AS THE WORLD TURNS…

The news items presented here are follow ups to our December 12, 2025 posts and will hopefully provide some interesting and (in some cases) disturbing observations. But before we dive into the sordid details of Trumpian antics let’s begin with a few Christmas thoughts.

• IF CHRISTMAS DOESN’T INVOLVE YOU PERSONALLY–CHECK FOR A PULSE.
• NEVER WORRY ABOUT THE SIZE OF YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE. IN THE EYES OF CHILDREN THEY’RE ALL 30 FEET TALL.
• IT’S CHRISTMAS EVE. IT’S THE ONE NIGHT OF THE YEAR WHEN WE ALL ACT A LITTLE NICER, WE SMILE A LITTLE EASIER, WE CHEER A LITTLE MORE. FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS WE ARE THE PEOPLE WE ALWAYS HOPED WE WOULD BE.
• GIVE THE GIFTS OF HOPE AND LOVE. THEY’LL BE RETURNED TO YOU A HUNDRED-FOLD.
• WHEN DID WISHING SOMEONE A “MERRY CHRISTMAS” BECOME POLITICALLY INCORRECT?
• AS CITIZENS FILL CHURCHES ON CHRISTMAS IT BECOMES A REAL CHALLENGE TO DEFEND THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE.
• CHRISTMAS IS THE SEASON WHEN YOU BUY THIS YEAR’S TOYS WITH NEXT YEAR’S MONEY.
• I’D LIKE TO PROCLAIM I’M NOT A MILLENIAL BUT LAST NIGHT MY WIFE AND I TRIED TO RENT A CHRISTMAS TREE.
• CHRISTMAS IS BASED ON A BEAUTIFUL AND INTENTIONAL PARADOX; THAT THE BIRTH OF THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE SHOULD HAPPEN TO A HOMELESS FAMILY (no room in the Inn) BUT BE CELEBRATED FOR OVER 2,000 YEARS IN EVERY HOME.
• DON’T SKIP THIS ONE. A DOLLAR STORE CASHIER NOTED THAT A YOUNG MAN WAS BUYING A WHOLE CART FULL OF SMALL STUFFED ANIMALS. SHE SAID “YOU MUST HAVE A LOT OF KIDS OR NIECES AND NEPHEWS”. HE ANSWERED “NO-NONE”. SHE INQUIRED “WHY SO MANY TOYS?” HE EXPLAINED THAT HE WAS A SERVER AT A LARGE RESTAURANT AND EVERY YEAR HE SAVED HIS LOOSE CHANGE. HE WOULD SPEND WHATEVER HE COLLECTED ON TOYS OF SOME KIND EACH YEAR. HE WOULD THEN STORE THE TOYS IN THE WALK-IN FRIDGE AT HIS RESTAURANT. AT CHRISTMAS WHEN HE BROUGHT THE BILL TO HIS CUSTOMERS WHO HAD SMALL KIDS HE WOULD BRING THEM EACH A SMALL TOY AND TELL THEM : “I JUST SAW SANTA IN THE KITCHEN AND HE GAVE ME THESE TOYS ESPECIALLY FOR YOU. THEY’RE STILL COLD FROM THE NORTH POLE.” HE SAID THE LOOK ON THEIR FACES WAS PRICELESS. THE PARENTS WERE THRILLED BECAUSE THE KIDS WERE AMAZED AT SANTA KNOWING WHERE THEY WERE. AND THE REST OF THE STORY IS: “I GET A BIGGER TIP, THE RESTAURANT GETS TONS OF PUBLICITY AND MORE PEOPLE COME BACK NOT JUST AT CHRISTMAS BUT ALL YEAR.” EVERYBODY WINS–AND THAT’S WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT.

THE HEALTH CARE DELIVERY “GAME”

