Donald J. Trump, who fancies himself a Wile E. Coyote level genius, is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business.
It certainly doesn't show, or Wharton isn't all it has been cracked up to be.
Having gotten the United States into an illegal war as Bibi Netanyahu talked him into it, Donny appears to have been taken off guard that Iran could and would close the Straits of Hormuz, hit tankers, and hit oil and gas facilities throughout the Middle East.
Why wouldn't they?
Perhaps if Melania lets Barron go see his father over Spring Break, assuming they're not perusing travel brochures entitled "where we can go to live after Don dies where people won't know we're Trumps", and assuming that Barron isn't doing the right thing and enlisting in the United States Marine Corps, they can break out some hex and counter games and play Naval based Superpower v. Land based regional power" and see how that works out.
Anyhow, Donny Trump (did we mention that he fancies himself a Wile E. Coyote level genius?) has lifted sanctions on already loaded oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, which means that Iran now has a source of cash it didn't before the war started.
So, we didn't wipe out their nuclear capabilities in the Twelve Day War, their government hasn't fallen in this one, people have not risen up to toss out the Iranian government, the Straits of Hormuz are closed, we didn't stockpile oil before the war, the price of oil has skyrocketed, and now the Iranians can legally transport some oil
Assuming that Trump isn't secretly trying to destroy the American economy and benefit Iran (and Russia), it's hard to see the smarts in any of that.
Petroleum is back up over $100/bbl, basically because King Donny is a liar.
March 26, 2026
And the war inflation hits packages:
U.S. Postal Service Announces Transportation-Related, Time-Limited Price Change
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service filed notice today with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) regarding a time-limited price change to better align its costs of transportation with the market. This temporary price adjustment will provide needed flexibility for the Postal Service by helping to ensure that the actual costs of doing business are covered, as required by Congress.
While this price increase is a time-limited adjustment, it will provide a necessary bridge to a permanent mechanism to reflect market conditions in prices for competitive products that can support the Postal Service’s ability to achieve the universal service obligation in a more financially sustainable manner going forward.
The planned price change, which was approved by the Governors of the Postal Service on March 24, is an 8 percent increase that would affect base postage prices on the following retail and commercial domestic competitive products: Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage, and Parcel Select. No other products or services would be affected, including First-Class Stamps. Pending favorable review by the PRC, the price change would go into effect at midnight Central Time on April 26 and would remain in place until midnight Central Time on Jan. 17, 2027. At that time, the Postal Service can determine if a different long-term approach is needed.
Transportation costs have been increasing, and our competitors have reacted with a number of surcharges. We have steadfastly avoided surcharges and this charge is less than one-third of what our competitors charge for fuel alone, so even with this change, the Postal Service continues to offer great value in shipping with some of the lowest rates in the industrialized world.
The time-limited price change is consistent with industry practices and will support the Postal Service’s ability to continue achieving its public service mission — providing a nationwide, integrated network for the delivery of mail and packages at least six days a week — in a cost-effective and financially sustainable manner over the long term, just as the U.S. Congress has intended.
The PRC will review the proposed price change before it is scheduled to take effect on April 26. Complete USPS price filings, with prices for all products, can be found on the PRC website’s Daily Listings section at prc.arkcase.com/portal/filings. Price tables are also available on the Postal Explorer website at pe.usps.com/PriceChange/Index.
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March 27, 2026
More than 90% of new renewable power projects worldwide in 2024 were cheaper than fossil-fuel alternatives, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.
Guess they aren't as woke as Chuck and demented Don would claim.
And this two years ago before the tin pot dictator decided to destroy the world's oil importation system.
March 30, 2026
West Texas is at $100/bbl this morning. Brent is at $115/bbl.
With the Houthis now in the war, there's a fairly good chance the Red Sea will be effectively closed, massively widening the war, and propelling the world into a King Donny causes severe recession.
March 31, 2026
Brent is at $114.88. West Texas at $104.
The price of almost everything is rising.
This is your economy at war. An undeclared war by a demented octogenarian.
I'm frankly not keen on this at all. Playing sports and being in activities are vital parts of school. They help socialization. Parents who seek to avoid socialization are harming their children and there are nwo a lot of private school options that would be better choices for those seeking to evade the perceived dangers, often fictional, of public schools
This is what happens when a dumb, paranoid, amendment to the Constitution is made.
The amendment that brought down the state's abortion laws was passed due to right wing paranoia that the AHCA would create "death panels". That fear was frankly stupid, but it was adopted by far right Republicans who really believed it. The prime architect of the amendment has gone on record that he'd feel awful if the amendment caused the abortion laws to fail, and in fact he should feel awful.
I'll confess that when I first posted this, I was harsher on the paranoia of the Wyoming Republican Party that gave us the dumbass head in the sand amendment to the Wyoming Constitution based on fear of the ACHA. I'm obviously being less kind here.
