Jordan Peterson and Helicopter Parents

 Jordan Peterson has a interesting take on why we have seen the preponderance of helicopter parents and spoiled children:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9_C1LwrqFo

He feels this might be built into our society, going back to how the "pill" changed how women and society.

With less people having children and less children per family, this means each child is more important or valuable to the family, thus the effort to protect the child is higher.

This is in line with my belief that as our society move forward and eliminates death from disease and accidents, those than happen become outliers, and we are shocked by them.

Since it is unusual for an infant to die due to prenatal care, when it happens we are more shocked today than 30 years ago.  When someone dies in an automobile accident, in spite of all the advancements, it causes disbelief.  Since we have not had a full scale military draft since the 60's, young men and women dying in battle is a shock to the system and we demand answers.

But is it reality that has changed, or is it our expectations?  How can we prepare ourselves for life, when we have created a false reality that we live in?

Where was the beginning of the divide?

 People ask where was the start of the division in this country?  Was it Facebook?  how about cable news?

Well having lived through these times, I will make a guess.  Let me know if it makes sense.

The reason we are where we are today is.......FM radio.  

What?!

Yes- if you go back and trace back where this division came from, it had it's roots in the invention of FM radio.  The law of unintended consequences.

Now there have always been political differences.  The question is how do they get amplified to the extent they have been.  That word - amplified - is part of AM (amplitude modulation )

Up into the 60's 99% or radio was AM.  It crossed the country and the signal could be heard far and wide.

In 1945 Barry Gray is credited as the "inventor" of talk radio, but it would be many decades before this would dominate as most of AM radio was used to broadcast music and sports.

When FM radio first came on the scene it was a novelty - the first real stereo stations only came about in the early 1960's.  It was the rock music explosion in the late 60's that spawned the birth of the AOR station, and music moved from AM to FM.  Along with music came  Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 which led to stations moving to the new FM band where l assume licenses were easy to come by compared to AM.  

This left a vacuum on AM that needed to be filled.  Top 40 radio was dying as cars equipped with FM radios could broadcast better quality sound.  One by one stations went to a talk format.  I grew up in New York so WMCA went first, followed by WABC when it could no longer hold onto it's top 40 kingdom.  

WMCA was a bastion of conservative radio with Bob Grant leading the way, but with the liberal Alex Bennet as a foil.  But Alex got booted with the acquisition of Yankee Baseball broadcast and found himself over on FM along with the very liberal WBAI.

Even in high school, it was interesting to see the camps starting to form, the conservatives vs the liberals with a somewhat common ground with Jean Shepard on WOR as the storyteller.

This went a long for a while as a standoff until the demise of the Fairness Doctrine.  Now considered quaint and a little naïve, it both kept both sides in check, but was not above being used politically.  The demise in 1987 led to the hiring of one Rush Limbaugh.  Rush was the patron saint of modern talk radio, but with a twist.  I wrote about this in 2017 the technique of diminishing exaggerations. With this technique he took seemingly minor issues end events and expanded them to life and death matters.  I did not mind his show, actually agreed with some of his economic positions, but it was his Climate Change denying and then his accusation of Hillary Clinton having murdered Vince Foster - with no proof, that turned me off (pun intended) for good.  It took me years to convince my bother-in-law, but eventually, even he broke away from Rush.

However, the die was set.  Newspapers, where headlines were needed to sell papers, threw integrity out the window.  Papers/Magazines like the National Enquirer were no longer the outliers.  Throw in cable networks and it was easier to divide then unite.  

You would think the Internet would be the salvation, with information at your finger tips.  But that section 230, which conservatives want to repeal, actually protects them by allowing all sorts of conspiracy theories to propagate.  Here is a test.  Search for ""hard evidence" found by Rep. James Comer" and you will find page after page of the claim, without finding any proof.  It is just the echo chamber of conservatives sites repeating the same thing.

