Monday, May 12, 2025
Saturday, May 10, 2025
What are you rebelling against, Andor?
@john2001plus
0 seconds ago
The myth that Fascists and Nazis were capitalists is promoted by the left to obscure the Fascist connection to socialism. The Fascist motto was: "Everything for the state, nothing outside the state." The Nazis made similar statements, asserting that industries not serving the state would be taken over. In practice, the Nazi regime operated as a kleptocracy, seizing anything they could get their hands on.
Mussolini was a communist before founding Fascism. Early on, he had the support of the far left in America—a fact the left tried to obscure after the war by labeling the Fascists and Nazis as "far-right."
The first speech of the German Workers' Party that Hitler attended focused on why free market capitalism should be abandoned. Hitler became member number 50. He did not oppose socialism itself, only international socialism, which was viewed as a threat in Germany at the time. Instead, he advocated for national socialism. There's a reason the party renamed itself the National Socialist German Workers' Party—it presented itself as a nationalist alternative to international socialism.
Andor isn't about rebelling against an economic system; it's about rebelling against oppression.
Friday, May 9, 2025
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
America’s Growing Trade Deficit Is Selling the Nation Out From Under Us
America's Growing Trade Deficit Is Selling the Nation Out From Under Us
"We were taught in Economics 101 that countries could not for long sustain large, ever-growing trade deficits. At a point, so it was claimed, the spree of the consumption-happy nation would be braked by currency-rate adjustments and by the unwillingness of creditor countries to accept an endless flow of IOUs from the big spenders. And that's the way it has indeed worked for the rest of the world, as we can see by the abrupt shutoffs of credit that many profligate nations have suffered in recent decades. The U.S., however, enjoys special status. In effect, we can behave today as we wish because our past financial behavior was so exemplary—and because we are so rich. Neither our capacity nor our intention to pay is questioned, and we continue to have a mountain of desirable assets to trade for consumables.
In other words, our national credit card allows us to charge truly breathtaking amounts. But that card's credit line is not limitless. The time to halt this trading of assets for consumables is now..."
Sunday, May 4, 2025
Saturday, May 3, 2025
Friday, May 2, 2025
Thursday, May 1, 2025
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Something insane happened today
Spain, Portugal, and part of France lost power for ten hours.
Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Friday, April 25, 2025
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
America’s Silent Inheritance: The Hidden $150 Trillion
I am hearing radio advertisements for this. Maybe they are trying to get people to invest. Maybe it is a scam.
I don't know how accurate this is. If there were natural resources that could be used to pay off the National Debt, then that would be a good thing.
What's Actually Hidden?
According to Rickards, the "silent inheritance" includes an enormous supply of strategic materials—copper, lithium, silver, rare earths—buried beneath government-controlled land across the western United States.
"We have all these essential materials right under our feet," says Rickards. "Incredibly, insanely, however, the United States is the only nation in the world that locks them up."
The sheer value is hard to fathom:
"It's enough to pay off the national debt four-times over… enough to take a 100% stake in every company listed on the NASDAQ… and buy every private home in the United States."'
Sunday, April 20, 2025
What If China Wins the Trade War?
'The Trump administration believes that it has the upper hand in this fight. "We export one-fifth to them of what they export to us," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently remarked, "so that is a losing hand for them." That view has things backwards. The fact that the American economy is hooked on Chinese goods is a massive weakness for the U.S., not an advantage. For many categories of goods, China is not only America's top supplier but also the world's dominant supplier, meaning that the U.S. can't simply get them from other countries. According to data gathered by Jason Miller, a professor at Michigan State University who specializes in supply-chain management, China produces more than 70 percent of the world's lithium-ion batteries, air conditioners, and cookware; more than 80 percent of the world's smartphones, kitchen appliances, and toys; and about 90 percent of the world's solar panels and processed rare earth minerals, the latter of which are crucial inputs to cars, phones, and several key military technologies.
