Telling It Like It Is

THE ENTERPRISE— BELIEVING THE UNBELIEVABLE AND OTHER MIND BENDING TOPICS

 

LET’S TAKE THE  FIRST TWO THAT ARE ON EVERYONE’S HEADLINE LISE: BERNIE SANDERS EMERGENCE AS THE DEMOCRAT'S FRONT RUNNER AND CORONAVIRUS…BOTH WILL MAKE YOU SICK—JUST IN DIFFERENT WAYS

CORONA VIRUS: from https://www.livescience.com/new-coronavirus-compare-with-flu.html   
So far, the new coronavirus, COVID-19, has led to more than 75,000 illnesses & 2,000 deaths, primarily in mainland China. But that's nothing compared with the flu. In the U.S. alone, the flu has already caused an estimated 26 million illnesses, 250,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths this season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Jan. 31. "I can tell you all, guaranteed, that as we get into March and April, the flu cases are going to go down. You could predict pretty accurately what the range of the mortality is and the hospitalizations [will be]," Fauci said. "The issue now with [COVID-19] is that there's a lot of unknowns.”   

 

MY Conclusion: the unknown is scarier than the familiar even if the familiar is worse.  

FOR  NOW: DON’T PANIC BUT BE CAREFUL

Unlike seasonal flu, for which there is a vaccine to protect against infection, there is no vaccine for COVID-19. But researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health are in the early stages of developing one. Officials plan to launch a phase 1 clinical trial of a potential vaccine for COVID-19 within the next three months. In general, the CDC recommends the following to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, (both coronaviruses and flu viruses): Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands; avoid close contact with people who are sick; stay home when you are sick; and clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

 

THE BIG $64 QUESTION: HOW MUCH WILL THE CORONAVIRUS FEAR THAT DROPPED WALL STREET VALUES, UNDERMINE CONSUMER CONFIDENCE AND DAMAGE US & GLOBAL ECONOMIC GROWTH? I DON’T KNOW. DOES ANYONE?

 

iT’S HARD TO WRITE ABOUT POLITICS RIGHT NOW—THE STORY CHANGES ALMOST DAILY:

IF YOU WATCHED THE SC DEMOCRAT DEBATE YOU SAW REAL CHAOS—

The “circular firing squad” was at work for all to see. Do you think the presidential primaries are broken—going back to 2016’s GOP primaries, and now the 2020 Democrat primaries. Are the primaries, candidates, their campaigns and even their motivations—broken? Maybe so!

 

THE FRONT RUNNER—BERNIE SANDERS : “AKA “CRAZY BERNIE” IS A REAL CONCERN & A DANGER….

Just as few Dems thought Trump had any chance of being nominated or elected, few GOP-ers have ben worried about Bernie as a serious threat. THAT’S A BIG MISTAKE. Emotion almost always wins over logic and while facts may be proven, there is not rule that says voters are swayed by them. Bernie is famous for saying that Climate Change is the greatest existential threat to the US/earth, my opinion is the potential of a President Bernie Sanders is in fact a greater threat to the US/earth. His extreme ideas and plans got him the nickname “Crazy Bernie" for a reason. They are “crazy," as defined in the dictionary: mentally deranged, especially as manifested in a wild or aggressive way.

 

Sanders repeatedly cited a Yale/Lancet report to defend the the economics of this Medicare for All plans. Here is a Vox article that dissects the study’s overly optimistic assumptions. I highlighted key passages for those who want to read it.

 

Download Sanders Yale:Lancet study too noptimistic?

 

However, if even a fraction of Sanders rantings are implemented (and as president, executive orders could make that happen), it would destroy—or bankrupt—the US economy (the world's largest) and in doing so, damage the entire global economy. Damaging the US economy would cripple the earth's leading hegemon—the USA (A hegemon is a leading or major power. The United States has long been a hegemon in world politics), and lead to global chaos. His policies in the US could easily bankrupt the USA and lead to huge social and economic upheavals.

 

Sanders seems to know that, which is exactly why he is dangerous.  His followers are many, action-oriented  but naive, uninformed or misinformed, and many of them are the youth of an "entitled generation" who think the world “owes them a free everything.” Depicting them as victims of the trials of real life is a clever campaign strategy,  but no way to run a country.

 

A REMINDER: THE GOVERNMENT HAS NO “WEALTH” OF ITS OWN. ALL OF THE GOVERNMENT’S MONEY IS TAKEN FROM BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUALS WHO EARN IT AND PAY TAXES, OR FROM FEES AND TARIFFS IT LEVIES ON OTHERS INSIDE OR OUTSIDE THE USA. GOVERNMENT CREATES NO WEALTH—ZERO, ZIP, NADA!

