May Day Forum
Steven L. Taylor
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Thursday, May 1, 2025
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66 comments
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a retired Professor of Political Science and former College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored
A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog).
Follow Steven on
Twitter and/or
BlueSky.
Yea! Religious freedom for all!
Army pilot claims he distributed LSD for religious reasons
Whooping cough surging in Texas
I saved. I squirreled away. I embraced frugality. Being retired with basically nothing on my plate is pretty fucking awesome. Might take a walk later if the rain stops. We’ll see.
Today, I am going to do nothing. Or whatever I want to. It’s glorious! I have no worries or concerns today. Well one: my building manager wants proof of insurance, but that seems like a tomorrow thing. Two: one e-mail confirming a thing I’ve already done – less than a minute.
The lack of things you must be responsible to or for is liberating.
Tariff Ken and Barbie
For what it’s worth today is Law Day.
@de stijl: I caught up with an old college buddy last year, after almost 30 years. He did quite well for himself, apparently, and now just does whatever he wants. His greatest complaint anymore is boredom. I guess abundant free time can be a blessing or a curse depending on the person.
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@Scott:
Speaking of drugs and hallucinations, during yesterday’s fawning cabinet meeting Pam Bondi said that Trump’s border policies has stopped so much fentanyl that they have saved 258,000,000 lives.
Huge if true…that would be 75%+/- of the US population.
So congrats, 3 of 4 of you have been saved!!!
“As little as possible.”
This is what Jake Gittes says in the film Chinatown when anyone asked him what he did when he was a Los Angeles police detective in Chinatown.
“As little as possible.” has become my mantra when anyone asks me what I do in my retirement.
@de stijl:
Yup. x1,000.
Took three trips last year. Have two scheduled for this year already.
Restoring a classic motorcycle.
Do a little side work if the project interests me.
Got some boat stuff to do this month to get ready for summer.
My biggest concern is where to go on my walk, today.
And, thanks to the Doughboy in the White House, my bond yields are up this month.
@Mister Bluster:
Sigh… I had hoped that was resolved. I’ll look into it.
McD’s is hurting. Same-store sales, in the US, slumped 3.6%…the biggest decline McDonald’s has seen since 2020 and the Trump Plague.
Also, we’re updating wordpress so the site may be off line for just a bit.
@Matt Bernius:..
Thank’s for your efforts!
@de stijl:
Yup
@de stijl:
I’ve tried twice to retire, I’m 70 FFS, but I don’t really have anything to do other than work. I quit and then an idea pops into my head and I think, well, let me just work this thing for a bit and see if there’s anything there. And pretty soon I have a series bible, or a screenplay or a novella. I’m at this, for me, very unusual place of writing when it isn’t about necessarily selling. The wolf is not at my door. I never really planned for a time when I don’t have to work, so I keep writing, on automatic. Should have taken up golf, I suppose.
@reid:
If you are bored when given unlimited free time with no financial worries, you ain’t trying. You can do ANYTHING! Today. Right now. If you want to. (You should)
Today: video about Stoicism. Oblivion Remastered – no goal just faffing about and see what I see. Reading. Swedish language practice / learning. Might walk. Might have a nap. (Naps and walks rock!)
On my walk, guaranteed, I will stop one to four times and take a picture and try to frame it in a way that suits my mood.
If someone is bored with their free time, then they are boring people. The world is your canvas. Explore! You only get one chance.
@de stijl: My typical day in retirement. Early riser. This morning around 0430. Went to the community gym. Walked the dogs. Came home. Made coffee (two french presses, one caf, one decaf), read newspaper on line, made comments for OTB, saw the wife off to work. I’m now the pampered trophy husband. Main project: family history, genealogy. Going though boxes and boxes of photos and slides (some back to the 1880s). I sometimes get the evil eye from the wife asking why aren’t you busier? Aren’t you bored? Answer: Nope.
@Michael Reynolds:
The difference is that your job is that of a creative, for most of us our jobs provided the sustenance that allowed us to pursue our creative urges as hobbies/interests. Being retired allows us to spend more time on those hobbies/interests and to find new ones.
@Mister Bluster:
Ironically that’s exactly my aim at work.
On other developments, a felon in DC will certainly get a very nice gift from Apple soon, if Apple’s management wants to be above the law.
@Michael Reynolds:
You’re just following a whim or a passion that intrigues you. That happens to pay.
Face it. You are having a Platonically ideal life and you need to embrace that. You get to do a thing you are intensely interested in and get joy out of and make money off that. No one pays me money to play Oblivion for the 23rd time, but I’m doing it anyway.
When you are a kid, nobody wants to build out a super freaking awesome dashboard for mortgage banking executives. But there is also joy in that as well. I, myself, find great joy in making things much more efficient, or, hopefully, entirely automating the process / task. Sometimes, I dream SQL and create queries.
