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things have changed

saturday, october 24th, 2026

I remind you once again: history is a trickster. Sometimes things turn out, and sometimes they just turn, and these days they’re turning hard. Get this: Russia is not our mortal enemy anymore. This is not 1956 or even 1986. It is no longer the so-called Free World against the wicked Hammer and Sickle.

Russia is no longer a weird political science experiment acting in defiance of human nature — that is, of people striving to make good lives for their families. No more sacrificing everyone’s happiness to prove Karl Marx’s cockamamie theories. No more trying to foist all that on the rest of the world. Russia gave up on that project and opted to become a normal nation, with the full kit of normality: commerce, shopping, banks, enterprise. Things have changed.

Most people are not the enemy. They are scared, proud, lonely, overworked, and trying to protect something they love with the only map they were handed.

Things have gotten strange, too. You see every indication that, for now, Europe has become something of adversary, if not exactly our enemy, yet. Europe has lost its mind. Now, it is Europe’s turn to destroy itself in pursuit of idiotic theories — such as: nations don’t matter. . . you can have a high standard of living without productive industry. . . carbon is destroying the world.

Europe is now tyrannized by the unelected EU commission, much as the old Soviet Union was tyrannized by its politburo. An Orwellian switcheroo has occurred. When history plays tricks, it plays doozies. So, now you’ve got the grandmotherly Ursula von der Leyen dictating what all the countries in Europe may do and not do with their farms and factories and the daily lives of their people, just like Joseph Stalin in 1937. And you have the grotesquely weak leaders of France, Germany, and the rest submitting to this.

And outside the EU — which it voted to exit in 2016 — you have our so-called “mother country,” Great Britain (the United Kingdom) committing suicide in the most extravagant way, turning over prime ministers like they were jacks in a game of whist, jailing their own people for impure thoughts, while allowing the wholesale rape of its womenfolk by foreign invaders. Most extraordinary, as Dr. Watson might have observed to old Sherlock. Meanwhile, they have the ragged remnant of their old empire to defend, and it’s not going so well.

That remnant is all that’s left of Britain’s economy: its banks, its Wall Street, which they call The City of London, a square mile of hideous skyscrapers by which Britain desperately seeks to maintain financial flows into an economy that increasingly produces nothing. Which is to say, all that’s left of Britain’s vast imperial power is a matrix of nefarious financial rackets — just as, in the USA, all that’s left of the old Democratic Party is its matrix of rackets.

These days, Britain’s political apparatus is working hard to scare-up a war with Russia as a last-ditch attempt to salvage its hopelessly wasted economy. Britain’s leadership apparently thinks it can summon a war economy and even draft an army of foot-soldiers as if this were 1914 or 1939. It’s an insane project, based on an age-old wish to capture the vast natural resources of Russia. They’ve been at it, like, forever. (France and Germany tried it, too. Didn’t work.)

Now we, here in the USA, in our own hemisphere of the globe, far across the salty seas from Europe, had been enlisted in this project to mess with Russia since 1991, and that’s not working so well anymore, either. First of all, there is the NATO problem. We’re still entangled in that anachronistic treaty, despite Russia having opted to be normal thirty-five years ago. So, you see, the way to get Russia was to stir up a war between it and Ukraine.

And they used us to do it — because the EU+ NATO lacked the mojo for the job. They got our Anglified State department and its NeoCon errand boys, along with our intel cowboys and their “Five-Eye” pardners, to stage the 2014 Maidan Revolution in Kiev, kick out the Russia-friendly president Viktor Yanukovych and, after running through a couple of puppet presidents, installed the former comedian Zelenskyy in the job (who had played a buffoonish Ukrainian president on TV previously, another great prank by our friend, history).

