Also just … Unemployment is still near historic lows. Where do they expect all these workers to come from? (While also deporting other employed individuals)

Even if they do; if your employer “provides” the insurance they’ll take a cut of any cost savings :(

No need for a meme. Just say happy mother’s day. A personal anecdote will mean more… Give one example of why you think they’re a great mother.

I have a few close friends who are mothers I sent a note today. If you’re close enough you’d wish them a happy birthday it’d be kind to do the same on any other holiday that applies. And ultimately this is all about being nice to people you care about. If it would make their day a little bit better: do it!

The same applies for days that aren’t holidays too … This is part of how you make and maintain friendships. Send a nice message every once in a while just to let them know they matter to you and you think highly about them. People love to hear others appreciate them. They’re more likely to do the same back if you do, and I always find it uplifting to get a random compliment from a friend.

was on the verge of paying off the debt

That’s inaccurate; the annual budget deficit became a surplus. But it was never near the scale to make much of a dent in the total debt. I think you used the wrong term? Your sentiment is correct if so.

There’s already an annual child tax credit: https://taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/what-child-tax-credit

I’m sure they didn’t even check if birth rates are influenced by this…

Music videos! Binging some of the live sessions posted by artists is a healthier time sink than most everything else on YouTube.

Celery salt is made from celery seed and salt. It’s not as salty as table salt: https://www.allrecipes.com/article/what-is-celery-salt/

Mid 40s. I feel older than I used to; but can still do everything I love so I’d not consider myself “old”.

If you’re looking for convincing arguments; read through the responses from this panel of experts: https://www.kentclarkcenter.org/surveys/tariffs/ (from 2024) and more recently: https://www.kentclarkcenter.org/surveys/tariffs-reciprocal-and-retaliatory-2/

Many of the responding professors provide detail on why they vote a certain way. For example to the 3rd part of the question from 2024: “The gains for the American economy from tripling the tariffs would measurably outweigh the losses.” you get replies like:

Protectionism via tariffs creates well-understood aggregate losses in efficiency. This is so even if China “unfairly” subsidizes its steel. Political motivations aside, actual distributional impacts are modest, ill targeted, and better handled with other more direct tax tools.

With links to further background information: https://economics.mit.edu/sites/default/files/publications/CW 04-15-22.pdf & http://www.econ.ucla.edu/pfajgelbaum/tradewar_1203.pdf with more detail to read.

Not sure if this will convince you or not; but it’s at least a cache of relevant information.

I’ve done mead with lemon zest before; it fermented as expected. That ingredient by itself should not cause fermentation to stall.

British band “Jungle” has been in heavy rotation for me the past ~6 months. Specifically watch their music videos and the dance choreography. I suggest playing the entire album “Volcano” as one video.

Hazardous household chemicals and construction debris are mainly what Fort Worth residents cannot throw away.

Saved you a click.

It’s overvalued in my market at the moment, (Dallas) majority of properties sitting on the market for over half a year and making several list price reductions. COVID inflated the market a bit too much and it needs to come down… 10-20% would be a fair amount I’d expect it to drop over 2 years.

But there are a lot of external factors I’m not considering in my estimate: like idiotic tariffs, incompetent leadership at the state level, and a possible demographic shift depending on how people react to immigration reductions (and possibly net emmigration)… I give a significant chance something out of left field will upend the economy 🤷‍♂️. But who knows when the people in charge change their policies every other day and then insist their new opinion has always been their super secret plan all along…

Housing prices are sticky to go down because they’re also an investment. People (in aggregate) have a tendency to hold rather than sell at a loss. Also note it varies significantly across geographies.

Edit: also houses are not liquid so that also adds to the stickiness of pricing. It takes time for price signals to develop due to the slow (often over a month) & infrequent nature of transactions. It also matters that there’s an industry of professionals who benefit from keeping prices higher.

Dave the Diver, but in space?

First quarter was before tariffs were announced?

Let’s see, just divide by zero and… We’re wealthy beyond belief!

/s

Republicans are so dumb :(

Because somehow trump wrecking the economy isn’t scoffing the working class? This argument starts disjointed from reality then presents a false dichotomy. trump’s administration & policies are a dumpster fire! How is opposing this a dilemma in any meaningful way?

He’s already made statements asking the Fed to lower rates (not that that’s the correct fix). As usual all signals are crossed, no one really knows yet… including the people who are supposed to be in charge. These sort of statements we can ignore until there’s some substance beyond just “administration says”.