So how do we fix this?  How do we restore sanity to our news cycle and get back to at least being able to sort out what is true and what is false?  How do we become united in solving problems and not in blaming each other?  It might take the generation who grew up during the time of change to pass away and a new generation who grew so cynical and distrustful of what they saw to take the helm.  Until they get corrupted too.  But we can hope.

Pot meet Kettle

 I have been watching the Hunter Biden saga, watching the Republicans cling to every piece of circumstantial evidence and blow it out of proportion.  They mix facts with fiction and try to put together a story bigger than it is.  So let's review what is known right now and we can revisit this to see how it plays out.

Fact - Joe Biden was Vice President from January 2009 to January 2017

Fact - Joe Biden President from January 2021 to ????

Fact - Hunter Biden Joined the BOD for Burisma in 2014

Fact - Hunter Biden leveraged his family name to get these deals.

Fact - Hunter Biden and associates got paid lots of money for doing what most board members get paid for.

Fact - Burisma was under investigation for potential crimes committed before Hunter joined the board - the prosecutor was sitting on the case (maybe getting paid under the table) and that is why Joe Biden, with the blessing of other countries - pressed for the firing of said prosecutor.

Fact - Hunter Biden left Burisma when his father became president.

Fact - When Hunter Biden made the claim my dad is sitting right here - Joe Biden was a citizen - not in office....

Fact - Hunter Biden has/had a drug problem

Fact - Hunter Biden left a laptop(s) at a store.

Questionable - Did the original hard drive(s) get in unmodified form to the FBI?

Fact - Hunter Biden screwed up his tax return - has paid off what was due - but is still in hot water over this.

Fact - Hunter Biden may have violated other laws - this is being investigated.

Fact - Hunter Biden got money from Chinese companies.

Not proven - That Joe Biden did anything against China or Burisma for personal gain - in fact maybe just the opposite

So where does this leave us?  The Republicans still cannot point to any action by Vice President or President Biden that shows a quid pro quo.

In the mean time, they seem to over look:

Jared Kushner’s $2 Billion Saudi Check Appears Even More Comically Corrupt Than Previously Thought

So, it wasn’t that difficult for people to put two and two together and infer that Kushner’s firm seemingly got $2 billion to invest—and at least $25 million to pocket regardless of performance!—as a thank-you for being so good to a human rights-abusing autocrat. And a new story from the Times suggests, somehow, even further shadiness than that.

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/05/jared-kushner-affinity-partners-saudi-arabia

China grants 18 trademarks in 2 months to Trump, daughter (While Trump was President)

SHANGHAI (AP) — The Chinese government granted 18 trademarks to companies linked to President Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka Trump over the last two months, Chinese public records show, raising concerns about conflicts of interest in the White House.

https://apnews.com/article/0a3283036d2f4e699da4aa3c6dd01727

Trump sold his DC hotel. GOP spending disappeared.

In June the Waldorf Astoria opened for business in downtown D.C.’s Old Post Office Building, replacing the Trump International Hotel, which for five years served as an assembly point for Republican officials, lobbyists and anyone who wanted to buy Donald Trump’s attention. Despite the fact that the Waldorf is in the same building and kept public and private spaces remarkably the same, political spending at the new hotel all but disappeared when compared to the years when it was owned by a sitting president. 

https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-investigations/trump-sold-his-dc-hotel-gop-spending-disappeared/

Why was nothing investigated on these?

Hmm..

Sending signals

 From Rep Comer press release:

"Then-Vice President Joe Biden was “the brand” used to send “signals” of power, access, and influence."

Interesting - you can send "signals" through phone calls, speeches, or just plain talking. Hmmmm

“stand back and stand by." Donald Trump to the Pround Boys - September 39, 2020

“fight like hell” Donald Trump to his supporters Jan 6, 2020

"very fine people on both sides" Donald Trump when talking about white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

“Why don’t they go back" Donald Trump talking about 4 congress women - 3 of whom are born in the US.

 “Let’s have trial by combat,” said Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani, warming up the crowd for Trump.

"Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!”  Donald Trump in a Tweet before Jan 6.

Hmmmmmm.

Another Bright Idea

 Congress established the first national light bulb efficiency standards in 2007, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush. Starting in 2012, the law required new bulbs to use 28 percent less power than existing incandescent lights, kicking off the beginning of the end for older designs.

Article

From Hot Air 8/2/2023

People can see through the lightbulb ban

"It seems like only yesterday that Democrats were openly mocking Americans for worrying that the Joe Biden administration was coming for their gas stoves.

“Nobody is taking away your gas stove,” Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) scoffed. Since then, it’s been proven that the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) has said that a potential ban “is on the table amid rising concern about harmful indoor air pollutants emitted by the appliances.”

Like any conspiracy theory Democrats deny, it eventually came true.

And likewise, anything liberals can get their grubby little paws on, they will."

This is like saying "They are coming to take away your rotary dial phone, or your roll up car windows.  Whether by a government kick, or technology changes, the world does change.

But some people can take a bright idea and turn it into something political. 💡💡💡

========================================================================

There was a false start with CF (Compact Fluorescent) bulbs, bit the new LED bulbs are better.  A typical incandescent turns around 90% of the energy used into heat.   (by the way, a gas car "wastes" about 75% of potential energy).

Boy - Where do I start

 Tom Fitton was on Washington Journal on CSPAN.  I had never seen him before, but after 1/2 hour of listening to him I want to ask -"Do you believe in a Flat Earth?"

Here is one of his answers: (some are from closed caption which may not be 100% perfect - check the actual video for every word)

"ALL OF THAT HAD BEEN SAID BY DEMOCRATS WITHIN TWO YEARS OF THE 2020 ELECTION. THAT CHANGES DEPENDING ON THE A OUTCOME. PEOPLE VOTING IN THE AREA DO NOT LIKE THE IDEA OF INTERNET VOTING. THEY NEVER LIKED IT AND THEY THOUGHT IT WAS NOT SECURE ENOUGH. AND THE ISSUES THAT YOU POTENTIALLY FACE WITH THE INTERNET ARE MORE EASILY ASSESSABLE TO PULL OUTSIDE OF THE INTERNET. PEOPLE DEALING WITH IT DIRECTLY RAISING QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW SECURE OUR ELECTION SHOULD BE. AND I RAISED SPECIFICALLY WHAT MY ISSUES ARE. THERE WERE COUNTING VOTES AFTER THE ELECTION THAT CHANGE THE RESULT."

1. "PEOPLE VOTING IN THE AREA DO NOT LIKE THE IDEA OF INTERNET VOTING."

There never was Internet voting

"AND I RAISED SPECIFICALLY WHAT MY ISSUES ARE. THERE WERE COUNTING VOTES AFTER THE ELECTION THAT CHANGE THE RESULT. .......... FEDEARL LAW REQUIRES THAT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, THE ELECTORS BE CHOSEN ON ELECTION DAY, NOT 6 DAYS LATER.  (22:24)

2. "(1) “election day” means the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November, in every fourth year succeeding every election of a President and Vice President held in each State, except, in the case of a State that appoints electors by popular vote, if the State modifies the period of voting, as necessitated by force majeure events that are extraordinary and catastrophic, as provided under laws of the State enacted prior to such day, “election day” shall include the modified period of voting.

Cornell Law

By his logic there is no early voting - probably no absentee voting.  You cannot count votes after midnight (which time zone?) or even do a recount.  

I thought the idea is everyone has the right to vote.

He is the head of Judicial Watch - an oxymoron as the only reason they exist is as a shill for the Republican Party.