Anyhow, the Tribune notes:
Wyoming Republicans seek to amend constitution
The flaming dipshits that passed the amendment that caused this to occur in the first place ought to just repeal that amendment. Indeed, they ought to cal lit "B______ B_________was a dumbass paranoid moron amendment repeal".
They won't, as the best thing to do when somebody does something rampagingly stupid is to double down on the stupidity, apparently. After all, look at the ongoing Republican support for Donald Dipshit Trump.
Anyhow, they're going to address their failure with a proposed amendment to the Constitution. That amendment will fail to get support from the electorate, which they'll find basically likes the idea of killing babies as it means they can complain about gays and the transgendered while being sexually immoral themselves.
Wyoming Democrats, I'd note, are making the classic blunder. They should simply say nothing at all, and not go out to own a result that they don't really own. The Wyoming Supreme Court's ruling came about as the far right of the Wyoming GOP went out and shot itself in the foot. Now it's going to go to the voters. A smart Democratic policy would be just to sit back and do nothing at all. But, they just can't help themselves:
Chances are high that not enough Wyoming voters are going to vote for the proposed constitutional amendment for it to pass, and if there are, the Democrats are going to effect that anyhow. Indeed, by making it an issue and embracing abortion, it'll drive GOP voters who likely would vote against the amendment or sit the election out, into voting as they'll want to vote against the Democrats. Given the immorality of abortion, it's truly an example of errare humanum est perseverare diabolicum.
My opinion, of course, is harsh, but frankly many of the Dukes of Hazzard crowd in the Freely Dumb Caucus don't trust education. People who are educated don't believe the same dumb stuff they do, so they don't like it.
And they're going after the Wyoming Business Council.
This one at its core is a completely unthinking objection to socialism. We don't like socialism, because it's socialism. Not much more thought behind it than that.
I'll often hear that the WBC picks "winners and losers" which might be right, but the state's economy otherwise is pretty much making all Wyomingites losers.
Jacob Wasserburger came up with this bad idea, but it sounds a lot like he's been sitting around with Mike Lee, the Senator from Deseret. He's signed on to the no prescription for Ivermectin act as well, these two things indicating that he's hanging out with, in not in, the Freedom Caucus.
Some years I do this thread, other years not. 2025 was such a serious year, I'm tempted not to.
Maybe that's when you should.
I'm going to start of with a minor one.
Heather Cox Richardson, for goodness sakes pay some attention to the production values of your Vlog. It's absolutely horrific and yes, it does matter. Sitting in front of a coast map may be something you can get away with as a professor to your students, but frankly everyone else just wonders on to Erza Klein.
The ones with Joanne B. Freeman are the absolutely worst, not because you both don't have things that are serious to say, but because it comes across like two elderly professors in the faculty lounge who are annoyed with undergraduates.
You have good content. Improve the production values.
Okay, now that we have that out of the way. . .
Cabinet members, invoke the 25h Amendment.
You know that Donald Trump is getting increasingly bat shit crazy and he's making everything worse. The point at which he serves as razzle dazzle is over. It's no longer safe. Remove him.
And once he's removed, do a serious investigation into what his thing with Putin is. It's weird, bare minimum, but is there more there?
Some will note, and indeed people already are, that if Trump goes Vance is in. This is true.Vance has his own dangers, but he's not likely to nuke Denmark.
Regarding Vance, Vance probably is who he always was, or so it seems to me, but his philosophical underpinnings have developed enormously, whether you like them or not. It occurs to me that people who were charmed by Hillbilly Elegy were charmed by it as they didn't regard it as a call for action for a hillbilly class, but rather as a fun thing to lament over while sipping some weird tea based drink and watching Heather Cox Richardson. Nope, it was a call to arms.
Vance, or whatever your name is, its time for you to be open about your beliefs. Either the American public accepts them, which they probably do not, or they'll reject them and you can try to convince them.
Also, reconsider their harshness. It's easier to be Kevin Roberts if you are an academic. In the real world, Pope Leo XIV makes a lot more sense.
Wyoming Freedom Caucus. Go back to your homes and leave Wyoming alone.
John Barrasso. Grow a spine and start backing Wyoming.
Chuck Gray. See item on Freedom Caucus.
Wyoming Democrats. Be like what you once were, moderate Republicans. You're never getting anywhere running as the French Socialist Party.
Wyoming voters, quit screwing yourself. I swear, the things you keep voting to support are so darned dumb it defines description. Voting for politicians who will grab Federal lands would sell them in a heartbeat. Coal is not coming back. Climate change is real and needs to be addressed.
And, if you are a new Freedom Caucus type voter, go home. We'll even buy you a box set of the Dukes of Hazzard if you leave.
Members of the Evangelical Protestant right wing community (and maybe Evangelical Protestants in general). Read some history. You guys are carrying out a historically discredited effort that's contrary to the Church.
Also, knock off the divorce doesn't matter thing. It does.
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