Trump voters, you brought this on all of us

I made a posting only yesterday, but here's another. March madness may have begun, but not only on the basketball court.  Sorry folks about the mix up on this blog today. I'll have to fix it after I get back from W Va. if you are still having trouble accessing it. 

New CNN poll: People are feeling quite negative on Trump’s handling of economy after his tariffs have sparked growing inflation and a trade war. Americans voted for lower taxes, but not for losing their jobs or benefits. Trump's poll numbers are already sagging. He actually won election this time by only a tiny margin while still calling it a "mandate." Any such mandate has completely evaporated. 

A row erupted earlier this morning, ending with Sec. of State Marco Rubio kicking out South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, calling him a "race-baiting politician who hates America and Donald Trump." (Are America and Donald Trump one-in-the-same?) Rubio hinted that Rasool is biased against whites and he also suspended HIV aid to South Africa. 

In South Africa, more than 70% of farmland is owned by whites, who make up only 7% of the country's population. Yet, according to MSNBC, "Trump has also echoed South African-born Musk’s false claims that the South African government is targeting its white citizens." 

But any news of the dustup between Rubio and the ambassador soon disappeared from all venues. I first saw it earlier today, but only a few minutes later, it was gone. 

Trump also cancelled funding for Columbia University, news that did not vanish.  

Wash. Post, Nervous about Trump, international tourists scrap their U.S. travel plans The administration’s hard stance on tariffs and other international policies has some travelers rethinking where they vacation. Explaining why they’re not coming, Canadians say farewell for now

Wash. Post, Border patrol grabs Venezuelan parents in D.C., despite protected status

NY Times, Trump Sends Hundreds of Venezuelans to El Salvador in Face of Judge’s Order

Trump seems to be getting confused about geography. And after inheriting a robust economy, he now has admitted that a recession may be pending. This is only his 3rd month in office so far this term. Measles is still spreading in the US after being nearly dormant for 20 years. Can we even afford to wait until the midterms to turn things around? 

Here I was sitting in the CoolFont lodge before the fire destroyed it. If only we could go back in time! 

What's Next?

Looking forward now to spring.

I am “friolenta,” as we say in Spanish, that is, particularly sensitive to cold, so spring and summer are my favorite seasons.  

 Pink flowers bloom are blooming once again on my back porch.

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Anyone working in the area with a key to my house needing to use the first-floor bathroom, please when you leave, open the outer door slightly while tightly closing the inner door to reduce the chances that the inner door will be pushed open, allowing colder or warmer outside air (depending on the season) to enter. Thank you.

I am considering selling my house bought in 1969 and moving in with or near my son in W. Va. Now living alone after raising 4 kids here, I am ready to downsize. I tire easily going up and down stairs in this large 3-story house, built back in 1895.

So many questions for Donald Trump.

Though many Americans consider Donald Trump a criminal, some voted for him anyway. On taking once office again, Donald Trump vowed to “fix” the economy. Did it really need fixing? The economy had actually been doing quite well, but thanks now to Mr. Trump and his sidekick Elon Musk, a recession looms. Soon after Trump took office again, the Dow plunged almost 500 points in s single day, though has recovered somewhat since.

Rubio declares South African ambassador to US ‘persona non grata’ over Trump comments

Rubio had some rather harsh words for the South African ambassador. Is this the same Marco Rubio with whom I once had a very cordial bilingual conversation on a flight from Florida to DC?

Wash. Post, Rubio says South African ambassador to U.S. ‘no longer welcome’ Secretary of State Marco Rubio called South Africa’s U.S. ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, “a race-baiting politician who hates America” and declared him persona non grata.

Trump has summarily cancelled the already approved Obama presidential library, while making plans for his own grandiose presidential library in Florida. How petty is that?

