressure is where it's at. International trade? Tariffs must be in place to maintain the necessary pressure.
You're the first person to get my metaphor. I actually came up with this one myself. Generally I just take the good ideas others have come up with - just like everyone else. Nothing wrong with that. As Newton said, I have seen farther than others because I stood on the shoulders of giants.
In a few words, the USA has globalized itself thanks to the left. It has also created way to many college grads that are worthless. What do you do with excess college grads? Send them to law school or MBA. Make them more worthless.
Great point, JohnAZ. To add to that, what do you do with all the lawyers? Think about it. What skill does a lawyer have that can add to a productive society or economy? Zip. Zero. Nada. Lawyers thrive because our society is so law-laden that the average joe or jane needs a lawyer to understand the complex and vast law volumes. Otherwise, lawyers produce diddly-poo. They are takers and leaches only.
Yes sir. That's why the states need to pull their heads out of their asses and come together to amend the Constitution. The lawmaking lawyers will never do anything to jeopardize their cushy jobs.
Where was that photo taken? It looks like many such derelict buildings in Detroit from a bygone era. Our old Midwest manufacturing cities are sprawling wastelands, but with some industrial archaeology sites that attract a certain type of interested tourist, like the ruins of the Packard plant that once made grand automobiles, also in that city.
Grandpa became a citizen from Britain. The next generation couldn’t wait to work at the Sheffield steel mill and across the river at TWA. The next generation got limp wristed liberal arts educations producing vegans and manicures. Now we are apprenticing with a blacksmith and castrating rams. I do believe we are turning.
That is the Glen-Villa Apartment in Highland Park Michigan built in 1926. A 2013 photo shows the facade as still intact. Today, not so much. Highland Park is known as the most abandoned neighborhood in Detroit.
Have faith. Live virtuously.
Amen.
Not being able to face the hard, lonely "buck stops here" responsibility (including facing the high possibility of the void) is exactly how we got into this mess. I know many people *personally* who have blissfully ignored, for decades, where we were going because "God will provide". In my experience, there are a hell of a lot more of them than there are truly responsible believers. Living virtuously is in no way sufficient to counter intelligent psychopathy (that is, the people that believers assign the magical quality "evil"); in fact, it never has.
An honest follow-up question, Anti-Hip. What are people supposed to do? Go into a field and eat the muzzle of a shot gun and end themselves for the good of "mother Earth?" Sell all they have and become beggars on the street? Return to a hunter-gatherer tribe? I don't understand the point you are trying to make. We were born into this "blissful ignorant" lifestyles. What are people supposed to do?
That's a good question. The illusion of activism (delusion, maybe) is that YOU can change things in the world. Not really. We can only change us. Not the external world. That's why all those activists throwing fits on the street aren't effective at all. And notice how crazy they all seem.
My problem, Mary Rose, is I don't know what to do. I really don't. Everything I know to do I have done. I live debt free. I have a small modest home. I grow a garden. I have food storage. I drive old cars. I pay cash for my vacations. I vote. I contact my Congresscritters (even though I know that does no good). I have run for public office and lost each time. At this point, the only thing I can do is just live my life and try to be best I can. Everything else is pretty much out of my control.
That's where God comes in. He offers us stability in spirit. He does not want us to worry - that is stated many times. You've done all you can to take care of yourself. God will see to the rest - just trust. That's all you have to do. And don't live in fear. That's what you-know-who wants.
Yes, that is where I am at at this point in my life. Most of the croakings of doom I have endured in my 50 years on this earth have not come to fruition. I'm still waiting for the nukes to fly over the Ukraine-Russia war. I read article after article about Putin nuking Europe and more. Hasn't happened. Fear porn is real and is very addictive.
Cankerpuss, you need some better reading material.
https://gilbertdoctorow.com/
Christianity-- specifically Catholicism-- built Western Civilization. A path towards Christianity might help for all of society.
I agree, you are correct, Christianity is the answer. It is difficult to lead a Christian life in much of the world. In the West, and especially in the US, due to decadence, and in other lands, like Islamic nations, Israel, and others, due to repression.
If the path to Godliness is the right path, Catholicism was and is, the wrong path. And it spawned even more incorrect paths, Protestantism, Communism, Fascism, secular humanism, and so forth.
Orthodox Christianity is the most correct path.
The West has been at war with Orthodox Christianity, hot and cold, since the Schism.
Cankerpuss! Sounds like you're fighting the good fight and leading a good life!
We need a lot more Americans like you. I like your posts in general, because I think they make sense, and I really liked this one.
The macro things that affect our lives are largely out of our control.
I'd respectfully suggest looking into Eastern Orthodoxy, if there are any Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox (aka Orthodox Church of America), Serbian, whatever, on-line (google Metropolitan Neophytos, or Neophytos of Morphou, Cyprus). Hopefully, you will find a good priest/parish, or better a monastery.
It is Holy Week--not too late to start. Find out where they have services for Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Pascha, consider it. ("Easter" is from Astrid or some such thing--some pagan northern European "goddess" or ritual of spring. Even Catholics, from Romance language places call Christ's resurrection "Pasqua". There is your first clue as to where "Western Christianity" went wrong.... no offense meant to you or anyone else her. It's PASCHA, or PASQUA, or PASSOVER--the PASSOVER of the NEW COVENANT, NOT EASTER).
This April 14th Kunstler essay was an excellent summary of the situation.
Love or hate Trump (and I never loved HIM--I loved that he beat Bush and Clinton and showed the hypocrisy of the US elites, though he continued and continues their worst practices--war and debt), the situation has been unsustainable for decades, and it looks like it will blow up on Trump's watch, or he will be the one to go a step to far and blow it up... He is unable or unwilling to stop the war in Ukraine, and continues to support the wanton slaughter of the Palestinians. He has two sets of advisors. And he is a very old man for this job.
And the Presidency is too powerful, too imperial. The US Constitution is a nice document, but more and more ignored.
And worst of all, IMO, all the other contenders are younger and worst version of him.
Personally, I think the situation feels like April 1939 (from January 1939 at the start of the year--the official start of WW2 was yet to happen, that's Germany invades Poland and lame Britain/France declare war on Germany--but there was as hot war in the Far East, as major power Japan had invaded China), with touches of the late 70s (inflation), and Sept 1973 (just before the energy crisis).
Nothing ordinary people could do about these epic, man-made events.
Good luck to you, and everyone.
SC, thank you for your kind words. Your words reflect my feelings almost to a "T" (not sure what that means but it sounds good).
I have said before that I feel like I am living in a dream. A dream where I am stuck in the middle of a road and I can see a large semi truck barreling down upon me. I can't move. My feet are paralyzed. I can't get out of the way. I see that truck coming and I know that when it collides with me that it is going to hurt, maybe even kill me. But, it just doesn't arrive. It's always right there but it just never gets close enough to hit me. Knowing that eventually it will hit me is the worst part.
That's the way that I feel about the world in general. Things are broken and are way off kilter. I know it. I can see it. But, like that truck in my dream, the big one just hasn't hit yet. When it does it is going to hurt and might even kill me.
The US Constitution is nothing but fancy, old butt fodder now. The President was never intended to have as much power as he does today. The Congress was supposed to have that power but the Congress pissed away their authority decades ago as now is nothing more than a squabbling club if self-important idiots. The Judiciary was supposed to be relegated to the basement of the US Capitol. It was the least of the "separate powers" defined by the Constitution and now we have judges stifling the Executive powers with the swipe of a pen. The Senate was supposed to represent the States, not the people. Ironically, all the damage was done 60 years before I was even conceived.
