I said earlier this year that it was hard for me to imagine that both major parties would each nominate presidential candidates that fully 60% of the public does not like. I also said that I thought the government funding process this year would go smoothly because of the “debt-limit deal” made in May. So, how are my predictions going?

Inflexion Point: In August of 1981, President Reagan fired the striking air traffic controllers. In retrospect, this was seen as a major inflexion point where the country transitioned from more than a decade of inflation and strikes into a new calmer economic and social period. Could the current UAW strike be a new inflexion point in the other direction? The UAW’s significant demands have been driven by three factors: inflation, low unemployment, and income inequality.

Back by popular demand! Two weeks ago, I debuted “Issues in 3 sentences” in this blog. Many of you e-mailed me that you liked the format of quick analysis of a lot of issues. Maybe you just like to hear about lots of things or maybe 3 sentences is the length of your attention span. Either way, here we go again, but I gave myself an extra sentence for clarity where needed:

Jimmy Buffett passed away on September 1st, 2023 at the age of 76. The Captivating Mrs. Campbell and I are parrot heads. We even have the hats with a parrot on top that we have worn to various of his concerts over the years. Jimmy’s voice wasn’t spectacular, and his songs were musically uncomplicated and similar in many ways. But no matter where you are or how bad your day has been, that music can take you to a beach and put a Margarita in your hand. That was his magic. His songs transport you to other places and commiserate with your sorrow. Those lyrics somehow were about you.

August is usually the doldrums of the news cycle. Congress is out of session and everyone else is on vacation for all of the month (if you are in Europe) or some of the month everywhere else. But not this year. There is a lot going on. I usually dedicate each of these missives to a single topic. Today, I will try to cover many things, each in 3 sentences or less. Here goes:

I am writing you this having just finished watching the first GOP presidential debate. Here are my unvarnished views on who gained the most and the least tonight. I have not read or heard anyone else’s analysis, so these are my thoughts and mine alone.

I have often pointed out how the media is no longer just biased, but is slinging pure propaganda intended not to inform, but to support leftist narratives and indoctrinate you into their way of thinking. This is not new. It has been going on in media since the beginning of the Republic. What is new is that nearly all of legacy media is stacked up on one side of the political ledger instead of being equally divided. One of the strategies they employ is to hide facts and information that do not fit the narrative they wish to promote. That said, the true information is out there. Here are some things you will not find reported on the “evening news” or the LA Times.

Have you heard that song? It has been one of the top selling songs in American the last few weeks. Yes, even outselling Taylor Swift. It is part of a new movement of anti-woke protest songs. And, just as the anti-war protest songs of the 60s and 70s were all in one genre – rock music, these new anti-woke protest songs are all from Country artists. The popularity of anti-woke protest music is part of where things are right now. Here is a little more color on that, as well as the status of some other conditions in society, government, and the world. All in one missive.

Congress is out until after Labor Day. There are only three major deadlines that motivate members of congress to finish things up. They are (1) 3 weeks before they are up for reelection (2) Christmas Day and (3) August recess. Your “life, liberty and property” are safe for a few weeks if you turn around the famous quip attributed to Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain). Let’s review what happened before they left, and where things stand for when they get back.

It’s a good thing you don’t pay anything to read this blog. Occasionally, I make predictions about things. And I want to make sure they are worth what you are paying. Zero is the right price. I am writing this on July 25, 2023, and here follow my views and observations on the economy and what is going on out there. These thoughts are politically neutral and I try to be as objective as I can be.

Taxes are a necessary part of a civilized society. They have been around for thousands of years. They fund those actions of the government that are deemed in the general interest of society. In Democratic Republics, they are assessed upon the people with their consent through their elected representatives. But not all taxes are created equal. Some are “better” than others.

The recent Supreme Court decisions have received a lot of coverage in all of the press. You don’t need me to regurgitate what the decisions were and the arguments supporting and opposing the rulings. But the aftermath of these decisions impacts more than just the plaintiffs and defendants and others in similar positions to those parties. There are two broader implications that I would like to explore with you.

The presidency of Donald J. Trump had many notable accomplishments. Among them are starting to secure the border; successful and effective foreign and trade policies; tax rate reductions that increased revenue; three excellent appointments to the Supreme Court and a number of effective cabinet appointees and executive orders. He also made the Republican party more populist bringing in blue collar families and driving out the old “country club Republican” image. I’m sure there are more that I am leaving out in the interest of brevity.

Somewhere in your pocket, purse or wallet, you probably have some of those pieces of greenish paper with a number on each of the four corners. You use this paper (or the digital equivalent on your phone) to acquire things of value that you need and can use like food. And others readily give you those tangible and useful things in exchange for pieces of paper that don’t even burn very well or even worse, for some 1s and 0s in a computer. The whole concept of money is based on trust. Trust in the system behind that money. Without it, that paper ,or the 1s and 0s, are literally not worth the paper they are printed on. For proof, I can show you $100 million Zimbabwe bill. It’s not worth a cent because no one trusts that government.

I have attended seminars and lectures of various sorts for decades. I believe in lifelong learning for many reasons and as I approach age 68, I still have much I can learn. Since college, most of this learning has come from my professional associations, investments, CPA education and such. Of late, however, I have gotten more out of church sermons than almost anywhere else.