 

THE DEMOCRATIC FIELD HAS NARROWED TO A GROUP OF 6-7 MARGINAL (OR WORSE) CHOICES:

1. Bernie Sanders is leading. If you promise enough people to give them "free everything,” and blame everyone else for all their woes, they might just elect you. Scary. Few Democrat leaders want him at the top of their ticket.
2. Joe Biden, the former leader, is hoping to save his campaign in SC’s primary thanks to Clybourn's (black) political endorsement, and a recovery from lackluster past debates—scrambled, cobbled-up stories that he can’t keep straight.
3. Elizabeth Warren, the intense, nasty, critical socialist (“Pocahontas”) who has all the charm of an angry badger.
4. Pleasant Mayor Pete, the Obama-lite candidate who sounds rational and "checks all the LGBYQ boxes" but one: “E”—meaningful, mature Experience. He’s just not ready for such a big job.
5. Mayor Mike Bloomberg—did a little better, but he falls short as a speaker crowd of zealots, as a quiet, thoughtful person who has actually run things, built businesses and made a fortune.
6. Amy Klobucher, has actually won elections, & is a credible Senator, but questions about a mean-temper w/staff turnover. (see https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/22/us/politics/amy-klobuchar-staff.html
7. Tom Steyer was able to “get a word in edgewise,” but just barely and without enough reach to quiet the ranting Sanders.

If anyone thinks this group—this party—that has screwed up most major American cities can actually run the whole USA—think again! But the danger still remains. No one on the Dem side thought Trump even had a chance of being elected. But he was elected! Bloomberg makes sense in ads and in a quiet room—but that’s not what this desperate Democratic primary will be.  It’s a ZOO.

 

I'LL BE BACK TO REMIND YOU HOW WE NEED TO KEEP OUR FRIENDS INFORMED OF THE DANGERS SANDER’S REVOLUTIONARY SOCIALISM POSES.

 

SHORT TAKES:

 

THIS PIECE IS WORTH READING IT ALL—TRUMP IS GETTING RESULTS—BUT IS OFTEN HIS OWN WORST ENEMY (via TWITTER).

 

Download Why Trump Needs Bill Barr - WSJ

 

CHINA & RUSSIA—WHEN CAN WE BELIEVE ANYTHING THEY SAY OR DO?

Not ever. Check twice, verify and then be skeptical. China’s public stability is a ruse.  It is the way China tries to prove they are in control.

 

A WORLD I DON’T EVEN KNOW ABOUT—WHO OF YOU DO? SHOULD WE?

YouTube has a whole new galaxy of music and stars and I am totally clueless.

YoungBoy Never Broke Again—a 20 year old Southern Rapper was the most viewed artist in US in 2019??  Really? How about Post Malone—Spotify’s top artist? And Youngboy doesn’t even appear on its top ten! Billie Eilish is one that both lists recognize—but not me. Do you know about Khalid or Lil Baby? When there’s an entire audience and culture with which many Americans are in love, and many others are clueless, it tells us about the wide differences in taste and entertainment.in our country. Thus the least watched Academy Awards Show in years, choosing and obscure, subtitled Korean movie, Parasite, as its Best Movie Award winner.  FYI—the Toy Industry also now deeply involved in YouTube, because kids are now watching it so much—and with Toys R Us departure, the Toy industry is down—a lot.

 

CHANGING THE BALLS  IS A BIG DEAL

In baseball it's a perennial issue of "live or dead" balls impacting home run production. NFL teams have their own favorite balls too. Golfers do, of course, which is why 70%+ of top pros and 90%+ of top amateurs play Titleist balls. Are they better? The pros think so. Now college Basketball has “smart balls” made by Nike, UnderArmour & Wilson, which have embedded Shot Tracker tech in them, allowing the “shots to be tracked,” of course. But it seems the balls vary and some teams in the Mountain West conference are having widely different results and shooting stats. Is it in their heads? Or are the differences somehow linked to shooting styles, bal construction, or coaching, or mystery? Who knows. Watch New Mexico and Utah State who shoot about 10% differently—55% vs. 45% with Nike vs. non-Nike balls. What’s up??

 

UBER IS LOSING MONEY FASTER THAN A DRUNKEN CONGRESSMAN SPENDS IT

How do they survive, long term?  I don’t know. Combined by Lyft, they have shaped taxis, and ride sharing. But is this for the better, if it can’t last?

