Regulaions can stand in the way of transition to a greener economy.

I can see why there is push back against regulation.

Regulations stop a lot of things, but we need to figure out how to build a greener future. We need to be able to build enough housing to keep up with population growth. We need to build alternative energy facilities without having to wade through years of red tape.

Much of these regulations are the result of lobbying groups, lawyers, fears of the future, neighborhood associations and risk adverse thinking. Government is blamed, but it is often a tool of these other things in society.

I still think population growth needs to be reduced, but we do need to build more. Just bringing the 8 billion people, already on this planet, up to more comfortable living standards means lots of building. Either that, or cutting back on our space and consumption demands; for instance less space for parking.

As immigrants come into this country, we need to build for, or at least adapt, to more people. One way to adapt is to use less, of course, but that's a hard sell.

There is a lot of push back against immigration which I see as a result of things like unaffordable housing and increasing traffic congestion.

Crime is often cited as a factor against immigration, but crime rates are even higher among native born. I think growth is a bigger factor, though crime tends to be pushed as an issue by the right wing. Growth is a huge problem if we are not building and / or adapting to it.

Just changing the system doesn't work without changing culture.

A recent NBC poll shows low approval rating for the Democratic Party. Trump's approval is falling also, but not as low as the Democrats.

I still think the Democrats come closer to my values than the Republicans, but my values and lifestyle is different than most people. My thinking is neither mainstream Democrat or Republican. I think I am less into wealth and consumerism than most people and I don't drive a car.

It seems like Republicans have an easier time aligning with mainstream culture than Democrats. Inexpensive energy, economic growth, low prices on consumer products and low taxes fit well with the aspirations of the general public as viewed in national polls.

What Democrats advocate is more of a stretch given our general culture of consumption. In the long run however, Republican values can lead to ruin. This due to things like climate change and wealth inequality. Most people tend to focus on short term pragmatic things, in their personal lives, rather than the big picture.

I keep thinking that just changing the system hasn't worked that well for decades, we need to rethink deeper cultural issues.

Many of these deeper discussions and aspirations do happen among people. These discussions also happen more among local, rather than national politicians; such as city, county and state level politicians. Figuring out something better than gridlock traffic and unaffordable housing tends to be talked about more at the local levels among individuals as well as politicians.

Learning more about our own communities rather than celebrities and sports could improve our politics.

It seems like most Americans know more about movies and sports than they do about the communities they live in. This could explain why so many of the politicians that get elected have bad ideas.

Basic knowledge about the workings of the government, the economy and the landscape is useful. For instance understanding a concept called "economy of scale." This can explain why large corporations often offer lower prices than small mom and pop businesses in spite of the high salaries they pay a handful of top executives.

Understanding the tradeoffs would be useful since we can't always "have it all."

Small might mean better community while large could mean more efficiency. Knowing what the tradeoffs are, intentionally making the choices and accepting the consequences can reduce anger and impatience.

At times, it seems like people are just lashing out and stumbling in the dark not knowing why things happen. Having more awareness of the landscape and systems around us would help us more than knowing sports scores or Hollywood celebrities.

Myself, I find the community and the landscape I live in to be more interesting than what happens on a football field.

Trade war recession might lower consumption and the carbon footprint.

An unintended consequence of the Trump Presidency and the tariffs is likely to be a recession or even a depression. It's not something most people are looking forward to, but it could reduce consumption and the carbon footprint.

It may take a bear market to be a check on Trump.

Due to incompetent Republican leadership of the national government plus some other economic worries, the stock market could be trending down, day after day, week after week. This could be what they call a "bear market."

The silver lining could be public opinion turning against Republican leadership in Congress and the presidency. Meanwhile it could mean US goes into a recession and quite a bit of savings gets lost; at least temporarily.

Money doesn't mean that much to me, but I do have a small amount in a mutual fund. I've been thinking maybe I should have pulled my small amount out of the mutual fund when I saw that Trump had won the election. I predicted that a bear market would be likely going forward. Still, my little account is set to low risk, so it's not that much exposed to stocks.