Worst? I see nobody in Congress with the will, desire, or know-how to fix this mess. Trump is trying, I'll give him that, but he cannot do anything without a willing Congress. Worse than that is most Americans don't give a fuck. As long as they can buy a Whopper at Burger Thing, as long as they can buy their drugs, porn, and stuff potato chips into their mouths while they watch "The Bachelor" or the NBA, all is fine and dandy to them.
That big truck is getting ever closer.
Thank you for running for office. Being virtuous AND showing up does make a difference, but it takes time. It is the example that you have set that others may be seeing without you even realizing it.
I know the County Commissioners know who I am and that I am one to take notes and feel free to share information. Some people tell me they appreciate me going to those dreadful meetings.
" I have run for public office and lost each time"
CP,
Each time? I learned the lessons on the first.
Three times, Elysianfield. School Board. City Council. Mayor. Lost to women in each race. I was just too damned ugly and wanted to cut too much government perks. Not popular to the majority.
You faced the gimme syndrome that is stifling the whole country. Trump will not change the country, the people have to. Or it is finished and the beacon of light will be extinguished.
Yep. I wanted to eliminate the City run golf course (I love golf), the City run swimming pool, the City run library and cut the parks department. Government, IMO, should only be providing public safety, public utilities, roads and building safety. Everything else should be private. Yep, if I had won there would have been no more City sponsored concerts in the park, July 4th parades, or Santa Comes to Town celebrations. But, I would have slashed the budget and lowered taxes. As you probably can deduce, that is not popular to the general public.
The Roman Emperors gave the mob Games in the Colosseum so keep them “quiet”. Today is just a repeat of the same, some things just do not change. Your platform was right on, be proud of it. The “gimmes” will go down.
I see indications that Trump will change the format for life, and then your "gimme" crowd will game the new system, and he will achieve his desired results.
Countries throughout the world have bastardized their currencies in unison, and the jig is up.
What happens if the majority of countries agree to a 10% tariff that provides funding for their government, and this opens up new business activity (which increases government funding)? The consumer has to pay a higher price for goods, but there is tax relief for the lower and middle income citizens. Then they couple this with mega-projects that will be beneficial to the citizens and the world.
The tariffs are identifying the obstructionists. Trump will make deals with some of their partners (think in terms of Japan and India), and this will have the effect of busting up the 2030 Agenda holdouts, and possibly weaken the BRICS alliance, to where China agrees to cooperate, or at least is unable to obstruct the Trump agenda.
I know that tariffs are protectionist but also revenue raising. If the 10% tariff worldwide was just in addition to everything else, ie in the USA all other taxes remain, it is a money grab by government trying to cover their debt asses and everyone is 10% poorer. Why think that any of it is going to be used by government to fund anything, they are already broke.
Trump wants his tax cut continuation to be funded by tariff revenue, isn’t gonna happen, the deficit just grows every year. Yes, IMHO, Trump will use his power of the purse to get advantage over other countries, that is good.
Your China view is a big thing, we will find out in short order whether China feels a need to string along with the USA demands. I would bet no, but they are in tough shape too debt wise by trying to fake out the world.
Whatever gets "tariffed", all other things being equal, people will buy less of.
So, if Americans bought $1 billion in i-phones in 2024, and you put a 20% tariff, that doesn't mean tariff revenue will be $200 million.
Some people won't pay more, so perhaps sales will drop to $900 million, and revenue will be $180 million.
If the US had a competitive, home-made smart-phone, chance are those sales would rise. Chances are also that, the makers of US i-phones would raise their prices some--especially if they were "capacity-constrained" and couldn't increase their production to meet higher demand.
One big change in the auto industry since the 1960s (and I presume other big-ticket manufactured goods), is that production is more efficient.
Besides using more automation (which requires capital expenditures up-front, and thus feeds the process below), manufacturers have removed "slack" or "extra" capacity.
Here is an excellent example that older people here can relate to: the Ford Mustang!
It came out in April 1964. From then, until the end of 1966, the ORIGINAL Mustang sold about a million cars. Home run!
Ford originally estimated 200,000 per year. The Mustang sold DOUBLE (400k per year, 1M units over 2.5 years)
Ford was able to meet demand, because car plants in those days were "looser" and had excess capacity, and could be cranked up to run faster, in addition to overtime.
Those days are long gone. PRE-PANDEMIC, ALL the automakers set up their process for max efficiency for X units. If the vehicle is more popular than expected, they can run some overtime, which they do, and they sell more highly optioned cars, or just raise the price.
They cannot just "turn the knob" and make more. Those days were gone by the late 1970s, early 1980s.
That's what "Japanese" "just in time" manufacturing is all about. No waste.
You make only what you need, when you need it. No more. No stockpiles of parts (in case the UAW goes on strike, so plant can run an extra week or month). No extra length in assembly lines to add more people. In fact, in older plants, for a while, we CUT OUT un-used conveyor work stations.
There will be winners and loser, IMO, from the tariffs. But overall, it is a losing deal. Selected tariffs on selected products/industries, would have been more useful, IMO. Who knows? We may find out.
If your "gimme" crowd is reduced from 50% to 10%, how do you see that working out?
" If the 10% tariff worldwide was just in addition to everything else, ie in the USA all other taxes remain, it is a money grab by government trying to cover their debt asses and everyone is 10% poorer."
The poor do not consume the way the rich do, so it shifts the tax burden.
" Why think that any of it is going to be used by government to fund anything, they are already broke."
My 2 cents is that this will likely be resolved by devaluation, or default. Again, devaluation impacts the upper income more than the poor. So, where is a good place for the likes of Miriam Adelson to shield her wealth from devaluation? How about a Business in America (which ends up being a productive utilization of wealth, and generates tax revenue for the government)?
No, it's popular. The game is rigged. I have numbers. Lots of people have numbers. It is going to be coming out.
When Mitch McConnell showed up on my television screen, Dec. 2020, telling me to send money to Georgia for the two U.S. Senate races runoff, I emailed the GOP of KY (who had just censured him for some reason) telling them to send M. McConnell and L. Graham out to my state. I could show those two "money solicitors" some interesting numbers. They might be led to believe, if they took "a look see," that it was possible "to bag" one of their (R) U.S. Senators out here.
And I won't even bore you with how messed up the bond issue numbers are.
County Sheriff for me. "Welcome to Politics"....
Yes sounds about right. Anybody who knows how to fix problems can't get elected because the public these days won't stand for even short term pain in exchange for long term gain. Your well thought out and planned for situation sounds like you'll be okay. You must be commended for having the foresight to get to where you are. It's those in debt who will suffer terribly in the next downturn.
Don't vote. It only encourages them.
What everybody misses—including Howard:
We have ourselves a spiritual crisis, not a political one.
They're not trying to communicate with us. They're trying to smother us out of existence. We should not make the same mistakes.
I said "face the hard, lonely 'buck stops here' responsibility". That's it. I didn't say kill yourself out of despair, although I certainly sympathize, and sometimes empathize, with the feeling.
Trump 47 has now opened up the battle. We have to go through this fire. If one wants to link what's now happening to "higher powers", especially to a specific interpretation, that's one's choice, but if one rejects cooperation with others on the basis of that POV, we're certainly going to fail. TPTB like nothing better than the divide-and-conquer strategy.
Anti-Hip, it was not my intention to induce anger, I was merely responding with a question. The message I received from your post was that if the "buck stops here" that I should be doing something about it. I never quoted you as saying that we needed to go out and kill ourselves but used it as an example of asking how are we supposed to change it? Seriously. I was born into this slavery. So were my parents and grand parents. I know nothing else. So in regards to the "buck stops here" what does that mean? Does that mean we all take responsibility for our decadent and wasteful lifestyles? Buy smaller homes? Drive hybrid vehicles? Recycle more?