 

WASTING ENERGY & POLLUTING THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE—BILLIONS OF $$ IN NATURAL GAS IS GOING UP IN SMOKE—5.1 TRILLION CU. FT OF IT. IN 2019

It’s being “flared off (burnt) by Oil Companies who don’t know what else to do with it. Russia, Iraq and Iran actually waste more of it. And all we hear is bitching about the Paris energy accords? Burning gas releases CO2, but putting explosive methane into the atmosphere, which is worse. Can anyone find a productive use for all that wasted methane?

 

MBA SCHOOLS ARE FINALLY REALIZING THAT TECHNOLOGY HAS A PLACE IN THEIR CURRICULUM

STEM programs are being added all over. Finally.  Purdue, UNC, NU, and Cal…to name a few. About time!

 

BOEING—THE GANG THAT COULDN’T FLY STRAIGHT

The 737 Max debacle goes back to 2011 when pressure from the Board to find a cheaper 737 design, instead of designing a new airplane, started what led to two crashes and a multi-year grounding of the 737 Max. 7 of 13 members of that board are still on today’s board, but NO ONE with any aerospace engineering experience — except the newly fired CEO (2015-2019) Dennis Muilenburg. This is a massive cultural deficiency, where many Boeing people knew, but nobody stopped the stupidity. Apparently the critical input of test pilots, engineers, and middle/upper management was suppressed or withheld. The Boeing damage in all forms is staggering. Deplorable—but not uncommon in large companies and organizations (or government, including the FAA!

 

WHO’S THE BEST AND WORST OF THE AIRLINES?

Surveys say: Delta, Alaska and Southwest are the three overall best. American is the worst across most the metrics tracked, with United also near the bottom. The consolidation into those two big carriers, they got bigger, but not better. Dominance sometimes leads to mediocrity.

 

THE ORDERLY RETREAT FROM THE MIDDLE EAST 2.0--WISE OR FOOLISH—OR BOTH

Barack Obama led the orderly retreat during his term. Donald Trump is now pushing a disorderly retreat, since he feels the Middle East isn’t our war, and the US is no longer as reliant on Middle East oil. I heard President George W. Bush speak last month, and he warned against withdrawing the US influence too much. Progress is slow and erratic. There’s no “winning” in these Middle East conflicts. Stabilization is even iffy. “When you’re digging a hole you don’t know how to get out of, the best idea is first to to stop digging.” Just leave a few caretakers to watch from mischief or worse!

 

BORDER ISSUES CONTINUE—BUT NOT JUST PEOPLE—COUNTERFEIT PRODUCTS

These have always been problems, but the growth of internet commerce it has become worse. Amazon’s growth has not helped and probably has made things worse. Maybe it’s inevitable, but it sure is pervasive. Counterfeit products and knockoffs are everywhere.

 

KUDOS TO P & G FOR SIMPLIFYING ITS PRODUCTS TO REDUCE COMPLEXITY

Now it is able to focus on moving upscale to better prices and values. Good idea! P & G has been through cycles of acquisition and product line extension, but without commensurate growth in revenue and profits. Now it is doing it the right way—reducing complexity and focusing on strong products and brands—which can sell at premium prices. Complexity: Use it or Lose it…P & G chose the latter.

 

GPS FINALLY COMING TO AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL—AFTER DECADES OF WAITING

The old beacon system is finally giving way to newer GPS based tracking. This allows plane spacing to diminish from the old standard of 40-80 miles apart to the new one of 14 miles, creating a huge increase in capacity for flights and with better tracking (vertical spacing has already been reduced doubling capacity). (Let's just hope nobody hacks the GPS satellite system!)

 

THE STRONG GET STRONGER AND THE WEAK FADE AWAY

As Walmart, Amazon, Target post comparable store gains greater than the market growth, weaker chains suffer. JCPenney, Kohl’s, Macy, JCrew and a host of smaller chains fall away. Remember, when a big like Walmart posts a 2-3% comp store gain on  is $350 Billion US business, that is like taking out a $7-10 Billion retail business. Even big specialty chains like Forever21 are being sold, bought, split apart and hopefully rejuvenated. America is over-retailed; has been for years. Good times have postponed the fall out (except for Sears/Kmart, Toys R Us, etc.), but pressure grows. Best Buy dodged the “show-rooming” bullet, but Bed Bath & Beyond is struggling—too many stores and far too much assortment of SKUs. It will have to change or disappear.

