Month: June 2024

The Kim-Putin Deal

Here is something that was not reported.

I was wondering when this region would once again grab the attention of the media.

Recently Vlad the Invader visited North Korea…..and after a bit of PR work the two leaders signed a mutual defense pact.

Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un made a big deal of their newly cemented partnership on Wednesday, with the Russian leader calling it a “breakthrough” and his North Korean counterpart labeling it a “most powerful agreement.” But what exactly does it say? Neither side has released the text, and the details in this case are seen as crucial. Coverage:

  • Putin’s words: “The comprehensive partnership agreement signed today provides, among other things, for mutual assistance in the event of aggression against one of the parties to this agreement,” said Putin, per Reuters. The Russian leader is visiting North Korea for the first time in two decades.
  • Unclear: Does that mean Russia would unleash a “full-fledged military intervention” if North Korea is attacked, and vice versa? That’s not clear, reports the New York Times. The newspaper notes that the two nations had a Cold War-era aggression pact of this nature, but it has been defunct since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
  • Hard to assess: At the BBC, Paul Adams writes that it will be difficult to gauge just how groundbreaking this is until the formal text is released. Putin made a point to say the pact “did not exclude the development of military-technical cooperation with North Korea.” But exactly what the aforementioned “mutual assistance” might entail is the big unknown. “Perhaps the two leaders will prefer for that to remain ominously ambiguous.”
  • Potential impact: “Depending on the exact wording of the pact … it could be a dramatic shift in the entire strategic situation in Northeast Asia,” per Reuters, quoting Artyom Lukin of Russia’s Far Eastern Federal University. A big question is what China, which has heretofore been North Korea’s biggest benefactor, will think of all this. So far, Beijing has not weighed in.
  • On the other hand: The two nations already have been assisting each other militarily, notes the Wall Street Journal, with Russia in dire need of North Korea’s ample stock of conventional weaponry. For now, “there is nothing fundamentally new about this relationship today that was not true before Putin’s visit,” says Patrick M. Cronin, the Asia-Pacific security chair at the Hudson Institute. That would change only if the pact spells out a military commitment to retaliate on each other’s behalf. Still, the fast-growing partnership has ramifications on everything from the West’s ability to limit North Korea’s nuclear ambitions to the war in Ukraine, which could be prolonged as Putin beefs up his arsenal.

Then after this the news is that China is all butt hurt over the visit and the pact….

China was already worried that whatever control it has over North Korea was weakened when Pyongyang reportedly supplied almost 7,000 containers worth of weapons to Moscow. And this is why, in April, the Middle Kingdom sent its third most senior leader within the Chinese Communist party hierarchy, Zhao Leji, to assure the North Korean strongman that Beijing was still a strong ally.

Now the defensive pact that draws Moscow and Pyongyang closer threatens to further diminish China’s influence over Kim. The Kremlin knows that one of Beijing’s greatest fears is that a renegade North Korea may one day point its weapons at China.

And this is a key reason behind Putin’s peace treaty with Pyongyang.

https://theconversation.com/kim-putin-deal-why-this-is-a-coded-message-aimed-at-china-and-how-it-worries-beijing-232863

The US is also concerned with this meeting and the document signed….so much so that it dispatched a carrier group to the South China Sea….

A nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier arrived Saturday in South Korea for a three-way exercise involving Japan for stepped-up military training to cope with North Korean threats, which have escalated following the announcement of a security pact with Russia. The arrival of the USS Theodore Roosevelt strike group in Busan came a day after South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador to protest the deal between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The exercise that is expected to start this month, the AP reports.

Not to worry the War Department is on the job.

Everybody is flexing their muscles and no one is paying attention to the consequences of their actions.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

It’s Everywhere! It’s Everywhere!

Have you noticed how many ads there are now that pumps us full of AI knowledge?

Most are taunting how good and helpful AI is for you and for business.

But is it all it is cracked up to be?

Students are showing some ill effects…..

New research has found a worrying link to memory loss and tanking grades in students who relied on ChatGPT, in an early but fascinating exploration of the swift impact that large language models have had in education.

