Alternative transit is better than the car. Though cleaner than gas, electric car sales are slumping in USA.

Riding on the top floor of a double decker bus in the HOV lane south of Everett, WA.

The dream of US cars going electric has slowed down, according to some videos I found. Trump's removal of subsidies has a big effect and consumer demand is soft, especially without the incentives. Some car companies are pivoting back to gasoline.

I think batteries are the costliest part of transitioning to electric. China does things cheaper, but not in the US.

Portable batteries, that provide the huge amount of power needed to drive a car, must be a difficult technology, so far. Lithium ion batteries are affordable for small uses like phones.

The electric motor, itself, seems okay. Less moving parts than an internal combustion engine. It must be the battery that's difficult as well as having Trump in office.

I'm more a fan of alternative transit than automobiles anyway. Electrification doesn't reduce traffic congestion, pollution from tires, space needed for parking, sprawl and accidents. The self driving car might be able to help with these other things; except maybe tire pollution. Technology comes to the rescue.

Since the battery seems to be the hardest technical part in electrification, I still think about Seattle's electric trolly buses that run from the overhead wires. That bypasses the need for a battery.

Maybe that's one reason why hybrid car sales are still strong. The drive motors for the wheels are easy and the battery can be much smaller. Energy still comes from a gas motor, though it can be smaller than in earlier car technology.

I may not be a car expert, but I think about science and technical things a lot.

World population growth is slowing down, but there are still problems.

Population growth is slowing down so some worry that there aren't enough young workers for retires. Immigration can solve that problem for democracies where people want to move.

Population growth can also overwhelm housing and infrastructure leading to anti immigration sentiment rising in most of the world's democracies, however.

World population growth needs to slow down even more and another big change is the rising prosperity and expectations of prosperity around the world. That can use more energy and resources while contributing to resentment and instability, thus the world, as a whole, is spending more and more on military spending.

Forget the cost of bacon and eggs, housing is the main affordability worry for young people

Forget the cost of bacon and eggs, a recent poll shows 1/2 of young people, in USA, worry about the cost of housing more than all other items combined on the list according to this interesting podcast. Restrictive, single family zoning has been a huge problem.

There is a book called "Stuck: How privilege and property broke the engine of American opportunity." Yes, we've needed more housing. I would add that population growth is also a problem; that not mentioned in this interview. I think resentment toward immigration is partially rooted in lack of available housing.

The interview had a lot of information. First zoning was done in California in 1880s to keep Chinese laundries out of neighborhoods. By the 1940s single family zoning was adopted in, of all places Berkley, to protect against the less desirable renter class. The New Deal built more housing, but pushed more division by race. In the 1970s, Ralph Nader advocated strict permitting rules that allowed neighbor objections to kill almost all development.

Trump has some wacky ideas, such as the 50 year mortgage. He says he wants to make housing more affordable, but recently said he wishes to protect the wealth of existing homeowners. He wants their homes to still go up in price. His answer is low interest rates is to dump tons of money into the economy, I guess.

The national debt; a big source of angst going forward.

The growing federal debt could erupt as a big issue in the near future. Anti tax sentiment and Trump's kneecapping of the IRS could decrease revenue. Add to this a slowing economy and the spending on ICE deporting some working people out of the country. There's the growing costs of incarceration. Ongoing costs for Medicare, Medicaid, the military and veterans benefits are hard to constrain.

Money has to be printed just to keep the government solvent which fuels another round of inflation. Home and other asset values could start rising again, stocks are still riding high. Trump's encroachment on independence of the Federal Reserve Board has world bond markets jittery.

If another round of asset inflation happens, there will be pressure for wages to go up so folks could afford a place to live. This, in turn, usually leads to price increases in other "nickel and dime" goods and services in the economy, such as food as businesses pass on their increased costs to consumers.

To reduce anxiety, think of money as just poker chips. We could have to inflate our way out of debts. Tomorrow's inflation just makes yesterday's debt smaller by comparison. It does have consequences, but maybe not the end of the world in a future where medium home values rise if wages and other prices can rise by the same percentages as well.