 

LOOK AT THE TOTAL PICTURE—PLASTIC GROCERY BAGS ARE NOT SO BAD AFTER ALL

In the rush for for environmental friendly bags to replace the ubiquitous plastic grocery sack, the ‘greenies' are forcing a stampede to paper bags. (The Marco Island Farmers Market forced that switch…and many folks are bringing their own reusable bag—a good idea.) But before we blame every ill on the planet on plastic grocery bags, let's stop to think from widely. Those paper bags require growing trees, harvesting them, pulping them (lots of waste and pollution), and making paper. The only good part is that they are biodegradable (usually), but seldom get recycled.  Please read the attached for a whole new perspective.

PLEASE READ THIS ARTICLE: 

Download Plastic Bags Help the Environment - WSJ

 

GROCERY HAS ALWAYS BEEN A BATTLE FOR PREMIUM SHELF SPACE 

That is intensifying as the bigs (WMT, KRG, et. al.) get bigger and the consumer product brand companies fight for the best retail spaces.  Retailers like Kroger have increased its brands (presumably more profitable—but of questionably comparable quality) en masse in some categories, pushing branded products to a fraction of the shelf space, and not always the best spots (eye or waist level). I have tried Kroger’s brands and returned them for poor quality, on multiple occasions—in exchange for the branded version. (Aldi’s goods, however are almost all private label and good quality.) Walmart is still evolving its selections. 

 

MORE TO COME, INCLUDING SUPER TUESDAY DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES, CORONAVIRUS ISSUES, AND THE STOCK MARKET PLUNGE, AND...

 

OK…I’ve gone on too long. It’s been an interesting couple of weeks.  

 

Seems like a series of medical issues (could I be gettng old?? Yes!!))  A bad tooth—surgical extraction, and bone graft, for an implant in a few months; a massive rebuild of a multi-filling molar for a crown; an ongoing battle with plantar fasciitis, and home physical therapy exercises daily to finally (I hope) recover from Sciatica and a damaged disk. 

 

But, I’m in a nice place with my bride of 55+ years and getting to see each of our children more than usual (only one lives nearby).  Since I have time to think, read and write, THE ENTERPRISE frequency has increased a bit. I’ve always encouraged readers to “pass it on” and if others wan to be on the email list, just ask. Those who want off, can also ask and I'll drop their email address from the list.

 

BEST, JOHN

THE ENTERPRISE--A VERITABLE AVALANCHE OF INFORMATION AND INSIGHTS

 

I HAVE TONS OF THINGS TO SHARE WITH YOU—GOOD AND BAD—AND I APPRECIATE YOUR REPLIES AND FEEDBACK

 

A GOOD WEEK FOR TRUMP AND A BAD ONE FOR DEMOCRATS

 

1) Trump is acquitted in Impeachment trial. Yes, it was partisan except for the idealist gesture of Mitt Romney (still mad because he blew his shot at the presidency by his own mistakes—a gutless 2nd & 3rd debates after he dominated Obama in the first debate, and his stupid handling of the Hurricane Sandy event because he believed the unreliable polls that put him ahead—and then the “immoral” Trump won by showing his toughness under fire).

 

2) Nancy Pelosi becomes a caricature of a petulant leader—she topped off a bad week by her tasteless pantomime sitting behind Trump during his SOTY speech, and like an angry, misbehaving child, tore up the speech. She may think that energized her base, but likely sent voters to Trump. She didn’t want to impeach Trump, knew it was a loser; then caved to the party’s radical left, ran terrible impeachment hearings (thanks to the terrible twins, Schiff and Nadler). Then rushed the hearing leaving no time to get her witnesses, then stalled for a month, followed by whining about not getting her witnesses in the Senate Trial (Hey, Nancy, the witnesses testify first and then comes the trial.)

 

3) A new group of Democrat clowns mishandle the Iowa Caucuses (First primary) so badly, no one had confidence in the results. Winners: The immature and under-qualified Pete, and the overly mature and still angry, ranting Bernie. Casualties: Sleepy Joe Biden and the liberal "Pocahontas”  Elizabeth Warren. 

 

4) The Appellate Court  dismisses the Trump emolument case as invalid. Another win for Trump, loss for the Dems.

 

5) The sole Democrat winner: Amy Klobuchar of MN— who stood out among the Democrat Debate participants as a reasonable, non-billionaire candidate.

 

WHAT TO WORRY ABOUT:...