Wash. Post, Mural of Anthony Fauci removed from NIH campus (another petty act)

Wash. Post, Border patrol grabs Venezuelan parents in D.C., despite protected status

Meanwhile, the stock market and financial markets have zig-zagged up and down, spooking investors. When Trump took office the first time, the stock market soared, but now it’s been tanking. No more “Make America great again.” Trump has admitted that a recession may be pending, so how about “fixing” that? Would a slump actually be inevitable? Maybe under Trump’s leadership the answer is “yes.” Let’s urge Donald Trump to spend more time perfecting his swing out on the golf course.

In railing against immigrants, Trump seems to have forgotten that his own wife is an immigrant and that his VP’s wife is the daughter of immigrants. Vance and his wife were booed recently at the Kennedy Center.

And why are federal workers being demonized by Trump/Musk? Many voters, understandably, would welcome reduced taxes and exemption from rules they might find onerous. But a majority of Americans never voted for tariffs or a trade war, or even for slashing the federal workforce. Tariffs and budget cuts have now seriously damaged an economy that had been perking right along. The stock market crashed and has not fully recovered. Tariffs seem only to have made matters worse. Trump seems to be flailing around wildly for a solution.

This is completely a Trump/Musk manufactured recession. Political commentators now see big changes coming at the midterms. Maybe a jolt from voters in the midterms will finally trigger a course-correction but can we even afford to wait? The economy is already wavering.

I say, let’s ditch the tariffs, welcome immigrants again, and honor Musk in a televised ceremony awarding him a golden plaque as “Patriot of the Year.”

Plenty of problems already exist without a president deliberately manufacturing or aggravating them as Trump and Musk are doing. Unfortunately, no one in the Republican Party has stepped up to challenge them. And who elected Musk anyway? Yes, he contributed big-time to Trump’s election, but is Musk’s advisory position even legally authorized? That looks doubtful. And Tesla sales have now plunged some 45% in Europe, also slumping here in the US. Tesla vehicles are being vandalized. Even Trump’s promise to buy a Tesla himself hasn’t helped. (Yes, one of my daughters already owned a Tesla.)

NY Times, Wall Street’s Slide Resumes as Tariff Anxiety Persists for Investors The S&P 500 is on the cusp of closing in a correction, or a 10% drop from its February high. Constantly moving goal posts on tariffs have rattled investors.
OpinionDana Milbank

Wash. Post, Trump’s ad hoc presidency is destroying the economy — and a lot more

Wash. Post, Judges order Trump officials to offer jobs back to thousands of fired workers

Reuters, White House withdraws vaccine critic Weldon for CDC director

NYTimes, Trump Cuts Protections for Haitians, Putting Them on Track for Deportation The decision is the latest in President Trump’s sweeping crackdown on immigrants, including people whom the Biden administration had authorized to remain in the country.

NYTimes, Israel Keeps Up Attacks in Gaza Despite Truce

 

Nor am I very hopeful about what’s happening on the health front. Is TV personality Dr. Oz actually a real doctor? Trump seems to think so. Wash. Post, Oz to face Senate hearing to lead Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the agency that oversees millions of Americans’ health insurance, will face questioning from senators.

And Trump health appointee RFK Jr. has continued to rail against vaccines, even for a highly contagious and potentially life-threating illness like measles, nearly eradicated in the US 20 years ago, but spreading once again. NY Times, Measles and Mumps are a Big Deal: Ask your grandparents

“There are adverse events from the vaccine. It does cause deaths every year. It causes all the illnesses that measles itself causes, like encephalitis and blindness, etc., so people ought to be able to make that choice for themselves,” RFK Jr. insists. He has also been touting Vit. A as a treatment for measles. Vitamins might be marginally beneficial, but only if lacking in the diet. At least RFK Jr. has now acknowledged that measles can cause illness and disability. And admittedly, vaccines are not 100% effective, so a vaccinated person might still fall ill. Yet, in rigorous tests, the MMR vaccine has been proven 97% effective in preventing illness and nearly 100% effective in curbing  cases of severe illness and death. Vaccines also offer lifelong protection. Furthermore, vaccines alone have never been shown to actually cause deaths and disability, as RFK Jr. alleges. One of 2 recent deaths in the Texas measles outbreak was in an unvaccinated 6-year-old girl whose father attributed her death to “God’s will.” Some 250 unvaccinated people in the US have fallen ill now, with 29 being hospitalized. More than 95% of measles cases have occurred in unvaccinated people and the handful of vaccinated folks still getting sick have experienced mild symptoms and are also less contagious.

Measles has now spread as far as NY and NJ. The CDC advises: “The best way to protect against measles is to get the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Children may get the measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine instead, which protects against chickenpox too. Most people who are vaccinated with MMR & MMRV will be protected for life.” Chickenpox is usually a mild illness, but in Honduras I met a girl using a wheelchair who said she had been paralyzed by chickenpox.

·       Getting an MMR vaccine within 72 hours of being initially exposed to measles affords some protection and may result in a milder illness. But during pregnancy, all vaccinations should be avoided.

 

·       Christian Scientists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Mennonites may get vaccine exemptions on religious grounds.

 DC Nextdoor, State health officials have been alerted to a confirmed case of measles in your neighborhood 

White rice, a traditional Japanese diet staple, is reportedly becoming scarce there now. How did that happen?

NY Times, After $30 Million in U.S. Aid, Haiti’s Biggest Hospital Goes Up in Smoke A fire set by gangs at the country’s largest public hospital underscores long-simmering problems in Haiti, which is heavily dependent on international aid.

Many Americans seem to have forgotten about Haiti, but after several memorable visits there, I certainly have not.

Nor have I forgotten about Cuba, ever since being ousted by State Security back in 1979. I just sent a message to a longtime friend who, like me, was unceremoniously ejected from Cuba: “This is nothing new: https://apnews.com/article/cuba-power-outage-havana-Cuba has suffered a massive power outage affecting Havana and the country’s provinces that has left millions in the dark. I wonder now whether you and I will ever be able to visit Cuba again?”

My books provide more details about my experiences in both Haiti and Cuba.

My whole life, I’ve avoided telling an outright lie, though I may ask someone why they are asking a question or simply avoid answering.

I’ll be taking a break now from the blog while visiting my son in W Va. 

 

A completely avoidable recession

Sorry folks, this is the way the blog came out this time. Photos would not post, including a photo of Elon Musk with one his kids in the Oval office. Is he sabotaging my blog? He may not want his photo posted. I cannot post any photos here now. 

The other day, the Dow really plunged. It has recovered somewhat since. But this is not what Trump voters had in mind. Elon Musk may have made a good car and he contributed big-time to Trump's election, but now it's time for Trump to give him a medal and a plaque for his service and move him aside. Forget tariffs, forget immigration curbs, forget Elon Musk. Otherwise, the economy will continue to spiral downward. ​

I sent this message to my kids/grandkids: "Worried abut the incoming administration, I had wanted to take my RMD in January but a financial adviser at Bank of America had urged me to wait. I should have heeded my first instincts. Now I'm not sure what the best strategy is, as it could get even worse. I haven't actually decided what to do." 

 A good friend, a lifelong conservative, had this to say about Trump's tariffs. I don't agree with everything he says, but he makes some good points. 

"I agree with you about Trump's tariffs. They just make prices higher for everybody. But in my opinion, the fundamental problem is that decades of wild deficit spending by both parties has bankrupted the country. Other developed nations are in the same boat. So things look bleak, as politicians of both parties will probably try to ignore this basic reality by churning out vast new quantities of paper money, making our unpayable national debt even worse. By doing this they hope to somehow generate prosperity. But in reality all they are doing is further devaluating the currency, thereby accelerating the inflation rate. So the problem only gets worse. I am sorry to provide such a bleak outlook, but only a basic change of mindset by our politicians can redeem the situation. The longer we delay accepting reality, the harder it will be to restore the economy. Our country, and the world, can stagger on for a while, but it is the next generation which will really catch hell. Once again, I am sorry to sound so pessimistic, but this is our reality as I see it."   

What should I do now? Wait? Or simply cash in whatever I can before things get even worse? I'd wanted to take my retirement RMD in January before Trump took office again, but my financial adviser urged me to wait. I'm sorry that I listened to him. I'll be 87 this month and would like to leave a decent legacy for my many kids and grandkids. Will that even be possible? 