The next gambit was to try to shoe-horn Ukraine into NATO, which everybody knew would provoke Russia to move against Ukraine, which it did in 2022. Russia did not want NATO military bases on its border. That, Mr. Putin declared, loudly enough to be heard in Berlin, Paris, London, and Brussels, was a “red line.” Voila, war! And the USA being the backbone and the bank account for NATO, got dragged into backing Ukraine by the feckless “Joe Biden” — years on Ukraine’s bribery payroll, and too out-of-it to not be punked into playing along. Yeah, he said, you can join NATO. The blue and yellow flags busted out all over our land. Slava Ukraini, the useful idiots shrieked.

President Donald Trump, having survived the Ukraine phone call impeachment gambit and many other attempts to put him out of business, was wise to the game, and one of the first things he did returning to power in 2025 was to confab with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Against all odds, Mr. Trump has maintained that working relationship despite having to pretend to support NATO. He apparently realizes that the tricks of history have placed the USA in greater alignment with Russia than with our former World War Two allies, most particularly a desire to avoid the World War Three that NATO is now pushing for.

The President has made it clear that he is done with the weaselly Zelenskyy and all his machinations — his visits to suck-up with King Charles, his nefarious dealings with NATO, his monstrous money-laundering. If Mr. Trump has not yet secretly withdrawn America’s remaining support for Ukraine via NATO, he will do so soon, explicitly, and in a way that is liable to be an end to NATO, which trickster-history has managed to turn into a warmonger. The EU and NATO do not have the money to keep that war going. It’s as simple as that.

Now, Iran. Americans are badly exercised by this operation, which has so far claimed around twenty lives. Well, there’s an election on, and you can be sure that a lot of this discontent is being generated by 1) the desperate Democratic Party and 2) the various characters in what’s being called “Woke MAGA.” The peeved apostates, such as Tucker, Candace, MTG, and company, might be acting under, shall we say, foreign influence, but they also seem plumb crazy. In the case of Tucker and Candace, of course, the ideas they’ve been retailing seem garishly insane. Tucker babbles about literal infestations of Satan-sent demons, and sneers Goebbels-like against the Jews, while Candace follows her cuckoo Charlie Kirk vengeance project.

Get this: Iran has lost this war, and badly. And for a good reason: being that they were determined to develop nuclear weapons and long-range missiles to deliver them, and President Trump made the reasonable decision that it better not happen. Iran, being run by a lunatic Jihad faction, the IRGC, refuses to come to reasonable terms. The few weeks left before the US midterm election make this an especially delicate period. The Iranians well know this, and are playing it for all it’s worth in hopes that a flip of the US Congress will improve their position. It’s a bad bet.

The president has made it pretty clear, and consistently so for months. The Iranians can either agree to become a normal nation, even prosperous, happy one, but with no nukes and no more jihad, or we are going to put them out of business — whichever way the midterm election goes. In other words, what you’re seeing now in that corner of the globe is not the final disposition of things.

The Europeans apparently have an incentive to do whatever they can do keep feeding the flames in Ukraine and Iran, though they are not advertising it overtly. Our interests have diverged. The Europeans are maneuvering in such a way as to make themselves an adversary to the USA, a very unwise move. It also happens that their countries are going up in flames at the moment. Their citizens are not happy, and they are further belabored by a large force of invading savages. The leaders in charge of those countries might not be in charge a whole lot longer. Think about recalibrating your expectations about where all this is going. And don’t be so glum. The odds are in our country’s favor, and these wars can be resolved favorably.

© 10.16.2026 by James Howard Kunstler, "ClusterFuck Nation".

A Day In The Life.

Up at 9:30a on Saturday, a very cool 49°F, heavily-overcast, breezy morning, I upped the heat to 75° briefly, made coffee, fired-up the Win-7 Pentium HP Desktop to let its 32 million lines of code load, skipped breakfast, had a couple smokes in the garage and checked the leftover errands list. Zero. I scanned the weather and the breaking news websites, tuned into a "CP Show" Podcast on local WSBA-910, and went back to sleep, for the rest of the morning.

I'm still struggling to keep 'the old man' out. I'm losing.