He talks like he has blinders on and when caught not telling the truth, he start spouting "alternative facts"

Re Trump and the records:

I TOLD THE GRAND JURY WHAT MY VIEWS ARE. THE FACT IS HE COOPERATED WITH THE INVESTIGATION, HE TURNED OVER THE NEEDED RECORDS. THERE IS AN ARGUMENT ABOUT IS HE TURNED OVER ALL OF THE RECORDS OR IF THERE WAS OBSTRUCTION THERE BUT I DID NOT SEE EVIDENCE OF IT. THE FACT THAT HE WAS HARASSED AND ABUSED OVER THIS IS AN ABUSE OF POWER BY THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IN MY OPINION. AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED HE CANNOT FIGHT HARD ENOUGH TO EXERT HIS RIGHTS THERE.

Even Bill Barr has said that Trump played games and now got caught.

While defenders of former President Donald J. Trump have denounced the federal indictment against him, his former chief law enforcement officer sees it differently.

"I think he got into trouble because he defied the subpoena," said William Barr, former U.S. Attorney General during an interview with NPR's Steve Inskeep for Morning Edition.

Barr said Trump brought the indictment on himself through his "egregious" refusal to return U.S. government documents.

During the interview, Barr switched between legal terms and colloquial phrases in his effort to describe Trump's long refusal to return the documents. He characterized Trump's behavior as "contumacious," which he defined as "a willful violation that was effectively flipping the bird at the government."

"He was going to show them that no one was going to push him around, and that he was, in effect, still the president and could do what he want and get away with it," Barr said.

I have a headache.

 

They still cannot count

 In the post "Lies, damn lies, and statistics", David Strom attacks those on the assumed left for promoting climate change fears.

"What percent of conversations regarding a contested issue are actually focused on assessing the evidence and determining the truth?

It’s not large. In fact, such discussions are rare as hen’s teeth."

He uses this statistic:

To claim that 2023 is below 2022.  Comparing 1/2 a year to a previous year.

And he compares days over 100, without differentiating a 100 degree day with a 119 degree day.

"But John Burn-Murdoch of the Financial Times? He is clearly trying to lie to you. He is a data analyst. He knows that he is lying with statistics."

Well David, you do not back your argument up with statistics, just that other's statistics are wrong and their methodology defective.

The problem with this argument, is that without doing proper research, your argument is just as flawed as you claim the other side.  

"That’s why it is vital to keep bringing up these failures in truth-telling made by these journalists who are really advocates. If people don’t change their minds right away, and they almost never do, it is our job to undermine the credibility of the “amen chorus” and propagandists. People will have their own “Aha!” moments.

We all get red-pilled at different moments."

Pot meet Kettle.

All this does is feed polarization - but maybe that is what your purpose is.

Update.

We are not at the end of the year, but for a year that was Ranked 113 when he did this post, it has jumped up to #3

https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/cities/phoenix/yearly-days-of-100-degrees

I wonder if he will take down or edit his post.....

Murder by numbers

The police had a song off Synchronicity called "Murder by Numbers".  On the surface it seems to be taken right from a Hitchcock movie, but maybe the meaning is more subtle.  

At a  concert in Oakland CA  (Sept 10, 1983) he says "this song is about the cynical manipulation of large numbers of people".

While the song could be taken at face value - a serial killer, the later lyrics mention:

Now you can join the ranks of the illustrious

In history's great dark hall of fame

All our greatest killers were industrious

At least the ones that we all know by name

But you can reach the top of your profession

If you become the leader of the land

For murder is the sport of the elected

And you don't need to lift a finger of your hand.

Now while this can refer to the leaders of countries that caused mass death and genocide, Sting also mentioned Jimmy Swaggart, the TV evangelist, said it was written by the devil, but did not get the irony.

Maybe the murder is of truth.  It starts with small lies, then progresses to bigger ones, then finally becomes the apparent reality where you can no longer tell the truth from lies.

Hmmm - wonder how that fits in today's world.

 

You tube comment 6/20/2023

 I am 67 - government printing money usually comes after something else happens. Almost every other country in the world has "socialized medicine". You pay more in taxes, but there are no deductibles, no health care premiums, no employer is paying 50 or more % of your health care insurance. The benefits to the economy by not having that drag on it would be substantial. Is it perfect - no. But is it better if 100 people are using one MRI machine, or 20 people are using 5 MRI machines...... This is the same argument for people who want a flat tax - less bureaucracy, easier to manage, less people involved. But ask someone who is for a flat tax if they want socialized medicine and they will go ballistic. Real Capitalism works on supply and demand - but companies have learned how to manipulate supply and demand. Do you need to pay for 500 TV channels when you only watch 10? Do you need a $1000 smart phone when a $200 one will do fine. Do you need a $50,000 SUV to go to the grocery store when a $20,000 car will do?

Argument # 1 Hunter Biden

 I love when statements are meant to look like facts, without explanation.

The one today echoed by some people is "Why did it take the Biden DOJ five years to convict Hunter Biden?

Hmm, how long has Biden been president?  Two Years.  That makes 3 years under President Trump.  With his pick for FBI director, Attorney General and evidently the investigator was a Trump appointee who was kept on to finish and show there was no influence....

But no one is able to figure this out?

Comparison #1 LLC

 A new type of post, no opinion unless inferred or implied by facts

Comer Reveals New Evidence in Biden Family’s Influence Peddling Schemes

From the thousands of records we’ve obtained so far, we know the Biden family set up over a dozen companies when Joe Biden was vice president.

What Trump's disclosure of his 500 LLCs can and can't tell us

But reviewing a spreadsheet of the names and income streams of Trump's LLCs doesn't actually shine much light on the president's overall financial situation because we don't get to see how much actually ended up in his bank account at the end of the day.

Releasing just the list of LLCs also withholds other vital information, tax attorney Steve Moskowitz told NBC News: Without Trump's tax returns, we don't know which foreign assets or bank accounts he owns or where they're located. We don't know how much foreign tax he has paid and to which countries. We can't verify which charities he's funding. And without his taxes we can't calculate how much he may have saved on pass-through entity income as a result of the new tax law he signed in December.

First Amendment Facts

 "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Emphasis mine.

Was he or wasn't he?

An old draft I had from 2018...

"This is a low-level person who worked in a campaign," Trump, Jr. told Fox News host Tucker Carlson Monday night. "I've seen the emails where somebody says 'this is someone who is no longer working on the campaign,' and I believe one of my family members responded 'who the heck is that individual, we've never heard of him.'"

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/05/carter-page-nunes-memo-393054

But was he:

https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/21/politics/donald-trump-foreign-policy-team/index.html

Trump’s team of foreign policy advisers, led by Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, consists of counter-terrorism expert Walid Phares, energy consultant George Papadopoulos, former Defense Department inspector general Joe Schmitz, managing partner of Global Energy Capital Carter Page and former Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg. Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks confirmed the names to CNN.

Hmm

Is anyone surprised?

 When Donald Trump was President, he was impeached 2 times.

He could not be prosecuted for many crimes while President, which is why he fought so hard; even to the point of make up stories on how the election was stolen, in order to stay in office.

Once he was out of office, he no longer had this protection.

Once out, he became subject to:

1. Business dealings in NY

2. Hush money paid 

3. Classified papers he fought not to give back

4. Election interference in GA

and a slew of other business and personal lawsuits coming.

Not that he is unaccustomed to lawsuits:

From the Arizona Central:

4,095 lawsuits

"An exclusive and ongoing USA TODAY analysis of legal filings across the United States finds that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee and his businesses have been involved in thousands of legal actions in federal and state courts over the past three decades. They range from skirmishes with casino patrons to million-dollar real estate suits to personal defamation lawsuits."

So to him, this is not something new.  What is new is that some of the cases might involve jail time.  Not something he can settle out of court and move on.

So people are saying he is being attacked because he is running for President.  Actually, all these cases were before he announced.  He is running BECAUSE of the cases.  He is using it to deflect and plead for sympathy and play the martyr.  

The question is - will it work?