Yes, it’s a game. The players are as distinct as poker players seated around a five-sided poker table. Think about it. Every healthcare system in the world, including the US, has several “stakeholders” or players in the game. And they all have widely diverse and often conflicting objectives. Let’s start by listing the major players: hospitals, physicians, labs, pharmaceutical companies, multiple forms of therapy organizations, drug store chains, insurance companies and, of course, patients. Some of these units are for-profit, some are not. Some depend on other stakeholders; some do not. Some are larger and command more negotiating power than others. Some are more flexible; some are totally inflexible. Some are well-managed; some are poorly managed. The only common denominator is: they’re all motivated by money (either maximizing it or saving it). The proverbial “rubber meets the road” at the point of treating the patient. Now, overlay all this mixture of objectives, capabilities, and flexibilities, with a healthy dose (pun intended) of political interference (health care legislation) and you begin to wonder how anyone survives being treated for any illness. In the previous posting (12/12/25) we mentioned that the general population is the major cause of health care cost growth because of the careless lifestyles our society allows. Is it a surprise that healthcare care costs have tripled in the last 20 years? A recent Milliman medical plan cost study indicated that the total average medical family cost is about $35,100/year. (As a side note, if a single wage earner worked 2,080/year–a standard 40 week–this medical cost would approximate $17/hour, or slightly more than the Federal minimum wage.) All employers seem to be attacking this issue from a variety of methods. Some are cutting benefits; some are increasing employee contributions; some are doing both; some are promoting tele-health, wellness initiatives, case management for serious/chronic illness situations. Some are turning to self-insurance in the belief that they can save money by taking all the risks away from the insurance company. But, as Sonny Bono used to say, the (cost growth) beat goes on. If you step back for a moment, the American healthcare system is a hodgepodge of “stakeholders” who many times increase costs with their conflicting actions. As long as the health care system is diverse as to the objectives of its components, we will never slow down cost growth. Lobby groups like the American Medical Association, the American Bar Association, and pharmaceutical lobbyists will continue to protect their interests and legislators will continue to fail to protect the rising cost curve. NEXT TIME: HOW TO REDUCE/MAINTAIN COSTS IN THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY.

THE GOP DOWNFALL

The Trump Administration has demonstrated its total lack of ability to serve the US. Trump is sinking in the polls, now with an approval rating somewhere in the mid 30’s percent. This means that nearly 2/3rds of eligible voters would not elect him if the election were held today. It also says that his deficit percentage is near 30%–30% more dislike his performance than like it. Look at the down ballot races in this off year. All special elections but one were easily won by the Dems. And the one they lost showed a significant movement away from Trump/GOP from 2024. The Epstein files, the boat attacks, the pardoning of the world’s drug kingpin after admitting he didn’t even know the man,–these are turning voters away. In 2026,there is little doubt (despite GOP gerrymandering) that Congress will be dominated by the Dems. If the majority reaches impeachment level, count on a third Trump impeachment. If that happens, and JD Vance becomes president, know that at last count only 22% of GOP voters favored Vance for president–should anything happen to Trump. So, beginning in 2027, we will have a Dem-dominated Congress and a totally non-functioning Republican president. He will not be able to veto legislation put forth by the Dems and he will be closely scrutinized by the Dems for any criminal/rule infraction. The impeachment axe will hang over Vance’s head and render him useless to the GOP. The pendulum will swing just as far to the left in 2027 as it has to the right in 2025.

QUICK HITTERS…

• Question: if you were suspected of a crime and there was evidence to prove your innocence, wouldn’t you want to publish that info everywhere? So, why do Trump and the DOJ hide the Epstein files that could be used to exonerate Trump? And, yes, Attorney General Pam Bondi should be held accountable for releasing ALL the files immediately. That’s what Congress demanded and that’s what she failed to do.
• Attacking a Venezuelan oil freighter is an act of war. If that happened to one of the US ships, we would consider this an act of war just like we did after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. But, even then, Franklin Roosevelt, sought the approval of Congress to declare war–as he was obliged to do by the US Constitution. Why hasn’t this president even told us his reasoning for some multiple tanker and fishing boat attacks? In contrast, he wants to wipe Syria off the map for killing 3 Americans but sees no conflicting judgement when he kills over 100 Venezuelans.
• Kristi Noem has unilaterally cancelled the union contract between the Federal Government and the Transportation Safety Administration. Trump has dismissed all Dem members of the National Labor Relations Board. Ms. Noem should be challenged for her actions and the NLRB was originally established to protect worker’s rights in 1947 under the Taft-Hartley Act. It is ludicrous to have a board at the NLRB that only represents GOP interests.
• By now you’ve heard that Trump has re-named the Kennedy Center. It is now the “Donald J. Trump John F. Kennedy Memorial Center”. Anyone beyond the third grade should be incensed and amused. First, he slaps his name on anything to try to gain some respect. It’s way too late for that, Donald. Second, it can’t be a “Memorial Center” unless both people are dead. Yea, we know what you’re thinking !!! And third, Karoline Leavitt had the ignorance to refer to John Kennedy as if he were still alive–thereby confirming the empty head rumor we all suspected. Somebody should tell her.
• The devastating floods in the Pacific Northwest that have ravaged Washington State, Oregon and Northern California are displacing thousands from their homes and business. Have you heard any offer from Trump/FEMA to help them recover? We haven’t.
• Mr. Bluster, aka Trump, has indicated that he’s negotiated a 600% drug price reduction. First, that’s mathematically impossible. For that to happen the drug company would pay us 5 times the price of the drug to take it. Second, these reductions were, for the most part, negotiated by Joe Biden’s Administration. Trump can’t even pronounce the drugs in-question. And third, many of the Trump agreements do not take affect until 2027.
• While we’re addressing Trump lies, let’s focus on that $2,000 “tariff dividend” we were all getting. Trump said that everybody would get it. Then Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said that only certain people would get it. Then it came out that this “dividend” is actually the projected return of your over-deductions for Federal taxes as a result of the tax cuts of the BBB, Now we hear that Trump needs Congressional approval to make any payments. Isn’t it strange that he needs their OK to give money to the American taxpayers but didn’t need it to bomb Iran, attack 28 fishing boats and kill 108 people, seek due process for snatching citizens off the street with no criminal records–violating the habeas corpus doctrine, etc.? Hint: don’t plan on the Federal Government giving you any money to pay for Christmas presents.
• Prices continue to escalate and Trump continues to deny their rise and blame Biden for any that do rise. He is oblivious to any opposition on any topic. As unemployment rises and more layoffs are announced, he will start by delaying Bureau of Labor Statistics data and then blame Artificial Intelligence for the “temporary” impact. Don’t buy it. Since he took office we have a net negative jobs creation number and it’s not because of AI. As we watch tariff-bloated prices soar more unemployment will result in severe downturns in consumer spending and, by the second quarter of 2026, we officially will have a recession. This economic condition will worsen and serious consequences will drag us into a close call with economic depression. Clouds of economic doom will hang over all GOP candidates as they campaign in 2026.
• This brings us to a rally point. 435 seats in Congress will be contested next year. Do you want more of the same?
• On the subject of the Ukraine invasion, we have noted that the European Union is threatening to freeze Russian oligarch assets unless Putin withdraws. This is a failed threat. Oligarchs will not react by pressuring Putin to end the war. They value their lives. They know what happened to Navalny. We’ve said it before. THIS IS HOW YOU GET THEIR ATTENTION: YOU GIVE THEM TEN DAYS TO WITHDRAW RUSSIAN TROOPS OR YOU WILL SEIZE AND AUCTION OFF ALL RUSSIAN OLIGARCH ASSETS AND USE THE PROCEEDS TO FUND WEAPONS FOR UKRAINE. No, this is not fair, legal or ethical–BUT IT IS EFFECTIVE. Innocent people are being slaughtered daily. It’s time to do what needs to be done. DESPERATE TIMES CALL FOR DESPERATE MEASURES.