You get to write. You will never be “retired”. That is good. If you have a new idea, pursue it.
Trump has decided to make vaccines a game of Russian roulette. Maybe you’re actually getting the vaccine. Maybe you’re just getting saline.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/30/health/hhs-vaccine-placebo-testing
The Independent is reporting that Mike Waltz, Trump’s National Security Advisor, and his deputy, Alex Wong, will be leaving their roles with the Administration.
https://www.the-independent.com/
Mike Waltz previously resigned from his House seat, which further thinned Speaker Mike Johnson’s tight majority. Waltz has since accepted responsibility for his part in the Signalgate scandal, and Trump stood by him at the time and said he would not be fired.
@Winecoff46:
I’ll wait until the felon rapist denies it for confirmation.
Check this out:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/wire/
Trump has unveiled his own personal Drudge Report, citing only trusted news sources such as Breitbart and The Gateway Pundit.
@Winecoff46: First Stefanik, now Waltz. Lessons in how to blow up your career. ETTD.
@CSK:
(sorry, this is also on yesterday’s forum thread)
You are correct. I am not Fortune. Maybe I should read some of his/her comments to understand what all the hullabaloo is about. But I’ve become accustomed to the wild speculation, ignorance and falsities here. This is a weird place. But you get what you get when I comment. Agree, disagree – and that’s fine – but I try to be direct.
Just a case in point. I have seen much commentary about the GDP report, but its just headline “analysis,” and an opportunity to repeat ad nauseum the Trump-is-stupid commentary. Maybe it makes people feel better to do so.
A better set of observations on the report, in my opinion would be:
a) stop with the short term, point estimate, commentary on economics. By its very nature economic statistics need to be interpreted over a span of time. But selective dates and point estimate “analysis” seems popular here………….if it can be used for Republican or Trump bashing. Its ech chamber stuff.
b) By now any reasonably informed person knows that the -.3% was mostly driven by import/export accounting, which was an event, not a trend. Most estimates I have seen show a net 3% GDP decline due to this. Said another way, if smoothed we would first be talking a 2.7% Q1.
c) Next, despite all the pearl clutching about decimating or “slashing” government the GDP number is estimated to be reduced by .3% due to government expenditure decline. So now we are at 2.4%. Not bad.
d) I didn’t see anyone here put the consumption expenditure number in perspective: always weaker in Q1 as opposed to Q4 for obvious reasons.
e) nor did anyone bother to note the 20%+ increase in private investment, a huge number, and indicative of perceived future prospects…………and of course the whole point of the tariffs – stop playing patsy to other’s mercantilist policies and repatriate the US production footprint.
f ) IMHO any commenter here who wanted to gain some credibility as not just a rabid partisan shrieking “I hate Trump” would have focused on something different. The inflation numbers were not tame. Yet Trump is calling on Powell to lower rates. I think Trump is wrong.
Only time will tell how all this shakes out. I’ve been saying that for quite awhile. Taking last Friday’s economic numbers and annualizing doesn’t quite cut it. What does “time” mean? Certainly all of Q2; perhaps into 3. Then we will see if I’m right or wrong.
In the mean time, I can always get belly laughs from commentary and, ahem, “analysis” such as Daryl’s (and others). Its Beavis and Butthead level, but it entertains.
Good for Microsoft
Microsoft Drops Law Firm That Made a Deal With Trump From a Case
The rest is behind a paywall.
US version of the Cass report released, replaces actual care with systematic psychological torture for trans kids:
https://www.advocate.com/politics/trump-gender-affirming-care-report
@Connor: I don’t know, they convinced me I’m you.
Retirement is the best part of adulthood. By far. Way less day-to-day crap. For me, anyways.
All that work bullshit is done. Not just the daily effort, but the endless grinding system of it as well. Fuck that noise!
We can pursue and delve into any pursuits we want (within reason and budget constraints).
It’s the Platonic ideal of actualized adulthood. Be who you are.
It’s very much like a second childhood. (With a looming end-date.) Why not just IDGAF and just expand and explore?
Embrace it hard while you can. The span is brief. Why not? You’d regret not.
@Connor:
Here is a more objective, less agenda driven exploration of the GDP numbers:
“Link“
@Daryl:
@Sleeping Dog:
Go antiwoke, go broke. Trump’s anti-DEI authoritarianism is costing companies and America billions.
Was anyone actually saying they think Connor and Fortune are the same person? I read the initial claim as a joke, but I was not invested in the thread yesterday. It had not crossed my mind before that they are socks of one person.
They do not share style or tone. Their concerns overlap in some areas, but are distinct in others. Connor is a loud partisan pundit on TV; Fortune is a think tank ideologue long on reliability, but short on skill.