As detailed in a new study published in the International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, the researchers surveyed hundreds of university students — ranging from undergrads to doctoral candidates — over two phases, using self-reported evaluations. They were spurred on by witnessing more and more of their own students turn to ChatGPT.

https://futurism.com/the-byte/chatgpt-memory-loss-procrastination

I have stated many times…I do my own research and writing I do not need some program, to do it for me.

Do you know what ELE stands for?  (Look it up!)

The government has started worrying about the use of AI, the dependency….

A report released on Monday that was commissioned by the U.S. State Department warns that artificial intelligence could pose an “extinction-level threat.”

“Given the growing risk to national security posed by rapidly expanding AI capabilities from weaponization and loss of control—and particularly, the fact that the ongoing proliferation of these capabilities serves to amplify both risks—there is a clear and urgent need for the U.S. government to intervene,” the report states.

The report compares the development of AI to the development of nuclear weapons and claims it might “destabilize global security” if it’s not properly regulated. The report says the U.S. government must move “quickly and decisively” to address the threat of AI.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/state-department-commissioned-report-warns-a-i-could-be-an-extinction-level-threat

Can AI destroy our ‘beloved’ and often worshiped system of capitalism?

Some say it is a possibility….

I’ll suggest a few AI mechanisms that will, at the very least, force us to rethink the current models of capitalism.
 
I believe letting AI run rampant through all aspects of our lives cannot and will not end well of us mere mortals.
 
Since I still have my mental capabilities I will not let some program do my thinking for me….I am old and one day those capabilities may be gone if and when that occurs then I may re-think my stance but until then….I will do it my way!
 
But that is just me.
 
I Read, I Write, You Know
 
“lego ergo scribo”

Should We Worry?

My biggest worry is that it is 5am and the temp is 90….but that is just me.

Should we worry…..more so than normally?

A political career, these days, lives or dies on the backs of campaign dollars…..and of course 2024 will be an expensive one indeed.

So I thought I would dive into the funding thing as soon as possible….these are the latest figures but that could change the closer we get to an actual vote.

Let’s begin with Trump and his minions that bankroll his sprint to the presidency….one would think a guilty verdict would stifle the cash infusion…..you would be mistaken….

Recall President Biden’s big fundraising lead over former President Trump? It’s nowhere near as big owing to a surge of donations following Trump’s May 30 fraud conviction in New York, the Washington Post reports. Trump and the Republican National Committee say they raised $141 million in May, per the New York Times, far outpacing the $85 million raised by Biden and the Democratic National Committee. Biden’s team had $212 million in the bank at the start of June, reports the AP. Trump’s total was at least $170 million, according to the Times, and that represents only a partial count.

Given that Trump was behind by $100 million in April, the trend is clear. Biden and the Democrats may still hold a cash advantage, but “almost four months before Election Day, Trump’s side is closing the gap—if it isn’t closed already,” per the AP, which describes Trump’s May haul as “jaw-dropping.” The Trump team says it raised $53 million in the first 24 hours after Trump’s conviction and $70 million in the first 48 hours, though the numbers won’t be verified July. Both camps also have benefited from mega-donors:

  • For Trump: Billionaire banking heir Timothy Mellon donated $50 million to Trump’s political action committee Make America Great Again on May 31, the day after his conviction.

What will $50 million buy from a president?

While Trump is raking in the dollars the Biden camp is not as lucky…..

Joe Biden’s campaign planned to bury Donald Trump in an avalanche of cash.

Instead, his allies are bracing for a slugfest without the benefit of a fatter wallet, as financial reports showed Trump outraising Biden in back-to-back months, hauling in huge sums after his 34 felony convictions and erasing Biden’s longstanding financial edge.

Democrats in recent days largely downplayed Trump’s new financial lead in the same way Trump’s allies had when Biden was running ahead in the money race — saying the president would have enough money to compete.

But privately, several Democratic strategists and donors were reeling.

“There was the strategy of raising all this money on the front end so we could have this huge edge,” said one Biden bundler, granted anonymity to speak candidly. “The whole point of it was to come out with a sizable cash advantage and, you know, we’re now even and it’s June. … I have no other word for it other than ‘depression’ among Biden supporters.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/06/23/biden-trump-finances-00164566

What is it they say about the ‘best laid plans’?

Dollars are not the only situation that is not looking good for Dems, at least the Dem candidate for president…..the Hispanic vote is slipping through the Dems fingers all on the back of immigration…..

