As a right-of-center political person, Jason Chaffetz‘s “The Puppeteers” struck a a chord with me. His exposé of the unelected forces shaping American politics confirmed many suspicions and shed light on shadowy corners that aren’t always clear to the casual political observer. Whether you agree with every conclusion, the book sparks vital questions about who truly holds the reins of power in our nation.
Chaffetz, drawing on his experience as a Republican congressman, paints a chilling picture of a “Deep State” network. From career bureaucrats wielding unelected influence to shadowy special interests pulling strings behind the scenes, he argues that ordinary Americans are being governed by forces they barely understand. This resonates deeply with many who feel a growing disconnect between elected officials and the realities of everyday life.
The book excels in its detailed examples. Chaffetz delves into specific instances where unelected entities appear to have overridden the will of the people, from regulatory capture by industry giants to the alleged manipulation of electoral processes. While some claims lack hard evidence, the sheer volume of anecdotes builds a compelling case for a system in need of scrutiny.
Although the temperatures around the US have taken a deep dive and have brought a cold and snowy winter to much of the country, our family is making the most of it. Taylor and Megan spent the long weekend skiing with some in her extended family in Utah and KDAE made the most of the fresh snow in Whitehouse, Ohio.
After watching a couple wildcard playoff NFL blowout games over the weekend, a Music Monday song was triggered during a wrap up after the Green Bay Packers smoked the Dallas Cowboys to move on to San Francisco. The Packers were the underdogs by nearly all the analysts, but even as a young team, they did not play like it. They dominated three quarters and only after playing an early prevent-defense with their second string gave up a few extra points; they were not intimidated. Well done Jordan Love and team.
Aviation has been a hobby of mine for a long time, even though I no longer fly airplanes or spend time homebuilding an airplane or being active in my local EAA Chapter(Hm, I’m missing our chapter meeting today).
I do still enjoy the social connection with aviation friends on Twitter/X.com … one that posts about “Triple Tail” aircraft on Thursdays (aka: #TripleTailThursday). Last week I commented with a photo of a Bellanca 14 19-2 Cruisemaster as most of the photos are of larger commercial aircraft.
The advertising from Tesla is working on me as the range and charging infrastructure continues to improve. Having driven and watched my son-in-law use his Tesla Model3 (mostly for daily commuting) since 2019 with impressive success, a Model3 might make a great second car … IF the price were lower or incentives better (perhaps a “known-owner” lightly-used Model3 or Toyota Hybrid)?
As mentiioned previously, I’m still interested in a small Mazda CUV with hybrid EV set-up … if it were to ever come to market? The CUV uses a rotary engine “as a range extender” on the Mazda MX30 R-EV. It also is currently the only one my wife has “any” interest in as a replacement for her 2010 Acura RDX(although our 1988 Mazda 626 Turbo was still her favorite car). Unfortunately at this point, the “rotary range extender” MX30 R-EV version is not even imported to the U.S. (see segment from previously included 5/2023 post below).
Well then there’s an ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) for that … finally. But now the decision, which one do you add to your investment portfolio? Check out this article on CNBC and chart of ETFs and fees.
The bitcoin exchange-traded funds launching Thursday after the SEC’s long-awaited approval come at a wide variety of price points, with signs that a fee war is already underway.
The Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB) has the lowest expense ratio of all the new bitcoin funds, at 0.20%. Several other funds are close behind, including the Ark 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB) at 0.21% and the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) at 0.25%.
The Bitwise fund also has a temporary waiver that will eliminate the fee entirely for six months on the first $1 billion of assets. Other proposed funds have similar waivers, meaning early adopters of the bitcoin ETFs will have little or zero management cost for a brief time.
All woodworkers making projects tinker with making joints and deciding on which ones are best for their drawers, frames and boxes. I’ve experimented with a variety usually based on traditional construction and visual appeal. BUT I also assumed certain joints were stronger an provided both glue and mechanical strength necessary (ie. drawers getting closed and opened). Surprisingly YouTube producer Scott Walsh’s tests opened more than my eyes to the faulty assumption as to which joint are strongest (thankfully adding splines to miters as I have in many projects seemed to be pretty impressive — see below).
Should I be a whiner or just a grumpy old man who stay quiet?
My day generally starts with coffee and a Nature Valley Honey and Oats granola bar. Last week I started chewing and felt something sharp in my mouth after taking a bite and found a piece of plastic. Hm, did it come from the wrapper, in the bottom of the bowl or was it inside the granola bar? It should not have been there even though it didn’t cut my mouth, but wondering if I should eat the next bar in the 49 pouch box more carefully or contact General Mills to get it replaced (or see if there was a recall)?
This may have been the third year in a row that I’ve “pruned” the dry Christmas tree apart in the house rather than yanking it through the back door or having another disaster. Why didn’t I do this in previous years?
Brenda and I also made a trip to visit Katelyn, Drew and family in their new house in Whitehouse, Ohio. What a great community and beautiful home. So comfortable for them … and for us to stay in their guest bedroom and private bath (we call it the “sanctuary”). 😊
The girls enjoyed showing us around (a couple photos below) and I spent a couple hours playing with them in the playroom while Brenda helped unpack kitchen and pantry boxes — although we all eventually got into the act. It was a quick couple of days, but very enjoyable.
Whether you agree with every conclusion, the book sparks vital questions about who truly holds the reins of power in our nation.
