21st Century Thoughts

How much of the past is real in % terms? 25%? 75%? 99%? I understand that we have relatives who are older and can attest to events but most of that was observed through the media avenues of print or television. As we have seen with social media, lying and media narratives have been a concept since the beginning of time. The quote you always heard was "victors write history" and this is true for any avenue where "victors" mean power. The media has power. Universities have power. Politicians have power. CEO's, entertainers, athletes, etc. all have power and can influence the world. Social media gave an equal platform to all (or should have) and threatened the traditional power structures. Censorship and banning have returned the power to the controllers and thus the narrative is controlled. Mission accomplished. So back to the original point, 50% real, 50% fake? Makes you wonder and at the same time appreciate documents that have withstood time (Bible, Koran, hist...

Win and you're in. There is no reward for a tie except more time to golf in Florida. The USA has to strike first and strike hard, a goal in the first 25 mins means that Iran will have to press as well. If halftime comes around with no score, Iran is in the driver's seat. We will see what the strategy is but they cannot play the way they did against Wales or England where they "feel out the opponent" for 30-40 mins given there is just not enough time for that. One other thing given this lowly November null (the time between Thanksgiving and St. Nick's Day) is the push from Iran and Chinese citizens to seek freedom from authoritarianism and real fascism, not what Liberals on Twitter call everyone when they are unable to formulate educated thoughts. Our White House yet again is failing to meet the standard and announce they are with the protestors seeking freedom. The Western world should be with them every step of the way as they seek to radically change the world f...

The world's game is already filled with scandals involving betting, alcohol, and LGBTQ rights. For being the sport of the world, there clearly has not been a united front as to how these issues should be handled.  You hear both sides arguing why they are correct in their approaches to these issues and the common trend is to "be on the right side of history." This has to be one of the worst arguments possible and least convincing. To be on the right side of history has largely meant being on the side of the victors or winners. Are they always morally right? Of course not. The reality is as morality becomes blurred and values that used to unite us now divide, there is no universal way to solve decisions. The breakdown of said values lead to divide, hate, and fighting. Globalization was seen in the 1990's as a positive, a uniting force, a way to settle differences and come together. I would argue it has done the opposite. It has now convinced everyone that values are una...

Forget Trump, Biden, DeSantis, Harris, etc., what is the future of politics? What are the issues at hand and what are the solutions? Can anyone answer this? Gen Z and Millennials seem to have different priorities and ideas than other generations. This is normal but what isn't is the power that Baby Boomers have latched onto. There is a shift occurring but those in power are not budging. As of now, these issues are the future of politics (no order): 1. Climate Change and Action 2. Globalization 3. Financial Stability  4. Birth Rates and Family 5. Abortion 6. Technology Disruption 7. Crime and Public Safety 8. School and Secondary Education Costs + Curriculum 9. National and Personal Debt + Social Programs 10. Migration Around America and the World Out of these 10, how many things can your leaders solve? Or even have well-thought opinions on and speak both to those who are older and to those under the age of 30? Can you name 5-10 out of 537 politicians (Pres, VP, Senate, House)? I do...

Underrated trait that is often left out of the political discussion. Watch Obama in 2011 and the ability to communicate with crowds. I just do not see any current leaders possessing this trait. This does not mean that everyone is ineffective, but charisma is not widespread. Can it be developed or enhanced? Maybe, but I am failing to see how to achieve that. It seems to be a natural gift from God rather than something that can be manufactured.  How much of a person's charisma is also based on looks? 25%? 100%? Looking attractive means those are more willing to let you say weirder things, act different, or behave irrationally compared to those perceived as "ugly". If Obama was 5 ft. 3 and rather round with unattractive facial features, is he charismatic? Probably not.  I am thinking if there was a Venn diagram of charisma and looks there would be a ton of overlap...

Let's look at my predictions from last week: "My predictions are as follows from the Republican perspective: 232 house seats, 51 senate seats with GA going to a run-off. Boom: 240+ house, 54 senate Normal: 232, 51 with GA run-off Bust: 223 house, 50 senate seats" My bust model looks pretty good. Why? Well I said it last week too but Donald Trump. Now, there is a lot of blame going around and some is justified, but let's dive in. Republicans only are going to perform on my bust model because of these 3 factors despite a popular vote win of 2-4%. These are in order of most blame to least blame: 1. Gerrymandered maps and lack of competitive races. Look at Illinois for example, or Texas, New York (ironic as they dropped winnable Biden seats), or California. This redistricting cycle eliminated so many toss-up seats. Seems like a floor is 205 seats now rather than the pre-2020's maps of 175-180 floors. Wave elections are near impossible. 2. Republicans inability to run ...

Today is the day where election fans go crazy tracking and consolidating data to make predictions about what may or may not happen in 10 hours. My general thoughts are simple, Republicans win the popular vote by 3+ and control both chambers after tonight. I believe there are a few things to establish that most pundits are missing and is my rationale for the why behind the predictions. 1. The environment is red-friendly but not red tsunami. Why? Trump. Donald Trump has changed elections for the near future. There is so much engagement on both sides that the old days of "catching the other party sleeping" is not possible. Turnout for midterms and presidential elections will remain high which means more voters and closer races. 2. Democrats haven't nailed the messaging. Jan. 6th and abortion is not a national message, that is a coastal elitist / base voter message. The inability to give messages specific to each district will doom them in tossup districts. 3. 2024 is borderl...