The moon and the sky
What do I think the next four years will be like with the Rodeo Clown in the next four years? 🤡
Entertaining in a somewhat cringe worthy way.
Truth is that I don’t own a color television and don’t pay much attention to the news these days. Outside of the weather it’s not obvious what benefit there is to watching the news outside of getting really angry and learning about the latest consumer products out there to buy.
I think the threat and promise of a second Trump Presidency will be overblown. In many cases, Trump will be rebuffed by institutions, other politicians, and the public – especially if he takes unpopular measures. A four year time period goes by remarkably quickly these days, and policies can be upended and changed depending on popular will and whomever is elected in four years.
At some point there will be a market correction, though I generally believe politicians care about their jobs and know how much money is tied up in the market and will take steps to stop the bleeding. I also think the American economy is so big and diversified that such a downfall while painful in the short term won’t last. Might help slow the rise of prices and mean some good buys in the markets. Plus I still have 13 years until retirement.
I think climate change will really start to bite harder into our every day life. It’s already starting to mess up the entire insurance market, with car and home insurance skyrocketing. It could further boost the housing crisis, as more people loose their homes from natural disasters. That said, I’m not sure if climate change deserves all the blame, or if it’s bad policies executed at local and state level that encourage housing development in all the wrong locations – areas that are flood or fire prone – and building patterns that concentrate water flows that ultimately make it easier for an area to flood.
On the other hand, am I convinced that there will be massive action on climate change? Not really, even if we should be doing something. Adaption will occur as people and institutions are lost adverse, and technology will march on. I think solar and wind will continue to expand, not just in blue states, but because it’s a cheap form of energy to build out on a per unit basis. We need cheap, peaking power these days, not baseload energy like coal and nuclear. Probably more gas plants will be built too, under the auspices of interim, which will be determintal to climate goals.
All and all, I am not that worried about the next four years. Maybe we would have made more progress under a Harris administration, but Trump will be good on the second amendment, and somebody has to lead our country. Maybe not my first choice, but we have to live with whomever was chosen by the voters.
14% of Farms Lost in a Decade | Farming and Agricultural News | lancasterfarming.com
Burtonsville
Thirteen years or 2038
You know those sound like vastly different time spans when you write them out. But in thirteen years from now it will be the end of 2037, my 54th year coming to a close, with my 55th birthday that January.
But on the other hand, 13 years ago wasn’t that long ago. I’ve had Big Red more then 13 years now, I was starting out as a coordinator back then. I had already been working for the Assembly for four years then, so it’s not like I was just at of college at that point.
But 55 seems so old – even if that’s when I’m hoping if I execute my retirement stragety correctly – I can hang up my hat in favor of owning my own land and an off-grid cabin – and work either part time or at least in a job that allows me to live in an area that suits my values.
Turkey coma
Why my next truck will likely be smaller 🛻
For 11 1/2 years I’ve been using Big Red as my primary vehicle — that is for camping and traveling, though in the city I use buses or walk to get most places except maybe for the weekly or these days every-two weeks grocery shop. I like Big Red, but I realize even if I do keep it in good repair, it has a limited useful life.
Having a Big Jacked-Up nice truck is fun when one is young. You should do it once, if you have the money. But I am no longer in my late 20s or 30s. Priorities change. I don’t want to spend $50,000 on a new truck, nor do I want to spend money on big tires or a lift kit. It’s not that I don’t have the money, but I’d rather allocate the money to other things in life.
The big truck is fun, but it’s costly. Repairs are more with a lift kit, as are the tires. Bigger tires, bigger engine, heavy uses more fuel, which became an issue in the past year when gas prices pushed past $5. But even when you don’t worry that much about fuel — as I drive recreationally — a big truck kind of sucks.
Big Red is a bitch to drive around parking lots, through narrow city streets, and anywhere there are a lot of other automobiles, like at repair shops or even the dealership. Big Red keeps me away from crowded trailheads in back country, as he’s too difficult to park. Even many smaller campsites are tricky to park in at Red.
Nowadays, my priority is more towards owning my own land and early retirement. A big truck is fine, but I would rather have land where I can shoot guns, have fires and livestock. Out in the woods, where I’m free to do what I want without people bossing me around. I’m trying to grow my wealth, not spend it all. As I want to have more options on where and how I live my life, especially as I head into my 50s, which likely whatever vehicle I get next will go with me into.
I haven’t decided for sure if I am going to get a truck next. I’ve thought about electric vehicles or even a sedan, to save money. But if I want to do more camping in a truck cap, then I’ll need a truck. And probably 4×4 to get on the rough, snowy roads I like to traverse. I really don’t want to spend a lot of money, as inflation has made everything so much more expensive, and money spent now is money that can’t grow in the markets.