HOW TRUMP SABOTAGED OBAMACARE

Say what you will about ObamaCare (aka the Affordable Care Act), there were two key provisions in that law. The first was the elimination of insurance companies using “pre-existing” conditions as a basis for denying claims. This was an administrative nightmare for all because it was purely a way for insurance companies to maximize profits. The second major provision recognized that any nation-wide medical plan must include healthy individuals as well as those who will need the insurance so that risk could be spread over a greater number of lives. This is an actuarial cornerstone in ALL insurance rating pools so that the plan can remain stable as to future rate changes. But Trump passed The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017 and it eliminated the ACA provision that required healthy individuals to participate in ObamaCare or be fined. Now we find ourselves several years later with a constant overwhelming rate growth and the need for government subsidies to allow even the poor risk people to continue. Blame Trump for shortsightedness and blame Biden for not fixing that provision. We are now at a point where only the very poorest health risk people will stay in the plan–if they can financially handle the “no-subsidy” era. Every January more people will drop coverage. Of course, the net impact is that millions of ACA members will be forced to face personal bankruptcy due to their inability to pay medical bills. Again the Trump reign destroys the non-billionaire class.

THE TRUMP FOREIGN POLICY

As we like to do, anothersview is taking the big picture perspective. We believe that Trump and Putin are slowly dividing up the planet into halves. The western hemisphere will be governed by Trump; the eastern hemisphere by Putin. Yes, they are starting small. Putin attacks Ukraine and now mentions a war with Europe. Trump menaces Panama, Greenland, Denmark, Venezuela, the NATO countries, and is now mentioning Colombia for the first time. The Putin way is to kill and ravage in an unprovoked war. The Trump way is to inflict tariffs so his power is on full display and then chip away by blustering and, finally, by using guided missiles to obliterate fishing boats and seize oil tankers. But the goal of each dictator is the same. The method: ignore laws, rules, ethics, morals, collateral damages, public relations, etc. As long as the rest of the world plays by the rules and dictators ignore those rules we will see chaos in the quest for world domination. It is time for the free world to act. Stop Trump and threaten to sell the oligarch’s assets to fund the Ukraine war effort. Otherwise those who fight dirty will win. Kinda like the old saying “don’t take a knife to a gun fight–you lose every time”. Just remember: the offense is always a heartbeat ahead of the defense.

NEXT TIME: HOW TO CONTROL MEDICAL COSTS, THE EPSTEIN FILE DEBACLE, TRUMP REVENGE AND OTHER ANTICS, NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS, THE BIBLICAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS,