Blog: If I understand this

Useless fact of the day:  Canadians eat more donuts per capita than people from any country in the world.

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To put something in perspective:  Wages and benefits for the federal workforce equal about $270 billion. That seems like a lot of money, but when one considers that the total federal budget last year was close to $7 trillion, it’s around 4% of what the government spends annually.

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Note for RFK Jr.:  An Unvaccinated Child Has Died in the Texas measles outbreak.  RFK said there are outbreaks “every year” and that is normal.  But:  The death announced Wednesday is the first attributed to measles in the U.S. since 2015, the CDC said.  Ten Years!

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I belong to a few non-profits that promote more and better passenger trains in America.  A few reasons why:

They serve places planes don’t.

They use less energy and pollute less per passenger mile than planes or cars.

It is cheaper to lay track than it is to add lanes to highways.

You can eat or drink and walk around on the train.

They operate in almost any weather.

If something goes wrong, I’d rather be on a train.

Now Trump is trying to take back about $4B already allocated to the Ca. high speed train project.  He hates California and our governor Newsom.  High Speed Rail is one of those things like in that movie – If you build it, they will come.

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CNN  —  Drinking tea has been linked to various health benefits, including a lower risk for heart disease and degree of inflammation. Now, a new study by researchers from Northwestern University suggests another surprising perk of the beverage: The brewing process may help purify the water. – I’m not much of a tea drinker, but I do have chamomile often.  Many people drink it at night, as it has no caffeine and can relax you for bed.  I have mine after reading the morning news!

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From History Facts:  General George Washington, having survived a month-long battle with the virus as a teenager, warned that smallpox could be “more destructive than the sword,” and in 1777, made the bold decision to order mass inoculations for his Continental Army. The new procedure involved making a small incision in the arm and inserting a dose of the virus. Though it was controversial at the time, it paid off, reducing death rates and helping keep Washington’s army in fighting shape.  Good thing RFK Jr. wasn’t around then!

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Edward R. Martin, Jr., is currently serving as the interim head of the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C.  He wrote: “As President Trumps’ lawyers, we are proud to fight to protect his leadership as our President and we are vigilant in standing against entities like the AP that refuse to put America first,” the post read.  First, that apostrophe is in the wrong place.  And they are NOT the president’s lawyers.  NOT.  Not supposed to be, anyway.

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Someone who said she grew up in a cult said:

“MAGA has all the parts required to define a cult: a charismatic (to some) leader, an authoritarian doctrine, a hatred of outsiders and a devoted following.”

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From MSNBC:  At the United Nations on Monday, the United States sided with Russia multiple times in a remarkable break from its international diplomatic posture since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The American move made it clearer than ever: that President Donald Trump is pursuing a radical new alignment with Russia and, in the process, a new global order.  Yeah, and not for the betterment of anyone except Vlad, Don Don and Muskrat.  Update 2/28/25: The Oval Office argument seals the deal.  I fear it is the beginning of Trump preparing us to be Russia’s pal.  Recall that when Russia invaded Ukraine, Trumpy said it was a “genius” move and that “Putin will get a country for two dollars in sanctions,” or similar words.  I have never seen such a thing.  Unheard of.  Anti-democratic.  Despicable behavior.  Brought to us by the 49.5% of voters who elected the bastard.  Will get people killed (already has).

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I read an article today that I found interesting and disturbing.  A high school English teacher wrote about how many of her students don’t do any creative writing – they use AI, like what’s that one called, ChatGPT?  Many admit it but say they “did the work” or “I turned in the assignment,” and you have to pass them anyway.  Some teachers are going back to handing out those cheap blue notebooks and making kids write in class.  I wonder how many write in cursive.  And didja see the story about a girl who graduated high school with honors, but says she cannot read or write, and is suing the school district?  I assume she can read and write “some,” but maybe not at grade level.  I taught reading at a private school, an 8^th grade class.  But of course, I did not teach them “how to read,” but “how to read better.”

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Food producer Mana, which manufactures nutrient-dense peanut butter that’s specially formulated to treat severe acute malnutrition, said 35% of its orders, or $12 million, were slashed after years of work with USAID. – Here they go again, picking on poor kids.  And in mostly African countries, too.  Hmmmmmm . . . Update: The admin might be reversing this.

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Community Colleges:  I think they are, in general, great!  Not too many around in my day, though (I don’t remember any near where we lived).  If you were college bound, you were expected to go to a four-year school, and finish in four years.  And in my house, pay for it all yourself, too!  But the CCs of today give kids time and inexpensive choices.  Most kids could benefit from a year or two of that before deciding whether to enter the world of work, or transfer to a four-year college.  And many will change their minds about a major or a career path in the first couple of years anyway.

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The firings at NOAA, which include the Weather Bureau, is a bad idea.  My source at the NWS says many young, bright kids are gone or soon will be.  I guess the farmers don’t need to know when to plant crops, ships don’t need to know if there are storms in their path, things like that.  If it rains more than you thought and you wash away down the stream, maybe your last words should be, “Well, it’s my own fault!”

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This should bother you even if you are not near retirement:  Elon Musk is calling Social Security a “Ponzi scheme,” prompting suspicion that the world’s richest man is hoping to privatize a social safety net that has existed since the 1930s — and has kept millions of elderly, poor and disabled Americans from destitution. – Huffpost.  To me, it is a forced retirement plan, especially helpful for those who do not have a traditional plan at work.  Yeah, also not having to eat cat food.  The R’s just can’t stand to see average people have any damn thing.  Recall that W Bush said (after he was re-elected) that he “had the political capital” to privatize social security?  Reagan had it in mind years ago too, but Speaker Tip O’ Neill told him to forget it.

All for now.

Take care,

Kevin