Trying To Make Sense

 I looked over a YouGov piece....they had polled Americans on favorable views....an odd topic.  This was done back in Feb of 2025.  

So first up....are you favorable, neutral or negative....about castles?  75-percent said favorable....while 17-percent were negative. Yeah, there were 7-percent negative.  

I pondered over this....thinking...if you asked  most  Americans....have you ever been to an actual castle...98-percent would probably say no.  If you were in the Army or Air Force....the odds are that you've been to one or two. Me?  I've been to  probably twenty over my entire life. I'm not really positive or negative over castles....if asked, I'd probably prefer not living in a castle.

But the poll didn't stop there.....there were a number of odd questions.  Like the Crusades got mentioned...with 41-percent of people negative about them, 27-percent neutral, and 32-percent positive.  If you asked most Americans to explain the Crusades....fewer than 10-percent could give you three lines of text on details.

The plague got a polling....with 74-percent negative, 17-percent neutral, and 9-percent positive.  How those  9-percent could see anything positive about the 'Black Plague'....amazes me.  

So here's the thing....out of the dozen-odd topics....the vast majority of Americans have little in the way of knowledge....to relate a feel....either positive or negative...on such topics.

They might  have watched the History Channel, and have some TV show to base a topic on....but otherwise...know almost nothing over the topic. 

LIkely Words

 What's likely said here, with Trump?

'Listen, you went as far as you could....there's no deal to get status in NATO, and you've lost 750,000  people so far in this war.  I can get Putin up to a certain point, and get this war over.  Deal, or no-deal?'

The Next Chaos

 “We’ve got $1.7 trillion in student debt on the books and we’ve got 7.6 million open jobs right now.....most of which don’t require a 4-year degree.”

-- Mike Rowe quote

I paused over this yesterday, and it's been on my mind.

If you use BLS numbers....around 60-to-64 percent of jobs in America require NO degree or college time (2020 data).

I would imagine if you asked questions....from  the remaining 35-percent....at least a third of those jobs could be done by a person with a year (or two) of community college.

This student debt crisis to turn into a big deal?  I'm guessing by late summer....this will be a top-three problem.

Numbers?  Presently, around 42-million Americans have some type of student debt. It's roughly 16-percent of 'adults'  in the nation.  Amount?  $1.6-trillion (more or less).

I spent an hour yesterday watching videos where the 'stupid-students' vowed not to re-pay the loan.  One sat admitted....they had a worthless degree and were barely making it with $40,000 on income.

My general prediction?  This group of angry graduates who are super-under-employed....standing there with worthless degree and refusing to pay....will spoil the whole government loan  'Frankenstein'.  So by spring of 2026....it'll be noted that gov't loans will come to an end.

What follows then?  Massive chaos with the colleges, and meetings over how to cut payroll and costs. I'll  suggest that almost 30-percent of all professors will be let go.  What they do next in life?  Unknown.

The curious thing will be the 'rage' of 16/17 year old high school students...realizing their dream of x-college....is now doomed.

Two Stories

 1.  The Pentagon has a briefing room for journalists to 'hang-out'.  So there's a cubby-hole room next to it....which a discussion has started up....where the SECDEF wants the room renovated as make-up room for his 'talker' who gives a daily update to reporters.

Cost factor?  $40,000 (thats what they figure).

Having worked in the building and done renovation projects in the Pentagon....I'll tell you what $40k basically pays for: new carpet, paint-job, a mirror, a nice premium light, and a chair.  

Yes, that's what $40,000 gives you in the building, for an area of 60 square feet.

2.  The British are pretty close to a gov't agreement to spray 'crap' in the air....to stall or prevent 'global-warming'.

This has gotten a lot of people disturbed....saying it ain't right, and you might really screw up things.

My humble view?  They will spray X-amount and  see no change.  So they will spray MORE. A  month into the 2nd spraying....folks across northern Europe notice snowfall (in  August), and by October....have three feet of snow.

Chaos will occur, and things  get pretty dramatic.   

Prepare for the worse.   

If You Took $80k In College Loan Money And Got Under-Employed?

 Here's the deal.....if you stupid at 18, and selected some school giving a 4-year degree in worthless BS....then graduated to get a $45,000 salary, and ten years later....you've only bumped up to $55,000...you are SCREWED for the remainder of your life.

I've seen differing statistics on this....but generally...at least one-out-of-three college graduates are wrapping up a degree, and generally considered 'under-employed'....meaning you have a job that could  be done by a high-school graduate, or a 1-year to 2-year community college 'player'.

In this scenario....if you were hoping to move up to that $75,000 job in five years....it probably will not happen.

So you have a college loan debt problem....maybe in the range of $40k to maybe up to $80k (especially if this were a out-of-state scenario).

If you talked your dad into paying most of the $75,000 and are under-employed?  Well....its best you not tell dad how you wasted four years or the $75,000.

I watch this new TV series....'Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage', and in the main theme of the show....Mandy spent four years getting a communications degree....only to be mostly a waitress, and part-time weather-girl for the local TV channel.  The degree?  After a while, you come to realize....dad wasted his money sponsoring her, and she's got  no real path in life.

So, I have this gut-feeling....that around five-million Americans hold a worthless degree, and probably are under-employed....meaning they are on the low-end of salary....for the first twenty-odd years after graduation from college.

The attitude that they want the loan forgiven?  Then leave it to the non-college folks to pay for the loan?  It won't work.  

The gov't loan program likely ending?  I would suggest....by the end of 2026.....there's a massive drop in college enrollments....with the gov't getting out of the business.  

Three Things

 1. I watched a video from the weekend.....news-guy asking  a  dozen black  folks from Maryland.....how they felt about the Maryland-man-from-MS 13.

Well....this got interesting. None of them could understand why their Senator had flown to El Salvador. None seemed to care about helping MS 13 gang members.  None believed that the guy was innocent....several citing the violence done by the guy to his wife.

As the three-minute interview ended....I sensed....the longer that the Democrats hype on the guy....the more it hurts with black voters.

2. Just odd....I watched five or six segments with journalists asking Democratic 'players' over the weekend....about Joe Biden's decline.  Yeah, like they woke up and realized now....Joe was seriously affected.

The  'players' trying to answer the question?  Well....they looked 'shocked'. 

3.  Colin Kaepernick’s wife.....said in a statement....the quarterback is still training daily.  He hopes that some NFL team will call.  It's been eight years since  he last played. Age 38. 

The Thing About Crazies

I asked Grok (the AI with Twitter).....how many Americans are mentally ill.

So the number, Grok cited?  From 2023 data....about 58.7 million American adults (not teens or juveniles)....figure around 23-percent of the population have some form  of mental illness, ranging in disorders from mild to severe.

On serious issues....2021 data says about 14-million are affected (from 5 to 6 percent).

When I'm watching the news.....traveling.....I tend to think about this (call it worry).  Even watching CNN....over a 10-minute period....there will be at least one person I'm viewing, and I have a pretty sure feeling....the guy/gal....ain't 'right' (meaning a mental disorder).

So this brings me to a theory....that mental disorders are increasing over what existed in the 1970s.  Why?  I have no idea.  Maybe it's drug-use.  Maybe it's society training people to be 'crazy'. Maybe we are just evolving into this mess.

My advice if you have to be in contact with such people?   Mostly....try to humor them and stay away from in-depth conversation. If they have launched on some tirade....ease out of the room, or ask about the recent weather.  Once you've left the area....simply mark it on your book....not to visit them again.