Our Shared Deficit

While a somewhat popular topic in terms of importance or when discussing threats to our nation, I believe that the national debt does not get the attention it deserves. To put it starkly, debt payments on our shared national debt is over 1 trillion, that is T for trillion, dollars a year. This expense is quickly becoming the biggest line item on the debit side of our national ledger, Trump's ridiculous statements that he wants to spend $1.5 trillion next year on defense aside.

First, I commented on this subject way back in early 2011. In that post I attempted to explain the research and information I had encountered before composing my commentary. In essence, I related that, at the time, 40% of the debt was owned by one United States Government agency over another, that, in essence we owed ourselves 40% of the debt. As an example, I had cited the accumulation of monies paid into Social Security that hadn't been paid out to beneficiaries yet.

The other 60% was held by various banks in America and around the globe. Upon learning this I commented that perhaps the prospect of those banks "calling our loans" was preposterous considering that bankrupting the United States would do great damage to the world economy as well.

Here is a link to that post.

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2011/02/deficit-components.html 

Sadly, perhaps our politicians believed that as well, as, even though I go on to say that we need to begin having serious discussions about the trend that had added an average of $1 trillion each year to the overall debt from 2002 to that year 2011, (the national debt in 2002 was a bit over $6 trillion, 9 years later in 2011, it was close to $15 trillion), the trend has only worsened since.

Here is a link to a chart that I found which goes to 2023.   

https://www.thebalancemoney.com/national-debt-by-year-compared-to-gdp-and-major-events-3306287

It is startling! 

From 2011 to 2023, 12 years of budgets, the debt increased by over $19 trillion, an average of over $1.5 trillion each year. The chart also provides a column detailing the major event that may partially or primarily have caused the debt increase. Another column of this chart compares the ratio of national debt to GDP. Again very interesting data.

The last link I will supply is to access the current US debt clock. It is a real time estimate of our overall debt, with the last few days, increase or decrease, and the current number, in a clock type of format. As you will see, it is now about $38.6 trillion, another $4 trillion in the last 2+ fiscal budgets. (The fiscal year starts in October, so fiscal year 2026 is only 3 months old). 

https://www.us-debt-clock.com/ 

OK, so let's talk numbers.

Here is a current breakdown of who owns our debt. I am not sure where I got this data as I found it a few weeks ago, but I do remember thinking that it was relatively current as of fiscal year 2025. It appears that even more of the debt is held by America, less by foreign entities, and that Japan is the foreign country holder of the most debt, not China as some people might think. 

Breaking Down US Debt Ownership:

• 40% - US investors and institutions

• 20% - Social Security, Medicare, and other US agencies

• 13% - The Federal Reserve

• 25% - Foreign investors (only!)

• 3-4% - China (much less than most people think!)

 

Returning to that year by year debt chart, I especially focused on the debt to GDP ratio. As you see, this number doubled during WW2, surpassing the 100% mark in 1945 through 1947. At that point, even though the debt continues to increase, it does so very slowly. It stays below $300 billion, that is B for billion, from the mid 1940's all the way until 1963, then takes another 9 years, until 1972, to get to $400 billion. And, even though the debt does start to rise more quickly, reaching just short of $1 trillion by 1981, the debt to GDP ratio continued to drop. Remember, it was over 100% in 1947, but fell steadily through the 50's, 60's, and 70's to a low of 31% in that same 1981.

We wouldn't sniff such a low ratio ever again.

I have often commented that supply side economics was the beginning of the end for middle class buying power. While cause and effect are certainly hard to prove, it was during the Reagan presidency that this economic philosophy took hold. Remember, until the tax cuts that went along with supply side economics, the idea being to give the rich more money which would "trickle down" to the income classes below, tax rates for the rich were 50, 60, even 70%. 

In other words, the monies paid in taxes by the wealthy all during the 50's, 60's and 70's, trickled down much more efficiently through massive public work projects like the interstate highway system, and by keeping taxes for the not so rich reasonable, not to mention that the corporate structure did not exist yet, a system that has encouraged large amounts of money to be hidden in offshore accounts, untaxable. 

By the time Reagan left office in 1988, our national debt had doubled plus, from just under $1 trillion to over $2.6 trillion, but worse, the debt to GDP ratio had risen from that low of 31% to 50%.

Four years of Bush 1 added another $1.5 trillion to the debt while the ratio hit 61%.

Clinton's terms were better, adding another $1.5 trillion but over 8 years, while that ever important ratio dropped back into the mid 50% range.

Under Bush 2, the debt soared due to the War on Terror after the horrific attacks on 9/11. This is when we began our debt increase average of over $1 trillion per year. Remember, it took until 1981, over 200 years, to get to that first trillion dollar debt mark.

Bush 2 added $4.5 trillion in 8 years, ratio climbed to 68%. Then came the economic meltdown of 2008 which caused Obama's numbers to be even worse.

During Obama's 8 years, the national debt increased another $9 trillion and the debt to GDP ratio broke the 100% mark in 2014, staying over 100% ever since.

Trump's first term added another $8 trillion to the debt, COVID being the leading cause, then almost $7 trillion more in the first 3 years of Biden's term, also partly due to COVID. There were also stimulus packages under Trump and Biden that contributed to the now over $2 trillion, per year increase in the debt, with the debt to GDP ratio now over 120%.

So, what is the solution.

Well, first, we have to stop blaming our elected officials. We elected them, so if we really wanted national debt reduction, we would not reelect people who do not deliver. 

But, it is also possible that electing people who were serious about reducing the debt, won't work either. In the case of the current administration that has talked about a balanced budget, and has slowed the pace of debt increase a bit through the chaotic tariff policies (never mind if you think the American businesses and citizens shouldn't be paying more money as tariffs are a tax). Although, slowed is defined as only $500 billion dollar deficit in the first quarter of the new fiscal year, down from $600 billion for the same quarter last year. 

That still equates to over $2 trillion in new debt if we match that number, and may well be worse if Trump actually sends checks to 50 or 100 million Americans this summer, thereby negating the increase in tariff revenue. Again, in this isn't just a knock on Trump, but give the people money in an election year seems a far more compelling strategy for politicians of all stripes.

I have said repeatedly that income inequality, the fact that the richest in America own a disproportionate percentage of the wealth, while the bottom 50% own very little is a serious threat to America. And, while it is clear that the GOP advocates for policies that do nothing to reduce this situation, the fact remains that the rich have gotten richer under every administration, Democratic or Republican, since supply side economics has become our guiding principle.

So, yes, while many trillions of dollars of our national debt were the result of the economic meltdown of 2008 and the COVID pandemic, both of which resulted in massive amounts of money distributed to both save our large financial institutions, and to assist everyday people to pay their bills, the simple fact is that far too many people live on the edge, financially, so any disruption pushes millions of Americans towards food insecurity, bankruptcy, etc. 

Add to that the fact that we still, nationally speaking, have our heads up our communal asses in our resistance to create a universal health care program, which would provide basic health care to all Americans while also eliminating the really grotesque fact that each year far too many Americans find themselves claiming bankruptcy for medical bills, and it is clear that we choose to tolerate the causes of our soaring national debt by not addressing them.

One of the truly paradoxical features of the rise of Trumpism is that it is a populist movement. The very problems that I detail above resulted in millions of middle class, working people to reject Hillary who was effectively linked to the elite, a group who have been so effective in diverting resources upwards to the higher income brackets. The angst was real and Trump took advantage of it while the Dems ignored it, and/or were ineffective when they were in power to stop it.

Take the recent proposal to cap credit card debt at 10%. That is something that the left has been pushing for years, hence Elizabeth Warren's enthusiastic endorsement of the proposal. Of course, the powers in charge, the large financial institutions and the legislators that they own, have pushed back, claiming with straight faces that such a low rate would result in some people not having access to credit.

