tingilinde

how much will america believe trump's bleatings about a 'awful economy'?

As Krugman points out, the economy is in good shape.  It's taken a lot of work to get there and things like tariffs and deportations will damage it.

One set of expectations stands out:

 

 

getting ready for the trump tax

Americans are stocking up on foreign goods.

snop

...

In a November Harris/Guardian poll, nearly half (44%) of respondents said they were planning purchases before Trump entering office, while nearly two-thirds (62%) said they were at least adjusting their financial plans for next year.

The Guardian asked readers whether they had made or were planning to make purchases in anticipation of Trump’s tariffs. Dozens responded with what they had bought with inauguration day in mind.

Many readers said they made major electronics purchases in anticipation of new tariffs against China. According to the Consumer Technology Association, a 60% tariff on Chinese imports could push up prices for laptops and tablets by 46% and smartphones by 26%.

Even though many said they would have preferred to hold off on making bigger purchases, many felt the pressure of looming tariffs.

...

a tip of the hat to Sukie

 

 

the best skies are in danger

A subsidiary of the US power company AES Corporation is planing on building a huge industrial complex that would damage the night sky around ESO's Paranal Observatory in the Atacama Desert - one of the most important observatories in the world.

 

 

 

this last week and two books

John Vaillant's Fire Weather was one of the best books I read the year it came out.  It's about the 2016 Fort  McMurray fire and much more.  Gripping, I read it in a single pass.  Given Los Angles it's probably time for a re-read.  

John McPhee's The Control of Nature is worth a re-read. Here's a line I marked:

The phalanxed communities of Los Angeles have pushed themselves hard against these mountains, an aggression that requires a deep defense budget to contend with the results.

 

 

 

 

creating a positive opposition

Timothy Snyder on a people's cabinet.

snip

..

Opposition and resistance will take many forms. But a people’s cabinet would be a specific form of activity for politicians. It should be composed of present and past elected officials, and perhaps also past holders of high offices. Unlike journalists or academics or activists or others, such people bear not just ethical but political responsibility. They might have a political future in a restored American democracy. That is the point.

How might the Democratic Party arrange something like this? Unlike parties in parliamentary systems, the Democratic Party has no clear hierarchy, no leader who automatically heads the next government. There is no tradition of an alternative cabinet in the United States. But that does not mean that generating one is impossible! After all, a member of the House of Representatives has already suggested doing this.

The chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee is open. Candidates could make a people’s cabinet part of their platform and explain how they would form it. This would be an obvious first step.

Or the ranking members of the relevant House and Senate committees and subcommittees could serve in parallel as the people’s cabinet. Or the ranking member of one important congressional committee, such as Judiciary, could assign all of its members to serve as an alternative cabinet. Or one respected person of authority could be given the authority by some group of Democrats to form the people’s cabinet. Or a caucus within the Democratic Party, impatient with the older generation, could take this up. Or a set of Democratic governors could get together...

The essential point is to figure this out and get started!

...

 

 

a long wait

Let's say your house has just burned to the ground.  Even if you had the money and could line up materials and workers, you can't rebuild immediately. Burned out houses are considered hazardous waste sites. California has a booklet outlining what has to be done first.

 

 

 

altadena's fate

Will it - can it - keep its character?  (LA Times - outside their paywall)

snip

...

For some, Altadena’s draw has been the seclusion it offers, nestled in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, straddling the line between urban and wild. For others, it’s been the community where Black residents sought refuge decades ago amid the legacy of defunct racial redlining. And then there has always been Altadena’s sense of freedom and creativity that gave rise to an artists’ enclave and The Bunny Museum.

Whatever drew them, this unincorporated town north of Pasadena represented an alluring, magical combination of solitude and community for more than 42,000 residents, many whose families had lived there for generations in an eclectic mix of homes — from streets lined with small bungalow homes and neighborhoods of sprawling Spanish style and Colonial mansions amid graceful oaks.

...

a tip of the hat to Sukie

 

 

altadena's fate

Will it - can it - keep its character?  (LA Times - outside their paywall)

a tip of the hat to Sukie

 

la's housing crisis

Before the fire Los Angeles lacked affordable housing and new housing of any kind has been slow to install given a lack of home builders.  Perhaps the fires  will provide the shock to make radical changes to the building codes.  Some countries, including those in earthquake zones, have nice manufactured modular housing that can be insulated by very small crews in a few days Attempts to do this in the US have largely failed due to building codes.  There's going to be enormous pressure for change.

 

insurers of last resort

Susan Crawford on what could happen if one or more goes belly up.