Both Hispanic and non-Hispanic voters in the seven swing states trust former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party more on immigration than President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party, according to a new poll.

While 38% of Hispanic voters in battleground states trust Biden more on immigration, 41% trust Trump more, and 16% are undecided, according to a survey released last week by the polling agency Equis.

Additionally, 34% of non-Hispanic voters in swing states trust Biden more on immigration, while 49% favor Trump more, the poll shows. 

The results for both groups are outside of the poll’s 2.5% margin of error.

Hispanic voters have historically supported the Democratic Party, but the surveys show that support appears to be shifting towards Trump ahead of the 2024 election.

This poll was conducted April 20-May 5, 2024 with 3,569 registered voters in 11 states, including all seven swing states and four solidly Democratic states, and it has a 2.5% margin of error.

(justthenews.com)

Immigration looks like the hot button issue…..for now.

A lot can change in the months that lead up to the vote….but I do not see any of that actually happening, do you?

Change is something that most Americans have a rash when mentioned.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

They’re Back! Those Monoliths!

Good morning….it is a Sunday and a post about something new and interesting….this time it is the appearance of those monoliths….you remember them, right?

A couple of years ago these tall monoliths starting appearing all over the country.  You remember 2001: A Space Odyssey, right?  In the beginning of the film this monolith appears and apes go batshit crazy.

Cue the sound track from the movie.

Well a couple of years ago they started to appear, as I have stated and of course being an opinionated nerd I wrote about their appearances.

Monoliths A Many

After a short break they are once again are ‘coming’ to earth….

The monolith looks like it could have come from another world. Jutting out of the rocks in a remote mountain range near Las Vegas, the glimmering rectangular prism’s reflective surface imitates the vast desert landscape surrounding the mountain peak where it has been erected, per the AP. But where did the object come from, and is it still there? That’s a mystery the US Fish and Wildlife Service said it was trying to solve.

Las Vegas police said members of its search-and-rescue unit found the otherworldly object over the weekend near Gass Peak, part of the vast Desert National Wildlife Refuge where bighorn sheep and desert tortoises roam. At 6,937 feet, it is among the highest peaks in the area north of Las Vegas. Photos accompanying a social media post by the department show the structure standing tall against a bright blue sky, with distant views of the Las Vegas valley. It evokes the object that appears in the Stanley Kubrick movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Police did not respond to requests for more information about their discovery—the latest in a series of mysterious shiny columns popping up around the globe since at least 2020. In November of that year, a similar metal monolith was found deep in the Mars-like landscape of Utah’s red-rock desert. Then came sightings in Romania, central California, and on the famed Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas. All of them disappeared as quickly as they popped up. The Utah structure, which captured the world’s imagination during the pandemic, is believed to be the first in the series.

Okay then you explain what the Hell is going on with these damn things.

Are these the next “crop circle” craze?

Are they messages from the Great Beyond?

Are our extraterrestrial brethren sending us a message?

Or is this just some weird sense of humor at work?

Any penetrating thoughts here?  (I await on bated breath or something like that)

Time to bow out and get to the usual stuff before the heat makes it a chore to even breathe.

Have a great Sunday and as always….Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

IST Saturday News Dump–22Jun24

Yes children that time again….the weekly ‘Dump’ on your PC from the friendly people at IST.

These are the stories that fell through the cracks in the past week or so….

Welcome to the Summer!

On a personal note:  The garden is still coming along…..tomatoes are great, blueberries are almost finished now I await the figs.  We have had some rain but not enough and the temps have been a bit low for this time of the year…..mid 90s.

Enough of the mundane let’s get cracking….

The Arctic is melting quickly and there is a proposal to try and reverse this trend….

It sounds pretty out-there: to save the snowy Arctic from melting away due to global warming, some scientific experts have been working on plans to hack the entire region’s climate.

This doesn’t entail popping the North Pole into an unfathomably large deep freezer like so much ground beef, but it would involve a slate of projects — some of which are already being undertaken — to cool the region by reflecting sunlight, according to a new video short from The Wall Street Journal.

One experiment involves pumping water to the surface, where it’ll freeze to form a protective layer over the Arctic snow. Another has scientists scattering reflective glass beads on top of snow to reflect the Sun’s harsh rays.