Cash savings looses value, but savers loose in times of low interest rates anyway. This could hurt retirees, but there may have to be more spending to help everyone keep up. It's could be just a matter of moving decimal points over. Yes, I know it's not that simple, but I am trying not to loose too much sleep at night.

Talking points that still appeal to some Republicans might go farther toward restraining Trump, at least while Republicans hold the slight majority in Congress.

If enough congressional Republicans break with Trump, that can make a difference. Talking points that appeal to moderates and some conservatives might be the most effective, these days at least, while Republicans have a slight majority in Congress.

Some conservatives do value concepts such as independence, entrepreneurial spirit, self reliance and personal responsibility. Arguments against Trump's authoritarian tendencies, that still address these aspirations in our culture, can possibly still make a difference in this Congress.

Farther left talking points can still work in urban areas as representatives from those areas tend to lean more left and are usually Democrats. Most rural and semi rural areas tend to vote conservative and low population states have electoral advantage built into the constitution.

Just about all Democrats in Congress, whether moderate or far left, tend to vote to restrain Trump's overreach anyway.

Overpopulation is still a big problem because so many people's aspirations clash with a crowded planet.

I still think overpopulation is a serious problem, though my thinking is nuanced. If more people lived my lifestyle, it would be less of a problem. I live car free so I don't use much space for parking at the places I visit. I live in a studio apartment with 97 other units in this building. It works out okay. I use less energy for home heating and transportation and I'm not a big consumer.

My lifestyle isn't for everyone, but if more folks adopted similar lifestyles, overpopulation would be less of a problem. Folks in developing countries and so forth, who aspire to live more the "traditional" American Dream makes accommodating our 8 billion+ world population difficult. Some folks worry about lower birthrates leading to less young workers for financing growing retirement generations. Yes, lower birthrates require economic adjustment.

As much as people complain about overwhelming immigration, it is a source of talented, young workers wanting to move to countries that more respect human rights. Young workers tend to want to escape war and repression. In an ideal world, this could be a benefit to open societies, but it has, instead, become a liability.

Immigration, that has overwhelmed affordable housing and infrastructure, has lead to a shift toward more authoritarian rightwing politics in many European nations as well as here in USA. My view of humanity has become more cynical, given the negative reaction to immigration. It seems to prove that there are, basically, too many people; if not too many people, at least too many, given our current planning and lifestyles. I can understand some anti immigration sentiment, given lack of affordable housing and so forth, but I would like to think that better planning of our landscape is possible.

Identity politics and or economics.

I read many pundits who say that the Democratic Party needs to focus less on minority rights and identity politics to focus more on bread and butter economic issues. It does seem like, for the majority of voters, identity politics is less popular.

I still think, underneath, these issues matter, but my own focus has been more on city planning. How can we make things work to be affordable and sustainable for all of us? I think about housing, power grids, transportation and so forth.

Sometimes minority perspectives can be a benefit, rather than just another demand; like I often think that gay lifestyles would tend to take some pressure off population growth. Less consumptive lifestyles seem to be in the minority in USA and bicycling is in the minority. Beyond just economics and money, I think about how to have life be gratifying and sustainable.

I tend to think that the broad category of alternative lifestyles can give us the flexibility to address climate change. Tolerance for lifestyle diversity is important.

Different people define their alternative lifestyles in different ways. I try and avoid being too critical of other folks as I also wish to enjoy my life and have friendly relations with folks around me. I try to look for the cup being half full, rather than half empty.

Opposition to immigration is related to growth and income inequality which fuels the affordability crisis.

Rounding people up for deportation has become too draconian. There is still, however, a populist opposition to immigration. I see that as being related to the crisis in affordability. Population and economic growth, combined with income and wealth inequality, has made staying in the middle class harder for many Americans. We haven't been able to accommodate our growth well due to shortages of housing, transportation bottlenecks and so forth. Better planning and long term vision for sustainable life in USA is needed.