 Not only is the economy in disarray, but Trump has deliberately selected a vaccine skeptic as his Secretary of Human Services, John F. Kennedy Jr. 

 NY Times, Kennedy Links Measles Outbreak to Poor Diet and Health, Citing Fringe Theories 

 In my childhood, long before before vaccines were developed, our family stayed home when measles was spreading. But we got measles anyway, even though our health and diet were just fine. People knew back then that measles could be deadly, but never considered a good diet to be an antidote. After we children all fell ill, Mother put up warning signs in our windows and we went into quarantine. No one visited us. Then whooping cough assailed our household despite our many precautions and our mother had to hold our baby sister upside down by her feet to clear her airways. Parents did not become ill, having survived those illnesses earlier in life. Measles, mumps, and whooping cough--all were recognized as being highly contagious. Many children died. 

I suspect that RFK Jr.'s own children had all been vaccinated. 

In these pages, I've noted that halting immigration is another a counterproductive strategy for our country. According to a recent article in the Lancet, "If countries remain hostile to immigration while their birth rates fall, they will probably end up with a shrunken labor force that is unable to support an ageing population." 

 Elon Musk has certainly done his part on the population front by fathering 14 children with several different women. 

 As has been stated earlier, to maintain a steady population, a country needs an average of 2.1 births per woman. In the US, the rate is about 1.7, not sufficient for replacement. 

 Sweden offers generous child allowances and parental leave for families with children up to age 16 and sometimes even beyond. Yet Sweden's average birthrate is only 1.5 per woman. Other countries are doing even worse. The rate in Italy is 1.2, Spain 1.1, and 1.2 in Japan. South Korea at 0.8 faces a demographic catastrophe, but is now seeing a slight uptick as more couples are getting married. China's former one-child policy contributed to a big decline there, especially for girls, many adopted in the US and Europe, but is now seeing a small increase as well. 

Globally, fertility is 2.3, only slightly above replacement. Malthus had warned of a demographic catastrophe but now the opposite holds true. So you ladies in your childbearing years who might be reading this blog, you really must step up now and do your part. Speaking as a mother/grandmother/great-grandmother myself, I can attest that raising children is extremely challenging but infinitely rewarding. Without children, humankind will cease to exist. 

Spring forward

Spring forward, fall back is a refrain reminding Americans in the continental US to move their clocks an hour ahead, then turning them back again an hour 6 months from now. My son was almost late for work when he forgot about "daylight saving." 

Now since the rationale for that change is no longer valid, why can't we stick with the same time all year? Actually, keeping standard time all year round is considered best for human health. Accidents do happen as the result of the change. But Congress would need to act and members cannot seem to agree on anything now. 

The U.S. has been observing daylight saving time since 1918, when President Woodrow Wilson signed the Standard Time Act into law under the premise that additional daylight hours could cut energy costs during World War I. Then, almost 50 years later, the Uniform Time Act of 1966 mandated states following daylight saving to use the same start and end dates. The law means that states cannot use daylight saving year-round unless Congress first votes to change the federal law.

However, states can decide to excuse themselves from clock-switching, which would be a good idea for every and all states. 

Which US states and territories don’t change their clocks?

 Residents of Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, the Residents of Northern Mariana Islands, Hawaii, Guam, and America Samoa don't change their clocks.

Blank spaces on the blog are beyond my control. As mentioned, we bloggers are subject to the whims of the inscrutable blog gods. Please excuse other quirks. I cannot fix them. I cannot even erase them. (I cannot explain the weather forecast below and why it is appearing here now.)

***Here's the weather forecast for Choluteca, Honduras, which I visited again in June 2024. When living in southern Honduras during Peace Corps, I often wore a wet washcloth on my head.