These are all forms of geoengineering, techniques to mold certain aspects of the environment in order to offset harm from climate change. The fact we are even seriously contemplating these experiments means that our collective mitigation efforts aren’t enough — because last year was the warmest year on record for the Arctic.

https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-refreeze-arctic

Thinking outside the box….but sounds a bit too ambitious to me.

Body art, tattoos, can be linked to skin cancer….

New research suggests that there may be a link between tattoos and cancer. But the findings have proved controversial, with experts pushing back against the authors’ conclusions, which they characterize as exaggerated.

The study, published last month in the journal eClinicalMedicine, surveyed close to 12,000 people in Sweden, examining every subject 20 to 60 years old that was diagnosed with a form of cancer called lymphoma between 2007 and 2017. When compared to a control group of random people who never had lymphoma, the researchers found that people that had at least one tattoo were 21 percent more likely to have developed the cancer.

The study only demonstrates that there’s an association, not a definitive link. Still, 21 percent would constitute a pretty significant risk, especially for a form of cancer that’s considered somewhat rare. What’s more, it appears that the number or size of tattoos the subjects had didn’t matter: so long as they had at least one tattoo of any size, they were seemingly at risk as much as someone who had multiple.

“We do not yet know why this was the case. One can only speculate that a tattoo, regardless of size, triggers a low-grade inflammation in the body, which in turn can trigger cancer,” co-author Christel Nielsen, an associate professor in the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Lund University, said in a statement about the work “The picture is thus more complex than we initially thought.”

https://futurism.com/neoscope/tattoos-links-developing-cancer

Personally I have never thought about decorating my body with anything….other than a cute redhead.

On the political side of life….you know that in a few days Biden and Trump will have a debate….I think it is a mistake for Biden but what the Hell do I know?

Anyway there are some that think the candidates should be asked a probing question….

In the age of fever pitch UFO discourse, one group is urging the US president to declassify it all — and wants debate moderators to grill candidates on the topic.

The group, called the New Paradigm Institute, announced last week the launch of a social media campaign insisting moderators of the upcoming June 27 presidential debate hold both candidates’ feet to the fire when asking UFO questions.

The NPI is encouraging like-minded seekers to lobby CNN, which is hosting the debate between President Joe Biden, presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump, and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to ask tough questions about whether or not they would release unredacted files about what the US government refers to as “unidentified anomalous phenomena” or UAPs for short.

“The next president of the United States will make critical decisions about UAP disclosure and government transparency,” NPI chief counsel Daniel Sheehan said in the group’s statement. “It’s time for all presidential candidates…to commit to UFOs/UAP disclosure and transparency.”

“Regardless of political affiliation,” the attorney added, “the time has come to inject UAP into the political discourse of our elections.”

https://futurism.com/presidential-debate-ufo-disclosure

I say why not?  Make the debate more interesting than it will be with these two bumbling bozos try to convince me that they are doing all this stuff for me….that is a lie.

Gun violence is out of control in this country so why not let those ‘bump stocks’ be freely available what we need is a good massive shooting again (sarcasm)….

Senate Republicans blocked bipartisan legislation Tuesday that would have outlawed bump stocks after the Supreme Court struck down a ban on the rapid-fire gun accessory used in the deadliest shooting in modern US history. Democrats tried to force a voice vote on the bill to ban bump stocks, a tactic often used by both parties when they know that they don’t have the votes to pass legislation but want to bring an issue to the Senate floor, the AP reports.

  • The bill, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, would ban the sale of the devices, similar to the rule issued by Donald Trump’s administration after a gunman in Las Vegas attacked a country music festival in 2017 with semiautomatic rifles equipped with the accessories.

“I refuse to stand idly by and wait for the next mass shooting,” Heinrich said as he called for a vote on the Senate floor. “Bump stocks serve no legitimate purpose.”

Nebraska Sen. Pete Ricketts objected for Republicans, blocking an immediate vote on the bill. He called the legislation a “gun grabbing overreach” that could be interpreted to include other gun accessories beyond bump stocks. “This bill will not pass,” Ricketts said. “It won’t pass because enough people in this building still believe in the Constitution, and the Constitution affords Americans the right to own a firearm.”

