Donald Trump has declared polls showing his continuing downward slide in voter support as just "fake news," as he actually remains very popular. He has denounced such polls as the "enemy of the people," calling pollsters blatant "criminals" engaging in outright "fraud." The economy is really doing just great.
That's one way to spin it--simply put on a brave face and proclaim the exact opposite of what all the evidence is showing. And, furthermore, he insists, though it would be "hard", it would still quite possible for him run for a 3rd term and even to win big once again!
Forget the following headine, which is nothing more than fake news.
Rents are rising in NYC and elsewhere.
The fact that Trump has paused some tariffs shows that he is become alarmed about their negative impact.
And as for mass deportations, let's now deport Donald Trump to Antaractica where he can hang out with penguins and see what it feels like to be exiled.
Always the outlier and the maverick, Trump wore a blue suit, not black as had been requested, to the Pope's funeral. Trump also has boasted, "I run the country and the world." He still needs to keep in mind that basic pottery barn rule, "You break it, you pay for it."
NY Times, Trump’s Crypto Firm Poses Unprecedented Conflicts of Interest
Tesla sales are also lagging these days, but Elon Musk says not to worry, as auto sales can go up and down. Musk had invested an estimated $300 million in Trump's election. Is his investment paying off? Musk is still the world's richest man, on track to become the world's very first trillionaire, with lots of zeroes used to calculate his holdings, so does it really matter if Tesla sales are slumping a bit now?
Trump has lowest 100-day approval rating in 80 years: POLL
Newsweek
Nearly one in four voters who supported President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race have questions about whether
they made the right decision, according to a new poll. Trump became the first Republican to win the popular vote in 20 years
in last year's presidential race, but his approval rating has quickly tumbled over the past few months as he faces backlash
over some of his administration's deportations, tariffs and the cuts recommended by the Department of Government Efficiency
(DOGE).
CBS News
DOGE's $160 billion in savings have cost $135 billion, analysis finds
Wash. Post, The most spectacular self-inflicted economic wound of all time
That's what a comementator calls Trump's election.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has asserted that US citizen children deported with their mothers can
always "come back."
If so, what is the Trump administration doing to facilitate that?
I told my son in W Va., a Trump voter,
I'm so glad you still have a job, though Trump and Musk have done their best to tank what was a
prosperous US economy with all their tariffs and federal job layoffs, as well as deportations when
we actually need more working-age folks. Many Trump voters regret their vote, though you may
not be there yet.
I've asked a friend living in Canada to tell me more about this.
Countries suffering populatioon loss are offering financial incentives to lure new residents. In
contrast, the Trump administratration is spending tax dollars to deport people, mostly of working age
when they are most productive.
Measles had been declared eliminated in the US in 2000, but is on the rise again because of
anti-vaccine sentiment fomented by RFK Jr., with measles now spreading even to Canada.
Meansles has now returned to the DC region. I had measnles as a child before vaccines were
available.
simply a consensus on its value?
Remember our childhood friend Peter Rabbit?
I certainly do.
English wrirer Beatrix Potter provided her own illustrations for her story of Peter Rabbit pubished in
1902.
Teaching reading to young Spanish speakers is really just a breeze, as the letters are all pronunced
phonetically and with no variation, with the silent "h" being the main challenge. As a result,
Spanish-speaking kids learn to read much earlier than English speakers. I've taught some of them myself
while living in Latin America.
Spanish interpretes I've met in the US are all native Spanish speakers. None have been like me, a
native Engish speaker, though you might say I am actually a native bilingual person, as I learned
both Spanish and English at age 2.
Here is the message I sent recently to my DC neighbors;
I've looked simply everywhere for 2 Godey's Lady's books, over 100 years old, kept on a shelf in my
3rd-floor office, but which are gone now. I used to enjoy thumbing through their delicate
pages. I inherited them from my maternal grandmother.
Many people have stayed with me over the years and I've often been away from home for long stretches.
