"Under continuous construction"

supply chain

It’s Just A Matter Of Time


POST 1183

Declining Health On The Way

From Heather Cox Richardson’s post of June 1 dealing with RFK, Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” Commission report that’s “full of errors, including misrepresentation of experiments and nonexistent studies:”

Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, told [reporters] Weber and Gilbert, “This is not an evidence-based report, and for all practical purposes, it should be junked at this point. It cannot be used for any policymaking. It cannot even be used for any serious discussion, because you can’t believe what’s in it.”

Clearly, it’s a fabricated report from a brain worm addled, science ignorant RFK, Jr., backed by our morbidly obese, obviously unhealthy president. It’s yet more proof that we are entirely through the looking glass.

From STAT:

Last week, HHS confirmed it was canceling a more than $700 million contract with Moderna to develop, test, and license mRNA vaccines for flu strains that could cause future pandemics.

This stands in stupid juxtaposition to mRNA-developed vaccines that saved millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, once Trump shut up about injecting Lysol and was kicked out of office. Nevertheless. he’s setting us up for yet more pandemics and death.

Also,

$9.8 billion

That’s how much our dental costs would be if the rest of the country follows Utah and Florida in banning the addition of fluoride to water, according to a study published Friday in JAMA Health Forum.

How come Republicans want us to be sick and toothless?

Pain Is On The Way

Price increases of consumer goods caused by Trump’s Temper Tantrum Trade Tariffs (the “5Ts”) will hit hard starting in July. Because the tariffs have shoved a stick into the gears of global supply chains, consumers will begin to see empty shelves in stores. The reality of tariffs and the idiocy of non-existent subsidizing of other countries will become obvious. We’re going to feel the pain of Trump’s trade and foreign affairs lunacy and it will begin to sting even his most ardent followers.

From STAT:

Facing a shortfall of roughly $40 million in terminated contracts, the nation’s leading advisory body on issues of science and technology has already had to lay off 50 of its 1,000 employees and could lose as many as 250 more by the end of the summer .  .  .

.  .  .  just months into the second Trump administration, more than 2,000 grants have been terminated, totaling around $9.5 billion. [emphasis mine]

$40 million in terminated contracts and the cancellation of $9.5 billion in research grants means that a lot of research will be halted and there will be 300 fewer scientific experts working to keep us healthy. That means that a lot of medical research won’t happen and some ailments and diseases that might have been curable due to that research won’t be available to help us. You, the people you love and even those you’re not too fond of will all suffer completely unnecessary afflictions, even death.

It will take a while to connect the dots from the gutting of the FDA (3,500 layoffs) to outbreaks of avian flu, E. Coli and Listeria. Robert Kennedy, Jr. recommends non-pasteurized (“raw”) milk, an invitation to infections including salmonella, pathogens like bacteria, viruses and parasites that can cause food-borne illnesses and more. What could go wrong?

Wait a second: Pasteurization kills pathogens like parasites? RFK Jr. drinks “raw” milk and he has a brain worm. Coincidence? The American people want to know.

It isn’t clear how long it will take us to figure out the connection between the Kennedy/Trump decimation of our science and medical research capabilities and the diseases we’ll suffer, but we’ll get there. And 99% of Americans are going to be very, very angry. The 1% are the knuckleheads who love their ignorance more than they love granny and babies.

We Don’t Like Being Played For Fools.

Trump promised great “deals” for America would come about through his “5T” tariff madness. But literally the only “deals” he’s managed are an agreement with China to talk about an agreement, plus another like that with the Brits. There’s no substance anywhere in sight.

He promised lower prices, but most have gone up.

He promised he would end the war in Ukraine in one day, but today is the 139th Trump “one day” and the war goes on.

He promised massive reduction of waste, fraud and abuse, but has only managed to put tens of thousands of faithful government employees out of work and has imperiled all of us. The actual net of the DOGE thugs’ actions looks like it will be about $0 – plus a massive invasion of our privacy.

He promised to round up non-citizen criminals and deport them first, but none of those snatched from their homes, our streets, immigration centers, schools and work sites have been proven to be a criminal. It’s that habeas corpus thing that hasn’t happened, like occurs in dictator countries. All that exists of administration justification for its Gestapo-like* raids are completely evidence-free claims of gang affiliation and the crushing of our rule of law and the presumption of innocence.

We’ve all been played for fools, especially the 38% who are loyal Trump supporters. But they, like the rest of us, will feel the sting. It’s just a matter of time.

America isn’t about any king.

It is about We The People.

We declare that in no uncertain terms right here.

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You and I are just like the Founders in our abhorrence of kings – dictators, really. We are threatened by such people right now. That’s why June 14 is

NO KINGS DAY!**

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“You have to know what you stand for, or you’ll fall for anything.” – Les Brown

Click the map to find a demonstration near you. As of this writing there are over 1,500 of them, all for people across the nation who won’t tolerate Trump’s reign of scams, cruelties, corruption and the destruction of our Constitution, which he hopes will lead to his dictatorship and make him King Donald I.

