A BRIEF PREFACE…
The world’s pace and the holiday season have created an overflowing cup of newsworthy items. But we first want to inject a bit of seasonal humor into your daily life. So–with apologies to those who may notice the repeating of past presentations–we offer the following for your enjoyment.
CHRISTMAS HUMOR
- CHRISTMAS–THAT SPECIAL TIME OF THE YEAR WHEN YOUR WHOLE FAMILY GATHERS TOGETHER IN ONE PLACE TO LOOK AT THEIR CELLPHONES. (Jimmy Kimmel)
- NOTHING SAYS THE HOLIDAYS LIKE A CHEESE LOG. (ELLEN DeGENERES)
- THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, NO MATTER WHAT YOUR RELIGION IS, PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO REFLECT ON WHY IT’S BETTER THAN ALL THE OTHERS.
- I BOUGHT MY BROTHER SOME GIFT WRAP FOR CHRISTMAS. I TOOK IT TO THE GIFT WRAP DEPARTMENT AND TOLD THEM TO WRAP IT BUT IN A DIFFERENT PRINT SO HE WOULD KNOW WHEN TO STOP UNWRAPPING. (STEVEN WRIGHT)
- LET’S ALL BE NAUGHTY AND SAVE SANTA THE TRIP.
- (from a new Mom) I ASKED SANTA FOR A UNICORN FOR CHRISTMAS AND HE SAID THAT WAS IMPOSSIBLE. SO I SAID “OK, I JUST WANT 5 MINUTES A DAY TO DRINK MY COFFEE AND A MINUTE TO PEE”. SANTA REPLIED “WHAT COLOR UNICORN DID YOU WANT?”
- MY MOTHER-IN-LAW HAS COME TO OUR HOUSE ON CHRISTMAS SEVEN YEARS IN A ROW. THIS YEAR WE’RE DOING THINGS A BIT DIFFERENT. THIS YEAR WE’RE GOING TO LET HER IN.
- A LITTLE BOY WANTED TO BE JOSEPH IN THE SCHOOL’S CHRISTMAS PLAY BUT INSTEAD HE WAS CHOSEN TO BE THE INNKEEPER IN THE STORY. WHEN HE OBJECTED LOUDLY HE WAS IGNORED. SO WHEN MARY AND JOSEPH APPROACHED THE THE INN DURING THE PLAY AND ASKED ABOUT A PLACE TO STAY HE SAID “YEA, SURE, COME ON IN, THERE’S LOTS OF ROOM”.
- I LEFT SANTA SOME GLUTEN-FREE COOKIES AND ORGANIC SOY MILK ON CHRISTMAS EVE AND HE PUT A SOLAR PANEL IN MY STOCKING.
- THE OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO CATCH UP WITH PEOPLE YOU HAVEN’T SEEN FOR 20 MINUTES.
- THE SUPREME COURT HAS RULED THAT WASHINGTON DC CANNOT HAVE A NATIVITY SCENE THIS YEAR. THIS DECISION WASN’T BASED ON RELIGION OR THE CONSTITUTION. THEY SIMPLY COULDN’T FIND THREE WISE MEN AND A VIRGIN.
- THE MAIN REASON SANTA IS JOLLY IS HE KNOWS WHERE ALL THE BAD GIRLS ARE.
- DEAR SANTA, BEFORE I TRY TO EXPLAIN, HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ALREADY?
- OF COURSE SANTA IS DEAD. YOU FORCE A GUY TO EAT A BILLION COOKIES IN ONE NIGHT–WHAT DID YOU THINK WAS GOING TO HAPPEN?
- AREN’T WE FORGETTING THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS–YOU KNOW–THE BIRTH OF SANTA?
We hope these brought a smile to your face and provided a stress-free moment. Next time: some holiday thoughts to dwell on.
SOME HELPFUL ADVICE
On the flip side of humor is the scary prospect that up to 75 million Americans may either lose their medical plan coverage completely or be forced to pay huge premium rate increases. For those of you impacted by the Trump “big, Beautiful, (BS) Bill who will lose Medicaid eligibility or ObamaCare subsidies, we have a suggestion. Look for a group of any kind that may together apply fo a group medical plan. If you are an employee of a small business, ask the local Chamber of Commerce if they sponsor (or could sponsor) a group plan. If you’re an independent business owner, ask the Better Business Bureau if they have (or will organize) a group of owners and set up a medical plan. Contact local chapters of any trade group you can join to determine whether they have (or will set up) a group medical plan. Check into any fraternal organization in your area to see if they provide group medical coverage for their members. The point is: shopping for medical plans as an individual is very difficult. Premiums are high, benefits are meager and rate changes can be outrageous. Join a group–any group–if they can stretch the eligibility for participation to include ANYTHING YOU ARE IN YOUR JOB OR ANYTHING YOU DO. Good luck!!
