Monday, July 28, 2025

Subsidiarity Economics 2025. The Times more or less locally, Part 9. Waist Deep in the Big Muddy. It's Donald Trump's economy now.

 

July 4, 2025

The headline from the CST:

HOUSE GIVES FINAL OK TO TRUMP TAX BILL

And indeed it did, bowing to Trump's timing demands, and the current demands of a lifelong Democrat who became a Republican populist and destroyed conservatism, and particularly fiscal conservatism, in the GOP.

It balloons the debt and cuts services, while shoveling money to the Armed Forces and ICE.

It'll wipe out the medical care of millions, kill thousands, and cause a fiscal crisis unlike any faced by the country since the Great Depression which will, in turn, require a massive tax increase, at a bare minimum, to dig out of, if not things more drastic.  It likely belongs to Grover Norquist and the National Conservatives, rather than Trump.  Trump, a demented old man, will be dead before the consequences really set in.

The sub headline:

President says he will sign measure into law today; Democratic leader likens House to ‘crime scene’


And indeed it is.  It takes from the middle class and gives to the rich, and benefits the elderly (who get a tax break) to take from the young.


July 7, 2025

Employment Boom: Wyoming Unions Say Thousands Of Electricians Needed

The Trump far right is having a fit over Larry Summers' comments on This Week.  Summers criticized The Big Ugly and stated directly that it will lead to deaths so that the ultra rich can get tax breaks.

July 8, 2025

The on again, off again, on again, tariffs are back.

Supposedly all sorts of negotiations were going on, but now we're informed that most countries just get a form letter.   Countries receiving the silly missive are Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Laos, Myanmar, Tunisia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Serbia, Cambodia and Thailand.

There's this:

Wyoming landed one of crypto’s biggest names. Here’s what that means for the state.: Country’s second-largest crypto exchange names Cheyenne its home base. Wyoming leaders believe their pursuit of digital assets is paying off.

Frankly, I wish Wyoming's leaders would back the crap out of crypto.  I can't really define it, but the entire thing sounds like a 1929 era pipedream combined with scams that will blow up in people's face.

And crypto isn't really Wyoming. 

July 10, 2025

A whole host of economic news.

a.  A penny for King Donny's mush brained thoughts.

Something really calculated to boost the price of everything.  King Donald is raising copper tariffs by 50%.  The US imports 50% of its copper.

On the plus side, King Donny recently had the government stop making something they actually weren't making, pennys.  The inevitable increase in the cost of copper might Make Penny's Great Again.

M'eh.

b.  Black sheep black sheep, have you any wool?

A local product advancing.

Knitting a future for Wyoming wool: Buffalo’s Mountain Meadow Wool operates the largest full-service wool mill in the West.

This is the sort of thing I've advocated for, for a long time.

The Pandemic and Food, Part Three. A Good, Affordable, Steak





This direction, rather than CyberQuackery, is what we really ought to look at.

c.  Socialism is bad unless it benefits you, in which case, it isn't socialism.

I continue to be amazed by how our Republicans in Congress are all against expenditure except where it means a healthy does of everyone else's cash being hurled at Wyoming.  

I'm not against the $5.4B coming here, but where's all the Freedom Caucus cries of "Socialism!"

Lummis Wants To Give Wyoming More Control Of Investing Its $5.4B Education Fund

M'eh.

c. Flog that dead horse harder.

The CSD poses a question, to which the answer is no.

Trump Opens Floodgate For Wyoming Coal, But Will Producers Buy New Leases?

Coal is on a long term decline, as we've discussed here before.

Coal in the ICU

Coal: Understanding the time line of an industry

Legislative efforts on this from the right recall the lyrics of 19th Nervous Breakdown.

When you were a child you were treated kind

But you were never brought up right

You were always spoiled with a thousand toys but still you cried all night

Your mother who neglected you owes a million dollars tax

And your father's still perfecting ways of making sealing wax

e.  Donnie cries for Bosonaro.