  • Many Republicans supported the ban when Trump issued it. But several said this week that they would oppose the legislation to reinstate it, arguing that the vote is another election-year stunt by Democrats, not a serious attempt to pass bipartisan legislation.
  • North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican who worked with Democrats on bipartisan gun legislation two years ago, said that if Schumer were serious about banning bump stocks, “he’d be calling people into a room who have worked on bipartisan bills,” but instead “it’s a political exercise, which is a shame.”

Repubs are really a piece of work….’work’ may not be the best term for them….

More gun stuff….

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a federal gun-control law intended to protect victims of domestic violence, per the AP. In their first Second Amendment case since they expanded gun rights in 2022, the justices ruled in favor of a 1994 ban on firearms for people under restraining orders to stay away from their spouses or partners, per the AP. The justices, reversing a ruling from the federal appeals court in New Orleans, ruled that the Constitution allows authorities to bar people deemed dangerous from having guns, per the Washington Post. The decision was 8-1, with Clarence Thomas (author of the 2022 decision) the lone dissenter.

“An individual found by a court to pose a credible threat to the physical safety of another may be temporarily disarmed consistent with the Second Amendment,” wrote Chief Justice John Roberts in the majority opinion.

The longer Thomas is on the court the more we realize what a POS he truly is……

That is it for thew ‘Dump’ this Saturday and since it is official and Summer has begun….roll out the grill and get to cooking.

Enjoy your weekend and as always….Be well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

America: Love It Or Leave It

A favorite of conservatives and other weak minded individuals…. at least decades ago.

An old tome from days of my youth is making a comeback….well at least in Missouri….I wish I had a nickle for every time some moron used that in an argument….if so I would be a rich man today.

But enough about me.

It seems that some cross-eyed Repub in Missouri has advice for black people….

On Monday (June 17), Valentina Gomez, who’s running for Missouri Secretary of State, shared a video on social media where she denounced Juneteenth as a “rachet holiday” and told Black people to “get the f*** out” of America.

“Reparations from slavery and Black victimization is about to be shoved down our throats for the most ratchet holiday in America,” Gomez said ahead of Juneteenth. “BLM [Black Lives Matter] raised millions. And what did they do for Black lives?”

“It is outrageous to see people ask you for reparations, even though they never went through slavery,” she continued. “These ungrateful people should be celebrating because they were born in the greatest nation to ever exist.”

“Here’s a tip,” Gomez added. “If you don’t like America, kindly, get the f*** out.”

Gomez, one of the candidates vying to become the GOP nominee for Missouri Secretary Of State in the August 6 primary, has been known to hurl homophobic remarks during her campaign. In Monday’s video, Gomez wore a shirt with the phrase “Don’t be weak and gay,” a callback to a remark she made earlier this year in a campaign ad.

Watch Gomez’s message to Black Americans below.

Maybe Ms Gomez might want to re-think her stupidity for there is a chance since she is a minority that it might be used against her….(we can only hope)

I love these people…..actually it is more loathe than love….but that is beside the point.

This antiquated thinking needs to be put where it belongs….in the crapper.

But I guess conservatives and other half wits cannot think for themselves so they have to resurrect stupidity from the past.

On reparations….that is a tricky subject and no one has defined the parameters so to make a blanket statement is always ill advised.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

We Had A Good Year

****Here we go again….there will be harsh language used in this post once again…..so if they offend you….then go away.****

The US has sent billions in money and weapons to Israel and we are preparing to send another multi-million dollar package….and then I read a story about the good news from Israel and their export business.

The Israeli Defense Ministry announced that, for the third straight year, Tel Aviv had set a new record for weapon exports. Israel sold $13 billion in arms last year, with India the largest importer.

In a statement on Monday, the ministry touted Tel Aviv’s ability to distribute munitions around the globe. “For the third consecutive year, Israel set a new record in defense exports, with over $13 billion in 2023, the highest figure to date,” it wrote.

“Israel’s defense exports have doubled within five years, with over a third of the agreements signed – missile, rocket, and air defense systems,” the statement continued. “Israeli defense industries signed hundreds of significant contracts worldwide with the help and support of the Israel Ministry of Defense, including mega-deals amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars.”

The exports included missiles, rockets, electronic warfare equipment, radar war systems, weapon launchers, drones, and ammunition.