I don't have any disagreement with your comment, I'm just trying to understand what you mean. I feel kind of the same way about JHK's essay today. What are we to do about it? Everything about our lives is dependent upon fossil fuels and abundant energy. Sure, I can grow a big garden and eat food I grow but I am dependent upon the municipality to provide me with the water I need to grow the garden and the municipality is dependent upon diesel fuel to power the well pumps to draw the water out of the ground. The well is 1200 feet deep. Do I attempt to drill my own well? I am wholly dependent upon a system I had no say or assistance in designing. I don't know how to break free. I don't know how to stop the buck.
Just trying to understand, not be argumentative.
Thank you, I have no issue with your approach, even if I sounded abrupt above.
"I was born into this slavery. So were my parents and grand parents. I know nothing else."
But you are conscious of it. That is still, right now, further than a majority of US citizens of voting age.
"in regards to the 'buck stops here' what does that mean?"
Political evolution follows consciousness. Question is, do we let the consciousness be artificially imposed, as it has in the schools and MSM for several decades, culminating in the recent/current woke madness, or does it bubble up genuinely ("grass-roots"), from the circumstances of our lives?
IMO, we need mostly to continue encouraging grass-roots consciousness. This is well in progress, at least a decade, and maybe since GFC (as it was for me). Lifestyle changes, IMO, are completely optional, as they should depend on individual circumstances, not virtue signaling.
In practice, I think it first simply means our learning what goes on in the world. Not just through media -- which is by definition *always mediated* -- but getting to know people from as many walks of life as one can, and discussing that "what goes on" with them. Electronic life and communication in general, especially resulting from the COVID "public health" crap, has really gotten in the way. (And although a lot of people here bash the cities, that's actually one of the most practical settings for individuals to do this broad-swath outreach.)
Second is the continual brainstorming of how to confront existing authority in the most effective ways, and following through with that. We (the majority) had gotten awfully flabby at this (or rather, shepherded away from this) in seventy-eighty years.
If sufficient people are, perpetually, widely aware, that by itself restores political efficacy, and much good follows, without even any pre-planned recipes (political parties) for specific solutions (e.g. capitalism, socialism, etc.). Trump 47, in fact, bumpy as it is and certain to have missteps, has finally channeled this at the top, and the chaos that is resulting as I mentioned earlier is the fire we must go through.
Well said Anti-hip and Cankerpuss. Enjoyed the dialogue.
Now that I understand. Thank you for the well thought out response.
You are not another Dennis Merwood. 😊
Cankerpuss
You are too intense about what could be coming. Jesus told us to "not worry about tomorrow, today's problems are enough".
If the SHTF, like the WMBH, most people are going to die. That is a fact. Humanity will divide into two groups, regular folks who will go on living as best they can, and predators who will spend their time stealing from the former.
THere is nothing you can do to change that fact, there is nothing I can do, there is nothing Trump can do. When TLE happens, and it will, the world will never be the same.
There is a spiritual battle on earth, the good (God) vs. evil (satan). You pick a side. You can't be lukewarm. If you think you will win on the good side while partaking of all satan has to offer, that's not going to work - whether you are a believer or not - that's how it is.
Again, this is a *belief*. It is *your* belief (along with the belief, admittedly, of millions others). But it is not a *universal* belief, and it is certainly not manifestly obvious to all, the way it is manifestly obvious (to all sane people with, say, 80+ IQ) that the sun rises in the east.
Here come the demons.
Have a nice day. 😊
Anti-Hip is correct that what you express as your beliefs are not universal, nor obvious to all. That does not make those people demons. It does make me want to avoid people who express such bigoted opinions like the proverbial plague.
Seems like you are not really grokking what I said. When someone ad-hominem attacks personally rather than arguing a point, that seems demonic to me. It's literally what demons do. They are in charge of all things negative. So when someone has a hair-trigger meltdown over a different opinion, I'd say that's a negative reaction, yes?
And what's this about my beliefs not being universal?
They most certainly are. No matter what religion or spiritual corner you reside in, heck, even if you are an atheist, there is the "Tao" or "Way" of the world. Sin is bad, good deeds are good.
Please do tell me how that is not so.
"When someone ad-hominem attacks personally rather than arguing a point"
So, my getting meta about this is "attacking you personally"?
I said: "Again, this is a *belief*. It is *your* belief (along with the belief, admittedly, of millions others). But it is not a *universal* belief"
But I can accept the exact same thing about myself, as *everything* is belief. For any human being, there is no such thing as unimpeachably verifiable truth. (I think I'm in pretty decent company, with both Socrates and Protagoras in essential agreement, et al.) It is, in part, why claims about beings that are impossible to pro-actively sense look so silly. There are only assertions, and those made by others can always either be accepted or rejected by the receiver. That's why democracy, modern science, and adversarial justice are, and operate, the way they do.
So I am not "attacking" with "ad hominem". I am describing the fact that your confidence about your belief ("There is a spiritual battle on earth, the good (God) vs. evil (satan). ") -- exclusive of an argument that attempts its proof -- is just that. To an atheist or other skeptic, it demonstrates nothing. In fact, it, seems silly and outrageous, although I respect that to you it is very serious. So, I took a step back.
I realize I am, or can be seen, as doing the same (as time for most of us is limited), so I can accept that my claims look as ridiculous to you as yours do to me.
So I won't bother you any more. But I wanted to take a second look first at how you believe I am playing games and otherwise disrespecting you.
Peace.
Okay. I’ll pick a side. I pick the side of good.
So, what next then? What might Satan be offering that I’m not aware of? And who decides which things are good or bad?
Read scripture. It is laid out perfectly in a way most can understand. Or, start reading C.S. Lewis. He really covered all this very well.
Problem is, Mary, that God does have a plan. It is the evil of Mankind that keeps getting in the way and periodically pissing God off enough to do something about it. Evil (Satan) is Man inspired. Most of the bad items in the two Testaments are caused by men, not God.
Of course! We are free to mess things up as we will. God has already won the war over satan, it's up to us to choose which side we're on.
~ No, Really ~
"And who decides which things are good or bad?" ~ The Keys
Godzilla. And after he does, he dances the Godzillambada.
____
"And who decides which things are good or bad?" ~ The Keys
Vaal. And after he does, he dances the Vaalambada.
youtu.be/UNXiuqG_lBQ?si=FYTH6kuelZ9wLCIV
____
God Song
youtu.be/qHuguZgRkWE?feature=shared&t=125
Another Dennis Merwood?
Yeah, whatever happened to Dennis, anyway? Haven't seen any of his usually positive comments for awhile.
He's still out there. Pops up every now and then.
Might be, although I think I recognize his moniker, so maybe not. Derwood is a bit more caustic, as well. I think it's all the crisp Chardonnay hangovers. 😂
Is Dennis formerly known as tekapoo and 20 other handles?
I had not made that connection, but it makes sense.
Here's a nice picture of Tekapo. It's actually a lake in NZ.
https://www.superiorwallpapers.com/download/amazing-tekapo-lake-from-new-zealand-1920x1080.jpg
Dennis = Tekapoo. But I'm not sure if he's also this chap.
A question is, though, what inspires him to take exception to every mention of God or religion?
Well, people think I'm weird when I say that they act like demons but what do demons do when you mention God?
Is drinking off the table, then?
Of course not! But it's cause-and-effect. You drink too much crisp Chardonnay, you are going to pay.
Well, God WILL provide. He has - otherwise, I certainly wouldn't be here. Neither would many people I know, who live despite massive challenges. Thing is, God provides in direct correlation with what you put into it. If someone believes that God provides and they don't need to put in effort well, they are not going to fare well.
