Here’s another missive with multiple topics. Based on the feedback y’all give me, you seem to like these anyway. Besides, it’s hard in today’s world to talk about just one thing because so much is interconnected. There may be a few items here about which you have not heard.

As the chaos that defines this blog accelerates around us, there is no shortage of topics to discuss. Hence, this missive will comment on a number of issues. These issues are unrelated except for how they are all a part of the tumult building in our world.

It used to be so simple. Democrats were liberals. Republicans were conservatives. There were moderates in both parties who were either less doctrinaire than average or agreed with the other side on a few things. Third parties were either de minimis in appeal or they were single issue based so they came and went quickly.

It’s not so simple anymore.

The current status of U.S. Federal debt is bad. Very bad. And it is getting worse every day and with every bill Biden signs. Very few in Washington want to deal with it. That’s because the only cures available now are all painful and unpopular. The budget is like a patient with a totally gangrenous leg. The only cure is amputation, which the patient doesn’t want. But if you do nothing, the patient dies.

We’ll largely take a break from World War III this week, as it has been a very consequential last few days in the political arena. After all, how the U.S. manages through the current and expanding wars very much depends on who is at the helms of the ships of state over the next months and years. Here follows a quick analysis of seven recent political events:

We all know what is happening in the hot wars in the Middle East and Ukraine and the cold war with China. There is a lot going on in the rest of the world as well. Some of it is related to the wars. Some is not. Here follows a roundup of just a few things you may or may not know.

There are many things going on out there in our broken world upon which I would like to opine. But for at least one more week, I feel compelled to revisit the status of the chaos in the House and the chaos in the middle east. Not that either of these issues will be resolved by next week, next month, or next year as I will explain below.

I wanted to talk about some encouraging news in the fight against the climate worship extremists. I also wanted to warn you about more truly unbelievable new laws from the crucible of all bad ideas – California. But there are two stories going on that eclipse all others in importance. And neither seems headed for a quick resolution.

I am probably supposed to write this week about the ongoing Republican squabble to find a Speaker of the House. But I’m not going to. One is not supposed to make comparisons of the present to Nazis and Hitler. But I am going to do that.

I started this blog nearly two years ago with the premise that we were entering a period of chaos in politics, economics, culture, society and foreign affairs. The chaos has begun. The House of Representatives this week is an obvious example, but there are others outlined below.

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: