Decades of enforcing a one child rule has created a number of problems for China. With 19% of the population 60 years old or older, a low age level for retirement (60 for men, 50 for women) which creates a huge demand on China’s weak retirement system, and a low birth rate (in a country of 1,444,000,000 only 12,000,000 births), China’s economic miracle is in danger of slowing down. Older people require most costly healthcare, generate little income and are not consumer orientated. All the while, the young face the possibility of rising taxes to pay for the care of their elders which goes to slow the marriage and birthrate. This may all be overblown as the decline in population still leaves China as nation with the largest population, but India is closing the gap and they could present a challenge to China in that part of the world. Go to https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-people-problem-swings-from-too-many-to-a-decline-that-sees-no-end-11620903602?page=1 for an interesting article on this dilemma.

It has been said that Henry Ford was a genius who expanded the horizons of the average American.  In “Slaughterhouse”, Dr. Pacyga tells the story of the Chicago stock yard and the world that it made.  In fact, the stock yards of Chicago did much more than industrialize the slaughter of cattle, sheep and hogs, they were responsible for increasing the diet of Americans and Europeans by providing meat products in a timely, cost effective manner.  They also were instrumental in the invention and improvements in rail transportation including refrigerated cars, smoother rides, etc. 

Richard Rhodes is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize and has written both fiction and non-fiction, on topics as diverse as the Donner Party, the invention of the Atom Bomb and the Audubon Society.  In this work, he traces how the Einsatzgruppen were organized, their scope of activity, their relationship with the Wehrmacht and the impact of mass killings on the individuals within the units.

Originally deployed in Poland at the start of the war, their primary directive was the murder of the leaders of Polish society; lawyers, doctors, educators, political leaders, etc. as the conqueror Poles were destined to be a source of ignorant slave laborers who did not need to count much above 100 in their future live.  The “special action groups” also targeted any Poles who offered any resistance either real or imagined.  At the same time, they went after suspected communists and finally, the Jews of Poland.  As the original plan was to move the Jews out of Europe, the concept of committing mass murder of the Jews was not in their primary list of objectives.  Yet once the killing began, and they were under the protection of SS-Reichsfuehrer Himmler, their murderous campaign quickly expanded.

For all of the wonderful plans for zero emissions, the Kyoto Accords, Paris Climate Conference and politicians hot air fail to address the reality of how you put the ideals into practice. The end result may very well be a serious threat to the economies of the world as demand for energy simply outstrips the ability of “renewalables”. Where are the real plans, budgets and ideas of how to implement the goals? This article points out some of the very real challenges. https://www.wsj.com/articles/bidens-not-so-clean-energy-transition-11620752282?mod=opinion_lead_pos5

Thanks in large part to the vaccine, we are once again planning a healthy travel schedule.  While we did visit Southern Utah and Las Vegas (driving down the Vegas Strip at 60 mph was a once in a lifetime treat), our recent visit to Williamsburg VA. was our first “real” trip in over a year.  Why Williamsburg?  My favorite wife had never seen that part of the U.S. and there is plenty to see for a history buff such as myself.  We visited an area known as the Virginia Historical Triangle, consisting of Williamsburg, Jamestown and York Town, places which were key to the formation of our nation.  This area is small and easily reached as going from point to point often means driving for 30-45 minutes.  Going further (120 miles) one can find the Fredericksburg battlefield and Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson.  The driving is easy but make sure you have a GPS as you will want to get off the Interstate and onto some of the beautiful back roads (many of them remind me of driving in central rural France), so let’s look at some of the sights.

“At the same time, National Socialism also maee itself felt on the level of everyday life by rewarding those who employed National Socialist language and ritualistic behavior in the conduct of their daily affairs and by requiring that activities be conducted in such contexts. While true believers had no trouble meeting these requirments, those who were not (and those who were skeptical) were necessarily driven on the path to various degrees of inner corruption by constantly having to behave in the required manner in order to protect and promote their intrests. The more they internalized such behavior, the less it mattered in a practical sense whether they believed what they were saying and doing. Their political correctness required “correct” political behavior.” (Allianz and the German Insurance Business, 1933-45 by Gerald D. Feldman, pp 107) It was the same under Stalin, Mao, etc. and today we see it in the United States. As Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”

Since it was created, the Federal Department of Education has received over $1,000,000,000 (trillion) in funding with no noticable improvement in our children’s reading or math scores. It is a study in failure. But, there is more; The DOE uses an accounting system for student loans that would lead to fraud charges and jail time if used in the private system. They seriously underestimate future payments and thus the value of their loan holdings with insufficient reserves. This article is a study in massive government systemic failure that will be paid for by every taxpayer. https://www.wsj.com/articles/is-the-u-s-student-loan-program-in-a-deep-hole-one-banker-thinks-so-11619707091?page=1

In 1848, much of Europe was swept by revolution; in France, Hungary, Poland, Italy and elsewhere, people rebelled against the system set up by the Congress of Vienna after the defeat of Napoleon.  Institutions seems to be moribund; police surveillance was everywhere, and the governments were insistent on maintaining the status quo. This excellent novel, often regarded as the finest to come out of Hungary, tells the story of that time and centers on twin aristocratic brothers from the wealthy Dukay family.

“France is an extremely fertile country: You plant functionaries and taxes grown”. Looks like the US is not alone in this.