While this may be true, it is also true that the 25, 28 even 30% interest rates that are being charged to consumers with low credit scores or limited credit history, would make the loan sharks of the past quiver in ecstasy, and perhaps jealousy, that such usury rates are legal.

The simple fact is that interest rates that high only create debt that makes it very difficult to be free from. 

But again, we all must look in our collective mirrors and take some blame for this as well. Not being able to afford something should be a reason not to buy it. But since we all must have what we want, now, there are plenty of unsavory financial institutions that will loan us the money, turning a $2000 purchase into a $4000 payment over time.

Which circles us back to the fact that too many Americans live on the edge, financially, because we allow the rich to drive the narrative about all things income related.

Higher minimum wages? Can't have that, it would cause inflation, so they say, even though CEO pay has skyrocketed in the last 30 years, as has the pay for athletes, Wall street executives, movie stars, hedge fund managers, health insurance brokers and executives, the list goes on and on. 

But never retail workers, bus drivers, day care workers, sanitation workers, even police and firemen. Real income for the people who do the real work in our country has not kept pace so we feel it necessary to charge our way to comfort, a situation which big banks are all too eager to take advantage of.

But I digress.

The deficit will eventually lead to a financial reckoning. We can't continue to spend a trillion, even 2 trillion dollars a year more than we collect in revenue and taxes. It is unsustainable as any family who has faced unending escalation of their debt knows.

The rich must pay higher taxes, the working poor must receive livable wages, the middle class must prioritize where they spend their resources while avoiding the pitfalls of wanting everything new. Remember, supply and demand has two portions, so, while Trump's call for austerity by buying less pencils (who buys pencils?) seems to put all the blame on the working classes, he is right that we can be more discerning, more aware of wants as opposed to needs.

I called this post Our Shared Deficit because there are some Americans who choose to blame our elected officials or the Washington bureaucracies or, of course, immigrants. 

And that is the main problem. We, the people, are the problem and the fact that we can't or won't acknowledge that is what will doom our country more than anything else.  

  

   

 

 

 

The Sestercentennial

As 2026 progresses, celebrations, documentaries, and various other commemorations concerning the 250 year anniversary of our founding will be ubiquitous. 

Towards this tremendous milestone, the Atlantic devoted its entire November edition to the subject.

First, a note.

I want to express my gratitude to Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump for this, my first year of reading the Atlantic. You see, it was the SignalGate controversy that cemented my desire to obtain a subscription to this wonderful magazine. While I had occasionally read some articles in the year preceding that event, it was Hegseth's avoidance of responsibility for including an editor of a magazine, let alone one with a history of negative articles about the current administration, in his communication chain about an ongoing military action, as well as his assertions that this breach of secrecy did not reveal any classified information. 

And, if that wasn't bad enough, after the revelation of this incompetence, rather than being held responsible, the president instead attacked the magazine itself, calling it a failed entity and ridiculing both the person who was included in the breach, and the magazine, even though the Atlantic did not publish anything until after the strike. That they, in fact, were more responsible in withholding possible info that might have put our soldiers in harms way than the head of the Department of Defense himself. (No, I won't call it the Department of War!)

Since my subscription began in April of last year, I have not only been exposed to amazing online articles and news, but a monthly magazine filled with wonderful writing, relevant news, and insightful analysis of these dark times.

In addition, and unexpectedly, the Atlantic has introduced me, and inspired me to read a number of books by authors that either I had never heard of or whom I had never read despite knowing of their importance. From current writers like Ann Applebaum, Elaine Pagels and David Graeber to authors who have departed mortal soil such as Toni Morrison, James Baldwin and Kurt Vonnegut, the Atlantic has rekindled my love for reading, as well as discovering the perspectives of people different from myself. You know, learning about diversity, equity and inclusion, those three great traits that have contributed to the amazing history of our country.

Anyway, back to the November edition of the Atlantic which was titled The Unfinished Revolution and featured a flip out picture of 23 people, some famous, some infamous, and some unknown but just as important in our shared history.

The articles within the edition touched on topics as varied as our history itself, broken into five chapters, Defiance, Conflict, Independence, Memory and Crisis. Like the Ken Burns 12 hour documentary (I have seen the first two episodes), there is a lot of information about the years preceding the signing of the Declaration and the War for Independence, details that provide substance and background for the hows and whys that led to our eventual decision to seek separation from England.

So many details which, I am ashamed to say, were frequently unknown to me as the version of our history has been so often altered to present positive spins on dreadful situations or simply pretend they didn't happen. 

One of the many things I have learned is that the English openly and successfully recruited African Americans to fight against the colonists, offering freedom from enslavement as a reward. Sadly, our Independence resulted in many of those men, women and their families being chased down and returned to their former masters, or forced them to flee to Canada, some Caribbean Islands or even back to Africa.

Of course, for every black mark that was true of those times, for every hypocrisy that was revealed by the men who claimed that all men are created equal yet did not include women, Blacks or even the poor white people of the day, there are stories of inspiration, true belief in self governance as opposed to the divine rights of a king, and all sorts of sacrifices, cooperation and even compromises among the colonists despite their differences.

America is certainly a conundrum, if nothing else.

Which makes it all the more sad to see how some people seem obsessed with whitewashing our history, pretending that within all the good there weren't times when we have fallen very far short of the ideals of our founding documents.

Not to mention our seeming fascination, even acceptance by some to allow one man the power of a king, or autocrat. 

Anyway, if you see the November edition of the Atlantic, perhaps at your local library or at a friend's home or maybe even at a store that sells magazines, I heartily recommend you borrow or buy it.

You will be enlightened, perhaps even more proud of America since you will know more of the full story, not just the one which pretends that manifest destiny is real and that nothing bad ever happened here. That despite the flaws of our founders and the ways in which we have come up short to their ideals, we are part and parcel to a wonderful experiment in self governance, and in the attempt to assist all people in their efforts to seek life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, even when they live, love and identify their gender in unique ways.

Frankly, and despite my recent reduction in optimism, perhaps reading articles such as those included in The Unfinished Revolution and viewing Ken Burns' American Revolution documentary, the veil will be lifted from the eyes of my fellow Americans and the majority will reject the cruelty, the xenophobia, the bigotry, and the corruption of our current president, and seek to make the ideal that all men are created equal a reality.  

More on Christian Discrimination

A few months ago, my nephew recommended a book for me to read, one he had just finished himself; "Separation of Church and Hate" by John Fugelsang.

I located it within the library system from which I am now actively borrowing books, rather than purchasing them, and found that they had a number of copies, but 45 holds already placed. I added my name to the hold list, and checked every week or so to see how I was progressing in getting to the front of the line. 

It took a while, owing to the topic and the skill of the the writer to discuss it, I presume.

Finally, last week, I received a notice that the book had been transferred to my local branch and I quickly drove there to retrieve it.

As a quick summary, Fugelsang is the child of two people who had chosen to devote their lives to Christ, one was a nun the other a brother. But fate had different plans for them (can one say God rather than fate?), when they met one day when he was sent to the hospital for tuberculosis treatment, the hospital where she was working.

They became friends at first, out of respect for their divine choice, but as time went by and they continued that friendship through a copious amount of letters, they eventually broke their respective promises to God, and married.

I recount this so you know that Fugelsang was raised by two very strict Catholic parents who believed deeply in the teachings of Christ and the true meaning of Christianity.

The subtitle to Fugelsang's book is "A Sane Person's Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds". Fugelsang makes his case, not by attacking the bible, but by quoting it, as only someone who has been taught it's words, but more importantly, it's spirit, by two people who had spent a number of years in dedication to the life of their savior, Jesus Christ.

The good news is that the book is not preachy as is so often the case when someone who "has read the bible" proselytizes. 

It is a great read, whether you have a Christian background or not, but especially so if you sense the hypocrisy of the mega church evangelists who seem extremely rich, or the man made rules of the Catholic Church which seem to hold more importance than the spiritual meaning of Jesus's teachings.