Again, the problem is people, not God.
Of course - where did you think I said God is a problem?
Huh?
Pls read again, Mary.
The problem is people, NOT God. I did not say that you said God is a problem. Evil stems from people. God is the definition of Good.
IMHO, Dennis has a problem. Where does the human concept of Good come from? Where does the idea of the Golden Rule originate? Humans, by their behavior, did not come up with the bipolar notions of Good and Evil. They are responsible for the evil part only. Without the God introduced concept of Good, we would just still be competing on the Veldt in Africa with all the other apes.
Agree. Maybe I had a case of dyslexia last night. LOL.
Also agree on Derwood. He is just a brainwashed commie, so of course his opinions concur with all the rest of them.
That's your interpretation of how the world works. I see it much differently.
It's not my interpretation, it's scripture's.
You chose to believe it. Therefore, it becomes "your interpretation". (You "own" your beliefs.) Notice that I am not struggling with that belief: Even though, I, too, believe "it is scripture", I know that I do not (and very likely cannot) know where it has come from, and primarily for that reason, choose not to believe it.
Nobody cares what you or I believe when it all boils down.
I stated it's not my interpretation because it's not. It is scripture's. I follow scripture, so my response reflects that. The only one who cares what you believe - truly - is God. Whether you acknowledge it or not. I'm aware of this, as well as millions of others - as you admit - you aren't.
And that's fine. I'm happy with my choice.
If you actually read scripture or even studied it, you would discover where it comes from.
"I follow scripture"
Obviously. Therefore, *you* are the one making the *choice* to believe it.
Actually, on second thought, and on lower level, it's not even your choice. You're "programmed", by nature + nurture, to believe it, possibly as soon as you encountered it. What instead was likely your "choice" (back at the higher level) was to either indulge or ignore this belief.
"If you actually read scripture or even studied it, you would discover where it comes from."
Boy, I wish *that* were true!
Actually, I'm not "programmed." I was raised Catholic, rejected that, was an atheist for 20 years, as well as an agnostic for probably 15 or so. So, no, every belief I have has been carefully considered, researched, pondered over, read about, and internalized sufficiently before I would embrace it. That being said, I don't care what you believe - there are universal truths that all men live by, and that is fact. Some call it "The Golden Rule." You can say it doesn't exist all you want to, but you live by it every day. Society's mores are built on the 10 Commandments. Why? Because they are a great guide as to how to live. All religions and even states follow this same set of rules. Are you saying it's made-up magical woo woo? If so, that's pretty strange.
By "programmed", I should have used a more neutral word. I don't mean here that others forced you, but rather, that it was your mind, or how it developed, that did so. We are not, because we cannot be, the authors of our minds, although the illusion to the contrary is mighty strong. I readily admit that, in this sense, I am just as "programmed" as you, and can hardly do anything about it.
I, too, was raised Catholic (w/10 of 12 years in their schools, and the HS a good one nevertheless), and have never encountered any claim from the faith as to *divinity* -- as opposed to claims about *human nature*, i.e. your "universal truths" -- that, upon careful reflection, I haven't found utterly ridiculous. Accordingly, I find nothing nothing divine about the Golden Rule and the Ten Commandments. They are all-too-human, requiring no magical super-being(s) to vouch for their value and near-universality. That said, being human, *some* of these rules can be revised; there's plenty in the Bible that we today reject. Why? Because *humans* (including, ironically, the Catholic Church) have further *evolved*.
Recently, I've been pondering why a God (of the Abrahamic claims) would *ever* need *any* godmonger as a salesman, and certainly not an infinite supply of them constantly arguing with each other. Given God's claimed ultra-super nature, it seems preposterous to believe so; he can, at any point, reveal directly anything desired to anyone and *everyone*. Personally, his lifelong absence to me, then, certainly seals the deal. So, instead, I think the scripture and ongoing churches of the Abrahamic God is more accurately the Mother of all Psy-ops, going now three millenia strong taking advantage of that widely distributed, evolved feature of human psychology, religiosity.
God is obvious and visible all day every day. It's bizarre that you can't see it - but I suppose that's what differentiates those who believe from those who don't. In any case, thanks for sharing.
talk the talk then walk the talk
I like your ideas in general but I think "industrialism" and "mass production" is how we got here. All those little products coming down the assembly line. All the product items look perfect. All cheap. All coming down the production line. Millions of items, exactly the same. Finally making every PERSON the same. There is no going back to strip malls or Pop-Tarts or Cheerios or whatever. These are new time. We should just have generic corn flakes supplied by the government. Who the fu*k else???? Sure, you need a better government but it is our job to get that better government. Start by turning on the billionaires. They are the most useless element of society. Do not turn the whole thing over to them. Trump is different, but not better. After Trump tries to turn this country into a psychotic murder regime, sending innocent persons to El Salvador because the name sounded kind of Spanish....? Garcia. Get him the fu*k back here. Raise hell.
"Start by turning on the billionaires. They are the most useless element of society."
As I like to point out, there is no legitimate reason in a healthy society for any individual (or small family) to have a billion dollars, much less hundreds of billions. One cannot both personally and healthfully *consume* a billion dollars of goods and services. Billions of dollars are only needed for controlling industries, countries, and other populations; transferring wealth-power through generations (as monarchy does it with political power); and otherwise dick-waving to other billionaires.
I do get really tired of the anti-billionaire BS all the time. Are you envious? What is a billionaire after all? A person that came up with an idea for a new good or service that they are able to sell billions of dollars worth to us the people. What would the world be without Amazon? Or Tesla?
I am not including the financial parasites in that statement that make their billions feeding off of others.
"Are you envious?"
LOL no. I oppose the extreme power that is put in their hands, unreasonably distorting politics in all sorts of venues. The idea that this power should be limitless, simply because widgets or software can, in modern times, be copied without limit at negligible cost, is absurd. Ostensibly, we don't allow it for political power, and neither should we for wealth (which performs the same way).
Amazon and Tesla easily could have, and IMO definitely would have, if we had long ago put a reasonable limit on this remuneration. I'm not talking a million or two, I'm still talking a fairly large sum such as $100 million that very few should find problematic.
Money does mean power. Where should the billionaires put their money? Give it to the clowns in DC, absolutely not. Give it to charity? Nope, so many are corrupt. Buy more stuff? Hmmm, that puts people to work.
I had the privilege of living in Newport RI while in the Navy. A small city built entirely for the billionaires of the Gilded Age. An entire community built up serving the wealthy old Belleview Avenue and their cottages. Remember most of the wealthy, first order, earned their wealth.
The center of slave trade in the North. Jews controlled much of it. No doubt the Yankees were in on it too of course. Charleston was the center in the South
That is right, there was a slave trade in the North right up to the Civil War. Many Freemen owned slaves in both the South and North.
The trade triangle brought slaves first to the Caribbean, then up to the States.
BTW, all of the servants housing in Newport is now worth over a million each.
Exactly. But do the revolution just as our first American revolution was done: with intelligence, historical reference, and universal wisdom. Build, not destroy.
If they bring some criminal filth back at your suggestion, I suggest they send him to your house.
The second sentence of this post was “The world has to get by with less.”
Exactly. There will be less to get by on.
with all this science and technology, 'less' is still quite comfortable. So it is not terrible fate.
.
What can one do in light of this?
----------
I am watching from the sidelines the most "diverse & inclusive", "mostly peaceful", self-inflicted civilizational collapse in history. Why the sidelines? because when a locomotive is coming at you, your first priority is to get off the tracks.