YOUR ELECTED FELON
Trump continues to violate laws at every level of jurisprudence, starting with the US Constitution. We’ve listed several violations and he’s actually been convicted of one (34 times). His lies are legendary; his fraudulent behavior grows daily. We’ve termed him a “serial killer” for his unprovoked attacks on 23 boats that resulted in 86 deaths–with no rationale, evidence, proof, explanation or Congressional approval. Recent actions to deflect from the Epstein investigation include:
- Authorizing the commission of a war crime by ordering the execution of shipwrecked boat people 41 minutes after the initial strike. This is a crime any way you view it. President Harry Truman said “The buck stops here”. Trump is guilty of a war crime despite the protests from his idiot staff members.
- While staunchly defending his serial killing he has pardoned the number one drug kingpin on earth, Juan Orlando Hernandez. This man was convicted by Trump’s own lawyers of distributing 400 tons of cocaine into the US. Ask your GOP friends to reconcile that action vs. the boat attacks.
- Trump is selling the presidency–never mind the emoluments clause in the Constitution. He is pardoning mega donors, selling pardons to drug distributors, favoring American companies that kick back support in money, influence or otherwise. His recent decision to allow Nvidia to sell Artificial Intelligence chips to China is highly suspicious. Why would Trump–who headlines his efforts to champion American manufacturing–allow our biggest world-wide tech and price competitor the opportunity to build on American AI patents?
- The stats from the Bureau of Labor Statistics have been either late, suspect or just plain ugly. Job creation is anemic, unemployment is growing, inflation is up, and manufacturing slips as a percent of US Gross Domestic Product.
- Closely aligned to the BLS numbers are the stock market index changes. We call your attention to the grandest stock market manipulation conspiracy ever conducted. Trump is orchestrating American company favors with his mega-donors. Nvidia is just one of the examples. Now he is personally deciding who should acquire Warner Brothers. The grift works like this: Trump signals his billionaire buddies who will curry his favor so they can buy stock at the current price. Then–when he announces his (independent) Federal Trade Commission decision and the stock goes up–all is calm and all is very bright. As proof, look at the recent stock market indexes. On December 11, 2025, the Dow Jones 30 increased by 646 points (+ 1.34%) but the S&P 500 increased only 14 points (+.21). The “rally” favored only the biggest companies collectively where the biggest donors could spread their bets. HOW DID YOUR SAVINGS PLAN DO YESTERDAY?
- As Trump adds gold to the White House pictures and statues, he opposes food benefits for low income citizens. He gilds the new $600 million ballroom while he allows medical benefits to be eliminated from up to 75 million of us. 80% of personal bankruptcies are caused by the inability to pay medical expenses. How do you think that number will change in 2026?
- He ends the Biden student loan forgiveness program while ignoring all the jobs that it would have produced if the younger generation had all that money in their pockets instead of in his pockets.
- Trump threatens a “boots on the ground” war against Venezuela. He apparently wants to supplement our oil with their oil. It’s like he’s racing the Saudi’s to see if he can build up a pile of money to rival the Saudi Wealth Fund. QUESTION: HOW IS TRUMP INVADING VENEZUELA ANY DIFFERENT THAN PUTIN INVADING UKRAINE?
- Trump is forcing Chairperson Jerome Powell to lower interest rates without any economic justification. Think about it. The lowering of interest rates is intended to encourage a sluggish economy to grow. But inflation–due to tariffs–has reduced consumer purchasing power. This leads to inventory backup and warehouses full of unsold goods. Why would businesses borrow to build new plants, add another worker shift or re-tool when they can’t sell what they already produced. Inventories are growing daily, prices are rising daily, unemployment is growing daily (1.9 million layoffs announced this quarter). How does an interest rate drop spur that scenario?
- For those of you who still think the new eligibility rules for Medicaid qualification are reasonable–consider this. Most Medicaid recipients are caring for children. To work 20 hours/week or 80 hours/month, they would need to hire childcare. The average cost of childcare exceeds the minimum wage in every state. So, to get Medicaid under the BBB, an individual would lose money from their household budget and be required to find state-qualified childcare services. They would be trading food and rent money for medical plan coverage. This is disaster for low income people. And think of the administrative effort needed to establish eligibility month-to-month. Reporting hours to a government agency so that medical coverage is in-place for the following month is impossible for 45 million individuals…and the Republicans are counting on that impossibility to minimize costs.
- The ICE patrol continues to grate on American society. Despite the fact that Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, was caught in an FBI sting operation with a bag containing $50,000 from a government contractor, he wasn’t harmed by the “fraud” shouting Trump regime at all. And 96% of Americans detained have no criminal record. We hear stories every day about the decorated US service man who won the purple heart being deported to Korea. Or we hear that an 18 year old college student–on her way home to Texas for Thanksgiving-was deported. Did you know that Kilmar Abrego Garcia who was deported to El Salvador illegally was quietly released yesterday from jail after being held–WITHOUT ANY CHARGES–since August? No Administration evidence was ever presented to link him with any criminal activity.