So, show up on June 14 to demonstrate who we really are, what we stand for and what we won’t stand for. And pass this message to others. This existential battle needs all of us – and we need this battle.

Finally

From a letter from the Interfaith Alliance:

[Congresswoman Mary Miller (R – IL-15)] attacked Giani Surinder Singh, a Sikh leader, saying it was “deeply troubling” for a Muslim to lead prayer at the House of Representatives because “America was founded as a Christian nation.” Then, she deleted the post when she realized that he was Sikh, not Muslim. So she then posted how troubled she was that “a Sikh” was leading a prayer. Finally, she deleted the second post.

This is a deeply proud Illinois moment. To think that we in Illinois have a congresswoman in serious contention to out-stupid Marjorie Taylor Green! Miller’s comment MUST! get her listed as a finalist in the Deranged Idiot Contest Dipstick (“DICK”).
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In addition and because her district (IL-15) is mostly red, all of her constituents but Sikhs are hereby required to immediately write a letter of apology to the Sikh gentleman she insulted (indeed, to all Sikhs and Muslims), and another letter to all Americans, explaining her brain dead, historically false claim, admitting that her saying, “America was founded as a Christian nation” is wrong, cruel and stupid.
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Anyone keeping score will know that the founders had an abhorrence of forced religion. That’s why freedom of religion is in the First Amendment. Rep. Miller would know that, had she attended a civics class in a public high school, instead of attending Stupid High and learning to be a mean girl.
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So, in her apologies, Miller must write, “America was NOT founded as a Christian Nation” 100 times longhand. Tears of embarrassment dripped onto her 3-ring school binder note paper will be appropriate. Then she may go directly to Detention Hall.

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* Why do you suppose Trump’s private army of no-warrant, kidnapping thugs wears masks? Why do you suppose Trump’s henchman, Nazi Stephen Miller, tells us, “The cruelty is the point”?

** It’s also the day of Trump’s ego-maniacal military parade. Watch for his lying press secretary Karoline Leavitt to lie about parade attendance.

Countdown to November 3, 2026
Mid-Term Election

Countdown Timer

Goes fast, doesn’t it?

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The Fine Print:

  1. Writings quoted or linked from my posts reflect a point I want to make, at least in part. That does not necessarily mean that I endorse or agree with everything in such writings.
  2. There are lots of smart, well-informed people. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don’t. Search for others’ views and decide for yourself.
  3. Errors in fact, grammar, spelling and punctuation are all embarrassingly mine, but I do wish that I could blame someone else. Glad to have your corrections.
  4. Book links to Amazon are provided for reference only. Please purchase your books through your local mom & pop bookstore. Keep them and your town or neighborhood vibrant.
  5. Clicking on most pics in these posts will take you to the source information.
  6. Comments offered by readers, whether in agreement with my opinions or opposing, are encouraged and greatly appreciated. All are reviewed prior to going live. I reserve the right to edit for readability, punctuation, typos, voluntary idiocy and to exclude those I deem inappropriate.
  7. Responsibility for the content of these posts is unequivocally, totally, unavoidably mine.

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JA


Copyright 2025 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.

What Art Friedson Has On His Mind


Here’s a guest essay, a wonderful post from Art Friedson from the June 23 NKC Occasional Update, reprinted with permission of the author.
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One of the great mysteries of life is how Joe Biden can be polling so low on favorable/unfavorable, and even more so, on his handling of the economy. Really? Are you kidding me?
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Okay, I get that he’s old. We all wish he was a decade or two younger. But by any objective measure, the man has been one of the most effective presidents in recent history, especially when it comes to the economy. Probably the most effective president. In fact, when it comes to presidents, Joe Biden is the GOAT: Greatest Of All Time.

Let’s start with the big picture and work our way down. President Biden took office just as the Covid pandemic was ramping up. China was already shut down which caused major supply chain disruptions: factories we relied on for goods were closed, and the related shipping delays made it nearly impossible to get the few goods that were available..

