Good Story

The Rough Road to Rio: An MG Adventure for the Ages

 

Bullshit

Botshit Gone Wild: The downsides of generative AI are spreading like wildfire

"We are immersed in a sea of bullshit."

And ... we have a leader who spouts bullshit constantly.  What could go wrong?

 

  

  

Drill Baby Drill

US Oil Drillers Continue to Back Off On Price Slump 

 The latest EIA data showed that weekly U.S. crude oil production dipped slightly in the week ending June 27, from 13.435 million bpd to 13.433 million bpd. The figure is 198,000 bpd down from the all-time high reached during the week of December 6, 2024.

Trump's Word

We all know what a Trump personal pledge is worth.

As sides await Hamas response to truce deal, Trump said to offer personal pledge to end war

 

  

Middle Class Taxes

 

Q: “What is CAPITALISM?”

Let’s hear the definition from a wealthy guy himself. Bet he won’t be invited on TV again. pic.twitter.com/WyHFEutt3z

— Jean Jacques Dessalines 🇭🇹🇵🇸🇳🇪🇲🇱🇧🇫🇨🇺 (@JeanJacquesDes7) June 27, 2025

Experts

In the US today, we all think we know everything about everything. 

You can’t do your own research without doing your homework first 

The path back to reality is instead to value actual expertise, and those who have devoted their lives to the betterment of humanity through discovering scientific truths about reality. This isn’t to say that the notion of a scientific consensus should never be challenged; only that those challenges are only legitimate when they come from experts who’ve already sufficiently and scrupulously done their homework. If we can take this path, and return to reality, then we can once again aspire to having a functional society where we all work together to make policies for the collective long-term good of all. Without it, the thin veneer of civilization is likely doomed to crumble. 

 

Taxes

 

You’ve seen this movie before: Maybe Reagan guessed, Bush hoped, and Trump tried—but tax cuts never paid for themselves. Given the mountain of evidence, claiming once again that "tax cuts will pay for themselves" is no longer ideologically motivated optimism.

It's a lie. pic.twitter.com/XrvWJGJeu7

— Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) June 27, 2025

Drill Baby Drill

US Oil Drilling Activity Slumps As Volatile Prices Spook Markets 

The total number of active drilling rigs for oil and gas in the United States fell yet again this week, according to new data that Baker Hughes published on Friday, following a 1-rig decrease in the week prior.

The total rig count in the US fell by 7 to 547 rigs, according to Baker Hughes, down 34 from this same time last year.

The number of oil rigs fell by 6 to 432 after falling by 1 during the previous week—and down by 47 compared to this time last year. The number of gas rigs fell by 2 this week, to 109 for a gain of 12 active gas rigs from this time last year. The miscellaneous rig count rose by 1, to 6.

The latest EIA data showed that weekly U.S. crude oil production rose again this week, from 13.431 million bpd to 13.435 million bpd. The figure is 196,000 bpd down from the all-time high reached during the week of December 6, 2024.

Iran's Nukes

 

pic.twitter.com/LEto8xaPWi

— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) June 20, 2025

Tariffs and Taxes

EU increasingly resigned to 10% baseline tariff in US trade talks, European sources say

I've said this before but I think a 10%-ish tariff on everything is the plan. 

The government needs revenue so what are their choices?

Raise income taxes on the rich? Not happening in crapitalist America.

Raise income taxes on the rest of us? They would if they could but basically we don't have it and they would face a revolt in the next election if they did. Also, they just love to say "Tax Cuts"

Conservatives have toyed with the "Fair Tax" for years but it's regressive as hell and a hard sell. It ain't happening.

A national sales tax? Regressive as hell and another voter revolt. 

Tariffs, though basically a sales tax, don't really look like one to many voters, especially the MAGA true believers. Trump says the other countries are paying them so MAGA believe him ... but US consumers will be paying them in the end. 

Initially, our trading partners and big US business will claim to, and probably will, eat some of the tariff while passing some portion off to US consumers in the form of higher prices. Over time though, more and more will be passed on to the consumer and eventually we will be paying it all. The voters won't notice an extra half a point of inflation as the tariffs are moved to consumers. It'll just show up in slightly higher inflation numbers.

Eventually the oligarchs get more government income, without income tax increases on anyone, and a new basically invisible tax on US consumers. 

Fuck those guys. Tax the Rich!!