Observations

 1.  I watched a piece this AM....some Dunkin-Donut folks on strike...demanding $25 an hour for a wage.

I pondered upon this....why couldn't we raise donut prices (individually) to $20 and coffee to $10?  That would fix the problem.....you could collapse the donut shop and lessen employment woes.

2.  CNN now claims a majority of Americans oppose Trump’s Immigration policies.  I muted the rest of the report after I got the jest of it.  My propaganda level hit max for the day.

3. Hunter Biden said yesterday in a interview....Joe was on Ambien during disastrous 2024 debate with President Trump.

After pondering it....maybe it explains the whole four year era....Joe was always on Ambien.

Having watched the whole interview of Hunter....I will remark...he seems to have more 'wit' than Joe, and if he could just stay off cocaine....he might have a political career.

4.  Amazing thing about Jeffrey Epstein....he's been dead for six years....yet still lingers as a front-page item.

I would imagine....come summer of 2034....he'll still be front-page news.

5.  Someone put up a price comparison of their local Krispy Kreme...for a dozen donuts.  $19.99 for the box.

Back in 2016....or reference, an assorted dozen at Krispy Kreme was roughly $8.

Imagine pricing by 2030....near $30 for a dozen.  

Four Things

 1.  The first time I felt a bias in what I was being told?  Around 1999....the wife and I had gone to Bitch, France....to the fortress.  The French authorities had a 'tour' with a English-translation....describing the battle there (August 1870 to March 1871).  The entire lecture was from a far left view-point (how the French needed to loose to the Prussians).  It was to the point where I took off the headset and simple walked through the the rest of the Fortress tour.

2.  I sat this morning....watching Martha Raddatz asking Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass bluntly....who does she believe should be deported. There was a pause, and Basse basically said.....she couldn't say if anyone....like criminal-behavior illegal aliens... should be deported.  

3.  Just noticeable....US unemployment rate....4.1-percent.  California, 5.4-percent.  

4.  There are certain presidential 'powers' that Obama has/had....that he can avoid any charges or jail-time....if this Russia-Gate thing takes off.

However, if there is anything he did after leaving the Presidency in 2017....then this immunity they often bring up....doesn't help or cover. 

Five Things

1.  It just seems...across American society.....people are getting noticeably stupider.

It appears....shortly....we will have to figure out some way to improve 'baseline' IQ.  At some point, you will have to test folks on a regular basis and make it a public record.

2.    Andrew Cuomo says that he'll move to Florida if Zohran Mamdani becomes mayor of New York City. 

Folks in Florida ought to have a say....either to accept the guy, or forbid him entry.

3.  I have this belief....one out of seven folks walking around....has some kind of rage building up.

4.  As a kid....we had two sets of encyclopedias in the house.  One set from the early 1950s, and one set from late 1960s.  From age 12 to age 17....I probably put 20 hours per year  into reading up on 'something'.  If you asked kids today.....no one reads encyclopedias.

5.  It's pretty normal now....folks walking around and expressing how miserable they feel.  They want you to know the problems....the feelings...and the 'shame' that they feel.  None have never spent 12 hours on a July day...hauling hay in a 98-degree situation.  

What Really Occurred In The Stephen Colbert 'Event'?

 In the beginning, the deal....pay Colbert $120-M a year (for full production), and I would imagine the network (CBS) anticipated making in the $150-M to $170-M a year...without any issues.

The design of Colbert's show....mostly to make Democratic-minded viewers laugh and be happy.  As years went by....fewer conservative viewers watched.  

An odd thing then started to occur....the advertising community felt a problem, and some started to shy away.  Then CBS found that making $150-M a year was not possible...without making deals.  

Months went by, and what CBS found was that for 2024....they could only generate roughly $80-M...meaning a loss of $40-M....also meaning that they were taking profits from elsewhere (probably NFL-football) to keep Colbert afloat.  I would guess that Colbert wouldn't want to admit  that his show was a 'welfare-design' at this point.

So the day finally came....CBS said 'enough' and a termination notice.

What is left now?  Three things.

First, Colbert probably will invent a podcast, and find that he can get 300k viewers for a once or twice a week show. I'm not saying he'll cover his million-dollar a month salary that he had....but it'll be at least $100k a month.

Second, CBS has to rebuild the late-night show....meaning a search for someone to do a show that does NOT get political.  Frankly, there is no Johnny Carson-like comedian today who could fit such an 'fit'.  Stephen Smith from ESPN?  He would do great at interviews, but is zero-talent as a comedian.

Third, the other networks.....ABC and NBC?  They are probably pulling out the revenue generation from their shows, and I anticipate their folks will be let-go by the end of 2025.  Also....same problem.....where do we find talent to fill the shoes?