Pivoting to producing these goods at home would take years, if not decades: It would involve forming new companies, building new factories, creating supply chains from scratch, and training fleets of workers. For it to happen at all, companies would have to be confident that the tariffs would be in place for the long term. China, meanwhile, is only heavily dependent on the U.S. for a small fraction of its imports, and most of those items, such as soybeans and sorghum, can be imported from elsewhere.
Chinese businesses will be hurt by losing access to the American market, but that is an easier problem to solve. China can redirect some of its exports to countries in Europe and East Asia, whose citizens also need phones, toys, and toasters. Beijing could also give money to its own citizens to create more demand for its products at home and provide subsidies to its businesses to help them remain solvent. This asymmetry gives China what the economist Adam Posen calls "escalation dominance": the ability to inflict disproportionate harm on its economic enemy.'
Pivoting to producing these goods at home would take years, if not decades: It would involve forming new companies, building new factories, creating supply chains from scratch, and training fleets of workers. For it to happen at all, companies would have to be confident that the tariffs would be in place for the long term. China, meanwhile, is only heavily dependent on the U.S. for a small fraction of its imports, and most of those items, such as soybeans and sorghum, can be imported from elsewhere.
Chinese businesses will be hurt by losing access to the American market, but that is an easier problem to solve. China can redirect some of its exports to countries in Europe and East Asia, whose citizens also need phones, toys, and toasters. Beijing could also give money to its own citizens to create more demand for its products at home and provide subsidies to its businesses to help them remain solvent. This asymmetry gives China what the economist Adam Posen calls "escalation dominance": the ability to inflict disproportionate harm on its economic enemy.'
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Re: Donald J Trump/Barbara Corcoran
This is a common trait among psychopaths. Steve Jobs used it to belittle people. Some psychopaths use their talents for good.
I'm all for Trump, but I think that the tariffs are potentially very bad, unless it is just a negotiation tactic. I'm not going to agree with him blindly.
On Tue, Apr 15, 2025 at 7:53 PM Albert wrote:
One of the greatest compliments anyone has ever given Trump.it's time every American put some skin in the game and support the President instead of criticising his every move.
Fwd: Impressive press conference... Future president?
I normally hate listening to press conferences because the press can be so stupid or hostile. Here, she has somewhat friendly reporters.
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Sunday, April 13, 2025
Death to Nickels
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58SrtQNt4YE
We could stop making nickels and one-cent coins while keeping them in circulation. As more transactions become electronic, the need for cash should go down.
We should also encourage sales tax to adjust to a ten-cent currency. Change for a quarter might be tricky, but there would still be nickels, and people would adjust if there was a shortage of nickels.
The smart thing would be to start with eliminating the 1-cent coin as a trial run.
We should also encourage sales tax to adjust to a ten-cent currency. Change for a quarter might be tricky, but there would still be nickels, and people would adjust if there was a shortage of nickels.
The smart thing would be to start with eliminating the 1-cent coin as a trial run.
Saturday, April 12, 2025
Everything Wrong with the Wilson Administration
Many people blame Wilson for getting us into World War I.
Sorry America - WAN Show
I don't listen to three-hour live streams, but this one talks for 7 minutes about the disruption of the computer industry.
In this 8-minute segment, he defends the United States.
Douglas Murray on the Brian Kilmeade show
I found the following interesting...
https://www.briankilmeade.com/radio
Douglas Murray: The media hates Trump for doing what he campaigned on
Friday, April 11, 2025
Thursday, April 10, 2025
Fwd: National Debt and defecits
FYI.
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: John Coffey <john2001plus@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Apr 10, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Subject: re: National Debt and defecits
To: Grant
From: John Coffey <john2001plus@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Apr 10, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Subject: re: National Debt and defecits
To: Grant
The budget had a surplus under Clinton due to the dot-com bubble. It was very short-lived. As soon as that bubble burst, we went back to deficits.
I don't believe our huge national debt started with the Iraq war. It has been an ongoing process due to overall spending.