Mon

101°

76°

Tue

100°

75°

Wed

102°

74°

Thu

101°

75°

Fri

99°

76°

Sat

98°

74°

Sun

100°

75

 

Canda is cracking down now on the grandparent scam, arresting 25 p

 

A few years ago, I received a call from someone sounding like a young man, saying, "Grandma, I'm in trouble now and need bail money." Since he might have been my grandson living in Texas, I decided to ask his name. "Why Grandma," he objected, "you already know my name." I said, "Yes, but please just tell me your name." So then he hung up. 

A friend has just called me to say that he has found that the demise of small-town newspapers that used to report local crime statistics often helped local law enforcement go after those cases, but now since such cases don't get reported any more, crime has gone up in small towns and rural areas. Is there a likely connection? My friend thinks so. 

Musk and Trump have deliberately tanked our US economy, which had been humming along just fine. They have carelessly or mistakenly created a recession. They should forget all about downsizing the federal workforce and enacting tariffs, efforts that are already pushing the economy into further decline. The government is not their plaything. Can't they see that laying off federal workers has a ripple effect, preventing them from making purchases that keep the economy going? Businesses are starting to close. Tesla dealerships are being vandalized. Teslas are not being sold any more. It's a circular loop. What's the point of providing a tax cut if incomes shrink so much that any cut would generate insufficient revenue to keep the government, including Trump and Musk, afloat?  

Wash. Post, Dow slides as stock market volatility continues

Wash. Post, Anger at Elon Musk turns violent with molotov cocktails and gunfire at Tesla lots

ople.  NPR, Canadians' 'grandparent scam' cost Americans $21 million

PARKERSBURG, West Virginia, March 7 (Reuters) - Jennifer Piggott proudly hung a red-and-blue Trump campaign flag outside her one-story home during the November election race. Now, after she was abruptly fired from her civil service job, her days of supporting the president are over. She says despite voting for him faithfully she no longer supports the president after he cost her her job.

A recession being deliberately created by the President and his main donor can still be turned around if Trump simply tells Mr.  Musk, "Thank you very much for your support of my election, but running a country is not like making a car, so I'll take charge from now on. I'm still thinking about tariffs, but let's fix the economy first." Give Musk a medal, honor him in a ceremony, but don't take his advice. Stop the firings, welcome immigrants, and ditch the tariffs and let's see if we can get back again on track. But it will take some time for Americans and others all around the world to start trusting the US government again. There is no more talk of a 3rd term.

Reversing immigration curbs is an absolutely vital first step. For the US, restricting immigration and deporting migrants, as Trump and Musk have been doing, is a counterproductive strategy. Maintaining a steady and optimal population requires an average of at least 2.1 births per woman--maybe even 2.2 because not all babies will live into their productive and reproductive years. The US birthrate now is only 1.67, not enough for replacement. Immigration has helped the US to fill in the gap but the Trump/Musk team has halted nearly all immigration.  

So US policy now needs to be immediately reversed. No more firings, no more budget cutting, and instead of keeping immigrants out, let's start welcoming them with open arms. That would be beneficial for us all.  Also, stop revoking Palestinian visas granted to people already living here. How can that be justified? And like some European countries, let's provide free child care and offer bonuses to folks who produce offspring. Just put me in charge of the US government! Let's take this message to more of the American people. For now, I'll simply have to do it with this blog.  

Birthrates are also falling worldwide. If the trend continues, it will lead to a shrinking human population and eventual human extinction. Then animals, lacking any curbs on their own reproduction, will take over the earth. 

Wash. Post, Former Social Security official describes hostile takeover by Musk team 

Former Social Security official describes hostile takeover by Musk team. DOGE officials also put millions of taxpayers’ private data at risk and refused to say why they needed access to it, the official says

(AP)Readers, as usual, need to 

***Above is the weather forecast for Choluteca, Honduras, which I visited again in June 2024. 

Blank spaces and other flukes on the blog are beyond my control. As mentioned, we bloggers are subject to the whims of the inscrutable blog gods. 

Above are the week's temperatures again in Choluteca, Honduras, where I lived for a time in the Peace Corps. These temps also appear earlier. Let's post this blog, as I cannot fix it.