My own opus along these lines was written early in my blogging career. Here is a link to An Atheist For Christ, written in 2012, then revised, a bit, and posted in April of 2024.

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2024/04/an-atheist-for-christ.html

I also recently posted a review of another wonderful book, concerning the history of Christianity, The Gnostic Gospels, by Elaine Pagels.

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2025/07/gnostic-gospels.html

Also, as is my usual process, I reviewed some of my previous posts, in this case, concerning the topic of Separation of Church and State. One from June of 2024, discussed the recent decision by Louisiana to display the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. I actually agree with the basic concept of the idea, to provide moral guidance to our youth, but with a few additions, and a picture of someone high in government who has routinely violated those ten commandments, a visual warning of how not to behave.

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2024/06/the-ten-commandments.html  

Another post about this topic is from 2012 about a Puritan minister who actively fought to keep religion out of government, believing that one's religious affiliation was a personal matter, not for government to dictate. While he was ultimately unsuccessful in his endeavors, in fact was ostracized from his community, his book "The Bloody Tenet of Persecution" influenced John Locke, whose work was instrumental in inspiring the founders when they created the great documents of our nation. I reference him in my discussion of the mandate within the ACA that required birth control to be provided for all health plans but was challenged by various religious groups. 

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2012/02/contraception-controversy.html 

Finally, a link to my original discussion of discrimination in a Christian nation, from 2016.  

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2016/04/discrimination-in-christian-nation.html 

Whether through Fugelsang's book, or Pagels, or from the many other comments about using Christianity to create laws, including my posts, it is clear that like all religions based on rules created by men, (and I mean men as there are very few which were established by women), there is hypocrisy galore, as well as excellent lessons and guidelines to help us live moral, positive, humane lives.

Which path we take, personally as well as nationally, is a reflection of whether we choose to honor the universal axiom which transcends culture and creed, do unto others as you would have done to you, or its negative injunction, don't do to others what you would not want done to you.

Perhaps then, phrases like Christian discrimination would fade away, and that acts which harm Christians for their faith, and those which some Christians advocate, Christians in name only, who use man made dogma to harm others, would fade with it. 

 

The Underdog and The Bully

Yesterday I watched Rocky. It had been quite a while since I viewed this movie, perhaps decades, to be honest. And, to be even more forthcoming, I have lost a bit of admiration for Sylvester Stallone, although certainly admire his tenacity and persistence in creating, not only the Rocky character, but his other successful iconic characters. 

It has been calculated that with a $1 million budget, the original Rocky movie grossed $225 million worldwide in box office revenue. A rags to riches story about a boxer conceived by a rags to riches actor/neighborhood club fighter. It is no wonder that his statue stands proudly on the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, and that his famous run up those steps is reenacted, probably daily, by tourists, native Philadelphians, and Americans from around the country. 

Coincidentally, Rocky was released fifty years ago. I say coincidentally, because 1976 was also the year I graduated high school. 

I remember seeing the movie that year, tearing up when he finally made it to the top of the Art Museum steps, feeling every hit as Apollo Creed relentlessly pummeled him, then cheering when he came to his feet after being knocked down in the 14th round. It all came back to me as I watched again yesterday, especially his calls to Adrian as he awaited the decision, a decision, it seemed to me as I experienced the film all these years later, that didn't really matter to him. Even though he had admitted that he didn't think he could win, and that he just wanted to last fifteen rounds, I guess I missed that part when I first watched the movie. I expect I was disappointed when he didn't win in 1976, but understood far better in 2026 why it didn't matter. 

Why he was a winner none the less.

I mentioned in my last post that I often wonder how much of my waning optimism in America is related to my own personal aging. Certainly in 1976, having my whole life ahead of me, I was far more optimistic about my future, far more likely to identify with a rags to riches story and the idea that something similar could happen to me. Whether that is also part and parcel to my reduced hopefulness, that, in fact, nothing similar has occurred in my life, at least not in terms of recognition on a large scale, is debatable, and not entirely unlikely.

Two hundred and fifty years ago, America was the underdog of the world, taking on the biggest, most powerful military of the day. It is easy to understand why we identify with characters like Rocky as we see our own national origin story as a rags to riches epic journey. 

Which makes it all the more sad that America has become the bully that we always cheered against in movies, and life. 

Don't get me wrong, even in 1976 when I was in the full bloom of my youth, America had already belittled the accomplishment of defeating Hitler's attempt to rule by intimidation and violence, when we secretly but actively deposed the leaders of other countries, in addition to actually invading foreign lands, Korea and Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, to mention the worst debacles.

But now we have a leader who not only stands with bullies like Putin and Netanyahu, but has remade America into a country that has no qualms about invading another nation to take its resources, oil in this case. At least now we know that all that talk about drugs was just a line of bullshit, oil being the ultimate goal all along.

What makes me laugh, truly, in spite of the decline that this invasion marks, is that we have thrown away our reputation for decency, for democracy, and especially for being a Christian nation, for a natural resource that represents the past, not the future. 

No surprise considering that our president wishes to return America to the Gilded Age, but you would think that the masses, the people who do all the work, all the living and dying in this country (to quote "It's a Wonderful Life") would turn their collective backs on the outdated concept that fossil fuel extraction is our future. 

They say that those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. For a man who has criticized our history of foreign entanglements, you would think that he would know that invading another country, generally unites that country against the invader, and rarely leads to the population of said country lining the streets in gratitude.

If Afghanistan didn't teach us just that one lesson after both Russia and the United States invaded it, the two most powerful nations in the past 75 years, trying, and failing, then I guess we deserve whatever comes from this atrocity. 

Somehow Trump thinks that he "holds all the cards" as he is prone to tell Zelensky when using Putin's talking points to convince him to give up parts of his country to an invading force. 

He has learned nothing from the past even though he lives there. 

Venezuela's recent leaders have done a piss poor job of running that country, as is reflected by the contested elections in the last decade, and the failing economy. But nothing unites a country quicker that an invading force. Just as the colonies were able to put aside their differences, differences that simmered below the surface and eventually exploded into the Civil War, it should come as no surprise if the Venezuelan people reject our notion of who should run their country, just as the majority of peoples do when invaded by a hostile enemy.

Bullies do well, sometimes for quite a while. But eventually, a bigger bully comes along, or perhaps tens of thousands of regular people who band together to fight, as occurred 250 years ago.

Perhaps when the first American soldier, or construction worker, or oil executive is killed on Venezuelan soil, the American voter might look up from their 72" TV's and their cell phones, and realize that we are just another bad guy country, no longer the underdog to be proud of and to cheer for. Maybe...

And so the decline continues.

 

Some Optimism, to start the New Year

I have not made it a secret that I am far less hopeful for humanity, in general, and America specifically, than when I began this blog fifteen years ago. I have also mused about how the mere fact that I am aging, in the last few decades (at least, hopefully) of my life, might be a factor in that loss of hopefulness. Yet it is also true that when I began this blog, I was already in my early fifties, not necessarily a time of life associated with the bloom of youthful optimism.

All that being said, I include a link to a post that I wrote in 2023 that touched on this topic, while also providing a few links to other posts which were also along the same vein. 

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2023/08/on-more-positive-note.html 

So, optimism. What still provides me with hope for the future?

On a personal level, my wife and I spent a very enjoyable five days with our children and their partners, at our home. We shared fabulous meals (thank you Nora), lots of laughs, and innumerable pleasant experiences. As I have said a few times in various posts, it is truly satisfying and heart warming to get to know our kids as people. And sure, while they will always be our babies, it is very rewarding to see them happy in their lives, but just as importantly, to have developed into good, kind, caring people. Who actually want to spend time with us!

Also, if it matters, and I guess it does if I am mentioning it, activity on my blog increased dramatically this past year. While my stats are minuscule when compared to the most popular influencers of the day, I have accumulated over 300,000 hits since the inception of this blog. Of those, just about 88,000 have occurred this past year with 59,000 in the last six months including a whopping 34,000 in August, my most active month, by far, ever.