At $13 billion, Israel is the world’s ninth-largest arms dealer, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). India was the top importer of Israeli weapons during the same period, purchasing nearly $1 billion in gear. The SIPRI research found that the Philippines and the US were Israel’s second and third-largest arms export recipients respectively.

Haaretz noted that the SIPRI report is not comprehensive, and Israel has conducted weapons sales with Azerbaijan that go undocumented by the international arms watchdog.

(antiwar.com)

WAIT a goddamn minute!

They, Israel, sold $13 billion in weapons….were any of it weapons we gave them for the ludicrous lie of self-defense?

If they had fucking weapons to sell then why is the West giving them more?

How about these asswads use the weapons for their own defense and let the rest of the world get on.

What part of this whole goddamn stupidity does not piss me off?

I am sick of these jerk water nations demanding shit from this country and then being fucking disrespectful after they get the shit.

Plus after the video that fucking moron BiBi released…..the US should tell this prick to go fuck himself and walk the fuck away from this massive clusterfuck that has been years in the making.

I have no use for this prick or anyone that admires his worthless ass.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/benjamin-netanyahu-video

Damn!  I feel so much better now.

****This ends the rant you may go about reading the rest of this post….you never know you might learn something.****

In conclusion this is a story that you will not hear on American MSM….it is about the attack on 07 October….

A review by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) set to be released this summer will conclude that Israeli soldiers killed many of their own people on October 7, Israeli media reported. The inquiry is expected to identify multiple failures of the IDF during the Hamas rampage in southern Israel.

According to Israel’s Channel 12 News, the IDF report due to be released in mid-July found “many casualties due to our forces firing on our forces.” Tel Aviv has been accused of ordering its soldiers to kill hostages rather than allow Hamas to use them in negotiations, a policy long known as the ‘Hannibal Directive.’

The IDF’s October 7 review appears to point to incompetence rather than the intentional killing of its own civilians. However, Israeli outlet Ynet’s investigation of the IDF’s conduct found Tel Aviv had ordered troops to follow the Hannibal policy.

Still, the conclusions from the forthcoming report will amount to an official admission that scores, if not more, of Israelis were killed by IDF soldiers, not Hamas.

IDF Report Found Multiple Cases of Friendly Fire Deaths on Oct 7

No judgment made by me just facts that are mostly withheld to keep the blind support going…..that is not true….I am judging a bit.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Why So Poor?

In case you did not know it the South is the poorest region of the country……but how are they so poor after all they have the same opportunities as the rest of the country, right?

I will try to explain this situation as best I can…..

Lastly we in Mississippi had our state elections and I wrote a letter to a magazine that covers the state with the hopes that it would make a difference but as usual it was ignored for it did not fit the paradigm that the publication pushes….

This is the letter I sent….

Open Letter To The Voters Of Mississippi

I tried to explain why Mississippi ranks at the bottom of the social ladder….to illustrate my point….WalletHub looked at all 50 states and the District of Columbia

Worst economies

  1. Ohio
  2. Maine
  3. Iowa
  4. Rhode Island
  5. Kentucky
  6. Louisiana
  7. Arkansas
  8. West Virginia (last in “Innovation Potential” category)
  9. Hawaii
  10. Mississippi

This is NOTHING new for the state of Mississippi.

I read an article that also tries to explain the poverty thing in the South…..

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2022, Mississippi, West Virginia, Arkansas, Alabama, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Louisiana had the highest poverty rates in the U.S. at over 15% each.

However, understanding how these states became so poor requires an examination of their histories and the structural challenges they face. Let’s look at some factors contributing to these high poverty levels.

The economies of these states have historically been less diverse and relied heavily on single industries. For example, a Mississippi Department of Agriculture study stated, “Agriculture is Mississippi’s number one industry, employing approximately 17.4% of the state’s workforce either directly or indirectly. Agriculture in Mississippi is an 8.76 billion-dollar industry.”

When the agricultural sector is suffering due to declining commodity prices, international competition and other factors, these states acutely feel the impact. Industries in these states often also provide low-wage jobs, contributing to the persistent poverty.

