QUICKIES….

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CLIMATE CHANGE – The big weather news is the occurrence of the El Nino in the Pacific Ocean. While forecasters are focused on what that means to various regions of the US during the coming winter season, we must not forget that El Nino IS a symptom of climate change. Whenever the Pacific Ocean warms so much that it impacts the jet stream and moisture patterns across America we see evidence of climate change. In this instance, temperature and precipitation variances will affect crop growing success in 2024, the timing of seasonal changes from winter-to-spring-to-summer and the subtle differences we see. As an example, the Florida citrus crop in 2023 will be in total 80% less tonnage than in 2022 because of rain amounts. This has already shown up in the price of orange juice. Be aware of El Nino as you learn of winter weather weirdness.

TRANSPORTING IMMIGRANTS – We’re surprised that no one has realized the criminality of shipping South American immigrants to New York, Chicago, San Francisco and other major cities. The Mayor of New York has complained about people sleeping on sidewalks and in subway stations but he–like others–have failed to point out a key factor. Per Donald Trump and the GOP all the immigrants are rapists and murderers. So isn’t aiding and abetting a suspected criminal to escape capture a crime? Either Trump and the GOP are wrong or DeSantis and Abbott (Governors of Florida and Texas) are guilty of spending taxpayer funds to aid rapists and murderers to escape prosecution. Trump & the GOP can’t have it both ways. IF they are criminals the Governors should be charged accordingly; and if they are not criminals they should be willing to accommodate them in their own states. There is always a need for farm workers in Florida and Texas.

THE UNITED AUTOWORKERS STRIKE – We’re definitely in favor of helping the American worker to earn a living wage. But 40% increase in a three year period defies any measure of inflation since the 1980’s. Capitalism is based on a number of building blocks. One of those blocks is reasonability. Let’s face it…if every worker decided that they could hold their employer hostage through a work stoppage (a strike) we’d have one huge catastrophe. When the price of autos increases and layoffs begin today’s picket line workers will see the not-so long term impact of winning the battle (but losing the war). We get it that workers are fed up with CEO pay levels and we believe that ANY strike settlement must include an agreement that CEO compensations be reduced and maintained at more reasonable amounts. This is a show of good faith and certainly will not lower the CEO’s standard of living.

CASUALTY INSURANCE SCAMS – Has the cost of your Homeowners and Auto insurance increased this year? Traditionally, insurance companies had two sources of profit. First they made money if claim dollars paid were less than the premium they booked. This is called “underwriting gain”. Second, an insurance company earned profit if the investment of premiums earned a return. This is called “investment gain”. Simple enough? But now the insurance industry has happened on a third source of profit. They purposely OVERINSURE your house, contents and auto value and charge you for the higher coverage. The problem is they only insure the depreciated value of that loss. Example: Your house may be insured for $400,000 and its contents for $280,000. This is a typical “scheduled” coverage level–meaning the company decides the amounts. But your house may be worth only $290,000 because the lot it sits on is valued at $110,000. So while you’re paying for insurance on a $400,000 basis a total loss on your house will only cost the insurance company $290,000. Imagine this overcharge on millions of policies and you can easily appreciate the profit it generates. Ask your insurance agent about this the next time your rates increase.

BASIC LEGAL BS – If we hear “no one is above the law” one more time–we’ll explode. Every day political indictments receive special “above the law” treatment. However you feel about Donald Trump the facts are his comments lead to violence or threatened violence. And yet the gag orders are limited. Will they issue what every other defendant faces only after someone is killed? Will they fail to understand that they (the courts) are complicit because they violated their own standards while being fully aware of the potential consequences? We talk about social media in another post today but it’s important to realize that great harm can be delivered if any person has the ability to trigger (pun intended) a lone wolf (heard that term lately?) into some violent act by seemingly innocent comments on a social media platform. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure….wise words that are still relevant but seem to have been forgotten.

HEIL TRUMP – In a previous post we paralleled Trump and Adolph Hitler. Two more developments…first book burnings in Florida and elsewhere in the South just as occurred in Nazi Germany in the 1930’s and 1940’s. And second, Trump’s lawyers filing a legal motion that a president cannot legally be held responsible for criminal acts. Such a motion would make it possible for a president to have complete authority to do anything he chooses–in other words–become a dictator. When Germany approved the Enabling Act of 1934 making Hitler the undisputed Chancellor (and not liable for ANY criminal act) the first thing he did was abolish the Reichtag–the equivalent of our Congress–so he could never be controlled. Sound familiar–something like the latest legal motion from the Trump camp.