- Trump, the peacemaker, is a total joke. His efforts to win the Nobel Peace Prize disgust us. To-date he has been involved in 5 peace issues. None have resulted in peace or even the pausing of hostilities. So far he has indicated that he would end the Russia/Ukraine war on Day 1 of his presidency–you know that didn’t happen. He said he would pressure Hamas to come to terms with Israel–Hamas and Palestinian civilians were bombed yesterday. He has forced himself on the Cambodia/Thailand (he calls it “thighland”) but their war blows up daily. He was addressing the Congo situation and the rebels they are fighting internally for control of that country–no improvement here either. And, finally, he made a big show of uniting the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Oval Office and forcing them to shake hands. Unfortunately, that “peace” is as one person put it like “having a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new building before you break ground”. It hasn’t produced peace and is not expected to resolve differences. Trump will just have to console himself with a World Soccer suck-up peace prize he received last week. Everyone knows how much that’s valued–right?
- And finally, don’t forget the Epstein file release deadline. We know Pammy Bondi, our political scab Attorney General, will be doing all she can to hide the truth. We think the GOP is watching the Dems and the victims to see how much they can find before making any revealing statements. In other words, the GOP will only go as far as the Dems drag them. The tipoff was simple: when you see all but one GOP member of Congress vote to release the Epstein files, you know they’ll be squeaky clean when it happens. If anything they’ll try to implicate some prominent Dems like Bill Clinton or Larry Summers–but don’t expect any GOP name (Trump) to appear. The last word is the freedom of Ghislaine Maxwell via the commutation of sentence route. The pardoning of drug kingpin Hernandez was just a test run for letting Maxwell out. If Trump successfully avoids any legal/public damage from Hernandez, he’ll surely spring Maxwell so she doesn’t add to the Dem knowledge bank.
THE COST OF MEDICAL CARE
We promised you comments about the rising cost of health care at the end of our last post (12/4/25). This is a very complex and political topic. It’s complex because so many industries are involved. Also, they “sell” a service that has no alternative–if you need medical care you can’t just ignore it and try something else. Economists would say this service has zero “elasticity of demand”. And it’s political because no politician will ever admit what the basic problem is…it is us–you and me. Let’s think of the problem like an economist…supply and demand. There is an abundance of doctors, hospitals, labs and other related facilities in the the US. They’re not evenly distributed but there are plenty of them. So the supply side is adequate for the most part. But the demand side of the equation is a totally different animal. We eat too much; we drink too much; we use illicit drugs; we smoke; we don’t use seat belts; we engage in dangerous hobbies (off-roading, mountain climbing, sky diving, etc.); and we have far too any guns in the hands of unstable people. Are you seeing the problem? A recent research study reported that just the cost of obesity will rise to approximately $4 trillion by 2035. As the old comic strip character Pogo the Possum once said “we have met they enemy and they is us”. This answer to the original rising cost question is a view from 30,000 feet–it’s the “big picture”. But its value is that it shows us a simple fact. The cost of healthcare only happens when we use the healthcare system. As an absurdity, if no one ever got sick, had an accident or became pregnant we would not need any healthcare system, That, of course, is totally unrealistic but we think it proves the point that our excessive use of the system is a major–possibly THE major–cause of the rising healthcare cost problem. Hold that thought long enough and you might begin to see why the problem has political complications. Imagine your elected official standing at a campaign rally and saying “look at all the fat people here–no wonder our medical costs are increasing 3 times the rate of the Consumer Price Index!!” Do you think he/she would get elected? Now that we have outlined the jigsaw puzzle along the edges, we will dive into stakeholder viewpoints with our next post. In the meantime, watch the news, your daily newspaper, any media event or any news story and count the number of people who look healthy. That assignment should establish a framework for our future postings.
THE WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS
- We mentioned a developing story about the acclaimed merger of the American PGA golf tour and the Saudi golf tour–aka The LIV tour. There is a rumor that a once prominent American player, Brooks Koepka, is hinting that he might return to the American tour. This is interesting. Is he negotiating for a better deal with the Saudis; is he being recruited by the American PGA to start the re-patriation of American players to the American tour; or does he have some other angle? Time will tell.
- The second big story is the continued dominance of the LA Dodgers as they win their second consecutive World Championship. As we have indicated, their lucrative FOX broadcasting contract allows them to buy the best players at every position. And, as we predicted, the Dodgers would stand way above all competitors. Last week, their manager had the audacity to suggest a salary cap for all teams–now that he has the best players in place for the foreseeable future. In other words, he thinks his team can continue to beat other teams and now he wants those other teams to abide by an artificial budget to minimize their hiring. Ironically, as the manager was expounding on the salary cap his General Manger was signing a New York Mets relief pitcher to a 3 year $69 million contract. Can you say “hypocrisy”? BTW, your blog editor had a bet with a certain USA Today sportswriter in which we predicted the Dodgers to be World Champs. We made that bet in April, 2025 and gave the USA Today expert all the other 31 teams. The point to all this: until the Major League Baseball Commissioner does his job to maintain a level playing field (pun intended), money in the hands of the big market teams will dominate and eventually destroy the national pastime. The USA Today expert denied that but failed to respond when your blog editor reminded him of the April bet. Are we so afraid of offending baseball that we choose to ignore obvious failure? That happens in the Trump White House daily but this is supposed to be a sport.
NEXT TIME…HEALTHCARE COSTS STAKEHOLDERS, MORE TRUMPIAN SHENANIGANS, AND, OF COURSE, CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS TO CARRY THE DAY.
Comments are closed