If I had closed out that little account and put the money into my regular bank account, at least it would be less complexity filling out my tax form. My income is so low, I hardly owe any taxes anyway, but having that fund adds a bit more complexity for figuring out how to fill out the form.

Confusion at IRS due to big layoffs is another topic in the news.

If nothing else, maybe economic problems will change minds. The workings of the economy; like the weather, is one thing that egotistical politicians can't really control. It's something much larger than politics, itself. Technocrats often have a better handle on managing an economy than ideologues.

Community wealth versus personal wealth. Private business assets that serve the public, can be considered part of community wealth along with public infrastructure and so forth.

I prefer community wealth to personal wealth. My thoughts are different than the thinking of many folks. I think community wealth can include private wealth that serves the public; for instance a store that the public can shop at. This is different than wealth is not open to the public; such as the store owner's private home.

Community wealth also includes wealth owned by government; such as parks, roads and schools. Community wealth can be owned by worker's collectives, coops, non profits and so forth.

Even large private corporations can be community wealth. Chains of stores, such as even Walmart, can serve the public if the public wants the fruits of "economy of scale." Bigness sometimes means lower prices, more selection and so forth. Small "mom and pop" stores offer other virtues; such as connection to local community.

Big corporations can be owned by a very wealthy individual who's wealth is invested in the stores themselves, or they can be owned by stockholders. Stocks can be owned by things like union pension funds, or exclusive private circles of super wealthy and often greedy owners.

Much of the quality of life depends on how people behave who own and use the wealth. Undue influence over politicians is irresponsible use of wealth. Advertising can be seen as a problematic use of wealth.

Community wealth, that is open to and used by the public, is better in my opinion, than personal wealth; such as a bunch of mansions that are for private use only.

Interesting to note; I've heard that Oprah Winfrey had one of her private homes on Orcas Island, near here. It was later sold to another owner.

Fun time at a dance.

Saturday night was a fun dance at the Hotel Leo for Bellingham Queer Collective. Music was full of energy from a real good DJ named Westwood.

I'm posing with some friends, Mark Allyn and Michelle, outside the dance in the hotel lobby holding a red blinker from my bicycle. Dancing the night away.

Dance organized by Bellingham Queer Collective.

San Francisco ferries made in Bellingham.

News from San Francisco, but most Bellingham people don't realize; it's also about Bellingham.

San Francisco is getting 3 new electric ferries and they are being made at All American Marine in Bellingham. Passenger only ferries made in Bellingham, but used elsewhere. Why not here? I would guess San Francisco Area is more viable for non automobile ferries due to higher population density.

From Bellingham, ferries would go to San Juan Islands and how does one get around on the island without a car? Maybe, in Friday Harbor, but no where else. How about by bicycle?

I remember when we did have passenger / bicycle only ferry service from Bellingham to the San Juan Islands as well as to Victoria, BC. This was back in the 1990s. They left from Fairhaven Cruise Terminal. The ferries were privately run for a few years before, I guess, the economics of this didn't workout.

Artwork in the alley at the downtown Bellingham parking garage.

Could US Republican Party lead to Ukraine's defeat and USA being expelled from NATO?

In my mind are various different scenarios that may, or may not be what the future brings.

One possible scenario, given Republican Party rule, in US, is Ukraine being defeated by Russia in the near future. Resistance to Russian rule, from Ukrainian people, would continue to be a thorn in Russia's side so Putin's victory would be similar to George Bush's famous moment on the aircraft carrier during the second Iraq War when he declared "mission accomplished." As history shows, Iraq remained in turmoil with US troops involved long after that moment.

Another part of this scenario holds that our NATO allies, including Canada, reconfigure NATO to, basically, expel the US as a member. This could happen formally, or at least in practice, if not officially. Other NATO members are starting to distrust the Trump Administration with security secrets. They fear information could be passed on to Putin.

I can see sharing my above post to Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, but he would never see it anyway, due to volume of mail and me being outside his district. He, as well as some other Republicans has played lip service to Ukraine remaining independent, but many of his actions and his support of Trump undermine that. The start reality of this situation is likely to face us.

One thought I have had quite often is that Ukraine could temporarily give up the Donbass and Crimea in exchange for protection to the rest of the country. If this could work as a cease fire it could be a step. Who knows what will happen, in the long run, to Russia or Ukraine. USSR did fall and that could happen again.

Looking way back to another, more optimistic era is this comment I placed on another person's post.

Things seemed much better back when the Soviet Union was trying to reform and develop more respect for human rights. The US and the west was trying to help USSR and then Russia reform. Things; especially in Russia, have gotten much worse since then. Maybe the former Soviet Republics broke away too quickly. I think maybe if the Soviet Union had held together a bit longer, the reforms could have had a better chance to take hold. Economic instability and chaos lead to return of authoritarian rule. As it is today, especially in Russia, I think human rights have been extinguished for the near future at least.

American dream is not about access to cheap goods. My different take on Treasury Secretary Bessent's comment.

I've thought that all along. I've advocated other qualities of life besides just material wealth and consumerism.

Still, I don't think that's what the Trump Administration and the voters for Trump had in mind. Tariffs slow down the flow of cheap goods leading to inflation. Voters voted against inflation.

Looking deeper, the way I like to think versus Trump, or even Democrat talking points, I think less consumption could be good for the environment. It could lower the carbon footprint.

Less consumption could also focus society on more intangible values; such as community connections, knowledge, good conversations and health; other values than just financially measured wealth.

Some Trump people don't necessarily have that in mind, but they seem to be pushing for bringing more manufacturing and production back to USA.

Many, on both the left and the right, envision an economy where we produce more of our own wealth. This could mean higher priced shoes, for instance, since they would be made locally. It could also mean higher wages as more things are made and grown locally. Higher wages, but more expensive foods and products.

Maybe housing would become more affordable, however, since other things, in the economy, such as consumable products and wages, would go up relative to housing and land, which has to be sourced locally. More local sourcing of goods and services sounds good, but there is another wildcard factor here; automation.

Re-localizing production will not necessarily lead to higher wages and less income inequality. Big business may still just automate and not really need the masses of people for producing the goods and services. Wealth may still only rise to the top.

Again, I keep thinking, we need to back away from so much lust for wealth and consumption overall. I'd like to see society focus more on the experience of life, itself; wealth and consumption only being one part of life.

Yes, survival and having food on the table is important, but a question I keep asking is, "what are we doing with our time?" "Are we spending our time in gratifying activities?" "Are we celebrating and uplifting our communities?" "Do we like and trust our neighbors?"

I keep asking, "what is the total quality of our lives beyond just what's measured with money?"

As some critics on the left may have almost wanted, US prosperity may crumble, but it's brought on by the right and the law of unintended consequences.

Tariffs are a way to finance the government versus income taxes. It's a way of shifting taxes to consumers. Lower income and middle class gets taxed more while higher income and wealth categories get taxed less.

This is what was voted in last November. American voters shooting themselves in the foot by a slim margin, back then. By now, maybe regret.

It will likely lead to higher inflation along with a downturn in the economy; possibly a steep downturn similar to when coronavirus happened.

Our relations with our allies and trading partners are going sour. Meanwhile the US is becoming more friendly to autocratic dictatorships; such as Russia.

Some people, including some folks in USA leaning toward the left, have been critical of American prosperity and consumerism all along. Consumerism has been seen as destructive to the natural environment; for instance. Also destructive to the human psyche.

Over the years, quite a few people have predicted a downfall of the US economy. This turmoil may be the reset some people have been predicting as in Mother Earth striking back.

My thoughts have been less drastic. I do think much of our consumer culture does need change, but not such a catastrophic change. I think we need to reduce consumption and probably value money less. At the same time, I would like to see us keep many of the good virtues we have had in our culture such as open mindedness, innovation and interest in the community's well being.

If we are smart, we can have a soft landing off what has been our somewhat too hectic economy. We may need to slow down a bit, but do it carefully. This is not what Trump voters had in mind and if it happens, it will be from the law of unintended consequences.