I don't know if Donnie cried for Evita, but he is for Bosnoaro and threatening to hurt the US and Brazilian economy unless Brazil does his bidding by stopping his prosecution.  He's going to hit Brazil with a 50% tax.

Bosonaro is also a right wing figure.

This is corruption on the part of the US, plain and simple.

f.  Deseret Lee gets a break?

While the would be Senator of Deseret Mike Lee was screaming that Federal lands all over the West should be sold for real estate developments, his actual home state saw a 36% decrease in births.

Well, the far right is rather pronatalist, so we can expect Lee to demand Western couples get busy.

g.  The law of unintended consequences and marriage.

A headline:

Tariffs hurt bridal industry due to reliance on overseas market

July 11, 2025

And now Donny's going to hit Canada, our largest trading partner, with a 35% tariff.

Brazil promised retaliatory tariffs if King Donny's helping tariff hand goes out to his fellow right wing figure in Brazil who is facing a trial, as Donny really should have.

The Secretary of State, whose job in Wyoming is to be a Secretary, is once again criticizing the Governor, whose job is to govern.

Gordon Defends Energy Platform; Gray Says Wind, Solar A ‘Woke Clown Show’

Gray clearly can't stay in his own lane, and is clearly running for something else.  Wyomingites are pretty sharply divided on him, with the far right seeing him as some sort of brilliant crusader, and many others seeing him as a self serving buffoon looking for the spotlight to shine on himself.

The State Department is making layoffs in order to cut bloat, even though nobody really knows what the right size of government actually is.  It's a philosophical knee jerk thing that any government is too much government, unless the government helps me personally or fits with my ideology.

July 13, 2025

30% tariffs on the EU and Mexico.

July 16, 2025

More U.S. farms have filed for bankruptcy in the first three months of 2025 than in all of 2024.\

July 27, 2025

It what might be termed the Little Ugly, the Senate passed President Trump's request to rescind $9 billion in foreign aid and public broadcasting.  It now goes back to the House.

Republicans Susan Collins, of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, the latter of whom finally found a modicum of courage, joined Democrats in opposing the package.

Medicaid cuts will shrink Wyoming’s economy by $140M over five years.

Medicaid cuts will shrink Wyoming’s economy by $140M over five years, study finds

Dr. John helped bring you that.  I'm sure he'll be there to help everyone afflicted.

Several cryptocurrency bills advanced, so no doubt we'll be hearing from Ms. Lummis on that.

July 21, 2025

Roasted coffee prices jumped 12.7% in June vs. a year ago.  Instant coffee rose 16.3%.

And now we're picking on Brazil.

July 23, 2025

Apparently there's a 15% tariff trade deal with Japan.

That Japan's government is about to change, partially due to Trump's negative influence across the globe, is worth noting.

Apparently there's a 19% tariff trade deal with the Philippines.

July 24, 2025

Cocoa, the constituent for all things chocolate, has gone up in price, and accordingly everything made from it is as well.

Here, the price isn't due to tariffs, but something else the GOP has been ignoring, extreme weather events.

Casper's Hagadon ski area, owned by the city, seems set for a rate increate for this upcoming season.

July 25, 2025

US automakers are less than thrilled with the 15% tariff deal with Japan.

As most countries aren't stupid enough to give the executive tariff fiat authority, fwiw, that deal may be no deal at all, as the Japanese National Diet will have to approve it.

The average price of a pound of ground beef has risen 12% from a year.  The average price of all uncooked beef steaks rose 8%.

The high prices are attributable to low cattle numbers, for the most part.

For those with cattle, this is good news.

July 28, 2025

Banner headline from in the CST:

US-EU DEAL SETS 15% TARIFF ON MOST GOODS

cont:

The French are unhappy with the EU deal, hoping for retaliatory tariffs instead.

Last edition:

Subsidiarity Economics 2025. The Times more or less locally, Part 8. The imaginary lost world edition (and also something about the color of pots and kettles).


Monday at the Bar: "Is Religious Freedom Possible in State Schools?"

 These are links to two different items, albeit by the same author, and one referencing the other.

"Is Religious Freedom Possible in State Schools?"