Allowing all voices to be heard is good, but it also can lead to gridlock. Patience is needed when gridlock prevails.

Transformational changes to the landscape are difficult to make with already existing ownership and development of land. Just about every powerline, railroad or housing project runs into the cost of land, neighbor opposition and current use conflicts. We have gridlock, when change is needed to address climate change as well as population growth.

By coincidence, after waking up and thinking about these things, I saw news about the Rye Development pumped power storage project in eastern Washington. It has has recently passed a major hurtle in it's approval process.

Before seeing this, I got to thinking (for some reason) about the railroad through Bellingham and the talk about expanding it to double track. That talk was happening a few years ago. There was talk about double tracking for more passenger rail and it's effect on Boulevard Park. Since then, that talk has subsided, but could return. I recently wrote to City Council wondering if possible rail expansion was being taken into account in plans for the new Salish Landing Park which is also along the rail line.

Tight fit. Trains passing Chrysalis Hotel and on through Boulevard Park.

Any attempts to provide a new rail corridor, outside of Bellingham, would likely run into a firestorm of opposition from existing land owners, neighborhood associations and so forth. There is a rail line along Highway 9, but that entire corridor, including Highway 9 itself, faces opposition to expansion as well.

Highway 9 keeps getting busier, but much of it's route is still narrow and winding. I avoid most of it for bicycling.

Cartoon someone drew for a publication in response to an article I wrote about Highway 9.

Gridlock is a problem if we want change, but looking at this another way, maybe we shouldn't always want to rush into change?

If we want to error toward preserving the past, we will need lots more patience. Patience for more traffic, if population keeps growing. Patience for bottlenecks that don't get fixed and patience with the slow political process.

In China, they build rail because they have little tolerance for people who stand in the way. Democracies, tend to be more gridlocked as they give people a chance to speak out and block plans.

Some of what got Trump elected is frustration with gridlock, but getting things done doesn't always bode well. I would more like to see things that help our climate stability get done than Trump's bulldozing agenda.

Still, we either need patience for slow "process," or we need less gridlock. One or the other; something has to give. Yes, Americans are not noted for patience.

That's when, by coincidence, I see that the pumped hydroelectric storage project, near Goldendale, WA. has cleared more hurtles to it's progress. It has been tied up by Native American concern that the site was sacred.

Abandoned refinery seen during one of my bicycle trips in Columbia Gorge, 2005.

I'm glad to see the pumped storage plan go forward. Maybe the god's, at that sacred site, would be glad to see it put to use for the benefit of the people and the environment.

Does too much emphasis on our grievances bring us a less tolerant society?

For most of my life, there has been a sense of guilt underlying American society. Our history dates back to times when powerful nations basically conquered less powerful nations often enslaving their peoples. Large empires, such as Rome did it. This was the norm.

During my lifetime, rather than just accepting this, there has been a sense of guilt about oppression of the less powerful as well as guilt about damage done, to the natural environment, by industrialization. Attempts to create more multicultural societies that amalgamate different cultures under one roof have been prevalent in more modern times. Meanwhile most people continue just living their lives while utilizing the fruits of industrialization, some folks with a sense of guilt in the back of their minds, yet continuing to utilize the fruits of industrialization.

To some extent, we've developed a laidback, fairly tolerant society of compromise that tends to allow a wide variety of lifestyles within it. This has been the society I have lived my life in. Things have not been perfect and some people have expressed their grievances about the compromises of modern society. The history of more brutal conquest and repression is still remembered adding to the fuel of grievances.

It seems like now, maybe too much focus on grievances could be bringing us back to a situation where the aggrieved group with the most power wins. Our society, that has been a somewhat tolerant compromise of various subcultures, seems to be evolving more into a zero sum game of groups asserting their grievances and rights without considering the legitimacy of another group's perspective. The power balance now does seem to favor right wing perspectives which are basically just another set of grievances.

