Subsidiarity Economics 2026. The Times more or less locally, Part 13. “Walmart Recession Signal” grows louder.

October 21, 2026

According to the economist who came up with it, the “Walmart Recession Signal” indicating an oncoming recession is getting louder.

Tonight, I'm also pleased to announce that the Department of Agriculture will be launching a new harvest fuel relief program, providing our farmers with $8 billion in support to offset diesel costs during this harvest season

Donald Trump.

So the fuel relief is to relieve high fuel prices caused by the war against Iran which is illegal, and will be paid for by money we don't have.

Sure, that makes sense somehow.

Oil is coming out of the Strait of Hormuz, under US protection, at roughly the same amount it was before the war now.

In other news.

Oklahoma Tribe Buys One Of The Biggest Horse Betting Operations In Wyoming

Sublette Rejects Appeal For Girls Treatment Center, Owners May Take Fight To Court

October 22, 2026

Natrona County eyes two school closures. One is 40 miles away, the other is right around the corner

One of the schools is in Midwest.

‘It’ll Kill The Community’: Midwest Rallies To Save Grades 6-12 From Chopping Block

In a real irony, former House District 58 representative Patrick Sweeney went to the Midwest town hall on the subject.  Long serving Sweeney was ousted by current representative Bill Allemand after the district was redrawn. Alleman was a complete asshole to Sweeney in a debate and ran, that time, as firebrand Freedom Caucuser.

He survived a challenge from Bar Nunn Mayor Peter Boyer whom he became crosswise with over a proposal to place the Radiant nuclear generator plant north of Bar Nunn, something Bar Nunn could not have stopped. Bar Nunn's city council meetings became the bizarre focus of the topic however with outraged populists even accusing some city council members of taking bribes, an absolute absurdity.  Radiant eventually grew tired of the matter and decamped to Tennessee.  Allemand, for his part, was arrested not all that long after for drunk driving.  He's one of the few surviving members of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, barely hanging on to his seat.

Allemand is apparently backing fanciful thoughts of declaring the school to be a charter school or forming a new school district, neither of which will occur  It was really admirable of Sweeney to go out and speak to a group of people about their plight, which is concerning, which their votes for Allemand helped bring about.  It's the classic Leopard's won't eat my face situation. 

Campbell County Moves $500 Million Nuclear Fuel Facility Closer To Reality

Gillette Targeted For Massive $575 Million Uranium Processing Plant

Cheyenne Eyed For First World-Scale Nitrogen Fertilizer Plant In The Region

October 24, 2026

Some headlines:

Midwest escapes. . . for now.

School funding crisis, brought to you by the Freakishly Dumb Caucus.

Midwest School Saved After Heated Meeting — At Least For Another Year

Kemmerer coal mine set to close in 2029, spurring Wyoming’s soda ash industry to seek new fuel source

Could Data Centers Save Wyoming Coal? Peabody Eyes 'Holy Grail' Strategy

October 26, 2026

Wyoming will receive $206,000,000 from the Federal Government for healthcare as part of a Federal rural healthcare initiative.

Now, I demand everyone in Wyoming on the far right who has decried socialized medicine to demand the state not accept the money.  To not do so would be hypocritical.

October 28, 2026

Prometheus pulls plug on Natrona County data center

A proposed project promising up to $115 million in annual property taxes is off the table, leaving questions about what comes next for Natrona …

October 31, 2026

Falls Ranch, owned by 75 year old billionaire carpetbagger Russell Gordy, is still trying to recruit a data center. 

Billionaire property owner to take over data center project in Natrona County

This is a good example of why: 1) nobody should be allowed to amass this degree of wealth, 2) people who don't make their livelihood in agriculture should not be allowed to own ag land.

This is a really good reason to bring in a wealth tax in Wyoming, and an idle rich landowner tax.  

November 3, 2026, Election Day

114 large companies paid no federal income tax last year including:

• Citigroup, with $4.4 billion in profits in 2025.
• CVS Health, with $8 billion in profits.
• Duke Energy, with $5.5 billion in profits.
• Tesla, with $5.7 billion in profits.
• United Airlines, with $4.3 billion in profits.
• Walt Disney, with $8.3 billion in profits.

Last edition:

Subsidiarity Economics 2026. The Times more or less locally, Part 12, the Deflect and Deny edition.

