The State of Atlanta, and the State of Georgia

 I worked with a guy who grew up about an hour outside of Atlanta (closer to Rome than Atlanta).  We'd often have discussions over the Braves, and to a lesser degree....the state itself.

At some point in the 2005-2009 era....we talked about the transformation of Atlanta, and he used the analogy of 'OLD-Atlanta' and 'NEW-Atlanta'.

OLD-Atlanta shifted in the 1970s....with a majority of blacks being noted, and what whites existed in the 1940s/1950s/1960s....pulled up stakes and moved 20 to 40 miles outside of town.

OLD-Atlanta was shifting from marginal airport....to the international-airport

OLD-Atlanta was building convention centers, hotels, and high-rises.

OLD-Atlanta was talking about metro-status by the end of the 1980s.

NEW-Atlanta?  Suburbia-shift occurred....black population decreased, young college graduate jobs began to appear.

NEW-Atlanta....Braves left town and kinda labeled themselves as 'outside of Atlanta'.

NEW-Atlanta....crime started to be noticed....with drugs and gangs.

Urbania-Atlanta vote?  Mostly had shifted to anti-Republican....his belief....seven out of ten 'locals' were identifying as hardcore Democrat. 

Then he said the magic words....there were two states....the state of Atlanta (to include the airport and the Braves-zone), and the state of Georgia.  It's like talking about Nashville and Tennessee in 2026.

I humored him for a while...weren't the two on the same agenda?

He responded....one day....they will be on separate agendas....both trying to declare they were rebuilding NEW-Atlanta and Georgia itself....into something else, but no matter how you describe it....they just weren't the same landscape.

After the election of last week....I'm wondering about this two-agenda landscape.  

Maybe it's just a chatter-topic....like stuff you'd talk about over a whiskey or two.  Maybe it's something where half the state is fretting over 'change'.

A Theory Of Mine

 Imagine being in a cult-like reality....two cults existing at the same time.

One cult is drawn to a Jesus-candidate and Jesus-party.  At the same time, this cult sees cult number two as a Satan-cult with a Satan-candidate. 

The other cult?  Basically the same Jesus-versus-Satan reality.

So the two exist, and do everything possible to destroy the Satan-candidate (actually two of them)....while saying they will resolve your fear-problem.

Some folks try to participate with both realities....pretending to be party-one, while really hyping party-two....and vice-versa.

Seven Humble Thoughts

 1.  Once you establish that a 10-year old kid can go trans....what prevents the kid from saying they 'learnt-enough' and shouldn't have to do any further schooling?  Same way....ten-year-old wants to drive, handle dynamite, or marry....give the kid full-power.

It still amazes me....people haven't grasped this angle to trans-BS.

2.  Deleting all testing requirements for school kids?  I'm all for it....as long as you end school at the 9th grade.  Learnting stuff shouldn't be rocket-science.

3.  We probably need a evaluation and creation of a new word....for whatever exists between teenagers and adults...like 'dumbass'.  You should stay at the dumbass level....until you demonstrate adult behavior. 

4.  Socialism.....mostly works....after you've had half-a-bottle of whiskey and puffed a strong bit of cannabis/weed.  From that point, as long as you have a stock of booze/weed....it continues to work.

5.  Oddly in the oath that mayors and governors take....they generally all have wording to say you will support and follow state/federal law.  Still oddly, after the oath, you might casually say that you weren't that truthful in oath-taking....hoping that the public isn't bright enough to grasp that.

6.  Is there any way that a governor can freeze electricity rates?

No....they may say this over and over....but virtually no state in the US has ever given 'power' to a governor to hold down rates.

If such a order was given....the expected reaction by any electrical company....start cutting power to fit the freeze.  Around 6 PM that night, local news informs you that from mid-morning to noon each day....100-percent cut in power....to help the governor reach the desired freeze-level.

How you react?  Might be interesting for a month or two.

7.  If a guy/gal looks, speaks and acts like an intellectual.....they probably are an intellectual, or at least a gifted fake intellectual.

Georgia Chatter

 Georgia's new insurance commissioner (arrives in January) says credit scores will be banned from insurance evaluations, along with ZIP codes.

The suggestion is that rich whites would end up paying heavily increased premiums...to cover the poor-blacks.

I looked at the scenario....ONLY 3 options:

First, she might get this into place....finding that most insurance companies 'pass' (leave the state)....with a couple staying and doubling everyone's yearly premium.  Even blacks would be paying double.

Second, ALL insurance companies leave the state.

Third, the state realizing the mess....creates a state-run insurance fund....which is influenced by state taxes (to be increased).  This might survive two to four years....before some some hurricane passes through and bankrupts the state enough to trigger some $10-billion loan.

If you live in Georgia....I feel for you....but you basically asked for high-risk lifestyles/politics. 

Three Political Observations

 First, in roughly 15 months....Iowa starts to matter.

Of Rubio or De Santis.....most will connect with De Santis. I don't think Rubio will be able to overcome this early lead. 

Of AOC or Mayor-Pete or Kamala....Mayor-Pete probably rises up enough to marginally win.

Second, Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan made a comment....suggesting he might need to exit the Democratic Party...establishing his own party.  I doubt that the Michigan democrats saw this approaching.

Third, by 1 January 2027....the downward trend on 401k situations will reach a point where the public demands 'fixing'.  Whether the Dems can manufacture such a shift?  Unknown.

What Makes Idiocracy (The Movie) 'Real'?

 There are five narratives to the movie story: societal decline (never really explained), an accidental time jump, the discovery of the dystopia, the political elevation and problem-solving mandate (nothing can be solved....it simply gets you to the next problem, and the next problem), and finally....the central conflict...we need smart people among the 99-percent of Americans.

About 20 minutes into the movie....our 'hero' wakes up in 2505....discovering that society has collapsed, and the public is mostly anti-intellectual (I would compare it to simply low-IQ being pursued by everyone).  

Oddly, they (society) seem to have technology...but can't seem to read the manuals or grasp the instructions.  

At the current pace of things....I've of the mind that instead of waiting for 2505....we probably will hit 'peak' around 2050. 

Five Humble Thoughts

 1.  I fully expect Medicare-for-all to be pushed as a Democratic agenda item for 2027/2028.  

The negatives?  Lower payments, financial strain, reduced capacity, and less autonomy are the main downsides cited often for doctors and hospitals.

Most hospitals will say that they can handle x-amount of Medicare patients but if you said 100-percent of patients were this way....something would have be rebuilt/downsized.

The doctor-exit?  This gets discussed a good bit....where if the financial side doesn't really pay....why stay?  What you don't want is 25-percent of doctors having a thought....retire by age 60 and start lessening hours already by age 50.

Passing this?  I think a majority of Americans could be told it's a great idea....never challenging it, and it might pass.  Three years later....the damage is seen and the question is....what next?

2.  By 2035....I think a majority of California-exit-folks who arrived in Texas....will say things are so screwed up...that they need to perform a Texas-exit-agenda...leaving for Arkansas or Missouri.

3.  No idea how....but I suspect by spring of 2028...ICE will not exist.

4.  The term 'crony-capitalism' gets thrown around a good bit.  If you stopped the idiot for a moment and asked them to define it....I'm guessing 50-percent could not do it.  Among college grads...it might be even be 70-percent.

5.  By 2028....I'll predict that at least one House candidate self-identifies as a 'alien' (space-type, UFO, etc).