To say that it is gratifying, and perhaps even a bit of an ego boost would not be an exaggeration, especially when considering that I have had many months where less than 1000 people accessed my blog yet have now experienced single days with 1500, 1800, even 2000 hits. 

The mere fact that I can sit at my desk in Pottstown and have my words read by people in such far flung countries as Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Gabon, Moldova and Tunisia seems as improbable as it does complimentary. In fact, my records show (yes, my numbers OCD strikes again) that I have had "hits" from 127 different countries to date, 20 new sources just this past year.

Of course, I have long since accepted that I may never achieve my personal 15 minutes of fame, let alone be a popular source for commentary, but I am satisfied to think that there are people I have never met, and will never meet, who have read a post or two of mine, not because they know or are related to me, but because they find something interesting, perhaps, dare I say it, inspirational, whether from my opinion pieces or stories.

As I continue to tell people, my current mantra is, global anxiety, which means being aware of the backwards trends that are occurring all around us, but also personal happiness, translated as appreciating the love in one's life, and the good times which come along, or are sought out and realized.

In other words, having the ability to have two thoughts in one's head at once, but not allowing one to dominate the other.

Finally, as I have mentioned multiple times in the past, I continue to read the Smithsonian Magazine which is often a source of positive articles.

The December issue featured two articles that inspired me to think more hopefully of the future, although one was about something that, while is still exists today, was built over 100 years ago.

In 1902 there was a horrific train crash on Manhattan Island which killed 17 people. From that horrible event, a man named William J Wilgus, a self taught engineer at that, would design the Grand Central Terminal, a building that catapulted the transportation industry into the future. His vision eliminated the steam driven trains that polluted the air while creating safety hazards, replacing them with electric trains, in addition to sinking all the train tracks below the surface while creating two levels, one for commuter trains, one for longer distance travel.

His concept was as revolutionary as it was costly. But here, again, he solved it with out of the box thinking by proposing the utilization of the concept known as "air" rights, which stated that whomever owns the soil, owns the air above it. As the railroad company owned all the land already, and since Wilgus's proposed design of underground rail lines included being covered with heavily reinforced girders and pavement, the resulting real estate above the structure could be leased to developers, reaping millions of dollars, in perpetuity.

Wilgus not only solved the challenge of completely re-imagining urban train travel, he solved the even more difficult question of funding.

So why does this inspire hope for the future? Because perhaps such grand ideas, which can occur at any time, anywhere are lurking in the ether, just awaiting to occur. Some soon to be "flash of light" as Wilgus described the genesis of his idea. An inspiration that will help us address climate change, or poverty, or income inequality, or any of the myriad problems that we face, personally, nationally, globally.

The other December article described the efforts being made to save and help regenerate kelp forests. I know, kelp isn't very sexy. Not like saving whales or leopards, or even the rain forests. But if you were to read the article, "The Kelp Comeback", you will understand that our neglect of the ocean is as critical an error as our profit driven attacks on land. 

The hope comes from the people, indigenous as well as non-indigenous, who are working tirelessly to restore kelp forests off the coast of California, as well as along other coasts across the globe. The article, like other such excellent reporting on recognizing the importance of respecting the interactions of nature, and the harm we do when we ignore that interconnectedness, also provides possible solutions to problems ranging from the acidification of the oceans to reducing the use of pesticides to grow our food to preserving sea animal diversity from which the next great medicine may be discovered. 

All in all, I begin 2026 on a positive note, notwithstanding the obvious threats that are on display every day. Whether this touch of optimism lasts a few days, weeks or months, Happy New Year. I hope you had a memorable holiday these past few weeks, and that 2026 brings happiness and health to you and your families. 

America

Whenever Nora and I listen to the radio at home, the dial is tuned to WXPN, the public radio station out of Philadelphia. It is an amazing source for new music as well as to walk down memory lane. We have been members for quite a long time, the initial membership the result of a Christmas gift from me to Nora soon after we discovered, and became regular listeners.

This past week, WXPN has been playing the top 885 cover songs, as voted on by the listeners. (WXPN is found at 88.5 on the FM dial, hence the number of songs).

Just a few minutes ago, at #35, the Yes version of Simon and Garfunkel's song "America" was played. I was immediately transported back to English class, freshmen year in high school, 1972 when Mr Topper used the song, the original, not the Yes version, as a discussion topic. He played the song a number of times, in its entirety, as well as portions, to spur the class to consider, and to interpret. 

Here are the words. 

 

[Verse 1]
"Let us be lovers, we'll marry our fortunes together
I've got some real estate here in my bag"
So we bought a pack of cigarettes and Mrs. Wagner pies
And walked off to look for America

[Verse 2]
"Kathy," I said as we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh
"Michigan seems like a dream to me now
It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw
I've gone to look for America"

[Bridge]
Laughing on the bus
Playing games with the faces
She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy
I said, "Be careful, his bowtie is really a camera"

[Verse 3]
"Toss me a cigarette, I think there's one in my raincoat"
"We smoked the last one an hour ago"
So I looked at the scenery, she read her magazine
And the moon rose over an open field

[Verse 4]
"Kathy, I'm lost," I said, though I knew she was sleeping
"I'm empty and aching and I don't know why"
Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike
They've all come to look for America
All come to look for America
All come to look for America

I can't say for sure that Mr Topper's introduction of this song had anything to do with the travels I embarked upon after leaving high school. I do know that after a lackluster semester at college as part of the track that was expected of students like me, I dropped out.

After a few years of bill paying but unsatisfying jobs, I began to travel, first by bus, then with my thumb. Although I never made it to Saginaw, I did take two cross country bus rides, both which began with Pittsburgh as the first stop. The first took me to the Grand Canyon, out and back with two days at the great crater, the second one more ambitious, all the way across America, and up to Seattle, then back to home, a dozen cities in 14 days. For those who are curious, a two week bus pass, if memory serves, cost $150. Total.

Once emboldened, I hitchhiked across the country and back in one incredible six week trip, then also made trips to Rochester, New York and Houston, Texas. I slept outside a lot, in places one doesn't normally sleep, but also at parks, local, state and national. 

And, of course, I encountered many other young people, doing the same, some traveling like myself, some working at national parks for the summer, some aimless, some with purpose, many Americans, but also many from Europe. All looking for a version of America that matched the version of themselves, or who they wanted to be. 

While I can't speak for anyone else, I gained a wonder and belief in our country, both of its natural beauty, and its inhabitants, my fellow Americans, that stuck with me for most of my adult life. After all, I was dependent on others to travel about, sometime even for food and shelter, but was never stranded for any substantial length of time. Always on the move, meeting new people who were looking for a conversation to help the miles pass quicker, or for ideas as to where to look for America, and themselves.

That's what makes it all the more sad, to see how we have changed, as a country, and as a people, since then.

How cruel our national policies have become to those whose only crime was to be born in a poor country, or in a place where sun exposure results in a darker skin color. 

Even worse, how we treat fellow Americans who choose to love someone of the same gender, or whose gender identity is not as black and white as some would prefer. Or who have spent their lives as public servants. Or choose to intervene when they encounter government sanctioned intimidation and violence in their communities. 

But the real shame is that I wonder if young people, born on American soil, brought here as an undocumented child, or living overseas in a country where opportunity is lacking, would still seek America as I did forty plus years ago. Would still think that all our welcome on our shores, especially considering the rhetoric that issues from the White House about people from certain countries. 

In those days, I traveled, and encountered other wanderers with very little resources. My recollection is that I spent about $120 during my six week trip. Today it seems clear that only people with money are welcome here, and that some of our leaders do not see America as a place to look for opportunity or one's self, but only for people with marketable talents or big bank accounts. 