Labels: 2020s, 2026, 2026 Election, Donald Trump, inflation, Joseph Biden, The Second Trump Administration, The Trump Trade War with Canada, Trump War Inflation, United States and Israel v. Iran, Wyoming's boom and bust economy

Additional Labels:

Subsidiarity Economics 2026. The Times more or less locally, Part 13. “Walmart Recession Signal” grows louder. More labels.

Court Watch Part VIII. The only restraint edition.

Jefferson County Courthouse, Port Arthur, Texas.

July 14, 2026

In a blistering opinion, a Federal Court judge ruled that President Donald Trump improperly used a $10 billion lawsuit he filed against the IRS to extract personal benefits from the government and prevented the terms of a settlement agreement from taking legal effect.

And more locally:

Laramie County sheriff ordered to appear in court, explain why law firm can’t inspect records

July 23, 2026

Headline in the CST:

Wyoming attorneys oppose Trump’s AG pick

71 Wyoming attorneys signed onto the letter.  Lummis and Barrasso will ignore it.

August 1, 2026

Charges against an Olympic kayaker for vandalizing the reflecting pool have been dropped. 

That was predictable, but what the Justice Department admitted was not.  It admitted the damage was the result of "flawed installation by the contractor" as well as "the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026."

Every lawyer associated with this should be dismissed and disbarred.  Trump should be impeached.  The victim of these false charges should sue for malicious prosecution.

Closer to home:

Wyoming archaeologists take BLM to court over Native sites, human remains

August 5, 2026

The U.S. Attorney’s Office dismissed all charges against David Hearn, Justin Carreno, Sophie Dennison-Gibby and Cameron Thiers for the pool vandalization that never occured.  Donald Trump had previously described these people as “SICK, DERANGED PEOPLE".  He's the sick deranged people, but people who aren't victims of Trump Derangement Syndrome and think he's something other than a rampaging deranged narcissist know that. 

Now, even after the Toddler's tantrums, no charges are pending at all. They never should be.

Lawsuits should, and I predict will, be filed against the government over this.

August 8, 2026

The DC Circuit ordered Trump to halt his illegal ballroom construction but, in a wussy move, stayed its decision for fourteen days in order to allow Trump to appeal, which he, or rather his administration, will.

The Court, in its decision, noted:

Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help.

August 11, 2026

It's not that there aren't some really issues here.

Judge dismisses closed primary lawsuit for the second time

But it does provide a good example of why it hurts things for everyone when a gadfly like Skovgaard decides to play lawyer.

August 12, 2026

Court steps in to counter coup attempt.

August 18, 2026

Good news:

Retired Cheyenne attorney renews legal challenge to Secretary Gray’s handoff of voter data feds

Gray violated the law on this and needs to be held fully accountable. Courts looking at this issue have uniformly supported the states that refused to provide the information.

Gray should be made to recover the information he supplied.  This was illegal.  

August 25, 2026

This doesn't decide the ultimate issue:

Supreme Court allows Trump administration to move forward with order imposing restrictions on mail-in voting

But coming when it does, it may very well be the law in a practical sense this election cycle, and impact the election.  It's specifically designed to frustrate Democratic voting.  However, as Amy Howe reports:

A separate ruling by the same judge, in a case filed by a different set of plaintiffs, temporarily prohibits the U.S. Postal Service from implementing one provision of the executive order anywhere in the United States. That ruling remains in effect, at least for now.

The decision is flat out wrong and the Supreme Court will regret it.  The Democrats are increasingly like to win both houses of Congress this Fall and they will begin to work on major Supreme Court reform. Trump can prevent that while he's in office, but he's becoming the political kiss of death for GOP candidates and when a new Democratic President comes in, this order will come off and the Supreme Court will be radically reformed.  Perhaps first up will be age limitations, likely 70 years of old, which will wipe out the conservative majority on the court.

A decision like this one will help bring about that downfall.  So does stuff like this:

Supreme Court allows White House ballroom construction to continue for now

The mail in voting one at least has some think judicial reasoning Staying ballroom construction was the obvious choice here and the Court didn't do it. That probably signals that they'll let this insane project go forward.

August 27, 2026

After Election Loss, Reid Rasner Sues A Sixth Person For Defamation

One of Rasner's previous suits is in the CST today on the pending summary judgment motion.

August 31, 2026

The Supreme Court sealed its fate today in holding that the Plaintiffs in a case challenging the legality of Trump's illegal construction of a giant garden shed on White House Grounds lacked standing.