I have reordered my life (relocated to where I am among like minded, decent people) to avoid (or reduce) the negative impacts of certain cultural trends, politics and demographics. Yes, I have given up some things, but in life there are no solutions... only tradeoffs. These days, being newly re-positioned, I would say that my philosophical approach to "staying sane" is> I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused.
"Your number-one job is to stay sane. "
Sage advise for the times.
And strong!
Unfortunately, it may one day require violence just to stay safe, then sanity will be a toss up.
Yes! And it's a very wise idea to have at least 1 friend who you can go to for "check-in" to make sure you are sane, and you them.
Yes - and not always as easy as it sounds.
What does it mean to stay "sane?" Not follow group-think? Stay away from the trends? Go the opposite direction of the masses? Resist government mandates? Not pay taxes? Avoid religions? Become religious?
We live in an insane world and it is becoming harder and harder to understand what sanity is anymore.
Very true. Well said.
Insanity.
When a group of people want to live outside the norms of the society they live in, for example the Constitution, they either pack up and leave or just shut up and go with the flow. I like the term abberant behavior to describe the insanity, behavior outside of the norm.
All good questions, Cankerpuss. Just imo, I'd answer: yes, yes, yes, yes, FAFO, do what you feel best, ditto.
It is clear that MAGA will not restore America to the 50s or 60s. The work force has changed and Americas collective IQ is less than Bevis and Butthead. However Trump is resetting the playing field, trying to dump our debt get rid of the grifters and sycophants. He will reset the financial markets, screw the Democrat running Wall Street. In the process help the future Americans whom one day will be free to live a more peaceful live.
Much truth in the assessment of the collective IQ. Will Trump’s reset be enough to avoid the pitfalls of “the cope-less”? These are the people destined to live sacrificially in 15-minute cities. Perhaps all of us, if the president is not 100% successful. I, too, am counting on his success to reset in a way the globalists do not approve.
There's an awful lot of flyover country that will never become 15-minute cities. Move somewhere there - and relax. We're having a great time watching the Dem apparatus implode because of Trump & Elon, et. al.
Great advice. My wife and I retired to the middle of nowhere Arkansas about 2 hours away from any big cities so........if and when the excrement hits the fan, the grifters will be weeded out considerably before they approach where we live and most people here are well stocked on ammo so it will be no picnic but......we will get rid of a lot of grifters before they start any serious trouble. We will go down fighting and may not prevail but.....
I'm thinking the same thing as well, especially since I grew up there. But beware, "sanctuary cities" now dot the landscape everywhere, forcing many of the now-former locals out. I have at least two sets of relatives in Nebraska who fled locally to escape them.
What about Chicago, it makes no sense to me. THe Blacks in South Chicago are getting wind of the fact that the illegals are eating up their opportunities. So why does the Mayor of Chicago want to be a sanctuary city? His own citizens and race are calling him out.
Kind of like leaving Ethiopia when there was starvation. Most of us are stuck in cities and in jobs that don't translate to moving to Kansas. Would it were so....
"Most of us are stuck in cities"
--------
... if you want an excuse you will find one.
Yep----- Bevis and Butthead are genius' -----no doubt about it.
My grandchildren told me this weekend that their school in Texas does not require children to learn their multiplication tables. My daughter drills it into their heads anyway. They will need it when the electric goes out and.....nobody is smart enough to make change. sad
IMHO, the Left has been removing the individual rights to Life, Liberty and Opportunity AKA the pursuit of happiness. That is what Trump is trying to remove, the government controls that restrict those rights. Anything to remove the socialistic trends of the Left over the decades is a good thing.
It’s just as well, b/c the 50’s ushered in what eventually became rabid feminism as influenced by Herbert Marcuse & Kate Millett - (an unwanted side effect of universal suffrage), degradation of spiritualism in favor of rampant materialism and Lord only knows what other kernels of societal dysfunction were planted and have yet to spread like rhyzomic weeds. e.g., crab grass and quack grass in the garden of civility
I appreciate your optimism, Mark. God I hope you are right.
Dark, very dark. Glad I’m 87 and have lived to enjoy the struggle. It will take a while to turn the ship around .
We elders are indeed fortunate to be around to see the ship being turned, and to understand the reference of the “hamburger on Tuesday” from Popeye’s Wimpy.
We elders are here to show the youngsters what the world should look like and not let insanity take over the world. Then again, there are insane elders, Bernie Sanders comes to mind.
Many elders ignored the Brown Acid warnings at Woodstock.
Yes, there are insane elders and there are elders who refuse to be elders.
You said it!
"I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today."
Corrected…thank you…’payment’ for hamburger on Tuesday. Thanks 😉
Isn’t that what I said ??
And the iceberg is dead ahead. We may think that we have just missed it even as we hit down below.
Correct Mr.Kuntsler, as I tell everyone who will listen, we no longer live in a functioning society. It will continue to get worse.
And all you need to do to see it up close is attend a County Commissioners' Meeting. I wish more people would go and take a look.
Be careful there, the panic would definitely accelerate.
The liberal arts days are over, falling weightier than Rome’s thud. Incoming farmettes, independent ranches and steel mills and homespun. In some drawer there are framed degrees that mean nothing.
Credentials do not really mean anything------ can you produce anything of value or-----do you know how to work will be the important questions.
Value call a plumber!
Exactly. I’ve found that in my own life.
The response of the home working federal employees to the order to return to the office shows what exists in the Deep State about the work ethic. They have probably noticed the work ethic of the Congress.
That was so sickening to find out…we are so robbed.
I worked from home during covid I wound up working from 6am to 6pm and on some days as late as 10pm.
I worked way harder from home than at the office.
Ben, I believe you are an exception, especially to federal workers.
I agree and I had just posted a Rome reference when I saw your post. Guess mine was a segue.
lol…thinking alike
If only framed law degrees meant nothing.
It’s worth gold if you’re working for Trump and Elon now. Go forth…😎
Stage one thinking is a wonderous thing. Many of the people touting an AI driven future with electronic gadgets galore and digital currencies are the same people claiming that we must reduce our carbon footprint by doing with less energy. I've read a number of articles disclosing that the data centers required for AI, not to mention digital currency, will require an amount of electricity that will dwarf the current usage. Apparently, the thinking is that if we can just plow enough energy into enough AI, said AI will figure out a way to reduce its own energy consumption. However, AI begets more AI, wiping out any energy savings that may be developed by the old AI.
The wife and I are building a new house on modest acreage in a fairly rural section of Pennsylvania. We are taking pains to make it energy efficient. Going to learn to garden.
I did the same in rural Arkansas. couple of suggestions:
1. get a reliable whole house generator, not for 24/7 use but as a backup and power it with propane and have a large tank-----1000 gallons or so. Power may be out for a while.
2. Have your own well or spring so as not to have to rely on city our county water.
3. Have a wood burning heater. Comes in real handy when the power is out or.....if you are up to it, burn it all winter and save a ton of money. We use about 3 cords of wood for the whole winter and can stay nice and warm.
4. Get proficient with firearms and have not only self defense guns but hunting guns as well. You may need to know how to kill, skin and cut up a deer or other large animal. Have a lot of extra ammo.
5. If you have the acres, get a few farm animals. Cows are a lot easier to tend to than goats and..... there are not too many predators that can bother cows but.....coyotes and bobcats love to feast on goats or anything smaller.
26,000 watt generator - check
500 gallon propane tank -check
well water - check
wood burning fireplace - check
firearms and ammo - check
3 acres of land - check
Additionally, we have septic, and geothermal heating and cooling. ICF construction for insulation and sturdy construction. We are planning on installing solar on a planned pole barn.
Welcome to Green Acres. You’ll thrive.