A lot of folks with keys to my house still come and go as they please, sometimes only coming in to use
the first-floor bathroom, not even taking time to say "hello."
I've had many foreign visitors as well, but doubt that they would have taken my rare books. No, I'm
convinced that the books were deliberately stolen by someone probably still living nearby who
recognized their value. He probably sold them for good money. That someone I trusted would have done
that is almost as upsetting as the actual loss of those books. If he reads my comments here, I hope he
will feel remorse.
So now I must say a sad goodbye to my cherished Godey's Lady's books. I hope someone else enjoys
as much I did looking through their fragile pages for a glimpse of life in that long-ago era.
If any of you might have any clues about their disppearance, please let me know, as I would love to get
them back, even if I have to buy them from whoever he sold them to. I'd entrusted him with a key.
He came up to the 3rd floor to look around and seized on my antique books, as a way to make a profit,
hoping I wouldn't notice by putting other books in their place.
Of course, that is hardly the worst loss I've ever endured, nothing compared to the deaths of my
young family members or even to the absconding to Las Vegas with his new sweetheart by my
blind former husband, taking all our joint funds with them after our 24 years of marriage and 4 kids. I'd
devoted my entire life to bolstering his career, always staying in the background. That was a huge
betrayal.
I've survived all that and, at age 87, am still standing.
The bottom line now is that I really can no longer afford to stay in DC, paying escalating taxes, making home
repairs, and heating and cooling such a huge house. So it must be sold. Furthermore, whenever I am away,
valuable items disappear as far too many people have access to my house. Living alone now at age 87,
I no longer need a 3-story house with so many bedrooms and bathrooms with stairs to climb daily.
Someone else can live here now. I hope they will enjoy it as much as I have.
So, yes, I'm ready to sell the houe to move to a smaller place and to an area where liiving costs are lower.
But the task of moving seems really pretty daunting. How many sheets and towels to take, how many
pots and dishes? Can I come back again if I forget something?
I will also take this opportunity to bid a fond farewell to you all, as on Friday I will start
my new life in W Va. and put my beloved DC home of more than 50 years on sale. If you
or anyone you know might want to purchase this historic house whose first owner in 1895 was
EJ Bernhardt, please contact:
Betsy Rutkowski-Realtor
Long & Foster
(703)229-3368-C
(202) 547-9200/(703)425-8000
Neighbors are al ready lamenting my departure, which only makes things worse. They say they will miss me and I will
certainly miss them! Of course, I will be with my son in W Va. and that's a big plus, but by going back and forth until
now, I've had the best of both worlds.
Here are a few replies from neighbors, making me feel even worse:
Barbara, i am shocked and sad to learn that you are leaving, and so soon. i can well empathize w/ you about the
loss of sentimental long-held possessions b/c i have experienced exactly the same not that long ago.
time will heal, but there will also be moments of sadness, and ‘why didn’t I…’ and ‘if only….’
i hope you will stay connected through wifi from West Virginia. bon voyage! it’s been such a pleasure to know you
through the years as near neighbors. good luck, stay well, you are a great example for ageing-in-place!
Dear Barbara: You will be greatly missed as a wonderful neighbor for all these years.
Please keep in touch.
And, dear readers, since I am bilingual in Spanish, here's even a message in Spanish just receieved..
Buenos dÃas Barbara Joe
Darte las gracias por haberme recibido en tu hermosa casa en el momento que más lo necesitaba. Fue mi primer
espacio en este paÃs y aunque no vivà mucho tiempo contigo serán los recuerdos más hermosos que llevaré conmigo por siempre.
Ahora comienza un nuevo capÃtulo en tu vida y será muy hermoso porque eres una persona maravillosa. Espero
poder continuar recibiendo estos correos electrónicos para mantenernos en contacto.
Saludos cariñosos,
Here are some flowers and plants
on my back porch in DC.
I wish I could take them all to my new home.
This will be my last blog posting until after the move to W Va.