Bullshit.

Justice Roberts, who dissented in the 5 to 4 decision, noted that the construction was likely illegal.  It is. This was a standing decision.

So construction will commence and may well get completed. The legality will be ruled upon in the future, and then the heaping pile of shit hopefully blown to the ground by a future administration that will rely on this decision. The Supreme Court will go to 13 members, and an age limitation will be put on the justices guaranteeing a liberal majority on the court for a century.

September 10. 2026

Twenty states filed two separate lawsuits against the government alleging the Trump administration illegally weakened the Endangered Species Act.

September 11, 2026

The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals refused to lift an injunction on the USPS prohibiting the implementation of crybaby's attempt for a fall coup by banning mail in voting.

September 15, 2026

The US Supreme Court decided in a 7 to 2 vote to block the Trump USPS rule prohibiting mail in voting.  Alito and Thomas were the two dissenting votes.

October 14, 2026

That this is even a topic shows how absurd our times are.

Wyoming Supreme Court Hears Trans People's Argument To Change Sex On Birth Certificates

Your sex at birth, is your sex.  Nothing can or should change that.

October 15, 2026

Judge halts sweeping plan to move Forest Service headquarters west, including state office in Cheyenne

 

Judge halts sweeping plan to move Forest Service headquarters west, including state office in Cheyenne

October 17, 2026

Judge Deciding Whether To Hold Sheriff Kozak In Contempt Over Immigration Records

October 23, 2026

Orange Mussolini, who is suing the BBC for defamation, has been ordered by a US Court to sit for his deposition.

Closer to home:

Legislative Candidate Loses Lawsuit Against University of Wyoming

Last edition:

Court Watch Part VII. When the last law was down.

Labels: 2020s, 2026, Abortion, Chuck Gray, Court Watch, law, Politics, South Korea, St. Sir Thomas More, The 2021 Insurrection, The Second Trump Administration, Wyoming, Wyoming (Powell), You heard it here first

Saturday, October 21, 1876. Battle of Cedar Creek.

The Battle of Cedar Creek broke out after Sitting Bull and Nelson Miles met and failed to reach an agreement, which in the case of Miles, amounted to the total surrender of Sitting Bull.  The talks are famously depicted in the film Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee.

There were divisions in Sitting Bull's camp by this time, with some of his followers wishing to return to the reservation.  Sitting Bull was adamant that they not do so.  His position with Miles was that the Army should leave Sioux territory.  In his camp he threatened to kill departing subordinates.

In the fight, the Sioux broke and fled up to 40 or so miles.  Miles captured quantities of Sioux supplies.  Sitting Bull lost followers who soon surrendered to Miles and after the battle he made up his mind to retreat into Canada.  Miles prepared for a winter campaign.

Last edition:

Wednesday, October 18, 1876. Law and Order in the State of South CarolinaLabels: 1870s, 1876, Racism, Reconstruction, South Carolina, U.S. Grant

Sunday, October 15, 1876. More action at Spring Creek.

The Army was engaged in combat again with the Sioux at Spring Creek in Montana. A. reinforced U.S. Army supply train led by Lt. Col. Elwell S. Otis fought a 12-hour infantry and fire battle against 400 to 500 Sioux..  An attempt to broker a ceasefire between the parties had failed.

Last edition:

Saturday, October 14, 1876. Construction starts at Cantonment Reno.

Labels: 1870s, 1876, 1878, Army, Blog Mirror, Frontier Wyoming, Great Sioux War, Powder River Basin, Red Cloud's War, This Day In Wyoming's History, Wyoming, Wyoming (Cantonment Reno), Wyoming (Ft. Reno), Wyoming (Johnson County) 1877

A Day for Spatting.

Today is October 12, 2026.

Department of Defense logo from 2000.

It's also officially Columbus Day, which has a long history of introduction in the U.S.  It was first celebrated, on this day, set to always occur on a Monday, in 1792 by the Columbian Order of New York, better known as the Tammany Society, which evolved into the famous New York political machine.  Italian Americans picked it up as a day of Italian pride as Columbus was an Italian.  It was recognized annually by the Federal Government starting in 1934, and then officially made a Federal holiday in 1968, to be first on the calendar in 1971.

It's still there.

