Happy New Year?

Happy New Year!. So far, its been busy - ruining my vacation.

Venezuela: I am a defense Democrat, as I was a defense Republican (an extinct species) and was never a defense Green (no such thing). I am perfectly happy with getting Russia out of the country. Slava Ukrani!

American oil companies are the ones who would fix their infrastructure anyway - and it needed doing. As for the Maduros? SDNY have jurisdiction  and the extraterritorial precedent already exists under the Noriega case. Nothing new here.

Minneapolis: The situation makes me sick. The ICE agent behaved as badly as any American cop, but is protected from lawsuit under sovereign immunity - unless the case gives us a chance to relitigate the issue. Same issues, different day. The local government is right - the the F out of Minnesota.

Greenland: There would be no change if the US purchased it. For purposes of defense - we already have a base there. It is already NATO territory - and therefore under control in times of war of an American Supreme Commander. On both Canada and Greenland, the American Coast Guard and Navy would likely police any issues involving the international waters - or local waters - so no change.

Extraction: For all practical purposes, the citizens of Greenland would have tribal status as native Americas. Their local government would be tribal government. Any attempt of extraction would likely lead to attention to whether American tribes can stop extraction on their land. On Greenland, there would have to be a treaty - and there is no way the locals would let extraction take place under any arrangement.

If Trump had competent staff, they would already have said this. If the American media had competent staff, this would already be reported. Same old same old.

Canada: Provincial finance and healthcare would stay the same. The only difference is that - with the possible but unlikely exception of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta - every province would be solid Blue - especially Ontario. This would forever consign the Republican Party to minority status in the Senate, the House and the Electoral College. 

If Trump had competent staff, which he does not, this issue would drop. He needed people from the Hoover Institute, not the Heritage Foundation. Same for American media talking heads. Same old, same old.

Why 2026 Will Be Worse Than 2008 (THE GREAT RESET 2.0)

Net interest on the debt is rolled over into new debt - where it becomes the leverage for capitalism to occur. Of course, if the asset markets this debt backs collapse some of the investors may leave the field - selling their bonds as they go.

The cure for the nation on the debt - and to raise GDP - is to decrease the savings sector by raising tax rates on corporations, high income individuals, dividends, pass through income and capital gains and increase tax benefits for lower income individuals - those who make under $130,000 - with phase out beginning at $80,000.

Is Degrowth the Only Answer?

Degrowth advocates call on policy makers and scientists to do something without offering options. They deal from values rather than making plans themselves. They like getting screen time but refuse to go beyond the egalitarian coalition, because the obvious solution to warming (and cooling Barents Sea) is to abandon gasoline fuel for cars and go to some kind of tethered electric vehicle powered by small modular reactors. That last bit is what they can't face.