Unlike some folks on the left, I tend to not blame US imperialism for most of the world's problems. Yes, there is the history of imperialism. There has been slavery, land taken from native people's, the US conquest over part of Mexico in the 1840s and so forth.

More recently there has been some continued exploitation of world resources by US interests, but this has happened all throughout world history. The Romans did it. Various tribes among the American Native peoples did it before European settlers arrived. The world has a long history of conquest and bullying. Much of the world's problems, today, are not caused by the US.

World history has not been all about conquest and bullying. A case can be made that European conquest, during the so called Age of Discovery (Columbus and so forth), was the worst. Still, I think these problems of violence and greed are world problems and not necessarily all about the US.

The US has done many good things as well. Innovation, inspiration to much of the world. We have promoted freedom of thought, multi multicultural communities and so forth.

Especially, in recent times, we have done much toward looking at ourselves in the mirror. We've criticized our own actions; such as reexamining the Japanese internment during World War II. We have reexamined our own history of slavery and treatment of native Americans. We've criticized ourselves in regards to how we treat the environment. We've had many good intentions even though some might say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Lots of people, including many of our critics on the left, have benefited in their personal lives from the vary prosperity of the American economy.

There has been a lot about American culture and the American system that I continue to like. I'm hoping that the good things, in our culture, are salvageable; given the worldwide human condition that also includes greed and viciousness.

Short term populist "bread and butter" issues versus a longer term vision for a sustainable world. BP Oil looks more to short term.

The short term pragmatic pocketbook wins out over a long term vision of needs for the future. Putting food on the table comes first. Short term return on investment comes first. I think this is a result of pressure from populism around the world.

Businesses have trouble going too far out on a limb toward long term goals of global sustainability. If they go out beyond where the consumer markets, investors and voters were willing to go, they tend to pull back. Some folks would say, it was just "green washing" anyway so they wouldn't even get a lot of support, for their attempts at reform, from the traditional left. One can't expect an oil company to lead the way to a different future.

Pragmatism can be considered a virtue, but it's a virtue that focuses on short term needs. It's putting food on the table today, versus long term needs.

Culture needs to change, rather than just trying to change the system from top down, to reduce the carbon footprint.

For many years I have thought that most of the environmental movement has focused on the wrong strategy for making change. The strategy has been fighting government and corporations to try and get them to change. Instead, I think the problem is our culture. It's the consumption and voting habits of the masses.

At the same time, I don't necessarily blame individual people for the problem. One person is just a drop in the bucket so one person, alone, can't make the change either. What it takes is a realization that markets and voting patterns drive the situation.

More emphasis needs to be placed on culture and our mass behavior. The structure of our society, whether it's corporations, governments, or whatever, matters less, but it still does have an effect.

I tend to shift the emphasis back to the people, in mass, but I am not so naive as to think that the power of governments, corporations and wealthy individuals isn't a factor. It is, of course. It's kind of like a vicious cycle, but ordinary people, in mass, is the main factor I focus on.

It is really both, but most people's emphasis, as well as the media coverage, is usually on getting laws changed for trying to reform government and corporate structures from the top down.

Changes from the top down are usually met with populist uprisings over bread and butter issues, for instance the effect of carbon pricing on the cost of driving to work for ordinary people.

Populism tends to swing back and forth like a pendulum. It's almost like a pendulum with no long term vision. It is a floundering pendulum.

Personally, I haven't bought into as much of the consumer fashions of most folks. I seem to be less influenced by advertising, movies and so forth.

My life seems to be as enjoyable, if not more enjoyable, than mainstream consumer culture. At least I think it's less stressful.

There are many deep changes that need to be made in popular culture for us to move toward a greener future.

I think the pendulum does keep swinging, so it looks like it will swing away from Trumpism, now that Trump is the incumbent.

Still the pendulum seems to not have much of a long term vision. It mostly just flounders around trying to figure out who is to blame for the state of the world.

Meanwhile most people are just looking short term at how to survive and feed their families in this culture. Long term visions remain on the back burner.

Worse economic conditions and bad health likely in the next few years.

I think the US life expectancy is likely to go down for a while due to more stress created in part by economic stress and disturbing news around Trump.

