Engorgeous George

Would be a long drive for me just to witness a run of the mill show. I might consider it for a truly epic show. i just know it i do i will stay out of the Capitol building and will not be wearing any Shaman gear. Best to fly below the radar at such events.

Maybe trump will get Kristi Noem out there on a horse, in nothing but boots, a cowboy hat, chaps,and a small leather vest. That would be better than Snoopy but may still fxall short of Santa Claus. I hope doge identifies this as waste and abuse. It is not fraud, but 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

By memory, which is failing, Trump tried something siilar in his first term. I believe that one was canceled or severely scaled down.

I have read that the reason the American antelope evolved to run as fast as it does was because of the speed of Dire Wolves. I have no idea whether that is true or not but i found the theory interesting.

That seems compelling evidence. Will Tim claim it is some sort of A.I. deep fake?

Kristi Noem and Tom Homan. I find one of them sexy.

And we should acknowledge that and reciprocate. Sadly Trump seems to have needed The Isreal Prime Minister to come here and say for the consumption of the press that Trump is Isreal's best friend and to imply that Trump got something more when they talked. I thought my position was clear that we need to immediately accept all reasonable deals, even existing ones, and immediately adjust our tariffs as to those countries. i suspect with regard to Viet Nam there is some trepidation that China may try to wash goods through Viet Nam, but trepidation be damned. Learn to track goods through the global supply chain and address abuses if they arise, not by trepidation.

I never had any hops. I was practically nailed to the ground. Still, in gym class in the 8th grade I made 5 feet in the high jump.

Clooneys career impacted me not in the least except for oh Brother Where Art thou and maybe a bit in Burn After Reading.

I acgree we need to immediately nurture those countrieds who seekfair trade with little or no protectionism. There will still necessarily be imbalances based on market size and the fact that we are a wasteful consumer nation addicted to spending so balance is not a realistic goal, but fair trade is. We need to signal that immediately by engaging with Isreal, Taiwan, Vietnam and welcoming the overtures of India and the E.U.

Maybe for a day with a one time buy of military harware, but certainly not on an ongoing basis.

My hope would be that we enter into negotiations with those who ahve made reasonable offeers, and we do so expeditiously. Trump seems to need more. Hhe needs not just reasonable concessions, but he seems to need som ebending of the knee, some groveling, some praise, some admission of past wrong doing. He seems to have ego caught up, as is the norm for him. I say set that aside, take what wins there are in the hope that it spawns more wins. My retirement is not there for his ego gratification, or at least it is not from my perspective. I worked 50 years for my retirement, it is mine and not his bargaining chip.

A bit of good news in a sea of uncertainty is always welcome.

I suspect and hope you are correct. As for being certain enough to bet, well I am generally not a betting man, not anymore. (I do get that your use of that term was simply an expression )

Perhaps you could have gone with Mr. Hankey's identical twin.

Tim has the same impediment as does Trump. They both cannot help themselves but to speak in absolutes when the world is much more subtle and varied. They are the obverse and reverse sides of the same coin.

I am not active in the Market. I have a brother who is a day trader so i follow the swings for conversational purposes..

Professionals I have spoken with have told me 40%. I have gone up to 50% occassioanlly, but not routinely. For instance if I am on vacation and miss my cutting day, or we get a few days of rain and I cant cut it and it gets a bit out of hand I have gotten away with cutting 50%. I think doing that regualrly would stress it too much. I agree 40% to 33% is probably better, but I know folks have other priorites than lawn care and they like to cut less often, if they can. I do raise my mower up a notch or two during July and August. During the hot dry months its better.

As usual on Monday morning I will be at the gym and then out for a paddle. I will miss the market open and not see it until around 12 Mountain time. That should prove interesting. I do enjoy the news blackout while I go through the early part of my day. I see folks with their ear buds and phones in the gym and at the reservior. For me that would ruin the serenity of the morning. I'm glad padding weather has finally arrived. Otherwise when I return from just the gym my wife has the news on and 10:00 or so is too early for that for me.

I believe the key is to never cut more than 50% of the length at any one cutting. If you cut your grass when it reaches five inches cutting it to 3 inches is fine. If you let your rass grow to 7 inches cutting it back to 3 inches is damaging.

I see where Trump states we (meaning America) have been the "whipping post" for China and others on tariffs, but no longer. It seems clear to me that Trump does not understand the concept of the whipping post. It seems he thinks the post itself got whipped. The post itself made out just fine. Sure it may have gotten some splattered blood, sweat and tears, but the post did not get whipped. Donald seems to think it did. Here's a clue Donald, it was the folks tied to the whipping post who had it bad not the post itself.

Off to shovel the snow and then to the gym. I am somewhat bouyed this morning in that my investment losses are not to a portion equal to the market drops. I got hit, but not hurt, thus far. If the costs of Trump's policies stop where they are right now I can bear it. I am not convinced, however, that the total loss is yet known. Maybe Monday will give us some indication.

For some of them is far more accurate. Because in some instances, many perhaps, the tariffs are partially based upon trade deficits would be far more accurate. My thinking was not flawed. i have already acknowledged the defects, from your point of view and mine as well in Trump's structuring of these tariffs. In fact i set out those difficulties or what I would term flaws before you did so in your more univiersal opposition to all things Trumpublican. My post ws in recognition that across the seas we have counterparts, real people with real needs and real fears, just like us, who are being effected, just like us, and who may pressure their governments, just like us, for action. My position on tariffs is that if they are indeed reciprocal in the strictest interpretation of that term, and if we understand that some protectionism by foriegn countries not based on trade concerns or industry concerns but on legitimate health concerns will not be overturned by tariffs but by cahnging American food production standards and practicesd, that reciprocal tariffs are justified. They may be the only way to keep others from seeking unfair advantgqage. Tehy will not give us advantage, we will suffer, but they will prevent long term suffering of unfair imbalance being institutionalized.

So. I wonder how the world is percieving all of this today. The first reaction seems to have been anger and national pride. Anger because this will hurt their economies and national pride because they will not be dictated to by the orange narcissist. Still, at some point they are going to be confronted with their own shrinking versions of their 401K's. Will they thenbe willing to reevaluate their policies to get a bit of a return to some normalcy? will they make some concessions? It is difficult to say. I live in the American bubble so i see how unhappy we are with our markets tumbling. I can only wonder how others around the world feel and are reacting. Sure, I can look at their news feeds but that is a far cry from hearing neighbors and friends reacting over dinner, at workor out and about.