The state of the Union in a nutshell

The Union is in a bit of a state right now and for the foreseeable future.

Let's count the ways:

1. The US federal government is gung-ho about waging war on its own citizens and residents. That's what the ICE presence in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and elsewhere amount to. The White House now has its own paramilitary that exists to mindlessly meet quotas while terrorizing people who might merely be dropping kids off at school. 

2. The efforts to build a gulag archipelago are taking shape. If this effort does not succeed, it will be our good fortune that Trump and his toadies are still idiots after all this time.

3. The "Big Bloated Bill" that was signed into law last year has dramatically increased the annual budget deficit and of course the national debt in order to transfer wealth from working folks to the Epstein Class. 

4. Trump's idea of "diplomacy" has alienated the US from its usual trading partners and military allies. The kidnapping of Maduro while leaving his regime largely in place has to be one of the odder actions I have seen in my lifetime, and I have no sympathy for Maduro. The fixation on turning Canada into a 51st state and annexing Greenland has been absolutely crazy-making and has led those who simply assumed that the US was a stable nation that aside from taking on too much debt was led by sane people. That notion has now been disabused. Short term? We can see what is happening to the dollar on the Forex, the increases in the long-term bond yields (meaning treasury notes are less valuable), and at least some isolated instances of pension funds and other private funds divesting themselves of US treasury bonds - a suggestion that there is now more of a willingness to take a second look at how the US actually racks up more and more debt. If you think that won't haunt us long-term? Think again.

5. The tariff policies have been a predictably abysmal failure, and unconstitutional to boot. The taxpayers of the US have paid for these tariffs (which are indeed taxes) for nothing. Manufacturing jobs, instead of coming back, have decreased so far, and I see little reason to expect a change. Tariffs did not improve the national debt as billed. And any new tariff mechanisms is likely to face legal challenge. The US does not have a "balance of payment" crisis (as section 122 requires for its 150 day run). And it's safe to say Trump does not have the best and brightest lawyers to counter any future challenges. These tariffs have added uncertainty into the economy as businesses cannot count on trade being predictable. That does not end well.

6. The Epstein Files keep resurfacing in the news. In addition to having a convicted felon in the White House, we have a convicted felon who also is a credibly alleged pedophile. He hasn't been charged or convicted - yet. But there's time. And we really need to challenge the moral compass of anyone actively aiding and abetting Trump as information is hidden, or who voices support for those who approve. The survivors of the Epstein/Maxwell trafficking ring deserve so much better than they get from the US.

7. The US has made measles great again and is probably reviving polio. That will do wonders for public health. An rapid response to the next pandemic has been defunded. That will go well. We'll be told long lifespans were over-rated. 

8. The White House is hell-bent on manipulating the midterm elections in order to stave off the inevitable. 

This is an incomplete list, but is enough to make it clear that the US is in trouble. The rest of 2026 will be interesting - and I don't mean that in any positive sense of the term.