Many of the poorest states are located in the South and have histories deeply intertwined with slavery and plantation economies. Post-Civil War, the South struggled to transition to an industrial economy, unlike the North which experienced rapid industrialization. Compared to the North, Southern states kept taxation and government spending at lower levels, which resulted in less development over time.

The economic model of the South remained heavily agrarian, dependent on low-wage labor and slow to adopt technological advancements.

Educational achievement in these states has historically lagged behind national averages. For example, Arkansas has one of the most undereducated populations in the nation when considering the percentage of adults with college degrees. Poorer states often invest less in education due to limited tax revenues, creating a cycle of underfunded schools, lower educational outcomes and a less skilled workforce.

The state of Arkansas explained that the COVID-19 pandemic worsened an already struggling school system, and students are now struggling to recover from earlier learning disruptions. Although non-profits like Forward Arkansas are committed to growing the state’s education system, just like other poorer states, the historical lack of investment continues to hamper economic growth and limits residents’ opportunities to break out of poverty.

Investment in infrastructure is another critical factor. Poorer states often have less developed infrastructure, which can deter business investment. Poor roads, limited public transportation and inadequate broadband access make it difficult for businesses to operate efficiently and for residents to access opportunities.

The poverty of the poorest states in the U.S. is not the result of a single factor but rather a blend of history, economic structures, social inequities, and political decisions. Addressing this complex issue requires comprehensive strategies that include investing in education, healthcare, and infrastructure; promoting economic diversification; and implementing policies that address racial and social inequities.

(Gabriel Vito)

If the South wants to change this downward spiral then they need to learn what real issues are and stop being goddamn stupid and fall for BS issues that nothing to do with their lives.

Sadly this will not happen any time soon….all I can say is “Stupidity Is The Deliberate Cultivation Of Ignorance”……and Mississippi is cultivating a butt-load of stupid.

And the South has ignorance is spades….and they are proud of it.

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

Turn The Page!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Tax Cuts And Jobs Permanency Act

An old con returns!

Fancy name for a con job that is over 40 years old….and still effective, believe it or not.

The title is a fancy name for the old BS of trickle down economics or Voodoo economics if you prefer.

I have been watching this con for decades that started with lover boy Reagan….just a reminder from 16 years ago….

The Humor That Is Trickle Down Economics

And now with an election looming we are hit with the con yet again….

They’re at it again. And it’s not even original: The trickle-down economics that two-dozen Republican governors and former U.S. President Donald Trump are reviving as you read these words has a long history.

“Trickle down,” of course, was the theory advanced by former President Ronald Reagan that if America only made rich people massively richer with staggering tax cuts, ending anti-trust regulation, and government subsidies for their industries, they would use all that extra free money to build new factories, hire people, and the abundance would trickle down to the average worker.

It was a lie, but it wasn’t the first time the GOP had tried that lie. Then knew exactly what they were doing, and what outcome it would produce. Instead of raising the pay of their workers, the rich people on the receiving end of Reagan’s, Bush’s, and Trump’s tax cuts simply added the cash to their money bins and investments, bought new yachts or trophy wives, and blasted themselves into outer space on penis-shaped rockets.

Nonetheless, Republican politicians think we haven’t noticed and they’re trying to pull it off again at both the state and federal level. A bill with 102 GOP co-sponsors (the Tax Cuts and Jobs Permanency Act) is in motion in the House of Representatives right now to double-down on Trump’s tax cuts.

How did we get here, and why are they still pushing something that’s so discredited it’s become a punch-line for late-night comedians?

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/gop-trickle-down-scam

The more ignorant among us will believe the trickle down con no matter what fancy name they assign to the bill.  They say Americans are wising up to the con…..I ask are they really?

Experience says they are not.

May I suggest that you pay closer attention to what will be your money and less to some smiling con man that tells you everything you want to hear.

One cannot feed or house loved ones on words.

Pay Attention!

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

Juneteeth Is Today

I was going to post some marvelous thoughts on this day but instead I will let a fellow blogger and a follower of IST, do it for he did a much better job than I could….

this is an excellent post….enjoy!

Just Hush Up and Enjoy the Holiday

There is so much American history that is overlooked or more correct ignored it is good to see others trying to bring some light into a subject that needs it.

For more information on this subject….

https://www.history.com/news/what-is-juneteenth

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

“lego ergo scribo”