I think, overall, we have been emphasizing grievances too much. Yes, it's important to listen and be aware of grievances but living together in one country, especially a large empire, requires lots of compromise and kindness. Otherwise, the aggrieved group with the most power tends to dominate.

In the recent past, police shootings have been scrutinized in the US. The Trump Administration seems to be breaking from that tradition.

Across the US, if local police shoot someone, it is taken seriously and there are investigations. When ICE shoots someone, such as the Good case in Minneapolis, the Trump Administration plans no investigation, it's immediately justified and the administration doesn't take it that seriously.

While I normally sympathize with most local police who have a difficult job, it is important that political leaders scrutinize their work. It seems like, with the corrupt Trump Administration, scrutiny isn't done. It's a vey different situation than how things were dealt with in the recent past, such as in the George Floyd case where there was scrutiny which lead to those officers being found guilty.

Now, at least at the federal level, it seems like scrutiny isn't a priority anymore.

Another Martin Luther King Day event.

Images from yesterday's Martin Luther King Day event in Sehome High School. It was well attended.

Some emphasis on person to person interaction for solutions at the grassroots. Discussions around tables were useful and lively, though I found that discussions were still somewhat impeded by presentations to the whole group. Often the best grassroots discussions are truncated by the overall program at meetings like this.

At my table I was able to explain my way of using transit to get to Seattle for around $5 using the County Connector Buses. Another person at the table was quite interested. I enjoy interactive chances to express my somewhat unique thinking and experiences. I try and cater my stories to people's questions. That's the virtue of interactive discussion over presentation.

One of my reasons for going was also to experience the new Sehome High School building. The boiler room was visible through display windows from the cafeteria. Good idea as it's educational. Back when I was in school, those things were more hidden as if education only comes from books.

I also noticed quite a few bike racks and other alternative transportation facilities at the school. Practical solutions for today's world.

Skateboard parking.

I've tended to blame people more than the system, but now that Republicans rule, the system is getting more corrupt.

For most of my life, I have blamed people, in mass, for most of society's problems rather than blaming leadership. Problems come from our culture and mass behaviors, for the most part. Other people seem to blame leadership.

Having said this, I do feel, today, that leadership has gotten a lot worse now that Republicans control national government. Now it can be more truthfully said that leadership is corrupt. Wealth inequality continues to get worse.

In my past, basically the post World War II era, there was always some corruption, but the system was making an attempt at fairness. We had diversity, equity and inclusion along with attempts at environmental stewardship. It didn't always work, but I think most people didn't understand the deep cultural basis of the problems.

It wasn't just the system that was the problem, it was also the people. It wasn't necessarily individuals, who are just surviving given the momentum of everything around us. For instance lifestyles effect city planning which, in turn necessitate certain lifestyles; the vicious cycle of our automobile based transportation system.

Politicians campaigned based on finding who's to blame. That's the way campaign contributions are raised. Even before the era of social media, outrage sells.

In some ways, people didn't appreciate how good we had it. Gratitude and patience were in short supply. Of course I don't expect everyone, who has been wronged, to have gratitude. Gratitude is in short supply for those who have it mostly good, but not everyone is on the same page, of course. Oppression can come from those in power, but also from individuals participating in abusive relationships and so forth. Oppression can come from the grassroots. Critiques of the "system" usually doesn't take individual responsibility into account.

Now that the system seems to be crumbling, we may be in for harsher realities, though if people do come to their senses, we still can create a better world.

About climate change, in years past, we had establishment folks in business and government who realized the need for change to greener energy, but also understood the difficulty of the logistics.

Meanwhile some populists wanted change faster. They demanded more should be done. Protests and so forth.

I miss the more innocent times when it was more of a battle between idealism and just being realistic. Slowing the pace of change was mostly due to being realistic, possibly overly so, but at least not saying climate change is a total hoax and forcefully rededicating us to fossil fuels.