Until the predators come streaming out of the cities to take it all away. All the preppers are so naive, if the SHTF in a big way, survival will be tough and all the prep work will just set you up to be a target. Best we work on not letting the SHTF.
Good book, "Lucifer's Hammer" describes the world after the SHTF due to a comet strike. Not pretty.
And supposedly these "Stanford Kool-Aid" drinkers truly believe we will have robots in our homes. That's Not happening in my home. Even if a robot comes knocking at my door looking like Rosey the Maid from the Jetsons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pphyvgd7-k
I live with my son, DIL and two elementary kids in Hawthorne.
The third grader has learned her multiplication table and the kindergartner has to write book reports!
As to the “robots” I am constantly looking (and listening to) their stupid Roomba running around the house. Tripping hazard for me when it stops “somewhere”. They are leaving for Maui in a few days and their robot vacuum will be out of the way for a Blessed week.
I will vacuum ONCE the day before they return!
D’Oh!
I've seen photos and videos of a Roomba or two after they encountered soft, fresh dog shit xD
Edit: yes, INSIDE the house
lol
My son and daughter-in-law have one of those. It's ghastly.
When you stop to contemplate the effort the Trump administration is attempting to undertake in restoring the country to its original Constitutional structure and foundations, you will inevitably run-up against the fact that very few people of the current makeup of the citizenry have barely the slightest knowledge of the document itself, much less its higher purpose and wisdom.
At this moment in time, the majority of them are looking on mostly wondering or worrying about what’s in it for them, or what they might stand to lose in the process. Over decades we’ve created a near total national constituency of dependents who feel they live by the whim and the largesse of the behemoth known as “the government”.
Trump’s tinkering with it instills a fear and dread that is easily manipulated into appearing as a threat to their very way of life. The Democrats are banking on that.
Trump 2.0 is trying to rebuild the country on a more solid foundation. But in the process, he has to destroy the corroded foundation that has been erected by those who’d been charged with protecting it, but instead let it rot beneath them.
The very ground is shaking beneath the feet of every American, who, due to a dereliction of duty by our educational system, are wholly unequipped to recognize the value in his efforts, and are therefore more than vulnerable to the fear-mongering of the Left shouting, “We’re all going to die!”
Breaking through, or even just bypassing that wall of ignorance that’s been constructed over decades, will be the toughest part of Trump’s entire enterprise.
Suzie---great comment. If we are highlighting who is derelict in their duties, I believe number 1 should be the 90% of our politicians who care less about the long term viability of our society but do care about how large their bank account will be when they retire from "gov't service". And.....we also need to include about 50+% of the judges we have elected and about half of our Supremes, some of which do not know what a woman is and most likely care less what the Constitution says about anything.
I also argue that the states have failed. The states themselves could unite and hold a convention of states and change the Constitution to resolve the problems. But, like the US Congress, the States have failed. They too are too partisan, too corrupted, too beholden to fake federal dollars.
The solutions are there! We could fix what ails America in a short amount of time if the American people would unite and come together. But we don't. It's always Democrat till I die or Republican till I die mentality. What ever happened to just being an "American?"
THe solutions are not there, that is why nothing happens. 50% of this country believes that the government, that collection of clowns, should run our lives. That, all be itself, makes solutions impossible.
Like the Great Depression, it is going to take a major hit for this country to ever come together. IMHO., it is going to take the unification of North America to offset the incursions of China into our country and maybe its takeover. What do you think, is there enough sympathy for the Constitution in this country to stop the Chinese takeover?
You make good points. Please keep in mind that the solutions are only there if the people would come together, find common ground and resolve the problems. It really isn't that complicated. But, you said perfectly, problems cannot be resolved when the people are so perfectly bifurcated right down the middle.
And the bifurcation is just human nature. Prior to the 30s, people who did not work, doing something to support themselves, starved. FDR originated the safety net, which has been enlarged over and over to buy votes.
"90% of our politicians" = THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS.
The US Congress today is more worried about whether pregnant members of Congress can vote by proxy or not than they are about passing a Federal budget, ending foreign wars, reducing taxation, reducing Federal deficits, immigration, et.
The US Congress is a dismal failure. The elections process has resulted in career politicians beholden to lobbyists and special interests and campaign contributors. Corruption abounds. Representation of the people no longer exists.
The US Congress needs to be scrapped and re-designed. No more elections. A bi-annual Federal lottery where net-taxpaying US born citizens are drafted for ONE three month legislative session where they pass a budget, consider new law and then they go home to their jobs again. No more election campaign contributions. No more special interests. No more lobbyists.
I dream, twill never happen.
That crap is over with. We have our Caesar in Trump. Unfortunately, he serves another people first and foremost, not "Americans"*.
*Americans exist but very few know who they are and who they aren't.
Wasn't Rome a republic for some 300 years before Ceasar? Well, it appears we are following the same pattern as the Romans.
Do you mean Zionists?
"very few people of the current makeup of the citizenry have barely the slightest knowledge of the document itself"
Oh so absolutely true. What people don't understand is that Trump as the President cannot do a DAMNED thing when it comes to making law. His Executive Orders apply only to the Federal agencies under the Executive branch of government, not to the public at large.
What people do NOT understand is that the Congress IS TO BLAME for everything that currently ails America. Congress is the sovereign under the US Constitution (meaningless document today). Congress controls the money. Congress controls taxation. Congress controls what the Executive branch should be executing. Our inept and failed Congress bears the guilt for ruining America. Not Biden. Not Trump. Not Obama. Not FDR. Not W Wilson. Congress.
Every American should be spitting mad that the US Congress populated by our "representatives" has failed the people in such a colossal and monumental way. But they aren't. Instead they focus on one man and blame him. The US Congress can tell the President to go take a flying fuck if they wanted to. They can override every veto if they wanted to. But the idiots in Congress are too loyal to their political tribe and have pissed away any and all authority the US Congress once had and should have.
Useless, all of them.
I've always said that they are the most useless body of people on the earth.
They're basically a parasitical body of people that consume our tax dollars for little in return except for more taxes and more laws telling us what we can't do.
"No one will really understand politics until they understand that politicians are not trying to solve our problems. They are trying to solve their own problems - of which getting elected and re-elected are number one and number two. Whatever is number three is far behind."
~ Thomas Sowell
Unless we give more money to Israel, the Messiah's not going to come.
Wuts up, Adolph?
Benjamin is the new Adolph.
oh my god
Yeah, he comes up with some lu-lus.
The problem congress has is the amount of money they need to raise every two years to keep their seat. The money buys the advertisements that influences the vast middle, and ultimately wins elections. The lobbyists (and powerful congressmen) who control the flow of money dictate what laws get pushed through and what type of spending cuts, if any, are allowed. That is why the current "MAGA" congress can't get any real substantial cuts through. They can talk about reducing the size of government, but it always involves cutting spending of some other congressional district, never their own. If they were smart, they'd try another round of campaign financing reform.
Well said, another apt description of the epic disaster that is the United States Congress demonstrating why elections result in failure and why we need a national lottery of net-taxpaying US born citizens, drafted for one legislative session (3 months) every two years.
THe problem is that the people need sustenance from the government to survive now, so much that the government has lost the power to cut back. THe interest on the debt now surpasses the primary job of the governmetn, the defense budget. There are so many entitlement programs that cannot be touched that budget reduction is damn near impossible. Discretionary spending is less than 10% of the federal budget now, so what do you cut? The Congress will just keep kicking the can down the road, it has no choice. The only solution is for a substantial portion of the USA to get off the fedral tit. That is the main difference between Trump and the Dems. The Dems want all of us on thetit, that way they maintain power. Trump is trying to break peope's dependence on the government and is getting hell for it. His "victory" at re-schooling America is what will "Make America Great Again". His chances? Slim to none.
