Ulti

I think the question to this one ‘73 is at what price?

https://brklyninvestor.com/2025/02/24/brk-2024-annual-report-and-stuff/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/canadas-fentanyl-crisis-corruption-w-guest-sam-cooper/id1591470469?i=1000689972242 I would be interested to here from my Canadian brethren how accurate this story is… starts in the second half of the interview

When I heard private equity and cutting in the same sentence…. I tuned out… I’ve seen 1st hand how private equity has destroyed healthcare…. Again I’m not arguing against the need for massive cuts and upgrades thruout government…and everyone I know who works at a fed state county and local government agrees……it’s going about it as rationally, efficiently, and openly as possible…..and not letting unknowns sysadmins have access to sensitive information without a check in place and being vetted… Otherwise you run. a greater risk of a Snowdenesque event… (Just an opinion )

https://www.state.gov/priorities-and-mission-of-the-second-trump-administrations-department-of-state/?utm_source=homepage&utm_medium=hero&utm_campaign=s_priorities fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to three simple questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?  To advance our national interest, we will build a more innovative, nimble, and focused State Department. This will require replacing some priorities, deemphasizing some issues, and eliminating some practices. sounds pretty rational

https://warontherocks.com/2025/02/from-strategy-to-action-rethinking-how-the-state-department-works-2/ Rubio acknowledges and recognizes the need to revamp streamline and maybe downsize the State Department…. Some rational thinking as to how

I respectfully disagree… I have friends both at NIH and CDC…. While I agree , as do they , that there is a tremendous amount of waste ….a more rational business approach of say, 10% budget reduction for all departments the 1st year in combination of learning where the waste is and trimming over a period of months would have been better.. Obviously smarter people can come up with better solutions… carpet bombing the federal government haphazardly just doesn’t seem rational( again just my opinion)

https://roughdraftatlanta.com/2025/02/20/usaids-cuts-affect-atlanta-based-nonprofits/ Cuts form Cater Center health initiatives among others.

Curious as to why?

Here’s the wreckage as of Feb. 14, as compiled by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. At least 11,500 Americans and 54,575 foreigners have lost their jobs. Nearly $1 billion in payments for work already done has been frozen. Nearly $500 million in food is sitting in ports, ships and warehouses. In Syria, a country struggling to recover from chaos, food and other support for nearly 900,000 people has been suspended. In West Africa, 3.4 million people in 11 countries have lost drug treatment for deadly tropical diseases. At least 328,000 HIV-positive people in 25 countries aren’t getting lifesaving drugs. U.S. security will suffer, not just needy foreigners, according to the coalition’s research. Foreign military financing for key regional partners such as Jordan and Taiwan has been frozen. Unpaid guards temporarily walked off their jobs securing the al-Hol and Roj camps in Syria that hold 10,000 Islamic State fighters and 40,000 families. A USAID counterterrorism program that had been training forces in Indonesia, Iraq, Libya, Malaysia, Somalia and Yemen has also been halted. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/02/21/usaid-trump-freeze-marocco-foreign-aid/ David Ignatius falls into the George Will and Thomas Friedman… thoughtful , moderate to conservative in views and pragmatic ( just my opinion)

https://davenadig.substack.com/p/trust-in-a-black-hat-world. just another opine on how the world sees the US now

Yep … just watch and see how much the debt ceiling is going to be raised

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/ukraine-must-guarantee-its-own-security another opinion that has come up with the same conclusion

https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2025/01/trumps-iron-dome-america-plan-would-put-weapons-space-big-cost/402630/ the “Iron Dome for America,” President Donald Trump’s catchphrase

https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2025/02/13/fannie-mae-freddie-mac-privatization-impact-rates.html?cx_testId=40&cx_testVariant=cx_3&cx_artPos=7#cxrecs_s

https://warontherocks.com/2025/02/armed-neutrality-for-ukraine-is-natos-least-poor-option/ Limited options for Ukraine to settle war described as the Finland option The hype about the Ukrainian rare earths began with Ukrainians themselves. Desperate to find a way to engage Trump, they miscalculated presenting the then-incoming president a “victory plan” in November that talked up — way, way up — the potential of the country’s mineral resources. Soon, they lost control of the narrative. https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2025-02-19/trump-s-insistence-ukraine-has-rare-earth-elements-is-wrong Column by Javier Blas … seems like both sides way way overhyped the amount of metals available

https://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2025/02/yoy-measures-of-inflation-services.html?m=1 I have to respectfully disagree…. I think there are several good sources of finance and economics that have no agenda.. Calculatedrisk blog seems one

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/02/11/democrats-tricked-strong-economy-00203464?fbclid=IwY2xjawIgQqRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHRAhfBmBwYrwpLm5p-TbhGzxXjD5W26RR4AxC2vQfsiMBNu-ZCgeYofvRA_aem_w-n5nj2efKxGZjVtMwjexQ Eugene Ludwig is chair of the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity and former U.S. Comptroller of the Currency. He is author of The Vanishing American Dream: A Frank Look at the Economic Realities Facing Low- and Middle-Income Americans.

https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2025/02/11/boulder-oil-companies-colorado-supreme-court.html Ive been thinking ( and talking my own book) … That Kruger at the last meeting basically said his company SU is approx 65% isolated from tariffs… With tobaccoesque shit like the the Boulder suit and increased pipeline capacity….Why not just say f’ it . Don’t export to the USA… midwestern states would be screwed but company and Canada would be fine ?

After reading the article it seems like both parties are more inclined to build pipelines? And if so this will take a few years?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/trump-s-threats-and-statehood-taunts-reset-race-to-lead-canada/ar-AA1z6LMq SD is the above article accurate?

Between the Amy Janzwood negative article about pipelines and the Enbridge CEO interview on their history with the government and pipelines….both in the Globe and Mail….I don’t think that Canada will be able to thrive with more Trudeau… The country needs income from natural resources in order to prosper …JMO

And the odds at your end…. Is the current guy Trudeau and his party getting any bounce? Or can we expect to see a more conservative and rational leader…… that would make me look more closely at something like OBE… it looks like their reserves are increasing across the board… do they also have access to the pipeline for their heavy oil business?

SD ….. I notice you don’t mention gold… any opinion? And I do own SU which I think will do well with the new pipeline up and running

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/macro-voices/id1079172742?i=1000691908224 https://www.macrovoices.com/1392-macrovoices-467-jim-bianco-the-mar-a-lago-accords An interesting podcast with Jim Bianco, talking about the three prong Mar-a-Lago approach. One is the use of tariffs, two is a sovereign wealth fund, and three is a transactional relationship with those who own US debt. Bonds held by by countries should be exchanged with a zero coupon century bond that pays no interest. This would bring the debt and interest on our debt down . In return. These countries will continue to get for lack of a better term …. Pax Americana. No more free ride for military support and cooperation… hopefully I’ve interpret this right.