"Trickle down economics" was proved to be a hoax a very, very long time ago now. Yet it happened when the term was coined, ans has been happening ever since. Even the sometimes vaunted (although less so now) Obama administration engaged in it. As to cuts-- they can't be "sold." They don't sell. It has to be something like bait and switch, distract, or outright lie. This why it is said that austerity is "imposed." Yes, exactly. Social Security, Medicare, etc. are overwhelmingly popular. It seems the politicians have chosen a death by a thousand cuts (sic) approach to attempting to kill them.

There's that debased word-- "curated." Usage will be what it will be and then it will change, etc. But it's a pet peeve of mine, how this word is being used today. A bunch of young people collected old flatware, etc. and have-- "curated collections" to show for it? It's too cute by half.

I don't know there was a French part of Missouri.

Suicides and bankruptcies around my farmland. The three farm operators leasing my land are hanging on so far. Two of them owe money on land they have bought.

I'd love to see a photo of a bear in your back garden !

This is very good news!

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The Goggle play store offers me an app that lets you make the font any size. Unfortunately, it rearranges your regular screens. An app that took away the phone's interface and replaced it with something else was randomly downloaded on my phone when it had a virus. It was completely unfamiliar to me and impossible to use.

Stunning, Steve! I would love to visit Seville someday.

I saw that. I learned about it in a video and the person who made it made an argument that it would be a slippery slope like the federal income tax and would eventually tax the middle class out of their homes. I have no idea if he was right about that or not. The federal government should bring back reasonable income and corporate taxes, imo. I don't see it happening.

To ride under Porsche's (Porsches') domed roof was my childhood goal. I did it twice. Once with my '64 Beetle for 10 years. Once with my '98 (2nd Generation) Audi A6 for 10 years. Photos & Video: 2000 Audi A6 Photos & Video - Consumer Reports https://share.google/yLUkv7AHxng6L36fF Yes, I'd buy a new base 911 in a heartbeat if I were a rich man. I've been lucky with cars. I've had a few I liked a lot. I can't wait to have my Hyundai.

Link to video

@steve-miller and @mik This house doesn't look like it needs renovation to me. Well, of course, in an alternate universe, if I wanted to buy it, I'd have to hire a home inspector (as well as an attorney). Then I'd know. I don't know. I think it's beautiful and I've always wanted an elevator. An elevator building, here (ones with 3 stories or more have them) would be great. I even had a dream once that I discovered an elevator in the pantry of my grandparents' house in Tampa. It went down one floor to a basement (yes, it was nonsense). I asked my grandmother why she never told me about it. She said I didn't need to know. What would Jung have said? /r

@Rontuner said: In this endless push to create more cost-effective efficiency, (replace human workers) I wonder in the future vision for society HOW people are expected to survive and be parts of society? I know in the science-fiction world, it was often written that people wouldn't NEED to work anymore yet still had an active part and the means to follow their dreams. I'm not seeing much of that being discussed for our future.. No, no, no. The people are meant to starve to death or be serfs. There are already planned, deliberate population starving events currently (but let's not go there) and plenty of slavery, only entering our "reality" as packaged stupidity- i.e the notion of "conflict free" diamonds as a description of mining diamonds, when there is, in fact, no such thing as, "conflict free," when it comes to the topic of mining, in general, around the globe. What? Too cynical? A basic income is a great idea, imho, but let's recall that we're housing some few homeless in garden sheds and then engaging in rituals of virtue signaling. It's not as if our society is setting high bars.