The end?  Well....you have to wonder...are there any comedians left who could make both conservatives and liberals both happy?

What Happens To Senator Adam Schiff Of California In The End?

 Schiff is currently accused of falsely claiming his Maryland home as his primary residence....on Fannie Mae-backed mortgage applications between 2003 and 2019....while at the same time....claiming a California property as his primary residence for tax benefits. 

This got him lower interest rates on the Maryland property, as primary residence mortgages typically have lower rates than secondary residence mortgage.

So what FHFA put into their referral letter, sent in May 2025 to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche?  Four fed violations of federal criminal codes, including: wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud and false statements to financial institutions.  

You could also suggest that some state tax problems exist (for Maryland and California).

Most folks in this type of mess....would have hired a lawyer, and viewed the cost of correcting everything (I would take a guess....15-plus years of this, with some fines paid)...you'd be talking about total cost (covering the lawyers, fines, and costs)...to be near $500,000 (my humble guess).

If this were me...I'd just work it up...pay the correction and fine, and avoid this getting to a grand jury. If you wait, and thing go past the grand jury....your odds of jail-time start to fall into play (say 3-to-6 months).  

Did he vote in both Maryland and California?  This topic hasn't popped-up yet, and I would imagine some idiot is reviewing Maryland records to see if he is a registered voter (suggesting he has a Maryland driver's license).  

But here's the thing I would worry about.....you don't want people to start auditing all 535 Senators/House members....asking who owns two homes/residences, and finding out that more than 60 are in the exact same situation.  I'm guessing there's a fair amount of pressure going on....to just FIX the mess,  and  correct the tax bill....paying the fines.

Seven Thoughts

1.  Look....socialism only thrives where you allow a fair amount of capitalism to exist and flourish.  The minute you go and tax the apparatus in some massive way....the system collapses, and the politicians get thrown out.

2.   Just odd when you think about it.....after the 2016 election....John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Amy Klobuchar traveled to Ukraine together. 

After the trip, they held a press conference and declared that Russia attacked the USA by hacking the 2016 election.  The commentary was all lies.  

3.  I just don't think most people will miss NPR as they downsize.  

4.  Socialist NY  City mayoral candidate Mamdani was asked on the idea of abolishing prisons....saying ‘What purpose do they serve?’

That might not sell well to about 75-percent of NY voters.

5.  The way that CBS explains firing Colbert and his show.....they were paying him to produce it for $100-Million a year.  In return, via advertising for 2024....they were making $60-Million.  So they were running a welfare show and helping the show via NFL football profits.  You have to wonder....was it the same for 2023 and 2022?

What Johnny Carson was making toward the last season or two?  $200-Million....today, around $1-Billion.  His show was regarded to bring in around 30-percent of NBC's total profit for the year.  

6.  Just a humble guess...virtually all of the networks (except Fox) will terminate their late-night TV hosts, and restart with a directive....no political 'targets'.

7.  It just appears like 60-odd Democratic politicians (from the past/present) are likely to be busy in court for the next three to four years, and be non-players for 2028.

The Idea Of A Gov't Run Grocery

 I sat and listened to a US Senator observe that the federal gov't already runs a grocery system, and it's very efficient.  The operation?  DoD's commissary system....on all US military posts/bases.

I sat and pondered over the success...having used it for forty-odd years.

First, each building was constructed with fed-funds....not privately financed.

Second, there's no problem in theft.  You can ask any commissary manager.....they will note that there might be a minor amount stolen, but it's like 1-percent of what a typical US privately-run grocery would have.

Third, the utility bill?  Well...heat and electricity....are paid by the post/base.   That bill is not passed onto the consumer.

Fourth, as for the consumer getting a good deal....well, it's not like you'd think.  You can walk onto the Tacoma privately-run grocery situation, then onto McChord AFB....to find obvious similarities.  There's probably a 5-to-8 percent price difference...at best....with the obvious savings at the Commissary.  

I used to be the snacko of our shop at Ramstein...running the soda fund. As I quickly discovered....if you get the on-sale discount schedule....shopping heavily on certain weeks of the month, you would find the BIG savings. Example?  A case of Coke at least once a month would drop to 60-percent of the normal cost.  So I'd go in and buy ten to twelve cases.  Same story for Pop-Tarts.....you'd find them about every six weeks....with 25-percent off.  

My blunt view?  If you were fairly consumed to show up on a schedule, and avoid normal pricing...yeah, you might be able to buy $150 of groceries for $100.

The sales  tax thing?  Well...that's also a part of this story.  You don't pay taxes at the commissary.  So there's that savings....but you do pay a 5-percent operations 'fee'  to over employees.

I'm not saying the Senator is wrong....but the Commissary is only successful because of certain built-in features.