Nobody in the Democrat Party was too worried about Trump being a serious candidate or potential winner— and he won.

Nobody in the GOP is worried enough about “Crazy Socialist Bernie” but he has a powerful message— he’s mad as hell and he wants to give away FREE almost everything. Memo to Sanders, Warren  et. al.— IF you could tax ALL the wealth of the RiCH— it still wouldn’t come close to paying for your radical schemes. What could? The European Solution—a Value Added Tax (VAT). The downside of the VAT? It taxes EVERYBODY— a lot.

WHAT IF BERNIE’S THE NOMINEE AND WINS? DISASTER!

 

FIRST AND FOREMOST QUESTION FOR THE STILL (WHINING) DEMOCRATS

Question: Why didn’t the Democrats conduct a FAIR set of impeachment hearings, call the necessary witnesses, allow open hearings with equal number and quality of witnesses for both sides. Answer: IF the House had done its job properly — thoroughly and fairly, they couldn’t be whining about not calling witnesses during the Senate trial!

 

A THOUGHT TO CONSIDER

Maybe Trump isn’t courting minorities just because he wants their votes. What if he really wants to help them and bring them back into his new centrist GOP? 

 

WOMEN—SUBURBAN WOMEN IN PARTICULAR, ARE A PROBLEM FOR TRUMP

His entire attitude rubs them the wrong way. Watch to see if Kobuchar keeps rising. Women are not happy overall with the USA culture. They have now climbed into the C-suites of many companies but are dead-ended in staff jobs (IT, HR, Admin.,etc.) and not getting into the CEO spots (167 out of 3000 top companies). For some reason (I don’t know what it is.) women are having trouble getting to (and staying in) the very top Corporate job.

 

WANT A HIGH TURNOVER JOB? GET TO THE TOP

Regardless of gender, CEO’s turnover fast, usually leaving a mess in their wake. A new CEO usually means a lot of people in spots one or two levels down will also change. On any team, of any sort, when one or more team members change, the team dynamic changes and not for the better. The style of the leader—collaborative, dictatorial, passive or aggressive—each leads to different organizational chaos.  When contrasting styles follow in sequence, that really tears up an organization. Imagine sharply contrasting styles. Dictatorial leaders tell an organization what to do, when, and often how— and don’t want to hear dissenting views. Collaborative leaders solicit input and build consensus-based action plans. Which ever follows the other, imagine how the people in the organization are  impacted. (Last year 1640 US CEO’s left their jobs, that’s up 13% from 2018 and the highest since 2002.  Were many of them competent? Sure. Were some of them failures. Of course. But the point is, most of them were interviewed, vetted and hired with high hopes—and many were gone in the first year or two. Turmoil, and disruption follow soon after. Occasionally, a close knit team at the next level will hold things together—if allowed to.)

 

A TREND THAT, SADLY, CONTINUES—THE VANISHING EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT (NEE: SECRETARY)

The longer I type on this, the more I appreciate the days when I could dictate long memos and reports, and they would  be typed neatly and my content, context and other errors would magically be fixed. At the peak of their career heights  Exec. Asst’s were 95% female, totally indispensable, starting to be paid closer to their worth—and they were the “glue" that held corporate organizations together. Even though we saddled them with ridiculous ancillary duties (fetch coffee, find birthday presents for spouses or others, make countless copies of inane documents and organize office events in their “spare” time) they were invaluable as true “assistants.”  I remember every one I ever worked with, clearly, and the best ones were truly great. The not so good ones, were still helpful and important and the few bad ones—well, they were my fault for choosing and hiring them in the first place.

 

IS THE MIDDLE EAST WORTH ALL THE PROBLEMS?

When it controlled the largest oil deposits, many folks would say yes. Does control of the Straits of Hormuz make it that critical? Or is it the fact that its society’s beliefs are rooted in tribal practices from 7 centuries ago? Or is it their tradition of kill or be killed arising from Bedouin roots fighting for survival in the desert? Except now a couple of them have nukes? And anyone who hopes Israel and Palestine will ever settle their deep seated differences peacefully is dreaming. Ditto the Shiites and the Sunnis. The US best bet is to look out for its own interests and quit pouring our money and lives into someone else's war — that will never end.