Ironically, the Democrat leadership was attempting to do the exact same thing, tear everything down and start over.
I will be more basic. The goal of the Bernie Sanders types of our society is its Constitution’s destruction. To Bernie, “democracy” is the installation of his favorite philosophy, IOW Soviet Communism-Fascism. That is his ideal. That is the falsehood of the Ult-Left, convincing the population that stealing the wealth from its normal societal distribution and giving it to the Have-Nots is the solution to everything. The problem is that they do not do that, they take their absconded wealth and keep it for themselves. The people get screwed not matter who is in charge.
Trump’s polling increases with Blacks and Latinos should be a huge warning to the Left that these groups are “getting it”.
The Constitution is already destroyed. It is only used to guide elections and some minor separations of powers. Otherwise, it is a tattered old piece of worn out butt fodder. We can thank old Abraham Lincoln for overthrowing the Constitution of 1788. We can also thank Woodrow Wilson and that Congress for turning the Senate into a glorified House of Representatives.
Hear, hear! Well said and lamentably true. However, I ultimately lay the blame for that at the feet of the church. The world will act according to its nature. It is easily deceived. All politicians do is appeal to that fallen nature. They "ping" the programming. The church is supposed to be the salt of humanity, the diviner, if you will, of what's true and not true. Unfortunately, the church has dropped the ball.
Some of us have abandoned the dysfunctional cities, which became mechanisms for extracting our labor and sacrifice with no transactional benefit (broken streets, broken societies), in favor of nearby (gasp, horror!) suburbs, for reasons of proximity to our work/businesses and families. It ain't perfect but it sure beats bleeding out in "the city" to spend our last years paying extortion property taxes and insurance premiums. ymmv
Broken, dangerous, crumbling, unlivable cities are the legacy of the "civil rights" movement.
I sometimes get calls from recruiters for positions in New York City. No matter how attractive the position, I always decline.
I am constantly being recruited by businesses from cities in California. I always decline.
I happen to LIKE living within a 15-minute walk (5-minute bike ride) to my public library, post office, used sporting goods store, coffee shop, ice cream shop, dry cleaners, public recreation center, city park, liquor store, and light rail stop.
I realize that’s just me, and it ain’t for everybody. But can’t we at least strive to *provide more of these kinds of options*, affordably, for those people that DON’T want to be tethered to an automobile 24/7?
@Don
"Elm Street" was fine, "Main Street" with a couple of residential floors over businesses is fine too. But zoning and the worship of automobiles/ticky tacky box style suburbia destroyed the possibility for these 15 minutes solutions. Walmart, no housing in business districts, required automobile ownership or accept being a 2nd class citizen (or less!) and miles to drive for both employment and basic necessities are what we get.
As long as it's a choice, I agree. We need more livable towns.
Sounds great until you find out that you're also a 15-minute walk from the mandatory low-income housing project that got foisted on your town by the State supreme court.
I live in NYC. As you know, the war is primarily cultural, and has been going on for a century. No reason to run from it. I fight the insanities where the battle needs joining, not just writing on blogs. If I'm unlucky, that means I'll go down with the ship. Every bit as relevant right now as defending the southern border.
I have family in NYC and enjoy visiting that incredible city. But I enjoyed it much more in 2012-2015 when it was demonstrably cleaner and more civilized. The subways were a joy to ride. They're still tolerable but not nearly as safe. At 67 I was looking at $1000 a month nut to pay prop taxes and home insurance. Nah. Life's too short. I moved six miles, still work (occasionally) in the city, and get absolute silence at night (I lived on a busy, noisy corner) plus birdsong all day long. Your mileage may vary, but I ain't built for constant urban tension.
"I enjoyed it much more in 2012-2015 when it was demonstrably cleaner and more civilized."
Here in my part deep in Queens I've been fortunate to have very good community maintenance, and almost no visible crime. I don't use the subways too much, I've taken up walking everywhere, even 5 mi once or twice a week to downtown.
I don't blame you re costs etc., though: If it weren't for my (co-op 2004 owned) housing expense being miniscule by NYC standards it would be a problem. But I'm happy here with 375 sf in an outer borough for a pittance, still connected to all that is NYC. And at home away from the main avenues, it's quiet enough.
Plus, you have the fascinating Louis Armstrong Museum in Queens, which includes his actual home, preserved to remain as it was when he lived there (though I didn't see any muggles laying around). I've also heard that Queens is the safest borough. I'd probably live there if I lived there ;-) "boy the way Glenn Millah played.." it's a nice spot.
Thank you. Just visited there about 6 months ago, they made a great new space. He and his wife owned an amazingly compact but efficient house.
Largely a function of the number of Blacks.
The harsh reality is that, at home and abroad, the nonproductive part of the population is going to fall by the wayside. Eventually, Darwinism wins out, including in economics. The challenge is that Socialism, in either its Fascist or Communist form, embraces an ideology of using the government to transfer wealth from the productive to support the nonproductive. Left to endure, Socialism eventually starves everyone. Free market capitalism may, in fact, be cruel to the nonproductive, but the percentage of the population that is nonproductive will be much lower and the economy and the society can survive that. Indeed, the whole premise of free market capitalism is to produce the maximum amount of goods and services with the minimum amount of land, labor, and capital as necessary.
What the American version of Socialism has done is to subsidize the nonproductive part of the population to the point that much of that demographic doesn't want to work, is not emotionally capable of working, and is increasingly physically incapable of working. They are parasitic dead weight on the productive part of the economy and upon productive people. If America is to survive, the public welfare system that discourages work must be dismantled. That, of course, will be fought tooth and nail by the nonproductive population and the leftist politicians who pander to it. In fact, subsidizing the nonproductive is the very basis of the Democrat Party platform--it now is nearly their entire voter base. If the Socialist Democrat Party controls the government again, America will starve and fail long before it runs out natural resources--it will run out of willing labor and capital. Left unrecognized in the discussion is that "MAGA people" make up most of the working American population. They are the folks keeping America afloat right now--and the leftists hate them for it.
"Yes, a mandatory 10% tithe to the Church of your choice to take care of your sick, old, and crazy. If you don't have a Church, one will be selected for you."
Including the many churches that support open borders and endless aid for dysfunctional African nations?
Socialism attempts to make everyone a “C” student, the government attempts to keep every one “ignorant” to put off rebellions. Mediocrity makes societies go extinct, because there is another society that is smarter and wants to kick its ass. China is interesting right now as the CCP is sowing the seeds of its own demise by pushing its people to become educated and excel.
How so? I thought you wanted people to excel.
Huh? The CCP is sowing its own demise as people that are intelligent and wanting to be independent will not put up with socialism. It is the USA undr Dem socialist control that is tearing down the intelligence of this country.
Did you know that government mandated "testing" takes away six to eight weeks of classroom time every year? Oh yes, no student left behind, my foot.
East Asians are different than we are. Most are fine with the social credit system. High tech Confucianism!
@Freedom 4 conservatives
Yours is by far the best comment I've read in a long time. Dr. Thomas Sowell made similar observations.
Yes, a mandatory 10% tithe to the Church of your choice to take care of your sick, old, and crazy. If you don't have a Church, one will be selected for you. Or would you turn America's cities into Calcutta? Choose.
Better that than some idiot is DC to tell us what to do, they have no answers. The stupidity of DC has been apparent for three generation with no discernible improvements.
If the nation's people decide they want to live in Calcutta, isn't it their perogative? Socialism just makes the journey more painful.
Wonderful essay. Laughed at "math dressed in spandex" ... not so much at the rest. Thank you for writing this.
That was a lovely metaphor for the business of the billionaire technocrats.