Native Americans have never been particularly keen on the day, for obvious reasons.  This lead to protests over the years and eventually the day was recognized in some areas as Indigenous People's Day.

Taking the guns at Standing Rock.

Columbus Day was the source of increased agitation by Native Americans dating back into the 1970s, which was the height of power of the American Indian Movement, although if you look at today's entry for 1911, you'll see that it was on this day that the first national organization for Native Americans convened.  That probably wasn't an accident.  Some Native protests against the day have verged on violence, so deep is the opposition to it in those quarters.

Wyoming doesn't officially recognize either day, thereby avoiding taking any kinds of stand, but it does recognize Native American Day, which is in May.  Laramie and Jackson recognize Indigenous People's Day on this day, however, those two municipalities being the most "liberal" in Wyoming (which makes Rebecca Bextel's campaign being headquartered in Jackson ironic).  Casper doesn't recognize either day but usually finds a means of making the day a municipal holiday.

This year, Casper found a way to recognize both:

City of Casper Releases Indigenous Peoples’ / Columbus Day Services and Hours

City of Casper releases Indigenous Peoples’/Columbus Day services and hours

Garbage collection, water, sewer, emergency services and more will operate as usual.

Casper, Wyo. (October 8, 2026) – The City of Casper administrative offices will be closed for the observance of Indigenous Peoples’/Columbus Day 2026 on Monday, October 12, 2026.  Normal water, sewer, 911 dispatch, police, fire, and metro animal control services will maintain their regular schedules.  Solid waste crews will collect garbage as usual on Monday, and other crews will be on call to respond as needed.

The following is the complete list of services and hours.

• Trash collection will run on the normal schedule.
• Casper Regional Solid Waste Facility: Open 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
• Police Patrol, Fire-EMS, and 911 Dispatch: Regular hours.
• Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants: Regular hours.
• Water distribution, sewer, streets, parks, fleet services, and public facilities crews on call for emergencies.
• Metro Animal Services Patrol Officers (APOs): Available 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.by calling non-emergency dispatch at 307.235.8278.  Outside those regular hours, APOs are on call for emergencies by calling 911.
• Fort Caspar Museum: Closed (closed on Mondays for winter hours)
• Casper Municipal Golf Course: Open normal hours, 1st tee time is 8:30 a.m., the Golf Shop will close at 6:00 p.m.
• Highland Cemetery: Grounds open dawn to dusk with burial search map signs.
• Casper Area Transit, operated by the City of Casper: limited services on Monday. LINK transit services will be unavailable. ASSIST services will run limited services from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for scheduled medical-only appointments and for ADA complementary paratransit services.
• Metro Animal Shelter: Closed.
• Casper Ice Arena: 6:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. (Open Figure Skating), 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Open Figure Skating)
• Casper Family Aquatic Center: 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Casper Recreation Center: 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Donald Trump, who loves a good cultural spat, spoke in Columbus, Ohio last week, which took down its statute of Columbus some time ago.  While there, he stated; “We demand that Christopher Columbus be put back into the heart of Columbus, Ohio,”

Well, we demand the dumb ballroom be taken down.  

Anyhow, Trump loves to troll in racist waters, which this is an example of.  It feeds into the far right belief that "whiteness" is some sort of inherent quality, and that it's being attacked.  If you want to polish that up, it would be that the country's European heritage is being attacked.

Yesterday was National Coming Out Day, which always occurs on October 11.  It's set by some homosexual rights organization.

I don't pay much attention to this as I largely do not care if people with same sex attraction come out.  I don't think that people have to make social martyrs of themselves.  But Adam Kinzinger made an observation that no GOP members of Congress came out.  Well, I wouldn't have expected any to, but he's suggesting that there's at least an appreciable number, or perhaps a number who are significant, in the GOP in Congress.  That might actually matter for a party that takes a position, sort of, on social issues in this arena.

There are consistently rumors to this effect.  Hunter Biden, who may very well not be the most reliable witness on this topic, claims there's a Republican "closeted gay mafia".  There are some figures whom rumors circle around continually.  I was once told by a very inside member of the state's GOP that a certain Republican figure was a homosexual, which is the first time I heard the term "beard" used to describe a female spouse of a male homosexual, married to camouflage the attraction.  The marriage, in that context, made sense to me.  I've been told the same thing about the same person by an openly homosexual politician, but that person is sort of wildly unreliable.  And there are questions that circle about others simply due to their state in life, I suppose.