I had a few minor condo chores to do, made lunch, and took a nap on the LR couch for a couple hours. A ***FREEZE WARNING*** was posted for the area, but that doesn't affect me. All my garden plants are cut bacxk and removed. I took a 2hr snooze on the LR couch, watched the evening news, and switched to History's "Ancient Aliens" until 11:3e0p; lights out.

Sleeping-in until 9a on Sunday, a sunny, dry, chilly 49° morning, I upped the heat, made coffee, scanned the news and weather websites, got ready for the week and started a load of laundry. After lunch, I finioshed-up the laundry, ran 2 errands, and came home to a warm condo, and the LR couch. Sherry called to chat. I watched History's "American Pickers: until 1a, and bagged it for the night.

Up at 8a on Monday, a sunny, breezy, cold 37° morning, I quickly upped the condo's heat, made coffee, and scanned the weather and news websites. Freaking cold! No TV today. I tuned into the ongoing "CP Show", and went thru the email queue.

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

I decided not to go south to Dallastown and the (DeVono's) cleaners, but just to do the 3 errands here in the East York area, since there wasn't much to drop-off/ pick-up at the cleaners. I did some small condo chores, took a short walk to the CHCA Community Mailbox, and found the eye drops for my upcoming eye-cataract surgery on Nov 2nd, and had lunch. Trtees are dropping leaves faster, evergreens are dropping yellowed needles and the hemisphere is readying itself for Winter. Natch.

I took a 90min nap, watched the evening news, and switched to History's great series, "World War II" until 1a, and unplugged.0

Tours ofParis are greatly discounted, this Fall.

Up at 8:30a on Tuesday, a sunny, breezy, cold 41° morning, I upped the heat, made coffee and scanned the news and weather websites. I tuned into the ongoing "CP Show" and relaxed for tghe rest of the morning. Sherry would be here around 1p. I got ready for the day, brought in the garbage and recycle bins to the garage, and opened-up the condo to the fresh air outside,.

No pain, so I dfid a couple errands, had lunch and worked around the condo until mid-afternoon, grabbed a short nap, and watched the 6p evening news. I switched to Discovery's "Filthy Fortunes", until 1a, and unplugged.

I slept in until 11:45a on Wednesday, a breezy, cold 41°, upped the heat, made coffee and scanned the news and weather. I checked voicemail and email -- as I do every morning -- and Sis had called to tell me that she'd received a Thumb Drive with medical (opthalamologist's 253 pages of medical records) and wanted to stop by to see if they could be printed on my Canon home printer. No way. The 253 pages' paper isn't a problem, but the ink cartidges would be. Cheapr to have a local print shop do it. $26 for 253 pages; that's a bargain, compared to the cost for me to do it.

No nap today. Sis left around 4p, I rechecked the news and weather, had dinner, I watched the evening news, and switched to Discovery's "Ghost Adventures" until 1a, and bgged it for the night.

Up at 9:30a on Thursday, a sunny, bright, 49° morning, I upped the heat, made coffee, scanned the news and weather, and tuned into the ongoing "CP Show", from 9-12. I had a few local errandes to do, and had that stuff done by mid-afternoon. I started on a large condo chore, watched the 6p evening news, and after 15-20mins, I switched to History's "History's Greatest Picks" ("American Pickers" spin-off) until 1a, and quit for the night.

Oh crap, I found this FNC article, on naps Maybe if I just take an occassional "snooze", instead of daily "naps"?.

Awake and up at 7a on Frtiday, another sunny, blue sky, very cool 46° morning, upped the heat, made the first of two carafes of Kona Coffee. Once again, I'd p[lanned to get the labwork done, but used Half & Half in my coffee, after fasting since 10p last evening, but now I can't Maybe I should leave myself a note?

I watched the evening news, had dinner, and switched to Discovery's "Gold Rush" for the evening. Lights out at 2a.