Photo of protest a few years ago against oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean. Climate change could mean less snow at Mount Baker during Bellingham's Ski to Sea race.

US kicked out of NATO instead of NATO ending? Maybe NATO could reform between Canada and Europe minus USA?

I've thought that the US might get kicked out of NATO which means possibly loosing access to some European bases, or having to fight to keep them against the will of the nations they are in. The alliance could try and reform between Europe and Canada without us, or maybe just having us as an ally outside the main governing structure. Instead, it seems like European leaders are talking about the end of NATO. NATO ending, versus my speculation about it reforming around the rouge USA.

I wonder how much Trump and our government would be willing to pay for Greenland?

I wonder how much Trump and our government would be willing to pay for Greenland if it were for sale? It could certainly add to the national debt not counting maintaining it and defending it.

The US government must be rolling in money. It wants to buy Greenland and then take full responsibility for it's defense.

The US government is over 38 trillion dollars in debt, but it still acts like it's rolling in money. It wants to buy Greenland. This so the US could take full responsibility for Greenland's defense by pumping up military presence there. The US can do that now. We could deploy massive military spending in Greenland, but haven't done that yet. The US wants to buy Greenland and then take on the full responsibility of it's defense. Trillions more added to the national debt. Fortunately, Greenland is not for sale.

Insistence on buying Greenland seems useless. We can currently ramp up our defense assets in Greenland under current agreement. The cost of doing this isn't being discussed as it is hidden behind the issue of buying Greenland. If we need to ramp up defense of Greenland and pay more attention to it's defense, we need all the help we can get from our NATO (or possibly our former NATO) allies. Doing it alone would be far more costly for us than sharing the burden with other NATO allies.

NATO is the best way to defend Greenland.

NATO has been a real important alliance which includes Greenland. The US has had a good connection with Denmark and other NATO countries which allows more US military assets in Greenland if the US were to want this. Beefing up military presence in Greenland does cost money so it could be a difficult move given budgetary constraints. Friendly relations with NATO countries has been good for our security. We can't really afford to create sour relations with NATO allies.

A bike path is a resilient use for flood prone areas.

Along Whatcom Creek near Woburn in Bellingham.

Is using carbon tax money to fix bridges consistent with climate goals?

I've often thought that the concept of a carbon tax could be merged with the gas tax that pays for transportation. Now it looks like Washington State is considering using some of the cap and trade carbon fund to fix old bridges. Some legislators have suggested that fixing a bridge can save fuel versus closing the bridge and having a long detour. Also putting bike lanes on an upgraded bridge is good for climate goals.

I think carbon taxes are similar to utility taxes. The concept can relate to all energy and transportation systems, such as the power grid. The taxes could be merged into one concept for maintaining, upgrading and making more green those infrastructure systems. Future legislators and voters could decide on the priorities for spending the money all the way from just maintaining the systems that we have to conversions for lower carbon footprint . This would depend on how much voters wish to transition toward green versus just maintaining the systems as is. It seems like there is never enough money even for just maintaining roads and so forth.

There is also a proposal to take money away from the carbon fund and use it to fill a hole in the state budget for funding a child tax credit; sort of like robbing the carbon fund to pay for something else. I think keeping the money closer to the needs of infrastructure, such as maintaining bridges, is a better way to go, if the carbon funds need to be diverted toward regular budget items.

The US may have not been an oligarchy in the past, but under Trump, it's more an oligarchy now.

In the past, I've not agreed with some thinking on the left that the US was an oligarchy rather than a representative democracy. I've tended to blame people more than government, or business for our problems.

Now, it does look more and more like the US is an oligarchy. It may no longer be a democracy. Things change over time. It's a different situation now. The line between democracy and oligarchy has always been blurry. Under Trump, it's more on the oligarchy side of the line, meaning rule by only a small group of elites. Billionaires with even more power than before. I think it can migrate back toward democracy depending on the next primary and so forth.