Is religious freedom possible in state schools?

Comedian, soldier, and NSA mathematician Tom Lehrer dies at 97

 

Comedian, soldier, and NSA mathematician Tom Lehrer dies at 97

Monday, July 28, 1975. Turkey acts.

Turkey took control of US bases  at Karamürsel, Sinop, Pirinçlik, Bebasi and Karaburun, all intelligence gathering sites, and indicated it was set to take control of twenty more the following day.

American illustrator Donald Mattison died at age 70.

Study for Martinson mural Indiana Farming (1937).
Last edition:

Blog Mirror: From Barrister to Movie Actor, 1949

 

From Barrister to Movie Actor, 1949

Saturday, July 28, 1945. Taking no notice.

Japanese Prime Minister Kantarō Suzuki gave a response to the Potsdam Declaration stating that Japan would "take no notice" of the Potsdam Declaration. 

A B-25 flying in heavy fog struck the Empire State Building.

B-29s bombed Aomori.


Japanese battleships Haruna and Ise and,the aircraft carrier Amagi, the old cruiser Izumo, the light cruiser Oyodo and a destroyer were sunk by aircraft.

The USS Callaghan was sunk by a Yokosuka K5Y kamikaze attack off Okinawa.

The Japanese 28th Army attempted to withdraw across the Sittang River in Burma, suffering over 13,000 killed and drowned in the attempt.

The Potsdam Conference resulmeds with the appearance of Prime Minister Attlee.

The Senate ratified the Charter of the United Nations.

Jim Davis, the creator of the Garfield comic strip,was born in Marion, Indiana.


Last edition:

Friday, July 27, 1945. Preparing the bomb.

Tuesday, July 28, 1925. Léon Augustin Lhermitte

French naturalist painter Léon Augustin Lhermitte passed away at age 80.

The Gleaners, 1887.

Last edition:

Saturday, July 25, 1925.

Labels: 

Wednesday, July 28, 1915. Occupying Haiti. Occupying Haiti.

Woodrow Wilson authorized 330 Marines to land at Port-au-Prince to safeguard the interests of American businesses operating in the country, following the lynching and murder of Haitian president Vilbrun Guillaume Sam. 

The occupation would last until 1934.

The Bayonne refinery strike ended in receipt of better pay and an eight hour day.

The Norwegian ocean liner Trondhjemsfjord was sunk by the SM U-41

Last edition:

Sunday, July 25, 1915. The Bandit War.

Thursday, July 28, 1910. State party.

The El Dorado National Forest was established in California by President Taft.  Mike Lee is probably crying thinking about it.

The "Keystone Party" was founded in Pennsylvania, as an alternative to the Republicans and Democrats.


We could use some state parties today.  Specifically, we could use a Wyoming Party (thread coming more or less soon).

The term "Keystone Party" has been used three times in Pennsylvania. This was the first.  The most recent was in 2022.

Last edition:

Tuesday, July 19, 1910. Cy Young.

Saturday, July 28, 1900. Paying for his opposition.

Hsi Ching-ch'eng, formerly China's ambassador to Russia, Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands, was executed for his opposition to the Boxer faction in the Imperial Court.

Albert Einstein received his diploma from technical school, the Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule (ETH) in  Zürich, Switzerland.

Last edition:

Friday, July 27, 1900. Huns.

Wednesday, July 28, 1875. The First No Hitter.

 Quite the year for American sports.

July 28, 1875: The 1st No-Hitter



Last edition:

The 2026 Wyoming Legislature, Part 1. The way too early edition.


April 10, 2025

Freedom Caucus leader John Bear went on record at a meeting of legislators on how to handle the upcoming populist initiative to reduce property taxes by 50%, after they've just been reduced by 25%, as favoring completely eliminating property taxes in favor of sales taxes.

On the imported geezer reduce my property taxes on the house I bought after I moved here from California initiative, he feels that the effect wouldn't be cumulative (50% of the just reduced 25%), while other legislators do.

May 2, 2025

A press interview of Freedeom Caucus member Bear reveals the WFC wants to treat the Wyoming budget to some DOGEy style actions, particularly in regard to grants and loans.