Also I think bad medical advice, such as the reluctance to use vaccines and turmoil among government health organizations will add to increasing death rate and lower life expectancy for a period of time in the near future.

Trump wants to call it Gulf of America while devastating North America as a trading block with Tariffs against Canada and Mexico.

Trump's desire to rename Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America is only symbolic. In reality he doesn't believe in holding together the North American trade zone which includes Canada, USA and Mexico.

Tariffs against Canada and Mexico would devastate North American industry; such as the auto industry that straddles these borders.

Things looked good in early 1990s reform of Soviet Union, but now the breakup of USSR has lead to backsliding; especially in Russia itself..

Things looked hopeful in the early 1990s as the Soviet Union was reforming and opening up to more human rights, freedom of speech and innovation.

I think the Soviet Union may have broken up into independent republics too quickly, however. Since then, things have been shaky and especially Russia, itself, has turned more toward a form of fascism. Russia is seeking to reconquer former Soviet republics, such as Ukraine. This has lead to a brutal war that has turned to stalemate.

Now Trump Administration, in USA, is changing course seeking an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine, possibly at any cost. This potentially a form of peace without justice.

We'll see how this turns out. Hopefully still a lot of unknowns as to what the long term situation will bring.

When the right to life begins at conception and ends at birth.

Seems like Republican thinking cares more about the lives of the unborn than the lives of children and adults already born.

The 8 billion+ people already on this planet is a lot of people. This has lead to immigration around the world as folks seek safer and better places to live. There is lots of pushback against immigration.

Now cutbacks in USAID are in the news as well as possible cutbacks in Medicaid funding for those in need.

My 8th grade plans for a new floating state for USA. The state of Lincoln. It could float away if USA was not governed well.

Sometime around my 8th grade year, my interest in large ships and buildings motivated me to draw rough plans for a 100 mile long ship.

My ship would be a floating new state added to USA; the state of Lincoln. I remember thinking that if USA was not governed well, my state could just break ties and float away. It could become an independent country, join Canada or something, I guess.

I still have plans for that ship. It's a scroll of glued together pages photographed below.

A friend of mine, at that time named Carl Swanson (lived on our street), also drew up plans for a ship. His ship was called Washington. Talking to Carl's dad, back then, I remember saying, "if USA doesn't shape up, the state of Lincoln can ship out."

100 mile long ships wouldn't be viable on earth, but much more recently, I saw a documentary, on YouTube, about luxury liners and cruise ships. In the documentary it said that large ships could be a precursor to colonies in space.

My junior high (now called middle school) interest in ships.

There is recent news about the rusty SS United States luxury liner. It has been sitting at a pier in Philadelphia awaiting some new use. It's finally being towed to Alabama for cleaning and then to Florida to be sunk and turned into an artificial reef and tourist attraction for scuba divers.

During my childhood, I developed a big interest in the luxury liners. I also have an interest in large buildings.

Before air travel was so common across the Atlantic, there were the giant ships; like floating hotels. They made me think of floating cities, all in one building. There were Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, from UK, The SS United States, The SS France, Norway and so forth.

The largest one, back then, was the Queen Elizabeth. It was based in UK and did the trip from UK to New York. On board were staterooms, restaurants, I think maybe even a swimming pool. It was later brought out of service and they tried to turn it into a floating university. It would have had dorms, classrooms and so forth for visiting various ports of call around the world. Unfortunately it caught on fire during remodeling in Hong Kong harbor during my high school days. It ended up as scrap metal.
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Some of my interest in the ships might have been related to news about the Queen Mary which was brought out of commission, during my middle school years. It was turned into a hotel / museum at Long Beach, CA. I went onboard the Queen Mary, in 2003 during a bicycle trip down the coast. (More below).

During my middle school years, I also remember seeing a movie on television called "A Night To Remember." It was about the sinking of the Titanic. Not being much into movies, I do still remember just about every film I've seen in my lifetime of not many movies. That movie was in black and white; a dark scene indeed.

My interest in ships is related to my interest in buildings, campuses and cities. Places that have lots of variety under one roof, so to speak.

