To begin:
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Yes, today is the 61st anniversary of the day President John F. Kennedy died a violent death in Dallas. I am not going to write about my beliefs regarding the killing again, no disrespect intended.
If a sitting Democratic President proposed a tax cut of the magnitude that Kennedy outlined in January, 1963, a tax cut bill was eventually passed by Congress in 1964 after Kennedy died, he/she would be excoriated by many members of today’s Democratic Party. Let’s look at these numbers again that explain why the federal budget deficit and national debt have ballooned in recent years.
2019: Federal Government Spending = 20% of GDP, Revenues = 16% of GDP
2024: Federal Government Spending = 25% of GDP, Revenues = 18% of GDP
SPENDING IS THE PROBLEM, NOT REVENUES! In the late 1940s, US federal government spending was just 11% of GDP. However, the average for the last 40 years has been about 20%, where it was in 2019.
I don’t know if anything can really be done about the irresponsible increase in federal spending, both parties are all too happy to spend money, but the bill will come due, eventually. As someone who used to work at the Office Of Management And Budget (OMB), the federal agency that is part of the Executive Branch and that prepares and submits the President’s “wish budget” to Congress (among other responsibilities), I think I have more insight into the issue than most Americans.
I doubt the new administration’s “Department Of Government Efficiency” will be able to do anything meaningful, but I can assure you that much could be done if the attitudes of our legislators were different. Just like the manifestations of the ideological pollution of our educational institutions won’t be fully visible for a long time, the profligate spending by Washington won’t really bite us in the ass for a few years.
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From Forbes:
“American Airlines wants to shame you out of jumping the line when you board your next flight.
Just in time for the holiday travel season, the carrier is cracking down on what’s known as “gate lice,” or travelers who cut the line ahead of their assigned boarding time. The airline said this week that it’s rolling out new boarding pass scanning technology at more than 100 U.S. airports. If a traveler tries to jump ahead of their assigned group, it rejects the boarding pass and sounds an audible alert.
It’s not surprising that people clamor to board and claim limited overhead bin space for their baggage. In fact, American Airlines was the first to charge for checked bags, and earned roughly $1.4 billion from baggage fees last year.”
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From The Free Press:
“Asian Americans moved very sharply to the right, and exit polls may even be understating the intensity. The Manhattan Institute’s Neetu Arnold this week crunched the numbers from heavily Asian neighborhoods around the country: “Majority-Asian precincts in New York City, for instance, saw a rightward shift of 31 percentage points. Precincts in Dallas and Fort Bend counties in Texas both saw rightward shifts between 17 and 20 points. And precincts in Chicago saw a 23-point shift to the right.” These are huge swings, and also not surprising. In San Francisco, the moderate movement—which saw the district attorney and school board members recalled in 2022 and then the mayor ousted this year—began as a revolt by Asian parents who were sick of the crime and sick of being accused of “white supremacist thinking” for wanting good public schools. The movement to save schools started on the Bay Area’s Mandarin-language airwaves. At the pro-recall booths set up at the city’s farmers markets, it was always Asian parents asking for signatures.”
Asian Americans are one of the most obvious victims of woke identity politics. Based on current demographic projections, that group will be the largest “minority” in the US by 2050.
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The URL for this CNBC article reads, “Northvolt files for bankruptcy in setback to Europe’s EV ambitions.” For some reason, the displayed title is a little different.
Yesterday, the Swedish battery maker filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US. Northvolt wants to restructure its debt and scale back its business. The market is speaking and LOUDLY.
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The excellent tech for the company that installed our remote-controlled gate for the concrete pad was here this morning to discuss a custom carport. Given the proposed length, the carport would have to be brought to site in sections and then assembled here.
The serious family health issues remain so it’s doubtful this project can proceed until sometime next year. Still, doesn’t hurt to get everything lined up including the dreaded interaction with the HoA architectural review committee. Need to have a place to park a car like this, after all.
#NoDisrespectIntended