 

A HEARTFELT SET OF CONCLUSIONS

Did you know that many heart surgeries may be unnecessary. A landmark report from an NYU study of interventions intended to prevent heart attacks and deaths of patients with stable heart disease revealed this startling fact—based on results in 5179 patients from 37 countries with moderate to severe artery blockages. Over 3-1/2 years, a group of people who were treated only with drugs—statins and other cholesterol lowing medications—were compared to a second group of people receiving those drugs, plus surgical treatments such as stents or bypass surgery. The number of people who survived vs. died were essentially the same! The surgical treatment reduced chest pain better than pills, but also confirmed that it’s very difficult to pinpoint heart problems well enough to place stents or do bypasses that work with certainty. The tentative conclusions—for non-emergency heart issues—try the pills first. You may be able to avoid the risks of surgery.

 

SMART GLASSES ARE COMING WITH AUGMENTED REALITY INCLUDED

All the biggies: amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, etc. are racing the develop these smart glasses that can are a mix of reality with better vision, “augmented reality” and in some cases “virtual reality,” which create vignettes that let the wearer see things they once could only imagine.

 

IS YOUR STOCK BROKER A ROBOT?

Robots are coming to the financial management field. With a huge part of investments made in Index funds which simply follow “indexes” of identified groups of stocks or bonds, robots can do that quite well. Considering the actively managed mutual funds are outperformed by index fund about 75% of the time, most investors will see the low fees and say, “why not.”  Will you? 

 

WANT TO SEE VENICE? VISIT SOON BEFORE IT IS SUBMERGED.

The long awaited MOSE project with huge moving floodgates that can be raised to protect this legendary city, are stuck, rusting, and  mired in corruption, bureaucracy and foolishness. The most recent flood reached more the SIX FEET above flood levels, inundating historical buildings, homes, churches and landmarks. Will the inept Italian government get its act together before the Adriatic sea destroys one of Europe’s great historical cities? The prognosis based on the past several decades is NOT GOOD!

 

IF YOU WANT TO SEE ROME, FLORENCE, PARIS, GO SOON; ARE ALL BECOMING TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN CITIES OVERRUN BY REFUGEES AND UNRULY IMMIGRANTS.

Cars are now banned from the central, most famous parts of Rome and Florence, replaced by buses carrying tourists. Paris has not yet fallen prey to this, but has, perhaps the biggest refugee, immigrant problem—violence, crime, and disruption. So far the great iconic sites are still there and accessible to see, but the trends are troubling.

 

IN THE US, BIRTHS ARE DOWN, DEATHS ARE UP AND DEMOGRAPHICS ARE WORRISOME

There are already shortages of labor, especially skilled labor (e.g., nurses) in most American states and cities—due to low unemployment. The birth rate has plummeted to 1.73 children per woman, because todays younger folks, marry later (if at all) and are concerned about children “slowing down their career and lifestyles.”  Further, the huge number of early life deaths from Opioids and avoided births due to abortions have dramatically slowed (or stopped) the American population growth rate. Our country’s economic well being and growth depends on having "enough workers" and "good productivity” to continue growing. (FYI—The Chinese birth rate is also too low to support its targeted 6%+ growth rate.)  The trend toward Robots and AI may well be needed as much to sustain economies and to keep them vital and growing.

 

ARE YOU DROWNING IN ROBOCALLS? YES! IS HELP ON THE WAY? NOT SO MUCH

Technology has outstripped the controls in this area. The robot calling computers can make such calls faster than we can block them, screen them or even answer them. The Do Not Call Registry is not working. NoMoRobo helps a little, but not nearly enough. The miscreants are like absentee landlords who flee at the first whiff of detection. Penalties are too small, too slow, and too hard to levy. (I have no answers—I have to go answer the phone—it’s ringing again with a number not in my caller ID)

 

WHY SHOULD ABLE BODIED AMERICANS STAY HOME, AND COLLECT FOOD STAMPS PAID FOR BY WORKING PEOPLE?

Answer: They shouldn’t. BUT, the “bleeding heart liberals” say they shouldn’t have to do anything at all, expect to be supported by the minority who work and add value to the America economy. This is insanity. If capable people want to be supported by those who work, they need to “DO SOMETHING” to earn it. “Workfare was the right idea. No work (or training to work) deserve no welfare. Period.

 

NSAIDS CAN HELP DEPRESSION (and are cheap and non-addictive) & BAD SLEEP HABITS CAN HARM YOUR HEART.

So, I am going to take a couple of aspirin and stop writing on this and go to bed!😉

HAVE A GREAT FEB.

 

JOHN

 

Have you read ROCKETSHIPS & PARACHUTES ? 
It can change your life, and the lives of everyone you share it with.  https://tinyurl.com/mariottiR-P

Sent from my iPad--(excuse autocorrect's changes).