My own life hasn't changed that much. Freedom of speech still exists for the time being. Things, here in Washington State and in Bellingham, are mostly normal, but rule at the federal level is mostly now done by executive order. The Republican Party is the ruling party for national government; somewhat running like a one party system.

Democrats in Congress still vote in opposition and if enough Republicans break rank and vote differently, that can move us back toward what I thought America was in past years.

The US can beef up forces in Greenland now, but Trump's saber rattling could harm relations and put US in an uncomfortable position of resorting to force to keep current assets in Greenland.

The US can beef up it's forces in Greenland if it wants. That just costs lots of money. Current NATO agreements allow that, so I read.

Trump's saber rattling over Greenland could jeopardize those agreements with Denmark and other NATO nations. This could put us in the uncomfortable position of having to resort to force in order to even keep our current military presence in Greenland.

Washington's Climate Commitment Act helps alternative transit in spite of disappointing carbon reduction figures.

I-5 between Bellingham and Ferndale.

I would think that Washington's Climate Commitment Act is working if it reduces traffic gridlock by improving alternative transportation. Notice, I haven't mentioned reducing carbon emissions yet. The act has many other benefits.

In the news, there has been a big error in accounting. According to an editorial on KIRO Radio website, The Department of Commerce released a statement Tuesday afternoon admitting they made a “data entry error” in reporting the emissions reductions from eight Climate Commitment Act projects. They originally reported: 7.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions reduced. Here’s the actual number: 78,000 tons. Woops. Still, I'm thinking about where the money is spent, here in Washington, that benefits transit users, building efficiencies and other things for climate resilience. As for the actual amount of carbon saved, it may be tricky to measure. It does look like people's behavior doesn't change that much, so far. Folks may just grit their teeth, pay higher prices for fuel and keep driving anyway.

Passing laws and taxes, from the top down, can be problematic. Personally, I would have preferred a simpler carbon tax versus this more complicated Cap and Trade, but the cap bill is what we got; passed by the Legislature after voters turned down carbon taxes on two different occasions.

The Cap and Trade Law was upheld by Washington State voters in 2024 when the initiative to repeal it failed at the ballot. I voted against that initiative to repeal it also.

I do see a few problems going forward, however. The Governor has suggested taking $500 million out of Climate Commitment Funds to plug a hole in the state budget; some kind of child tax credit that's underfunded, I guess.

Many of the state's regular programs do keep rising in cost; such as K-12 education which the state's constitution says is the "paramount duty of the state." Sometimes I think these regular things can be reconsidered. As for education, people learning to use alternative transit could be seen as "educational."

Another problem is that the Climate Commitment Act ratchets up to higher fuel costs as time goes on. This is to pursue goals for reducing carbon emissions. At some point, voter support may break; like a stretched rubber band.

Still, if we are to solve the global warming problem, people will need to make some lifestyle changes. This needs to be supported with better planning so greener lifestyles can be more viable for families and individuals. That's where planning comes in for housing, density, transportation, heating efficiency and so forth. We need more solar, wind, nuclear, geothermal, hydrogen fusion and so forth for energy. Low density sprawl out across vast landscapes has been a problem that I have studied since my college planning classes.

These things all interconnect when we look at the big picture, rather than just the little pieces.

Will the US get kicked out of NATO?

I've often thought that due to Trump and most Republicans, the US might get kicked out of NATO. This isn't quite what is being said now. Our threatening talk toward Greenland is being said that it might destroy the NATO Alliance. Instead, I think the alliance could reform around European nations and Canada; still responsible partners. This isn't the first time, however, that internal strife happened in NATO. Turkey and Greece have fought over Cypress; both members of NATO. Turkey was kept for its strategic location on the southern flank. US is still the biggest military in the world so NATO may be reluctant to push it out though US might not be trusted with secrets and so forth. It leaks like a sive.

Alliances between nations are still, in my opinion, the best way to maintain security, peace and justice.

What's Trump's strategy for taking over Venezuelan oil? Likely not to help US oil companies making oil too cheap. More likely it's part of a strategic world chess game .