May 4, 2025

I don't know anything about the woman from Teton County who was his competition, but Miller was another individual who spent a career in the military, and therefore was a lifelong recipient of public funds, and who has now returned as an opponent of the Federal government.

May 7, 2025

Wyoming Legislature finalizes list of ‘off-season’ topics for study

May 9, 2025

Chuck Gray Supports 22 New Election-Reform Bills, Committee To Study 10

Some of these bills are frankly nuts.

May 19, 2025

Wyoming lawmakers go after funding for state associations that sometimes oppose their bills: Green River Rep. Marlene Brady is leading the charge on prohibiting cities, towns and counties from paying dues to elected officials’ associations.

May 21, 2025

Legislative panel pursues bills to regulate Wyoming library books with sexual material: Lawmakers are taking up library books as conservative activists around the state pore over material in young adult and teen library sections for sexual content.

For reasons I won't go into, I've seen some of the book that is featured in this article, and there's no way it should be in the children's section of a library.

May 22, 2025

Committee Adopts Bill To Make Wyoming Senate Confirm Supreme Court Justices

This is inaccurate. Rather they voted to have the LSO draft such a bill.

May 23, 2025

As scrutiny of judges grows, lawmakers weigh changes to Wyoming’s selection process: In her final official appearance before lawmakers, Wyoming Supreme Court Chief Justice Kate Fox defended the process for choosing the state’s judges. But some lawmakers still want changes.

May 25, 2025

A draft bill would allow for nuclear facilities to have armed guards as a type of private police force.

Private police forces are rare, but not completely unknown. The Wyoming Stock Growers Association at one time was authorized to have them, although that's long ago in the past.  While I haven't kept up on it, so I don't know the current status, railroads at one time had them as well.

June 4, 2025

Oh great . . . 

Wyoming Freedom Caucus plans on ‘DOGE-ing’ state budget: House Appropriations Chairman John Bear takes inspiration from the Trump administration’s efforts to cut federal jobs and spending.

DOGE has been such a disaster that even Trump is questioning it.  This is the last thing Wyoming needs

Deep down, to a large extent, the Freedom Caucus just hates the government.

Meanwhile:

The State's Democratic Party is abasically as dead as a doornail.  Those looking for a middle path aren't being offered it by the Democrats, who recently replaced their leadership.  The thin, bow tie, wearing newly elected leader provides an apt symbol for a party grossly out of step with the state.

June 5, 2025

Wyoming Legislature to consider abolishing property taxes through constitutional amendment: After creating a complicated web of residential property tax exemptions, lawmakers are now weighing whether to eliminate property taxes entirely.

June 11, 2025

Wyoming lawmaker uses slur for Japanese people before visiting Heart Mountain internment site: Rep. John Winter made the remark while discussing logistics for a tour of the former internment camp, where more than 14,000 Japanese Americans were held against their will during World War II.

 Wyoming lawmakers step toward bill clarifying corner crossing’s legality: Some agricultural industry lobbyists urged a legislative committee to wait and see whether the U.S. Supreme Court takes the case, but others — including law enforcement — testified that they could use precise legal directions.

July 28, 2025

Wyoming lawmakers consider nuclear waste storage as tensions rise over microreactor plant proposal: A draft bill that would make an exception to Wyoming's nuclear waste ban is intended to accommodate a California firm's plans to "mass-produce" microreactors near Casper.

Related threads:

The Wyoming Freedom Caucus and the 2025 and 2026 Legislatures. Some things to keep in mind.

Wednesday, July 29, 1925. Traffic stop.

New York, July 29, 1925.

L'Osservatore Romano printed a long list of Fascist offenses against Catholics.

Italy announced a new law providing that any newspaper publishing attacks on the government that were "too strong and too frequent" would receive two warnings, after which the paper would no longer be recognized.

Mikis Theodorakis (Μιχαήλ "Μίκης" Θεοδωράκης), Greek composer known for Zorba the Greek's score, was born.

Last edition:

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