When I hitchhiked in the 1980's, I was told that you can't do that today, it isn't the sixties anymore. When I recount my travels, I am told the same about today, that it isn't safe to travel in this manner anymore. I didn't believe that advice then, and while I often joke that I would like to recreate those days some time, to try it again as a senior citizen, I wonder how safe I would be. And that makes me even sadder than the thought that I might be too old to try.   

I don't know if Mr Topper is still kicking around somewhere, although I would like to think that he knows that he had an impact on at least one student. An impact that planted the seed of self discovery, and of understanding something about America by experiencing it up close and personal, one ride at a time, one adventure at a time, one new experience with a fellow American, at a time. 

 

 

Bullshit Jobs

I've posted twice before under the heading of Jobs. The first was in October of 2010. See link below.

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2010/09/labor-costs-and-jobs.html

For those who don't remember, unemployment in America in October 2010 was just a few ticks under 10%, having barely moved from its high water mark in the previous October. It would take another year, October 2011, for the rate to drop below 9%, almost another year to get below 8%, almost two more years, September 2014, for the rate to drop below 6%, until May 2016 to drop below 5%, and then another 18 months or so to hit 4% and stay around that number or less. In other words, opinions about how to increase the number of available jobs/reduce unemployment, were a dime a dozen.

My post was a response to an opinion piece I read in the Inquirer which offered the solution of reducing wages so that employers could hire more people.  

The second post was from January 2011, a commentary on the movie Working Girl, a favorite of mine. My focus was on the comment, made by the lead character, that you can bend the rules once you make it to the top, but that everyday people can't do the same while they struggle for that big break. Here is a link to that post where you can read the word for word quote, and the rest of my comments. 

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2011/01/working-girl.html 

Today's post will be nothing like those, however, as it is inspired by the book I just read Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber.

This is not a recent book, having been published in 2018, the book itself resulting from the reaction and feedback Graeber received from an essay that he wrote in the spring of 2011 for a magazine called Strike. In it, Graeber suggested that a significant percentage of jobs that existed were not only not necessary, but that those who toil in those jobs are unhappy, both because the jobs are not satisfactory and because they know that the jobs could disappear tomorrow and no one would notice.

Be advised, Graeber is an avowed anarchist, in general, but also specifically when it comes to the topic of work. He truly believes that, not only is the 20, 25 hour workweek achievable, but that there are forces that actively work against the concept. 

It is not possible for me to adequately explain Graeber's theory, even though I will be commenting on it for the remainder of this post. If you are so inclined after reading my post to understand it more thoroughly, please read it. I got my copy from the library.

More specifically, if you have or have had a job that seems pointless, or even one that you have an inkling that if such a job disappeared tomorrow, the world would be a better place, read the book.

Further, if you have noticed that too many jobs seem to be soul sucking endeavors, and that these jobs form the basis as to why so many people "live for the weekend" or seek life satisfaction outside their mode of employment, read the book.

That being said, here are my comments.

This past week, Nora and I visited our children for the Thanksgiving holiday. I mentioned to my son that I was reading Bullshit Jobs and he seemed downright excited having known about Graeber and his theory long before I encountered it. Knowing he was aware of the book, I commented that he, along with his wife and sister, currently worked bullshit jobs. He did not disagree as his understanding of Graeber's theory is that complete. 

For me, the biggest, most salient points made by Graeber are that jobs that are actually the most necessary, that provide actual goods and services that people need, are often the least paid, while many of the jobs that pay the highest compensation do very little to enhance society.

He also believes that capitalism has created a plethora of these bullshit jobs due to the ego of the multitude of administrators and executives who need to brag about the number of assistants and junior whatevers that work below them.

And finally, that the powers that be vastly prefer that we toil 40, 50, 60 hours a week rather than having time to analyze and understand just how such a massive amount of the resources and wealth that are created by the workers of the world, end up in the hands of so few people. 

He ties this desire to "keep us busy" with the proliferation of entertainment devices. Like the battles between lions and humans and among gladiators, as occurred in the Coliseum, we have our own sports arenas where specialists play games for very rich owners who have convinced us that we should support "our" city's team. While today's distractions are highly paid, some progress there, the owners have no loyalty to us fans, as indicated when they hold us hostage for publicly paid for billion dollar stadiums with the threat of moving elsewhere. 

And let's not forget the athletes who salute the fans when winning, but flee for the next big contact to whomever pays their way.

What is really ironic, is that the vast majority of Americans will tell you that they want their government, their political leaders, their super rich businessmen, to create opportunities for the working classes. To provide compensation that allows livability, or affordability, if you will, and the possibility of providing a better life for our children. 

Yet at the same time, have been convinced, brainwashed even, to holler at the top of their lungs against the thought that we need a more equitable income distribution system, all because the rich have hijacked the narrative, by labeling it socialism, having successfully taught us that socialism is anti American, anti God even. 

As if the billionaires would take their ball and go home, as the characters in one of their bibles, Atlas Shrugged, do. The simple fact that without workers to run factories, distribute goods, provide services, and then actually purchase them, no one would be a billionaire.

They need us more than we need them, but they have bamboozled us into believing the opposite.

Again, Graeber is much better at enunciating his theory; I have done him a disservice by attempting to explain the details of his book.

But the down and dirty conclusions that he reaches, that too many hair dressers, bus drivers, retail workers, garbage collectors, police and firemen, nurses, teachers and day care workers, and all the people whose work provides the actual goods and services we need to survive and thrive, are paid far less than the hedge fund managers, myriad middle managers, executives, corporate lawyers, bankers and yes, government bureaucrats. 

Without the former, life would stop. Without the latter... well one can only wish to see what might happen. 

At the end of the book, Graeber dives into UBI. 

Universal Basic Income.  

But he discusses it with a twist, in that he believes such programs could make a real difference for, not only those struggling for whatever mental or physical reason, but for the everyday person who might have an artistic talent but works a 9 to 5 job to pay the bills, perhaps even at a job that provides no real social value. 

Who knows how many great works of art or sculpture or fiction have not been created because a child was discouraged to focus on music or the arts by parents (and society), but instead, directed towards a more lucrative career. 

Or what amazing medical discoveries have not been made because scientific research pays far less than almost any sales position.

Or, if you want to put a family values spin on it, how many children were without the proper parental supervision, or love, because their parents paid astronomical daycare fees so that very underpaid day care workers could raise their kids.

As I say very often, what America needs is a week long strike by all the people who get paid crap wages but whose work is critical to the functioning of our society.

Graeber's book provides even more reasons for me to believe that. 

Epstein Files

An acquaintance recently asked me why I haven't posted about the Epstein files, given that is such a huge story, and has been for quite a while. 

To be honest, I am not sure exactly why, although, to be honest, I don't think that Trump is neck deep in Epstein related dirt. Certainly he was a friend, and not just in passing. It is obvious to many that Trump has no moral compass. Using women for play is just one of many flaws in his personal make-up, so I guess I preferred to focus on the danger he represents to our 250 year experiment in democracy.

Perhaps this indicates my own bias in that I consider his attacks on the institutions of our government and the guardrails that have protected our unique form of government more important than his sexual escapades. 

That being said, let me be clear. Jeffrey Epstein provided a service to a group of men who deemed themselves above, not just the law, but above any of the accepted morals of our society. They abused women, many underage girls, because they could, but also because they had a perverted belief that it was something they deserved, something that men of power and money have done throughout history, as Trump testified in his deposition during the E. Jean Carrol assault trial.

As the emails are revealing, Epstein's advice was sought after by many very rich, very powerful, very entitled men, some who sought sexual gratification, and some who sought a way to gain favor with Trump. As these revelations continue to become public, one can only hope that there is some kind of accountability, and not just the loss of one's royal standing. 

Real, hard punishment. And I don't mean prison time. Not that I wouldn't support seeing some of them in orange jumpsuits, but I would much prefer hitting them where it hurts the most. 

Isolation, shunning even, so that they can no longer be the giants of industry or politics that they believe themselves to be. And very, very large fines. Millions of dollars. 