Like a wet dream, Trump would love to seize Venezuela's oil so he can control a bigger chunk of the world's oil. This could be bad for the American oil industry because even lower oil prices could make domestic oil production, from fracking and so forth, less viable. I would guess this dream is more about international power; being able to dictate more of oil supply on the world stage.

As for US domestic consumption, a strategy would be to keep prices high enough so domestic production remains viable only to use flooding the US market incase there is an election that might not go in favor of the Republican Party. Then lower gas prices domestically to try and swing the election.

Of course this dream will not be that easy for many reasons. My guess is, it would require boots on the ground to seize the oil production in Venezuela. Venezuela's current government is still somewhat in power; like it or not. Most of that country's wells and production is in bad shape so large amounts of liquid oil could not flow, at will, for quite some time. That system would need lots of upgrades.

Dancing that was at Presence Studio is now at Bellingham Fitness. Like my memories of aerobics in a gym.

My Medicare Advantage Plan offers a free gym membership. An ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure. Due to all the biking and dancing I do, I didn't get around to joining the treadmill crowd for quite some time. Years ago, I did aerobics at YMCA, a musical fitness class like being at a dance. Over the years that fashion faded in gyms.

I continued enjoying the social connection that gyms provide; especially saunas and steam rooms. Not that I like extreme heat, I wasn't there just for that. Those kind of places can be good social outlets.

Due to Covid and other reasons, the Y in Bellingham dropped it's sauna. Some other gyms still provide that. I felt funny just joining a gym for the sauna so I procrastinated fearing my less "pragmatic" fitness goal would be seen as strange.

Eventually I took the plunge, literally into the hot tub of another gym. It has been good and yes, people are friendly enough. I walked past all the stationary bikes and other machines that most people drive their cars to the gym to use. I also walked past a large fitness room that looked like it could host something like the musical aerobics classes I remember from clear back to the 1980s.

Then a problem came up in Bellingham. A free form hippie style dance event that I sometimes go to lost their cherished space. Rent going up and some dancers started worrying about mold in the attic of the old building they were dancing at. I never noticed the mold and I tend to not be real picky about things anyway.

They danced in an old funky building; what does one expect? The studio had character, art and a sense of sacredness. Still they moved.

The dance found a new space that was much more expensive. My guess is, not sustainable even given entry fee for the dance going up slightly.

It wasn't long till that dance migrated on to - the gym I had joined. The free form funky fun dance in the clean fitness room I had walked past at my gym. Dancers welcome at that special event even if not gym members. Fee for the dance event still collected at the door to the fitness room. The dance adapted. Nothing is perfect. They often use the phrase "shape shifting." I went and it rekindled connections for me. The gym, my memories of aerobics and dancing. I think it can be a good fit.

Economically, it seems like using a gym would be sustainable as fitness instructors are sometimes paid by a gym to teach fitness, rather than having to lease the space. Still, if leased, the space is likely to be affordable as the missions of fitness and sacred dance spaces can be connected.

I've enjoyed that dance for years, though I don't go real often. There's another thing I go to that happens at exactly the same time. It's a walking and talking group around Lake Padden that I am definitely part of as well. I can't clone myself, and there is an abundance of community, in Bellingham, that one can tap into.

Where was Congress when the president acted? A slim majority are Republicans who have supported him.

Looks like the battle of the bullies as Trump captures Maduro. Both leaders with dictatorial tendencies. Oil is part of the story again.

Whether Trump has authority to do this without without Congress is a question. Some folks ask; "Where the hell is Congress?" My thought is, a slim majority in Congress is Republican. They usually back Trump. Maybe more Republicans will question this going forward.

In the short run, this move looks like an ingenious success. Both Maduro and his wife captured, supposedly no American solders lost. How they pulled it off is kind of amazing. Then one must ask, why they had to bomb the boats off the Venezuelan coast killing many? Couldn't they have boarded the boats and at least investigated? They were able to just capture Maduro on the mainland.