At the same time, there were vaccines in development, but no plans for the kind of mass distribution that would be necessary for what turned out to be the series of shots that would be required to tamp down the spread of the virus.
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U.S. Covid deaths
(Graphic from the C.D.C.)
Just three months into his term, as Covid deaths were reaching their first big spike in the U.S., the Biden Administration had already ramped up vaccine production and put a distribution plan in place that was flexible enough to be tweaked and evolve to meet impediments that surfaced.
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Throughout it all, President Biden skillfully and adeptly worked with a polarized Congress to pass law after law to pump money into the economy in general, and directly into the hands of the Americans who needed it most. At the same time, he used every administrative maneuver possible to successfully get the kinks out of the supply chain.
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The pandemic revealed a more serious problem for American industry: we had ceded control to foreign manufacturers. So again, President Biden finessed a series of measures through a challenging Congress that directly addressed the structural problems the pandemic exposed.
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Private Investment in Manufacturing
(Graphic from the St. Louis Fed)
The billions of dollars that have been and will be spent on infrastructure, coupled with the massive investments in new manufacturing sites for batteries, solar cells, and semiconductors, have been matched by unprecedented foreign investment resulting in what Axios chief financial reporter Neil Irwin calls “a manufacturing supercyle.”
The industrial construction boom has already offset the decline in residential and commercial construction that were hit by rising interest rates. Longer term, they can be counted on to provide a steady flow of good-paying jobs that will go a long way towards building back the middle class that was decimated by Republican economic policies that sent jobs and production overseas.
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While the Republican tax cuts drove income inequality, President Biden’s successes are driving an American revival. Current unemployment rates are lower than they were in the economic boom times of the 80s, 90s, and early 00s. While the unemployment rate for African Americans still lags, it has fallen from 16.8% in May, 2020, to just 4.7% now which is very close to an all-time low.
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President Biden has also taken on the surge of hidden fees that have raised prices on airline and concert tickets, as well as “junk fees” for banking and credit cards. These are the hidden drivers that fuel inflation by increasing corporate profits, separate and apart from the macroeconomic drivers of inflation. It’s like he has eliminated the Greed Tax.
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It took this long to mention inflation, so let’s deal with it. Yes, when you pump a bunch of money into the economy, even for the best of reasons, you get inflation. It has happened everywhere in the world since the Covid crisis. But in the U.S., thanks to President Biden and The Fed, inflation has fallen for 11 straight months, from a peak of over 9% last summer to the current rate of 4%. At the same time, markets have returned to within 10% of their all-time record levels. Why, you may ask? Because (a) investors have confidence that the right actions are being taken; and (b), since markets usually project the economy six months out, they believe that we will stay on the right track.
Energy CPI
(Graphic from Axios)
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The combination of falling inflation, decreasing unemployment, and record investment in manufacturing has been a boon to all Americans, not just the 1%. Income inequality has fallen thanks to tighter labor markets, greater transparency, and increased unionization.
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The bulk of the benefits of the Biden Boom redounds to the poorest members of American society. They are the ones whose incomes -even with inflation- have increased the most on a proportional basis. They are the ones who are getting the high-speed internet connections they were denied in the past. They are the ones landing the jobs rebuilding infrastructure and manufacturing and they are the ones who will hold the jobs that come on-stream after these facilities are built.
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The policies of the Biden Administration are benefiting the very people who are least likely to support him in an election. How crazy is that?
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Along the way, the Republican policies that drive income inequality and only benefit the rich are now completely debunked. They don’t work. They don’t create jobs and they don’t lift the poor. As hard as it is for even Establishment Republicans to admit it, their policies only benefit the rich, while Biden’s policies benefit everyone, rich and poor, rural and urban, blue and red.
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All this, and we have only focused on the economy. How about resurrecting the State Department and reconstituting NATO just in time for the Russian invasion of Ukraine? How about getting a record number of federal judges ratified and seated? How about the fact that America is not at war with anyone? Can any of you recall a time when we could say that?
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Our job – yours and mine – over the next 14 months is to spread the word about the unparalleled success of the Biden Administration and push pack hard every time we hear a discouraging word. Nobody has done this president thing like Joe Biden. He’s the GOAT. He may be an old goat, but he’s the GOAT and he deserves our unqualified support. The state of our nation quite literally depends on it.
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Note: All graphics are linkable.

You can subscribe to Art Friedson’s offerings in NKC Occasional Updates here..

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Focus For Democracy: Zoom Briefing – 2022 Impact Event
Focus for Democracy is a pro-bono donor advisory that approaches political investment in an effective, dynamic, data-driven way.  Learn about the effectiveness of its 2022 Midterm programs and hear the network leaders’ thoughts on the road ahead.
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This is NOT a fundraiser.
Thursday, June 29th
5:00pm PT/8:00pm ET
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/F4DJune29
Today is a good day to be the light.

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  • Our governance and electoral corruption and dysfunction and our ongoing mass murders are all of a piece, all the same problem with the same solution:
  • Fire the bastards!
  • The days are dwindling for us to take action. Get up! Do something to make things better.

    Did someone forward this post to you? Welcome! Please subscribe – use the simple form above on the right. And pass this along to three others, encouraging them to subscribe, too. (IT’S A FREEBIE!) It’s going to take a lot of us to get the job done.

    And add your comments below to help us all to be better informed.

    Thanks!

    The Fine Print:

    1. Writings quoted or linked from my posts reflect a point I want to make, at least in part. That does not mean that I endorse or agree with everything in such writings.
    2. There are lots of smart, well-informed people. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don’t. Search for others’ views and decide for yourself.
    3. Errors in fact, grammar, spelling and punctuation are all embarrassingly mine. Glad to have your corrections.
    4. Responsibility for the content of these posts is unequivocally, totally, unavoidably mine.
    5. Book links to Amazon are provided for reference only. Please purchase your books through your local mom & pop bookstore. Keep them and your town or neighborhood vibrant.

    Click me

    JA

Copyright 2025 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.

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