In hindsight, invading Iraq might have been a mistake, or maybe not. Although we did not find WMDs, a couple of things were reported at the time. First, people were caught trying to smuggle enriched uranium into Iraq, although not near enough to make a bomb. Second, just before the invasion, it was reported that Iraq sent trucks full of stuff to Syria. Many think that this might have WMD research. Our troops also found an abandoned nuclear lab.
It was good to topple a dictator, although my position would have been that this wasn't necessarily in our national interest. However, Iraq reportedly had a terrorist training camp and was reportedly harboring at least one terrorist. The Bush Doctrine said that we would not make a distinction between the terrorists and the nations that harbor them.
So, it is a complicated issue.
We live in such a dangerous time that it might be necessary to maintain a strong military. If we don't do it, someone else will. Our enemies could form a coalition against us.
However, I would prefer that the federal government spend less on the military and just about everything else.
I think that DOGE has made minor progress, but there is more to come. This has great potential. I believe that the federal government is inherently corrupt, with individuals and groups profiting from it.
--
Best wishes,
John Coffey
John Coffey
On Thu, Apr 10, 2025 at 12:07 AM Grant wrote:
My broker for some time has reminded me of these numbers and suggested we need to cut Social Security, but we have paid into the system for many years, and so it's really our money being returned. I agree we need to drastically reduce military spending and increase taxes, but that's a hard sell. Having worked in propulsion on all our ballistic missiles, land based missiles are essentially a free deterrent, since we already have the arsenal in place. The other two legs of the nuclear triad, submarines and bombers are likewise effective but more costly. The point is that we could drastically reduce our military without jeopardizing our safety. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard we spend as much on our military as the rest of the world combined. That may be why Trump hasn't worked for a cooperative coalition and appears to be ignoring NATO. Similarly, years ago under George W Bush, we didn't need UN approval to unilaterally attack Iraq, because no one was in a position to stop us from militarily doing as we pleased, which started our huge national debt. [The budget had been balanced under Bill Clinton, and no I'm not a democrat.]
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Old quote about Islam
I remembered someone saying, "Islam is a Political Ideology Disguised as a Religion". I went looking for it and found it.
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Reflections on America
@john2001plus
0 seconds agoThere are many restaurants in America, mostly chains, where one can enjoy a nice meal for $20 to $40. This is how most Americans dine out when not opting for fast food.
Cornbread is not cake; it is a dense bread. While I'm not particularly fond of the taste, it pairs well with BBQ, chili, or beans.
Many large cities in the United States have become dysfunctional, or they contain areas you'd want to avoid. Smaller cities tend to be the best places to live.
Sunday, April 6, 2025
What Caused Today's Culture War?
This is an interesting discussion about how our brains work.
Friday, April 4, 2025
Trump's Tariff Motives
I expressed the opinion that Trump is motivated by a desire to win over voters, particularly among working-class people who traditionally vote Democrat. Although he is not running for re-election, his party still needs to win elections.
However, I had another thought. Trump also wants to push his vision of how he believes the world should work. This seems likely.
In some cases, such as cutting waste, fraud, and abuse, his vision for the country is beneficial. However, his stance on tariffs is not. Implementing such a massive change using powers the President should not have is authoritarian. While his intentions may be good, restricting free trade ultimately harms our freedoms.
The free market has already determined the most efficient way to manufacture and distribute goods. When governments interfere with incentives and regulations, they disrupt an already efficient system.
Trump claims that trade deficits mean we are financing other countries, effectively giving them a free ride. In reality, the opposite is true. Some countries send us more goods than we send them, and they use their excess dollars to finance our national debt.
Trump's tariffs amount to a $600 billion tax on the American people, yet he insists they will make us richer. In truth, the tariffs will disproportionately affect low-income individuals. Reportedly, every job saved through protectionism can cost consumers hundreds of thousands of dollars up to a million dollars.
Yesterday, I heard that Congress is considering reasserting control over tariffs to counter Trump's policies.
The ideal outcome would be for all countries to eliminate tariffs, allowing for truly free trade. However, I make an exception for nations that pose a potential threat or engage in human rights abuses. In such cases, tariffs can serve as a strategic bargaining tool.
In some cases, such as cutting waste, fraud, and abuse, his vision for the country is beneficial. However, his stance on tariffs is not. Implementing such a massive change using powers the President should not have is authoritarian. While his intentions may be good, restricting free trade ultimately harms our freedoms.
The free market has already determined the most efficient way to manufacture and distribute goods. When governments interfere with incentives and regulations, they disrupt an already efficient system.
Trump claims that trade deficits mean we are financing other countries, effectively giving them a free ride. In reality, the opposite is true. Some countries send us more goods than we send them, and they use their excess dollars to finance our national debt.
Trump's tariffs amount to a $600 billion tax on the American people, yet he insists they will make us richer. In truth, the tariffs will disproportionately affect low-income individuals. Reportedly, every job saved through protectionism can cost consumers hundreds of thousands of dollars up to a million dollars.
Yesterday, I heard that Congress is considering reasserting control over tariffs to counter Trump's policies.
The ideal outcome would be for all countries to eliminate tariffs, allowing for truly free trade. However, I make an exception for nations that pose a potential threat or engage in human rights abuses. In such cases, tariffs can serve as a strategic bargaining tool.
Historical US Unemployment
https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/166664/economics/historical-us-unemployment/
According to Google, the current unemployment rate is 4.1%.
I remember unemployment being a big issue in the 1970s. The trend since then seems to be slowly downward. However, this says nothing about the quality of jobs.
The bottom line is that I don't see a strong reason for protectionism.
Reportedly, every job saved through protectionism can cost consumers hundreds of thousands of dollars up to a million dollars.
I remember one economist, I'm not sure who, talking about the fallacy of wanting full employment. He said that for the government to guarantee people jobs is more costly than just supporting them through welfare programs. I don't know if this is true, and it might be better to have people working.
Thursday, April 3, 2025
What The Hell Happened on LIBERATION DAY?!
I'm sorry, but Trump's tariffs are insane, and it is based on multiple illogical premises.
When governments interfere with the free market, creating perverse incentives, which governments everywhere routinely do, it makes the market less efficient.
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
John Boyega says Star Wars has the vibe of being "in the most whitest, elite space"
John Boyega was a fantastic actor in the movie "Attack The Block". His role in Star Wars was part serious but also part comic relief. He has been vocal multiple times about how his character was portrayed, but he agreed to play this character.
Monday, March 31, 2025
Saturday, March 29, 2025
John Lasseter: A Predator in Disguise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF25ZldvdL0
There is no doubt that John Lasseter was instrumental in Pixar's early success. Without his work on Toy Story, there wouldn't be a Pixar. He is prominently featured in the Disney+ documentary The Pixar Story.
Some of the accusations in the video are speculative, but there was sufficient evidence for John Lasseter to be fired from Disney and Pixar.
I was saddened to see this happen.
Friday, March 28, 2025
Hillary Clinton warns Trump ‘stupidity’ will leave US ‘feeble and friendless’
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/28/hillary-clinton-trump-stupidity
People don't fully understand Trump. His modus operandi is to take bold actions and adjust course as needed.
Trump is also a troll. Reportedly, his book The Art of the Deal advocates making outrageous statements as a negotiation tactic. He may be a bully, but at this moment, he is the right person for the job.
People don't fully understand Trump. His modus operandi is to take bold actions and adjust course as needed.
Trump is also a troll. Reportedly, his book The Art of the Deal advocates making outrageous statements as a negotiation tactic. He may be a bully, but at this moment, he is the right person for the job.
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
What to Know about Proving Your Identity | SSA
Does everyone need to prove their identity with Social Security?
No. There is no need to contact Social Security to prove identity if not applying for cash benefits and if not changing direct deposit information. People will continue to receive their benefits and on schedule to the bank account information in Social Security's records without needing to prove identity.
A secure – and most convenient – way to prove identity is with Social Security's online services using a personal my Social Security account.
Individuals will need to provide in-person identification for certain internet, phone, and paper claims, including claims filed by third parties.
A secure – and most convenient – way to prove identity is with Social Security's online services using a personal my Social Security account.
Individuals will need to provide in-person identification for certain internet, phone, and paper claims, including claims filed by third parties.
Social Security requirements changing April 1
Starting April 1, all new Social Security applicants, as well as current beneficiaries wanting to make changes to their accounts, will be required to verify their identity either online with the "my Social Security" service or visit an office in person. In the past, changes could be handled over the telephone.
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Sunday, March 23, 2025
How I Think About Climate Change
0 seconds ago
Neil,
It is possible that climate alarmists are correct and that human CO₂ emissions will lead to disastrous climate change unless we take drastic action. However, I have about a hundred reasons to believe they are not. We will find out in time because we are currently running the experiment. While some changes are occurring, they do not seem significant enough to warrant panic. I believe we have far more time to address this issue than alarmists suggest, as these changes are happening very slowly.
Looking at temperature data, it took approximately 140 years for the average atmospheric temperature to rise by just 1°C—starting from 1880, which was an exceptionally cold decade.
One major reason for resistance to drastic climate policies is that human civilization depends on cheap, reliable energy to thrive. The proposed solutions are often expensive, unreliable, and require draconian government controls. I do not want the government to control the entire energy sector unless there is an overwhelmingly strong existential reason to do so.
I have followed this issue for 37 years and have seen many dire predictions fail to materialize. Around 35 years ago, some claimed that we would face catastrophe within 25 years. Yet, our supposed doom always seems to be 25 years away—much like nuclear fusion. 🙂
As I mentioned earlier, the rate of change is slow, but another key factor is climate sensitivity to CO₂ doubling. Just 15 years ago, some climate scientists estimated climate sensitivity to be between 6 and 12°C. However, these predictions have gradually been revised downward. Around 2010, experts warned that we were on track for a 3°C increase by 2100 and that this would be dangerous, though a 2°C rise would be manageable. Less than a decade later, I saw similar claims, but the numbers had shifted: now a 2°C increase was the catastrophe, and 1.5°C was the new "manageable" threshold. The goalposts keep moving.
We have nearly doubled atmospheric CO₂ since pre-industrial levels—though not quite yet. However, we have not observed a 6–12°C increase. After analyzing temperature and CO₂ data from 1880, I did some calculations and estimated a climate sensitivity of around 2°C.
A 2015 graph comparing climate model predictions with actual temperature changes showed that nearly all models ran too hot. Only the Russian model was close to reality.
We now live in a political climate where truth is often defined by narrative rather than data. It is a post-truth society. There have been numerous reports of scientists struggling to secure funding or publication unless they align with the official narrative.
The IPCC is not an unbiased organization. They have refused to hire anyone who does not already subscribe to the belief in catastrophic man-made warming. This is not how science should be conducted—starting with a conclusion and working backward. Given that the IPCC is funded by governments, it should remain neutral and let data guide its conclusions. Instead, it behaves more like a political entity. The IPCC has also attempted to prevent skeptical papers from being published and has hired individuals affiliated with environmental lobbying groups—an obvious conflict of interest.
Some scientists have resigned from the IPCC, citing excessive bias. One former member stated that the real goal of the organization was to dismantle free-market capitalism.
Antonio Guterres, the socialist from Portugal who has led the UN since 2017, routinely makes exaggerated claims about climate change—such as his statement that oceans are "starting to boil."
Unfortunately, I do not trust the political system or academia to provide an honest assessment. I wish I could, but too many individuals and institutions appear to be pushing their agendas.
Best wishes,
John Coffey
Saturday, March 22, 2025
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