None of these people may actually be homosexual, and if they are, that doesn't make them "gay" or "queer".  Still, it matters because if you are holding yourself out as a defender of traditionalism in all sense while engaging in homosexual liaisons, you are being hypocritical.

Back to Trump, or rather the Trump Administration, Scott Bessent, who is a homosexual in a homosexual union, sent Elizabeth Warren this letter last week.

I've never been a fan of Warren's, who is one of those Democrats that cause people to avoid the Democratic Party, but this letter is just mean and snarky.  Warren legitimately is an expert on economics.  The final handwritten line recalls Warren's claim to have Native American heritage.  And she actually does, as her DNA tests revealed.  It is, however, remote.  Trump repeatedly lampooned her for this, calling her Pocahontas, which is mean, but Warren should have avoided the entire topic in the first place.

So should Bessent who perpetually comes across as scared when he's interviewed.  Maybe he isn't, but that's how he comes across.  And Bessent has been press ganged into the Trump ongoing excuse machine.  Some of his own claims have been lampooned, as in "I'm a farmer".

But the point here is that, once again, the MAGA Hypocrisy is at work.  Trump's supporters claim to support him due to his traditionalism and his loyalty to Christian values.  Bessent is an unapologetic homosexual in a same sex union, which is not traditional to say the least.  Trump's a serial polygamist himself.  The administration won't release the files on Epstein whose island was an epicenter of child rape.

So, like Festivus on Seinfeld, let the airing of the grievances begin.

Thursday, October 12, 1911. Revolution in China spreads.

Hubei provinces assembly voted to secede from the Chinese Empire and form a republic.  

Colonel Li Yuanhong announced the overthrow of the Qing dynasty and the cities of Hangkow and Hanyang were occupied by the rebels.

The Society of American Indians held its organizing convention, in Columbus, Ohio.

Last edition:

Wednesday, October 11, 1911. First MVPs.

Labels: 1910s, 1911, baseball, boats and ships, California, California (San Francisco), California (Vallejo), Italo-Turkish War, Italy, Libya (Tripoli), panoramic, The Big Picture, U.S. Navy

Wednesday, August 23, 1876. Treaty No. 6 signed at Fort Carlton, Saskatchewan

Treaty No. 6 was signed between the the Crown and the Plains and Woods Cree, Assiniboine, and other band governments at Fort Carlton and Fort Pitt.  The first signatures were today.

Last edition:

Tuesday, August 22, 1876. St. Louis votes to secede from St. Louis.

Labels: 1870s, 1876, Missouri (St. Louis)

Thursday, August 17, 1876. Grant expands the Ute reservation.

Grant expanded Colorado's Ute reservation. 

August 17, 1876

Executive Mansion

It is hereby ordered that all that portion of country in the State of Colorado lying within the following-described boundaries, and forming a part of the Uncompahgre Park, viz: Commencing at the fifty-third mile-post on the north line of the survey of the boundaries of the Ute cession, executed by James W. Miller in 1875; thence south 4 miles; thence east 4 miles; thence north 4 miles, to the said north line; thence west to the place of beginning, be, and the same hereby is, withdrawn from the public domain and set apart as a part of the Ute Indian Reservation, in accordance with the first article of an agreement made with said Indians and ratified by Congress April 29, 1874 (Stats, at Large, vol. 18, p. 36).

U. S. Grant 

Judge Amherst Stone of Golden, Colorado, was kidnapped at Rocky Flats by a gang of men opposed to a railroad reorganization he was presiding over.

Last edition:

Tuesday, August 15, 1876. Cutting off rations.

Labels: 1870s, 1876, 44th Congress, Food, Great Sioux War

Tuesday, August 13, 1946. Humble Congressman and no so humble one.

Wisconsin judge and World War Two Marine Corps veteran Joseph McCarthy defeated longtime U.S. Senator Robert M. La Follette Jr. in the GOP primary for that state.

The Indian Claims Commission was established to fix a fair market value for land taken from Native Americans "at the time the land was taken".

British author H. G. Wells died at age 79.

I've never been a fan of Wells'.

Minnesota Congressman William James Gallagher, notable for his humble work background before being elected to Congress in 1944, died in office at age 71.

Last edition:

Saturday, August 10, 1946. White riots in Athens.

Labels: 1940s, 1946, Alabama, Alabama National Guard, Racism