Today starts a new week, here in the "Journal", and with the exception of that nagging ;lab work, and now a haircut, I've got a clear week. Sherry&Co are full all week, with packing for her upcoming move.

Understanding ‘Democratic Socialism’ in the Real World

???Democrat nominee for the Senate in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, in a nationally televised news program, described ‘Medicare for All’ as “…guaranteed health insurance from cradle to the moment you pass away. It comes without premiums or co-pays or deductibles. It guarantees you care when you need it. This is a level of security we have never known in the United States.”

This is a slick snake oil salesman trying to convince you that there is a good fairy bringing you utopia for nothing.

El-Sayed and many others ignore key important issues. What does it cost, and how do we pay for it? If they would examine the countries that have national health insurance in various forms, they would know not one works as he described. All have rationing of services and long waits for procedures needed. In every case, there is more demand for services than supply of doctors, hospitals, nurses, etc. to fulfill the demand. And they all have some kind of fee for services.

The Cato Institute has done an analysis of what all the ‘free’ services might cost; ‘Medicare for All’ is just one of the programs. There is ‘free’ tuition, child care, senior care, reparations, etc. – a long wish list of benefits. Their estimate for a 10-year period ranges from a low of $71 trillion to a high of $222 trillion. The assumptions vary widely, but the least expensive alternative is almost double what the U.S. spends now on everything. The total expenditures for 2026 fiscal year were $7.4 trillion.

So, how do we pay for it?

Tax the rich? Cato also studied that option. They found the only problem with that is there isn’t nearly enough money among the wealthy on any reasonable tax increase to come close to paying for it. Wealth Taxes? Sorry, that has been tried in a dozen countries and repealed because it doesn’t work either. In France, for example, they repealed it after 75,000 of their wealthiest left, and they discovered that they lost more in regular taxes than they gained in the wealth tax.

Some countries offer many of the social programs often held up as models for the United States. Sweden, a Scandinavian country frequently cited as an example, is one of them. But how does Sweden pay for these programs? The answer is through significantly higher taxes on income, retirement, consumption, and gasoline.

Sweden’s income tax starts at 32 percent, with the rate rising to 52 percent on income above $62,000. By comparison, the U.S. federal income tax rate tops out at 22 percent for income up to $103,000, although higher federal tax brackets apply to income above that level, but none get close to 52 percent.

Retirement taxes are another major difference. In Sweden, employers pay a pension contribution of 32 percent on the full amount of wages. In the United States, Social Security taxes total 12.4 percent, split equally between employers and employees, and apply only up to an annual earnings cap, which was $184,500 in 2025.

Sweden also relies heavily on a value-added tax, or VAT, which functions much like a national sales tax on goods and services. The standard rate is 25 percent, although certain items, including food, are taxed at lower rates. The overall effective rate averages 19 percent. The United States, by contrast, has no national sales tax. However, most states have a sales tax, which averages roughly six to seven percent.

Gasoline provides another example of the difference. On a given date, a gallon of gasoline in Sweden costs approximately $7.19, compared with $4.47 in the United States. The difference reflects Sweden’s higher fuel taxes.

Generous public programs do not pay for themselves. Sweden funds its many social benefits through a substantially higher tax burden on everyone — workers, employers, and consumers. Americans considering whether to adopt similar programs should weigh not only the benefits they promise, but also the taxes required to sustain them. Our snake oil salesmen conveniently ignore this issue.

The national health service doesn’t work quite like the snake oil salesman from Michigan suggests. In Sweden and most countries that have some form of universal medical care, there is rationing of medical services and long waits for many procedures. And there are fees required for all visits, typically from $20 to $40 for routine visits. And there is a growing reliance on private health insurance (13 percent have this), because that is the way you can get your needs fulfilled on a timely basis. Many of their companies offer private insurance as an inducement to employment.

If you want all those ‘free’ programs, just understand you will be paying a lot for them. There is no free lunch, so quit looking for it.

© 10.17.2026 by Les Rubin, "Townhall".