I don't know what to do... Draft from 11/20/21

I wrote this back in 2021 but never finished it - because no one is listening..... 

=================================================================

The Rittenhouse verdict was yesterday.  The case was filled with technicalities, one of the most important ones was the barrel size of the gun he had.  I spent 18 months on a Federal Grand Jury, and we indicted many people BECASE they possessed a gun or carried over state lines.  However, for some reason in Wisconsin, this was not looked at as illegal.  A technicality - this was not a rifle used for hunting, it was a 30 round "assault" weapon.  If the case had been tried in Illinois, the gun would have been illegal, but just across state line.....

Now some may question my calling it an "assault" rifle.  Well I work with cars.  We gave economy cars, crossovers, SUV's and we have muscle cars.  If I parked  454 Chevelle next to a 6 cylinder Nova from the 70's, I don't think you would have a problem telling one from another.  Just as if you put a hunting rifle next to AR15, would the average person, who has watched many movies in their lifetime, have a hard time pointing out which was which.  Here is the first answer to the person's question "I don't know what to do".  Write to your legislators, make sure they understand that technical things matter and how the laws are written makes a difference.  Sometimes just patching a law makes things worse, sometimes they have to be completely rewritten.  They have to be technically up to date and reviewed.  In general we can talk about the spirit of the law, but in a trial the spirit takes a back seat to the words.

The second thing is a little more nuanced, but just as important.  If you asked any Police Chief or Law Enforcement official, if in the middle of a Protest that turned violent, if he would want armed, untrained civilians interjected into that situation, I would expect the answer to be no.  That person would only make the situation more dangerous and the job of the police more difficult.  So there should be laws against vigilante involvement.  This is different than protecting your property.  If Mr. Rittenhouse was on a single property he had a personal connection to, or was being paid to guard that property,  then it would be different.  If he was in a bank during a holdup and was legally authorized to own a gun, that should be a different situation.  But we have laws against inciting a riot, and what he did was different that equipping a fireman with a flam thrower.  So here is your second thing.

=======================================================================

We continue to fight about IF anything can be done and nothing gets done.

Several cliche's come to mind:

If you do (or don't) do the same thing over and over again, and expect a different result, that is the definition of Insanity.

The longest journey starts with the first step.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, give a man a gun and you will live in fear the rest of your life.

Sorry, just made that last one up.

What to do?  

First, realize we live in the 21st century, not the 1700s

Second, realize that we have more guns than people.

Third - there is no thing as an illegal gun.  No gun manufacturer is dealing in the black market.  Criminals get guns either through straw buyers, legal buyers who traffic guns or stolen guns.

Fourth - understand that Americans have a wild west mentality that anything and everything can be solved with a gun.

So what can we do?  Here are some things that maybe we can agree on or maybe discuss.

A. Not everyone is responsible to have a gun. Youth, emotionally unstable and untrained people come to mind.

B. We need a national system or stricter laws as too many crimes are caused by guns trafficked across state lines.

C. We need waiting times and better background checks. No gun without training and observation.

D. Gun owners should have insurance.  

E. Penalties for mishandling of guns should be stiffer.  Having a gun stolen is not an accident - it is carelessness.  Having someone unqualified to have access to your gun is criminal.

F. Certain guns should not be available for the general populace.  

No problem is solved without effort and sometimes mistakes.  The longer we wait, the more the problem will grow and the longer it will last.

Unfortunately, I feel nothing will happen until everyone is touched with a tragedy.

Reading Material

National Firearms Commerce and Trafficking Assessment (NFCTA): Crime Guns - Volume Two

Where does the time go?

 We were discussing modern times and why people don't seem to volunteer anymore.

There are many reasons and while all can be overcome, it is how we respond to the changing world that will decide if we succeed.

What has changed in the last 40 years, since Den Mothers and Little league coaches had a surplus rather than a shortage?  Having lived through this time, let me throw out some reasons.