Like the occasional example when the masses boycott certain products, we need those who do business in America to stop doing business with men like this. To set an example that such behavior, such attitudes that place people like that above the law, above responsibility for their sordid actions, will no longer be tolerated. People who engage in sex trafficking, especially when children are involved, and yes Megyn, anyone under 18 is a child, are loathsome indeed. But without the customers, there wouldn't be a business. 

Is it possible that in the future, at least in my lifetime, that the peer pressure of those who consider sex with children a crime that cannot be tolerated, will eliminate underage sex trafficking? Perhaps not, but it can only begin when people ostracize those who participate in the activity, on either side of the equation. One might even say that such a movement, to truly identify and isolate people like this, could enable us to actually claim to be a Christian nation.

Whether Democrat or Republican, Liberal or Conservative, President, ex-President or a woman like Ghislaine Maxwell, they should all be held responsible in ways that do not allow them to be active in everyday society, whether that results in a prison sentence or just by being shut out of our society. Outcasts. If we could somehow make legal the application of a scarlet letter upon their brow to indicate their worthlessness, I would heartily vote for it. 

More importantly, the saga of a man like Jeffery Epstein is a black mark on all of us. He represents greed, and power, and privilege run amok, and while some of it may have been hidden, we all know that the rich and powerful have been playing by different rules for all of history. 

Shame on all of us for believing that rich people are somehow better than us just because of their wealth, regardless of how they accumulated such wealth. We excuse their behavior because they have convinced us, the everyday folks who do all the real work in America, that without them all would be lost. A sort of too big to fail logic applied to people, not just humongous corporations.

Is Trump guilty of ignoring Epstein's horrendous treatment of women? Of course. Not because he may or may not have known about the underage girls but because he accepted, neigh, relished, the idea that men like himself are allowed to engage in such activity. As are all of those whose names are being revealed in the files. They all knew he was a slime ball, but valued his use to them to gain some advantage. 

In some ways, the men who only used him to get sex are less horrible than those who sought his advice to gain political insight or access, although I wouldn't want to be any of them when they face their day of judgement.

Moving forward, I don't expect an email that implicates the current president in the sex trafficking aspect of the scandal. I just can't imagine such an email being released, if not completely redacted so it is impossible to link to Trump.

Of course, it doesn't matter to me. He is as guilty as any and all of the men who partied and associated and sought guidance and ignored Epstein's crimes. While it is certainly ironic that a sex scandal may mark the beginning of our communal break from the spell Trump has cast on so many people, it really needs to be more than just a few men who pay the price for the likes of Jeffrey Epstein.

Whether that occurs, is the real question. 

 

 

Diane Keaton

When I first heard of the passing of Diane Keaton, already over a month ago, it hit me hard. Certainly not as hard as a family member or longtime friend, but still I felt truly sad.

I imagine I wasn't the only person to feel that way, that, in fact, it is very common for regular people to mourn the death of famous actors, or athletes or musicians, or other such people whose work they admired. Or whose life represented something beyond just respect for their accomplishments.

While I can't know for certain why other people get upset when someone like Diane Keaton passes, I can surmise why I felt sad, almost tearful, when I heard the news.

Keaton represented the type of woman that I, as a young man, was attracted to, perhaps even searched for as a life mate. 

Now, I know that sounds kind of ridiculous when one understands that what I admired about her was not really Diane Keaton, but the characters she played in the movies, especially Annie Hall.

I had been musing about this post, considering the direction and details of it, since her death, but had let the idea drop away as is evident since I have posted seven times already since her passing despite a search for Diane Keaton movies that resulted in my watching a number of her films in the two weeks or so right after her death.

Most I had never seen before, Manhattan and Interiors being the two I enjoyed the most. A few were not that good, to be honest. I still haven't had the opportunity to see Sleeper again, or Play It Again, Sam which might be an indication that I enjoyed Keaton characters that Woody Allen created for her. Perhaps it also suggests that the love that Allen felt for Keaton was transferred to the film goer in general, and myself in particular, for although they dated but never married, Keaton was a longtime defender of his less than acceptable relationship scandals while he often ran his scripts and ideas past her first, his respect for her opinions being so profound.

If I am totally honest, there may even be a bit to the idea that if Woody could successfully woo Diane, even if in the make believe world of movies, then I might find success in winning over a woman like her. In that example, Woody's well known lack of self esteem reflected my own, yet somehow he is still able to be attractive to Keaton, as it turns out, in film and real life.

What really surprised me is that I was unaware that Diane Keaton was in the Godfather movies, being one of the eight people in America to have never seen any of the those films. The fact that she was in those movies while also appearing in Love and Death and Sleeper illustrates the range of her acting ability. 

Another odd juxtaposition of roles are those she played in the aforementioned Annie Hall and Looking for Mr Goodbar both which released in 1977. I am hoping to find the latter on some streaming service some time soon, perhaps right after seeing the former again.

Over the years, as I aged along with Keaton (just to note, she was born a dozen years before me), I enjoyed her in Baby Boom, the Father of the Bride movies, the First Wives Club, The Family Stone, and Somethings Gotta Give, among others.

I also hope to see Reds again sometime in the near future although I recall losing interest in parts of the movie when I first saw it. 

So, again, why was I attracted to Keaton, or to be more realistic, her acting roles?

Since retiring, I have been watching a lot of movies, most notably older movies, older being defined as released before 1970. One that I enjoyed the most, starring my favorite black and white movie female actress, Katharine Hepburn, is Bringing Up Baby with Cary Grant.

I mention Hepburn because Keaton reminds me of her. Both versatile actors, both attractive but not glamorous, perhaps best of all, both seemingly approachable, more like the girl next door as opposed to a  Hollywood starlet.

And, perhaps, most important to me, both able to play comedic roles, which I interpret as not taking themselves too seriously.

As I said in the beginning of this post, Diane Keaton represented to me the kind of woman I wanted to be around, perhaps even marry, despite my understanding that it was her roles that created that desire. 

Whether she was anything like those roles in her real life, we may find out as time passes and various people in her life open up about what she was really like. Hopefully, I won't experience too much bursting of the balloon should the reality not match my fantasy. But as someone famously said, la-di-da, la-di-da.

 

 

  

 

Mrs Dalloway and the Mailman

A few weeks ago, I borrowed two books from the library, Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, and Mailman, My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home, by Stephen Starring Grant.

As far I as know, I have never read a Virginia Woolf novel. Woolf was born around the same time as my paternal grandparents, and died at the start of WW2. Mrs. Dalloway was published in 1925 while Mailman... was just published this year, a hundred years later. There was no connection, in my mind, why I chose these two books, other than I had read a review of Grant's book and thought it sounded interesting, while I had read something which mentioned Woolf, and her standing in the world of literature, and realized my oversight in never reading any of her efforts.  

First, Mrs. Dalloway. 

To be frank, I struggled through the book. As to why, I have a few thoughts. As it says on the jacket, and perhaps in the mention that led me to search out this book, Woolf spends the entire novel tracing the day of a woman, Mrs. Dalloway, as she spends her time recounting and thinking about the people and things she encounters, as well as shopping and planning for the party she is throwing later that night. 

In comparison, Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, also published 100 years ago, and which I recently read and discussed, took place over the course of a few months. But more importantly, at least as it applies to why I moved through that book more easily, there was action. While also some internal thinking that was reflected upon in The Sun..., it was nothing like Woolf's constant stream of thoughts, and almost random connections of the physical world and what popped into the head of the characters she creates.

Whether my preference for a bit more action is a product of being a man, or an American, or a human alive in a world with a 24/7 news cycle and instant gratification, or a combination of all of those, I am not sure. While my own writing is no way similar to Woolf's in terms of her descriptive powers, especially when detailing the environment, everything from the people in it to the world happening all around them, I do tend to have rather long sentences that my grade school English teachers would have scowled at when attempting to diagram them into their parts. (Does anyone else remember that exercise on the blackboard, breaking down a sentence into its parts, noun, verbs, etc?)

As it happens, both Hemingway and Woolf took their own lives, right around the age of 60. Whether that kind of timing is indicative of an age when truly gifted people find it difficult to prolong a life that no longer allows them to be creative, or is a coincidence, I can't say. But what is more typical is that Hemingway chose a more violent mode to end his life (gunshot) while Woolf chose a more passive vehicle, drowning. 

One thing I did notice as I read Mrs Dalloway was that I felt more engaged when she focused on some of the past relationships between the characters, especially the scenes involving Clarissa Dalloway and Peter Walsh, as well as those reflecting on the interactions between Sally Seton and Clarissa. For me, those interplays were at the heart of how all three people's lives developed over the years and came to be in the present time, when Mrs Dalloway takes place.

Another reason for my lack of enthusiasm for Mrs. Dalloway is that there is no real conclusion at the end of the book. Of course, the plot of the story isn't such that it leads to a conclusion, being a day of observation and reflection. Clarissa spends a lot of time in her head, justifying why she rejected the love of Peter Walsh, Peter spends a lot of time wondering why she did that, and why he still cares, but neither seems to come to any conclusions as to why they still think about it. Perhaps that is the point, or perhaps I have missed something in the meaning of the book. One thing is for sure, if I had been assigned it in high school, I would have liked it even less. At least now I can appreciate some of its themes through the lens of my own 60 plus years of life.

Finally, maybe the resignation as exhibited by Clarissa and Peter, reflects the shared experience of those who lived during World War 1. I know his WW1 experiences altered Hemingway's life and outlook, although he reacted through hedonism as opposed to seeking  normalization, or at what society calls normal, which Clarissa, Peter and Sally successfully find, if boring and less than rewarding. 

While I can't say it was my favorite book of the year, perhaps even one of my least favorites, I did enjoy the way Woolf incorporated those characters' past into the present. It reminded me of my recent mission to contact my friends of yore, but also about how so true it is that we can't go home again, at least when it comes to friends from decades ago.

Where Mrs Dalloway was serious and somber, Grant's Mailman... was light and featured a number of comical recollections. The author, a very successful ad man, found himself unemployed and without health insurance in his fifties, during the pandemic. He decides to apply for, then accept a job working for the United States Postal Service delivering mail in his hometown of Blacksburg, Virginia, a place he had escaped from a number of decades prior.

During the pandemic, my experience, as well as my wife's was not typical. Nora was working as a floating pharmacy tech at a few local assisted living facilities. Once they suspended the techs from traveling to those places, she was reassigned to work in the warehouse picking the prescriptions that were sent to the clients of her company. In other words, she worked right through the lock down.

I was employed by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) as a general manage of one of the stores. We were given off, for a month with pay, then brought back to pick orders as part of their curbside delivery experiment, which morphed into a direct to home shipment process. Again, except for that one month, I worked through the pandemic. 

And so, fortunately, we did not experience a loss of employment or a change in income.

For Grant, who is laid off his very well paying job with only a few months health insurance coverage as part of his severance package, his entire life is upended overnight. That is the sort of desperation he was experiencing when he took a blue collar job with a government agency at the very time when so many blue collar workers were being forced to work/be exposed to COVID, and when the government was not considered a trustworthy entity.

Add to that the fact that he would be delivering mail in areas that were already isolated in a number of ways, and one can imagine the culture shock that awaited him.

The book was delightful, a word I am pretty sure I have never used in describing a book I have read. But also insightful, not just about Grant as he navigates the incredibly difficult job of rural mail carrier, but as he rekindles his relationships with people, real people in the real world so unlike that which he had lived in as a consultant, but also with his family, especially his daughters whom actually work with him for a short time delivering the mail.

I was fortunate enough to have a similar experience as a child, and young adult, working with my father as he delivered knives in the various restaurants, delis, butcher shops and convenience stores in Philadelphia, an experience which I used in a story which I wrote in college.

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-dad.html 

Even though Grant did not deliver the mail all that long as he was able to acquire a job which allowed him to return to his "old" life as a white collar worker making a six figure income, he reflects fondly on the lessons, and experiences of that brief time, admitting that while economically difficult, they had exhausted their emergency funds by the end of his time with the USPS, he was proud of the work he did, and glad for the people he encountered and the hard working postal employees he met.

He realized an appreciation for the people who actually do the work in this country as opposed to what he did, well paid as it was, which did little to help others.

Interestingly, I just borrowed Bull Shit Jobs by David Graeber from the library, a book which discusses the idea that far too many jobs are worthless, do not really help anyone or produce anything meaningful while the jobs that really matter, jobs like postal workers, hair dressers, child care workers, teachers, policemen, etc, are valued far less than they should be. I will let you know my thoughts when I am done.

While I retired from the PLCB over four years ago, I have been working for a local grocery store (yes, we sell groceries), for the last three years. I work three days a week, on shipment days. We break down the skids onto U-boats, those funny looking carts with a U handle on each end and a metal flatbed about a foot above the ground, separating the product by aisle, such as pet products, paper products, laundry products, baking items, etc, then "pack out" the shelves (grocery store jargon) with the goods. 

It provides exercise, walking and lifting, some interesting interactions with customers, especially requests to reach things on the top shelf, our clientele being on the short side, and even some job satisfaction when I help people find something they need, or after a good day of filling shelves so they are neat and organized.

In this way, and also in that eighteen months when I delivered newspapers before most people woke up, I can understand Grant's realization about who does the real work in America. While I must say that I was a bit disappointed to read that he goes back to his former life, the money being the biggest factor, he at least went back with a better feeling for his neighbors, their problems, and what is most important in life.

A similar lesson as was presented in the movie Good Fortune, which I reviewed a few posts ago.

Perhaps in just that small way, Mrs. Dalloway and Mailman... were similar in that the people coming in and out of the lives of Clarissa Dalloway and Stephen Starring Grant, even though one was fictional and the other real life, still detailed the inner thoughts of everyday people. 

I am fortunate that I could leave my job tomorrow and it wouldn't dramatically effect our lives, economically speaking. But so many of the people I work with, my job being in the retail sector, are not so lucky. They work hard, as do the vast majority of blue collar workers, but are generally underpaid, especially when we read of the salaries that those who own large retail businesses earn, often hundreds of times more than the very people who do the actual work.

It is similar to the appalling treatment that federal workers are receiving from the current administration. For the first few months, there were daily proclamations from Musk and Vought and Trump about the bloated federal work force. Literally thousands of federal workers were threatened, belittled, bribed into retirement, or worse, were labelled as DEI hires which meant that they weren't qualified to be employed in the first place, and would be eliminated.

Not to mention the white collar workers, DOJ lawyers, FBI officers, various middle management staff, who were told that they weren't loyal enough to the president, the Constitution and the taxpayers who funded them, be damned.

Now, six months later, the DOJ is having a hard time finding qualified lawyers, the various scientific arms of the government are struggling to find qualified scientists and researchers, and, most glaringly, the FAA is hundreds of air traffic controllers short of the level of staffing needed to monitor our skies.

When one's employer fires people for no good reason, or alters the qualification standards to include sycophants first, competence second, or just blatantly tells you that you suck at your job, it should be expected that people will quit, or retire, as soon as viable. But more importantly, word gets out that the employer not only tolerates, but has created a hostile work environment, so the pool of replacements suffers. 

So, when I see Sean Duffy complaining that dozens of air traffic controllers are retiring every day at four and five times the normal rate, or when sick outs increase because those "essential" workers are not being paid while the House of Representatives, the very body whose job is to fashion and pass a budget, is on a paid vacation for six weeks, it should come as no surprise. In fact, rather than empathizing with those workers the president tweets in all caps that he might dock the pay of anyone who calls out even while threatening to not approve their back pay.  Can you say asshole!