I got a kick out of the Silicon Valley hack yesterday, where the “walk” buttons at dozens of crosswalks were reprogrammed to broadcast Musk and Zuckerberg’s AI voices, telling us to trust them with our futures, because they are needy personalities who like to be in control.
Wonder who would do that. Great hack!
Sounds great until they figure out how to drive your EV over a cliff. “Funny” people with hacks are a prime source of danger today.
Much appreciate your incredible writing & clear insights. I agree. Our job - the only thing any of us can do at this point - is to remain sane (& do our best not to add to the insanity). & that gets harder & harder by the day.
And strong IMO!
Frightening essay today Jim. A bit of a swing from your usual posts involving a little bit of positivity.
Perhaps the time is coming where mankind will finally suck this planet dry of its resources. I don't necessarily share that doomed outlook. Humanity itself is already taking the steps to reduce overall population by not having sufficient children to enable proper replacement of the aged and dying. In a decade or two as the Boomer generation dies off in droves populations will begin to decrease leaving most great economies in shambles.
I have always forced myself to live on less. I only eat two meals a day and have grown accustomed to going long periods of fasting and hunger. I live in a modest home on a quarter acre lot in a rural community. I live a debt free life, drive old cars, and never use loans as a means to purchase items and goods.
I've done all I can do to be as prepared as possible. Someday my time will come. Either from starvation, sickness, violence or accident. Little good it does to sit in my living room and ring my hands over how I am going to die. Until that time, I am just going to do the best I can to live the best life I can and help those that I am able to help.
I have faith that all things will end as they are supposed to, one way or another.
I am much more afraid of disease than running out of resources. Overcrowding is the cause and overcrowding comes from megapolises. Look at our cities right now, crime, disease, riots, unhappy people and no one is really doing much about it. Oh yeah, I forgot, sanctuary cities, encouraging all the “bad elements” to localize there is going to make things very dark in the future.
"and no one is really doing much about it." Nobody knows what to do because nobody can agree on anything. Solutions cannot be found as long as there is this partisan bickering and finger pointing.
One more. Cankerpuss. Where do you think those 20 or so million immigrants go? As long as there are two parties so wide appart on the political spectrum, nothing will happen. Sometimes things have to happen, such as war, and the Congress, in its inability to make a decision or act, tosses the ball over the fence to the President who is only to happy to take the power. Congress is the source of all power in DC, according to the Constitution, but you could never guess that today.
Bingo Congress needs an enema complete and utter flushing to clean out the deadwood and members so old they fall asleep while it is in session.
There should be an age limit to the top end just like there is an age requirement to serve in the offices.
"Under the Constitution of the United States, a person must be aged 35 or over to serve as president. To be a senator, a person must be aged 30 or over. To be a Representative, a person must be aged 25 or older. This is specified in the U.S. Constitution."
Remember that when it was written, life spans were 35 to 60.
Term limits to two is much better. As Democrats are mostly Lifers, that will redo the Democrat Party, for the better. It will also end the Deep State. What a joy that would be.
"and no one is really doing much about it."
This is exactly why I'm so psyched about the mRNA jab. "Let the music do the talking." =D
I remember myself and some friends talking in the early 1990s. We were all in our mid to late 20s. We were looking around at industry being shut down and, even though young and inexperienced with "life", we were saying to each other, "if they keep shutting all of this down in the name of the "environment" or whatever other excuse they were giving, there will come a time when we won't know how, or remember how to make things in the United States." "It will destroy our country." Little did we know how prophetic we were...
I was thinking the same thing when the assholes were closing down all the "non-essential" businesses during Covid. I kept thinking if they close down all the businesses except the Walmarts and the Home Depots there won't be any non-essentials left to shop at the essentials. No business is "non-essential." All business is essential to a healthy economy.
I can't believe I witnessed such idiotic insanity from our "leaders." Still stunning to me.
“Let’s not try a re-run of that.” ???
Once a society stops doing something, it loses not only the associated skills, but also the complex value-added chain that was optimized over decades of arduous experience. It was madness to parcel out the nation's expertise to China with the excuse that we were thereby undercutting the Soviets. Hell, along the way, NASA even forgot how to make the world's most powerful rocket Saturn V, that pushed the astronauts to the moon. Then along came evil Walmart with its insistence to suppliers that they either lower their prices by relocating to China, or else they wouldn't be allowed access to Walmart stores.
At that point, offshoring manufacturing really picked up steam, as we surreptitiously also exported pollution and unions and regulations. What a miserable, dishonest, unbelievable travesty. The rise of the evil financialists during this process was a forgone conclusion, since it presented a perfect environment for them to thrive and do their slimy business. Now we're a hollowed-out, depressed, narcissistic, insane society, without skills, knowledge, experience, expertise, motivation, hope, or the abilities to increase productivity with research and development. Hell, we don't even have the skills to do routine maintenance on legacy systems from earlier generations. All we know how to do is stuff imported goods into our maws. Into this spiritual and intellectual vacuum has crept woke leftism, with all the insanity that entails. With his bluster and back-and-forthing, if Trump can implement policies to begin to get even 1/10 of all that back, then he will be the greatest President since Andrew Jackson.
Yes, the madness of Capitalism. The nutcase below blames the Left - as if the Corporations didn't elect to leave of their own accord.
To the extent the market works in the classic sense, it has to be a closed system. Just like an INTERNAL combustion engine is closed and thus can do "work". The pressure is where it's at. International trade? Tariffs must be in place to maintain the necessary pressure.
When you're not jagging off to your giant-nose cartoons, you make more sense than anyone else on this site.
You're the first person to get my metaphor. I actually came up with this one myself. Generally I just take the good ideas others have come up with - just like everyone else. Nothing wrong with that. As Newton said, I have seen farther than others because I stood on the shoulders of giants.
In a few words, the USA has globalized itself thanks to the left. It has also created way to many college grads that are worthless. What do you do with excess college grads? Send them to law school or MBA. Make them more worthless.
Great point, JohnAZ. To add to that, what do you do with all the lawyers? Think about it. What skill does a lawyer have that can add to a productive society or economy? Zip. Zero. Nada. Lawyers thrive because our society is so law-laden that the average joe or jane needs a lawyer to understand the complex and vast law volumes. Otherwise, lawyers produce diddly-poo. They are takers and leaches only.
Yup, just think who makes all those laws. Lawyers disguised as politicians.
Job security?
Yes sir. That's why the states need to pull their heads out of their asses and come together to amend the Constitution. The lawmaking lawyers will never do anything to jeopardize their cushy jobs.
Where was that photo taken? It looks like many such derelict buildings in Detroit from a bygone era. Our old Midwest manufacturing cities are sprawling wastelands, but with some industrial archaeology sites that attract a certain type of interested tourist, like the ruins of the Packard plant that once made grand automobiles, also in that city.
Grandpa became a citizen from Britain. The next generation couldn’t wait to work at the Sheffield steel mill and across the river at TWA. The next generation got limp wristed liberal arts educations producing vegans and manicures. Now we are apprenticing with a blacksmith and castrating rams. I do believe we are turning.
Yes, useful skills. We'll need big, strong eunuchs to guard our harems. And smiths to make our swords out of plowshares.
https://halturnerradioshow.com/index.php/news-selections/world-news/4chan-exposed-as-israeli-mossad-honeypot-propaganda-incitement-site
That is the Glen-Villa Apartment in Highland Park Michigan built in 1926. A 2013 photo shows the facade as still intact. Today, not so much. Highland Park is known as the most abandoned neighborhood in Detroit.
Thank you.
I wonder where as well. My first reaction was the Rome Colosseum, but I realize that’s not so far away.