Now it's Trump's turn to become the unpopular incumbent.

Public opinion does swing like a pendulum. More people are becoming wary of what could be seen as Trump's overreach according to some recent polls.

Also lots of things, that people complain about like inflation, are difficult for any president to mgically fix. Tarrifs could make consumer products more expensive; especially in the short run.

In the long run, maybe society is too consumptive and dependent on long distance supply chains, but we can't "have it all" and change doesn't come overnight. Do we really want a recession? There is a phrase that goes, "be careful what you ask for as you might get it."

Recent news from New York.

An executive order might end congestion pricing, but it can't end congestion itself.

New York City was trying to reduce traffic gridlock on Manhattan Island with congestion pricing for automobiles on that limited space. No executive order can magically end traffic congestion or end worry about climate change, for that matter. On such a crowded island as Manhattan, public transit is a better way to go.

DEI acronym has become a punching bag.

It's unclear what effects, threats of cutoff in Federal funding programs will have on diversity programs in colleges of Washington State.

Here in Bellingham, WWU has some programs aimed at folks that could be considered on the margins of mainstream society, for instance myself as a gay person. Most funding is from state or other sources, but some federal funds are in question, I'd guess.

I think many of these programs are useful though I tend to be fairly critical of much of the anger, seen in the news, related to lack of total fairness in society; especially through history.

Society has had a history of discrimination, but things do improve. Meanwhile there is quite a bit of debate over this leading to push back from some folks who would like to turn back the clock to the way things were in past decades.

I still think most of these diversity programs are useful, going forward.

DEI gets criticism, but it's basically seems like just a more recent acronym for things that society has been progressing toward all along. Slowing down the rhetoric, DEI stands for diversity equity and inclusion.

I remember (actually Google AI helped me here). This was in the news years ago.

In a 1978 case Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, the Supreme Court ruled that colleges could consider race as one of several factors in admissions, but not as a quota. The ruling legalized affirmative action, but prohibited racial quotas.

McConnell played a big part in creating a Frankenstein.

Looks like Mitch McConnell, former Republican majority leader in the Senate has created somewhat of a Frankenstein in Donald Trump and the MAGA movement.

McConnell is known for pushing Republican agendas and not even holding the hearings to consider President Obama's last choice for Supreme Court nominee. Now that he is opposing some of Trump's more unusual nominee's, such as Kennedy for HHS. The MAGA movement turns on him as he announces that this is his last Senate term. Wobbly now at 84 years of age.

Surviving the Reagan budget cuts. A thought for today.

Near start of the Reagan Presidency, lots of budget cuts, similar to now. Being outside professional circles (I was working as a janitor) I thought I was more immune to the cuts. My informal art could continue.

Back then, before the internet, there was a funky network of artists who sent things to one another in the mail. There were shows that usually had no jury, so it could be a free for all of free thinking.

The network was informally called The Mail Art Network.

It does still exist today and many of the participants participate in social media, as well, these days.

Here is a copy of a collage I sent out to some show, or something (I forgot) with Reagan trying to pull the plug Mail Art which was basically powered by hobbyists; so to speak.

Cornucopia of creativity dumping out mail art while Reagan asking Nancy, his wife, where the plug is to pull the plug.

I've scanned much of my vast collection of crude, political cartoon like, collages from past years. Above is one from early 1980s.

Some of the artists were behind the Iron Curtain in countries, like Poland (Back then) behind the curtain. Things were starting to loosen up behind the Iron Curtain back in those days. Homemade postcard a Mail Artist sent me, from early 1990s related to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Another somewhat related memory.

I remember when Reagan fired the Air Controllers. Their union PATCO had endorsed Reagan for president back in 1980; talk about voting against one's self interest.

He fired them after they went on strike for better working conditions during his presidency. He was trying to keep to his budget cutting promises.

Other unions said they wondered where was PATCO, when they needed support. Most other unions endorsed Carter instead of Reagan. The air control system did survive, however, during all that turmoil.

The planet Venus visible in an evening sky along a bike trail.

I have been adding to my large collection of photos on Flickr.