1. The 24 hour 7 day a week life.  No longer does the world shut down for Sunday, nor do the TV stations close up shop at 11pm.  With the Internet going full blast, and other forms of electronic communication set for warp speed, there is no structured down time.  Your boss email you at 3 in the morning?  Just because they can't sleep, shouldn't you?  Want to catch that concert you missed?  Before when it was missed - it was done. Now you miss nothing due to delayed streaming and YouTube.  

2.  The self service culture.  Yes online ordering is convenient, but it also takes more time.  Funny about that; we know what we want, but instead of just getting it, we spend hours comparing prices, shopping venders, reading all the reviews, and in the end, after chasing down the delivery , we decide to return it!  Then we go to the store, where we repeat almost the same procedure, except there, much of the time we are the price checker, checkout person (self service), bagger and delivery person - all in the name of convenience.  Shopping has become a end in itself rather than a quick necessity to fill our needs.  And medical forms - now we are working for the health care providers in maintaining our own health records*

3. Self publishers. This blog is an example. I end up writing something once a week, and I have multiple blogs.  But you don't have a blog you say.  What about those 20 posts to Facebook, the 35 responses to others cute cat (or kids) video?  If your phone "screen time" is 2 hours a day , that is 14 hours a week, 728 hours per year!  Now some time is spend answering emails (what did you do before you had a "smart" phone - if it is so smart - why does it not answer your emails for you), but we live in a world of PUSH technology - you open up your Facebook page and there are 30 post waiting for you to read.  Before you would just look at only things you wanted to look for - PULL technology.  

Aside - STOP SENDING ME SURVEYS!  I go to the doctor - get a survey.  I buy something at the store - get a survey.  I look at website - get a survey.  I even got a survey of how I liked a survey!!!!  

Now there are other things that tire us out, distract us from what we should be doing, and in general suck up the time we used to have for free.  What do we do?  How do we claim our lives back?  More to come.....

*Being aware of your health is not a bad thing - filling out the same information over and over because they cannot agree on a common system is another time waster.

Tax Cuts and Spending - When is the right time

 All Republicans want to do is cut taxes and spending.  All Democrats want to do is raise spending and taxes.  Both are right - it is the timing that is wrong.

Republicans tend to cut taxes when times are good - makes sense, right?  More money in people's pockets. 

The only problem is when things are great, people HAVE more money in their pocket.  This is the time for paying down the deficit (which Republicans seem to abhor - the deficit that is)   You can spend a little more, but that tends to lead to inflation unless the spending is targeted.  

When things are tough, cutting taxes and increasing spending seems to be counterintuitive, but actually it is something the government can do to help get the economy going again, provided as it gets better it eases off and slowly raises taxes and moderates spending.

Yes it is a balancing act.  In the preceding case, raising taxes to pay for increased spending goes hand in hand.  People have to see a value for their increased taxes.  But we have been off cycle for so long, it would take either a massive change, which would be disruptive to the economy, or a long gradual adjustment, which would not satisfy the "we want the world and we want it now" crown on both sides.

The economy is not totally a zero sum game, but it has it's limits.  Trying to stay within the limits is getting tougher every day.

Factual Conspiracy or just a good guess...

From Hot Air:

 From this article on Havana Syndrome

“What a strange story this turns out to be if there are in fact no attacks and no hidden weapons. I guess there’s a lesson here about believing something is the result of planning and (hostile) intelligence when in fact that wasn’t the case.”

From this article on the origins of Covid

“Only willful blindness would prevent anybody from at least suspecting that the COVID virus originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

And by suspecting, I mean believing that the virus’ emergence into the human population likely resulted from a lab leak. Unless the Chinese admit that this is the case we may never have definitive proof, but other scenarios strain credulity.”

Conspiracy Theories are part of Survivor Bias.   You forget the dozens of ones that go away and only remember the ones that either are proven true or those that come anywhere near coming true.  In this case it is just like taking a guess on everything and then claiming knowledge and wisdom if one comes true.  The real test is to keep an accurate score of right and wrong guesses.