What will the long term implications be? I don't like dictators, but was this a good idea?

What effect will it have on the situation in Iran where many Iranians are trying to overthrow their oppressive government? Will Trump's saber rattling toward Iran help, or likely interfere with the Iranian people's local attempts to rise up against their dictators? Biden was US president when the Syrians were able to overthrow Assad.

Will this make it more likely there will be a serious crackdown, within Iran, against it's people, in response to perceived outside meddling? What about this country? Are we headed more to dictatorship? What would be happening is Kamila Harris was president instead of Trump? What if Democrats had a majority in Congress and in the Supreme Court? Are some people now regretting not voting in 2024?

Will Trump go up, or down, in the next polls? Some people will praise what looks like cutting through the clutter and getting a job done. Others will say this is not how democracy works.

Like in Iraq, the war looks swift and successful at first, but the Iraq occupation was very problematic. How will this effect what Russia does and what China does?

Oil plays a role in Iran, Iraq, Russia, Venezuela and, of course, here in the US.

It will be a while before more is known.

Internal strife within Republican Party may be more newsworthy than strife within Democratic Party during 2026.

In 2026, I think internal strife within the Republican Party will be more interesting than the much talked about strife between far left and moderate within the Democratic Party. The Democrats in Congress, did hold together from left to moderate on many votes trying to check some of Trump's powers. They just didn't have enough votes unless some Republicans broke with Trump and voted with the Democrats. One example of this was the vote to release the Epstein files. Another example is Trump's cancelling of the the Arkansas Valley water project serving a mostly Republican area in southeast Colorado. There may be more situations, like this going forward between now and November.

My New Year's mailing for 2025-2026.

Washington State budget jigsaw puzzle.

Balancing the state budget isn't an easy task. It looks like Governor Ferguson is thinking of taking money away from dedicated climate commitment funds to fill a hole in the budget to fund a tax credit for low income working families. This means less money from Cap and Trade for things like public transit, bike lanes and other climate resilience things.

It's less easy to take funds away from K-12 education which is a large chunk of money. State constitution mandates K-12 to be the paramount duty of the state.

Still, if one thinks more wholistically, climate resilience can also be seen as education; for instance children under 18 can now ride transit for free. Maybe that's being too generous for kids even from higher income families, but there is an educational logic to the free fares as well. Supposedly people, who learn the ropes of alternative transit early in life, are more likely to be dedicated low carbon consumers for life. Who knows for sure as often people, who enter adult working and family raising years, feel the economic pressure to adopt more mainstream ways such as feeling the necessity of having a car.

Ferguson is also proposing a wealth tax which could provide more revenue. Still a difficult lift and that proposal wouldn't go into effect till 2029, due to expected opposition and court challenges.

Like a jigsaw puzzle, the pieces of the budget are bigger than the revenue box. I seems to never all fit.

Transportation takes lots of money also, including the state ferries. Car ferries are expensive compared to smaller passenger / bike only ferries. Could some money be saved there? This would also be a hard lift as people are addicted to their cars. Getting from islands to the mainland is important though San Juan County, which relies on ferries, is near the top for per capita income of state counties. Taking dedicated gas tax money away from cars wouldn't be easy either.

Give and take does take lots of patience and it seems like just about everything in the budget is crucially important.

Maybe Ferguson could draft two budget rough drafts. One with the wealth tax and another that would have cuts assuming no wealth tax. Float both scenarios with clear explanations and see how it plays in public opinion.

We certainly can't have it all when there are so many needs and the puzzle pieces are larger than the box.

In spite of fears that the DOJ would redact all the stuff that put their "leader" in bad light, they did show some transparency.

Looks like the Justice Department has released some of the files that put Trump in a bad light. Many of us have feared that this Trump Administration dominated Justice Department would delete things that put their leader in a bad light, but they have released some things, under pressure from Congress. Still they are claiming these findings are not valid accusations and concerns, I guess.

We'll see how this all plays out.