Sunday, February 15, 2026

Why the Economy Hasn't Crashed Yet

P.S.  I have recently discovered Windows Reading Mode.  You can highlight text and then select reading mode.  Then hit play to have the text read aloud.

This is a different take on economics and Trump.


@john2001plus
0 seconds ago
This "economist" has written only one book that reportedly blames inflation on everything except the government printing money.  Some of the reviewers on Amazon called it "Liberal BS."

The anti-Trump people tend to spin facts in the worst possible way for Trump.  I'm sure the same thing was true for Biden and Obama.

This video has ideas that ring true, but might be half truths and don't necessarily see the whole picture.

I understand why people hate Trump.  He is a troll, a narcissist, and a bully.  But he can also be a kind man that cares passionately about helping the country..  He came along at a time when Americans wanted someone strong to stand for them.  Despite his personality flaws, he uses his influence to get things done.  The country is going broke and has many problems, so Trump is the strong man that people need to fix things.  Despite his flaws, I see Trump as a net positive.

If you privately own a business, you may think that you are your own boss, but you really work for your customers.  If you don't provide the customers with what they need for a price that they are willing to pay, you won't have a business.  In some businesses, you need to innovate or die.   Corporations are no different.  You may say that corporations work for the shareholders, but the companies are really working for their customers.  The shareholders are just the investors.

Having people employed by the government and government regulations aren't necessarily a good thing unless they are doing positive work and not hindering the free market or just wasting resources, in which case getting rid of those things frees up resources that can be put to more productive use.

The fact the corporations curry favor from the government is a sign of a government that is too powerful with too much control.  I don't doubt that there is corruption, since all major companies have lobbyists, but big government is the problem.  The countries that are closer to socialism are always more corrupt because their governments have too much power.

Private individuals donate to politicians that they politically agree with. Companies are the same way. Some companies do benefit massively from government spending, but many private individuals are also dependent upon government spending, so they vote and donate accordingly.

Because of political influence, I have long thought that only private citizens should be allowed to donate to campaigns.

Monday, November 24, 2025

Ryan Gosling explains how to turn debt into money | The Big Short

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_DQtUK-FXg

This is a good movie, but its one failing is that it does not explain the government's role in the 2008 financial crisis.  Instead it blames greedy capitalists.

I am sure that there were greedy capitalists, but banks do not want to make bad loans.  It is a terrible business strategy.  Major corporations do not want to make bad investments.  I assume, rightly or wrongly, that investment banks do not want to sell bad and fraudulent securities to their customers.

The government created two Government Sponsored Enterprises to create and sell mortgage back securities to create liquidity in the housing loan market.  Then the government passed the Community Reinvestment Act that set goals for GSE's to pressure banks to create mortgages for people who would otherwise not be qualified   Also, there was no incentive for banks to make good loans when the GSE's would buy the loans regardless at a profit for the bank.  This is the cause of the subprime mortgage crisis.  

When the government interferes with the free market, usually worse results happen.

I remember a commercial on TV in the 2000's, probably created by a GSE, showing a black family being able to afford their first home.  This was the motivation of the government.

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

TELO Releases Cancer Suppressing Results

Telomir Pharmaceuticals

I am not making a stock recommendation.  This kind of drug, if it works, would be a miracle.  

I have made a prediction that we would find ways to extend human lifespan.  My prediction might be wrong, but there is research going on in this area.

Why AA Batteries Still Suck


@john2001plus
0 seconds ago
The problem is that many devices, like remote controls, use AAA batteries that have a third of the power and cost as much.  Some of these devices could have easily used the more powerful AA batteries.

Sunday, September 7, 2025

Wawa (company)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wawa_(company)


Wawa has opened a few convenience stores in Indiana, near big cities.  They advertise so much that even my aunt in a small town wants to try them.  They advertise sandwiches, hamburgers, and pizza.   

I am leery of buying food from a gas station.  It might be interesting to try their pizza.



Sunday, August 17, 2025

Axios

Zoom in: The risk in this particular moment is that Fed independence is under pressure while the full potential impact of tariffs has not been felt yet, which could leave monetary policy "really behind the curve," Natalucci says.

  • The U.S. is "thriving because it's an open economy. It's a rules-based economy," he adds. If the rules are rewritten, it could be a catalyst for investors to continue moving away from dollar-denominated assets.

Yes, but: Not only is the U.S. not an emerging market, but American leadership still has the kind of credibility that emerging markets leaders often lack, Hsu notes.

  • Trump has "a lot of willing believers," including market participants who felt economic data gathering needed reforms to make it more accurate.

What we're watching: "The market will price (any) policy mistake," Natalucci says. For now the bond market has been relatively stable since April.

  • But if the Fed were to cut rates amid hot inflation, bond investors could react negatively, pushing up yields and making debt more expensive.
  • That could put pressure on the administration, which has already proven that it reacts when the bond market panics.

The White House responded to an Axios request for comment on these parallels via email.

  • "There is no virtue in defending a broken status quo and upholding elite-approved America Last policies that have eroded our industrial base and decimated American communities," White House spokesman Kush Desai writes, pointing to efforts to lower inflation and strike trade deals.
  • "Ivory tower analyses that are completely disconnected from day-to-day reality for working class Americans aren't going to change these facts."

Wednesday, August 13, 2025

I Got a Juicer



https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RQQCJq-90S4

I avoid sugary drinks, but the videos are interesting.  I would rather eat oranges.

Orange juice at Walmart, depending upon the size, varies from $2.50 to $8.00.  It is a little more expensive at Kroger.