I was listening to NPR News about the latest federal agency the President is attacking, this time the Smithsonian Museum and other federally-supported museums. More run of the mill Trumpsterisms, you know the War on Woke and DOGE, firing all of the talented people and then putting those who remain under a lot of pressure to revise history to conform to the President.
Kind of mundane. Trump is awful. But then as I finally got out of the hollow on my evening commute, I was reminded why I voted for Trump, when I heard them moving to some shooting at an “unsanctioned” youth car rally that ended up in a hail of gunfire with a bunch of kids getting shot, and the New Mexico governor pushing her latest gun control agenda, with liberal feigning over her absurdly strict and police enpowering laws, and how the Democratic legislature in that state was bounded to reject this latest group of proposals as being too far out there for a largely rural western state where a lot of people own guns. If the liberals weren’t so gleeful about gun control and locking up everything as wilderness, maybe I’d have more of an open mind to them. It’s like the liberals are almost gleeful when kids are murdered, as it’s a way to enrich the cops and themselves through the enactment of strict gun control measures. Maybe it’s all the campaign contributions from special interests that have blown all sanity out of their brains.
As a Democrat, I am sympathetic to many of the Democrats causes, and Trump 2.0 has proven so awful, but the Democrats aren’t winning gold stars in my book either. It’s so obvious in my mind, Democrats haven’t learned a thing since Trump and Republicans took over the nation. Hoping the Republicans would crash and burn and your party wouldn’t look so bad isn’t solution. Or the Democrats taking over the preaching for consumerism, now very concerned about inflation and trade barriers. Whatever happened to fair trade or living with less? Paying a bit more for fairness? Not that I think Trump is going the right away around trade. But we got to stop flooding our communities with so much cheap, disposable Chinese crap that is posioining our bodies, air, water, and land.
It was just one of those days. As the unit Director, I got to let people know about their COLAs and raises for the year today, and obviously the people who got big bumps and promotions were happier then those who did not. It’s tough to make good calls, you can’t give everybody what they want, and there was a lot of rules we had to follow in adjusting salaries, and ultimately it wasn’t my decision as lot of people had to sign off. Plus, I wasn’t thrilled with my COLA though I’m sure it’s equitable to other directors in my position with the same level of experience. I literally have $432 in my bank account after all the bills this week, with the car insurance, and I don’t know how people survive on so much less. People say it’s because I’m saving and investing so much, but it sure doesn’t feel like much after all the taxes are do. I tried to be fair. My unit did like the Italian cookies I picked up at the supermarket. Much more popular then the homemade ones I made a few weeks back, and the ones I tried to make last week and ended up making a lot of smoke. But those burnt cookies were good ground up and put in my coffee the next few days as sugar. I hate to waste anything.
I wish I was out camping this weekend, I had hope but it’s going to be another meaningless weekend stuck at home. Took the garbage out, looking forward soon to having a big fire. Not sure what was stinking so bad in the freezer, maybe it was the canned pumpkin I had in the fridge that was getting moldy. Still need to empty out the compost. And I’ve been doing a lot of dreaming about off-grid living and building a cabin. All because of that Homesteady YouTube of them selling their farm and moving to Alaska. At the same time, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking of what it means to live truly rural, to be poor, to be a homesteader and pulling things together from what you have. But all the freedom of living remotely in a rural state. And the knowledge and skills to do your own repairs and take care of your own needs. I do enjoy doing my own maintance on my bike, and I’ve really gotten to dislike just taking things to the store to be repaired professionally or replacing things unnecessarily. This has me researching and watching YouTube videos about building a cabin yourself.
One of dumbest things of the Trump administration is firing many of experienced bureaucrats who have had a whole career experience surrounding the industry they help guide through regulation and policy.
Truth is government needs people who know what they are doing. Not just to implement public policy but also to protect the public and industries they regulate. Often regulation is a dirty word as it is seen as costly and protecting of incumbents, but it also protects the integrity and viability of industries and ensures they act in way that is consistent with the public’s interest.
Liberals in particular often raise objections on the revolving door between industry and government, but industry insiders are often the ones who know their industry ins and outs. They are most experienced, the ones who actually understand the ramifications of policies on the every day working of the industry. Does it not mean they have financial conflicts or an ideological predisposition towards the industry? Yes, but you can’t discount the valuable insights having worked on the ground in an industry.
America is a complicated, modern country. You need scientists and technocrats to guide industry along. While nobody likes to be told no or how to run their business, consistent government regulation that understands how an industry actually operates is valuable for all involved. You shouldn’t fire the people who know how things are actually operate.
Isn’t that story of the weeks that have come and gone over the past few months… Ice and more ice, wind and rain, every weekend. I’m kind of bitter about it all.
Friday so I’m baking bread for tonight and weekend. Johnycakes with onions, spinach, corn and topped with beans and hot sauce for breakfast. Obviously some turmeric too. And some of that freshly baked bread, as who can resist that. Still cold out this morning and it looks like it rained for a while last night. Big fat crackle on the window outside my apartment.
Showering and riding in today. I’m sure I’ll have my Friday meeting downtown and then I’ll ride home. Probably go to the library on way home, and then retire to bed. Tomorrow read, maybe work on some maps, don’t know if I’ll be able to get out and ride though it looks like the morning will be quite mild and the showers may be mostly to the north. Maybe next weekend I’ll be able to get out of town but I’m not hopeful with the very long-range forecast which shows the front trapped overhead and lots of rain to start out trout season and keep going for the foreseeable future.
So Elise Stefanik has decided not to be appointed to become UN Embassador. The Republicans must had to dun a poll and found they would likely loose the special election. While some of it may be the Democrats chose a strong candidate it’s also a sign Trump is starting to get weak in Upstate New York.
We don’t have numbers but let’s be honest, the way the House Speaker is bending over backwards to keep her by finding a leadership position so they must have known it would be an uphill battle for the Republicans to keep the seat red. They lose that seat an another member flips party or dies, then the Democrats would take back the house.
While it’s not a definitive measure of political sentiment nationally, the aroura around Trump may be finally starting to wear off.
for tonight and weekend. Johnycakes with onions, spinach, corn and topped with beans and hot sauce for breakfast. Obviously some turmeric too. And some of that freshly baked bread, as who can resist that. Still cold out this morning and it looks like it rained for a while last night. Big fat crackle on the window outside my apartment. 
I’m sure I’ll have my Friday meeting downtown and then I’ll ride home. Probably go to the library on way home, and then retire to bed. 
Tomorrow read, maybe work on some maps, don’t know if I’ll be able to get out and ride though it looks like the morning will be quite mild and the showers may be mostly to the north. Maybe next weekend I’ll be able to get out of town but I’m not hopeful with the very long-range forecast which shows the front trapped overhead and lots of rain to start out trout season 
and keep going for the foreseeable future. 