I've said it before, and I will say it again. The American worker, those doing the real work driving buses, taking care of our children, tending to our sick (nurses, not as much doctors), and elderly, standing behind counters in retail environments, cooking our take out orders, delivering our mail, need to organize. Or perhaps strike.

At the least, take a day or two off. Demand not just respect, but livable wages. And a more equitable share of the vast amount of money that is created by your hard work.  

If only... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Election 2025

Before diving into my analysis of this past week's elections, I read my post election discussion from last November. Here is a link

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2024/11/election-aftermath.html 

A few of the points I made in that post stuck out as I read it. First, I reminded my readers that Harris lost Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin by a total of 250,000 votes. Out of the 150 million or so that were cast that is less than 1/2 of 1% of the votes cast. My point was that Harris wins the electoral college if those 250,000 Americans vote for her instead of Trump, regardless of whether she still loses the popular vote. That fact reminds me of the lie that Trump and his acolytes continue to tell about the 2024 election being some kind of mandate.

Another point I made regarding the possibility of a Democratic recovery had to do with how Trump governed, specifically in those critical areas of costs and immigration. 

I had created two posts meant to provide the new president with advice, both along the lines of Take the Win. What I meant was that as inflation continued to come under better control, as it had been the last year of Biden's presidency, take credit for it. Sadly, he decided to institute his crazy tariff obsession which has stalled progress on reducing inflation, is even causing an uptick. I am not exaggerating when I say that the Fed would have lowered interest rates sooner, and perhaps more often by now, if not for Trump's tariffs. The blame for that delay lies squarely at his feet.

As for immigration, the flow of illegals has practically ceased, but rather than stopping at the border, he has unleashed his own form of gestapo police in ICE clothing, masked, to boot. Here are links to those two posts. 

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2025/01/dear-president-trump-take-win.html

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2025/05/take-win-2.html 

Which brings us to the recent elections. While I agree on two fronts with the president, that the government shutdown and the fact that he was not on the ballot are two factors which lead to the beat down for the GOP, it is also certainly true that the victories by the various Democratic candidates were also a repudiation of the administration's policies, specifically the tariffs that are harming small businesses as well as everyday consumers, and the daily stories of ICE agents snatching undocumented people off the streets of America, some right in front of their kids as they are dropped at school, some at the actual immigration hearings where they are following the rules by appearing, and some at their places of work. 

Clearly, those people are not the worst of the worst. As I said in one of my posts above, showing ICE agents accompanying illegal immigrants from American jails directly onto deportation planes would have been a win. What is happening now, especially in conjunction with sending the National Guard, or actual soldiers into American cities, completely eliminates any credit he could have gained from sticking with his worst of the worst campaign rhetoric. And exposes the lie of that claim, as it is clear that there aren't millions of undocumented people committing crimes in America. Just a large quantity of people trying to make a better life for themselves and their families who violated the law by taking a shortcut into our country.

One might even speculate that providing a pathway to citizenship for anyone who has been in our country for four, six, ten or more years while emphasizing that anyone who enters illegally from now on will not be provided such a pathway, could have been a part of Take the Win.

But no, the reality is that Trump's true motivation is bigotry, pure and simple, and cruelty to send a message that "those" people should not come to our pristine (can you say white) shores.

Had Trump followed my advice, had chosen to Take the Win, his party would not have performed so badly. 

Further, if I am JD Vance or Marco Rubio, and think that they will automatically inherit the MAGA vote in 2028, I might think again. With Trump not on the ballot for that election, what makes them think they will do any better than those representing the GOP banner did this past week?

Now, of course, there is a whole year until the midterms in 2026, let alone the three years until the next presidential election. So much can and will happen in the meantime.

I expect a market down turn, not just because Trump's tariff policies are upsetting the economy, here and abroad, but because the AI driven market surge is due to peter out. In other words, we are in a bubble that will eventually burst. The only question is by how much and for how long. Should there be a 10-15% drop early in 2026, a drop that is not recovered until mid to late summer, the DEMS will certainly win back the House, and close that gap in the Senate. If the president thinks it tough to get his agenda passed now, it will get all the more difficult then. 

The real concern the White House and the GOP should feel is that the very demographics which helped them win in 2024, Latinos, young people, especially young men, and Blacks, switched sides this past week, by many percentage points. Should the economy continue to favor the rich, should unemployment push closer to 5%, should young people and minorities continue to find "affordability" to be a problem, whether the president acknowledges it or not, the 2026 midterm may look like the 2018 midterms when the Democrats regained the House by gaining 41 seats. Since, as of now, they only need 3, it is a fair bet that they will gain those seats. That if why Trump has ordered various red states, led by Texas, to redraw their maps to potentially create more GOP seats.

It is also why he is pushing Senate Republicans to nix the filibuster so he can push as much of his agenda in the next year as possible. While many seasoned GOP Senators know the folly of such an act, know that when they are in the minority they will lose any leverage they might have to slow a Democratic agenda from being fulfilled, Trump does not care about anything other than his perceived legacy. What happens to the legislative process, or to the country for that matter, is not a concern for a narcissist like Trump, only what he can do, NOW.

What is truly amazing is that day after day, the White House brags about how much money tariffs are bringing into our coffers yet claims there is no money to fund SNAP. As if this administration hasn't been moving money around since day one to reflect its priorities. As we speak, the DOJ is arguing that forcing the government to find the money to help American families buy food, Americans of all political affiliations, would do harm to the government, more harm than children and the elderly and the disabled and veterans would feel by having to skip meals. I would call it evil, except that, as I have stated many times, cruelty is the point. And to emphasize that point, with all caps and an exclamation point. Trump brags about his $300 million ballroom, and holds a party the night before SNAP benefits are to expires for all his rich friends. 

The good news, perhaps, is that the electorate is beginning to wake up, as this past week's elections seem to indicate. I am still hesitant to declare this the beginning of the end of the effectiveness of Trump's barrage of lies, as the WalMart Thanksgiving basket demonstrates. 

If you missed that particular prevarication, someone from WalMart, I assume, perhaps one of the owners who earns tens of million of dollars a year by underpaying their employees while forcing their vendors to operate with minuscule margins, told the president that the "basket" of items to create a Thanksgiving dinner cost 25% less than last year. The truth, of course, is that the basket from 2024 included many more items than this year's and that some of the items from last year were replaced with store brand items, not name brands. But, as has been famously said by many people before me, Americans aren't interested in details, so the story was presented on Truth Social, and in Fox outlets all around the country. 

Of course, I doubt that Trump has shopped for groceries in this century, but even some people who do their own shopping continue to believe these kind of lies, despite what the receipts from their own shopping trips tell them.

Please, Mr President, Take the Win.

Return the tariffs to pre-April numbers, then let people trained to negotiate complex trade deals work with our trading partners to correct the situations that need addressing.

Put your pardon pen aside, and stop sending the message that white collar crime is just all right with you.

Focus ICE on transferring illegal alien criminals from our jails to save local and state municipalities money, and transfer the real worst of the worst to their country of origin, even if you have to pay those countries to house them, as that rate will certainly be less than the cost here.

If you don't want to grant a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers or people who have been here for eight or ten years without breaking any laws, then at least let them be. Perhaps the next president will have a heart that doesn't need a microscope to detect.

Favor the fossil fuel industry, we know you love them, but leave the green energy systems and projects and incentives that are lowering the cost of energy by reducing the demand side of the supply-demand dynamic that controls the cost of all products alone.

Finally, golf.

Golf at your own courses, even if it costs the American taxpayers money, paid to your businesses, to provide security. Golf at your other favorite courses as well. Golf oversees. Golf in Greenland, Canada, Panama and at all those great courses that the Saudis have in their countries. I am willing to pay my taxes for you to break every record there is about rounds golfed by a president in four years. 

Just stop governing, we all know you don't like it, and Take the Win.