Per Politico, Steve Witkoff will replace Mike Waltz as national security advisor.
Fortune favors the bold.
@charontwo:
Politano does great work.
@de stijl:
😀
@CSK:
Sarah Connor: “There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.”
“Bulwark”
snip
@Connor:
Ha! Love the delulu narcissisism of those who elected an unqualified Epstein-bestie rapist and felon. The right really believes they are arbiters of credibility, that the serious look to their immature “own the Libs” cult for approbation. Comedy.
Quotes you never heard Trump hypocrites during the Biden admin: “Stop with the short term, point estimate shrieking about egg prices and rabid partisan ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ pearl clutching. The reasonably informed know Biden’s policies have built the world’s strongest post-COVID recovery — so lauded so even by the conservative WSJ — and this inflation is the side effect a) strong demand and necessary govt investment in reopened economies running hot and b) war disruptions.”
But now that Trump’s incompetence, fundamental unfitness, and lack of intellectual curiosity have the economy and his approval crashing, suddenly now Trumpers are evangelists for measured, sober, complex analysis.
The right dismissed emperically correct warnings about Tariff Man from Democrats and a near-unanimous consensus of economists to line up behind a known pathological liar and a Republican party that leaves economic ruin every time. Now they think the rest of us will heed their pompous lectures? Pfft.
Everything about Trumpers is fraudulent and fake. They are a global laughingstock: from Canada and Mexico, to Europe and Asia, and everywhere in between (except Russia and its satellites). Our Trump trolls are freaks with negative credibility. But I get it: it’s hard for small-minded Philistines to admit they were wrong.
@Fortune:
Careful. It won’t take long until Reynolds speculates about Siamese twins………
@charontwo:
Pick your poison. Over many years I have found ZeroHedge’s dissection of economic statistics to be the most accurate. Almost always most accurate in the long run.
You may differ.
@charontwo: I’m surprised you’re not all over this:
Trump starts talking about Harlem when asked about Harvard funding freeze (The Independent)
Trump mixes up Harlem and Harvard in a TV debate, prompting health fears (The Irish Star)
Trump’s Weird Reply to Stephen A.’s Harvard Question …They Love Me in Harlem!!! (TMZ)
The video of this exchange is actually bonkers. The president is stressed out.
@DK:
blah, blah, blah
Give it a week and Trump will be off on another tangent
@Daryl:
MAGA is seriously math, science, logic, and truth impaired. It suits their agitiprop style. Democracy dies in the darkness of their corrupt MAGA souls.
@DK:
I’m quite sure the MAGAs will furnish a reasonable explanation.
A couple of people are talking about retirement. I’ll throw my hat in the ring.
Dear Wife retired on January 1st. She keeps busy. Daily mass, praying for me and the rest of her family, shopping, exercising, and now an urge to travel. We just came off a trip to Turkey and have been to India, Australia, and New Zealand since last May. From here to before 2026 is finished, an Alaskan cruise, trip to Italy, The British Virgin Islands*, The Philippines**, Japan***, and either Ireland or Portugal/Morocco**** are all very likely. It is also possible we might set off on a car trip this summer. Another book signing tour or two will happen also.
I’m writing. Not as much to pay for that travel extravaganza but because I like to. Royalties continue to flow in and more money has come in through five of my books either being made into a motion picture, currently being filmed, or the rights for them being purchased for the same in the future. My Yakuza book has the makings of a series for some streaming service though if that happens I bet its turned into a US based gangster story.
Money wise we’re in great ship. This contrasts to 10 years ago when we lost a home to foreclosure, us filing bankruptcy the year before that, plus from 2009-14 being dependent on financial help from parishioners while I battled cancer.
Lots of money but I wear Target Clothes, discount pajamas found by DW at BJ’s, and a Stanley Cup Florida Panthers baseball cap. DW shops at Ross and Marshalls.
I write because I like to. There are still some story ideas floating around in my head and I’m trying hard to get rid of them. But I also play Strat-O-Matic******, exercise watch old television shows or Florida Panthers ice hockey, read*****, and drive my wife nuts.
Retire? I don’t think I won’t ever stop writing totally. Only if my health deteriorates would cause that to happen.
*- To research a future book
**- So DW can visit her family plus attend our niece’s graduation from medical school next year
***- To visit DW’s brother who works there
****- My sister in law goes to Europe every year or two. Those are the next places she wants to go to and we’ll likely tag along.
*****- I’m currently reading Liz Cheney’s Oath and Honor
******- Only a little over 13,000 more games to play before I finish all the full season replays I have started.
@DK:
Thanks for the links. I am not signed up for Instagram, so trying to see the video kind of a pain.
@Connor:
I think you and I are in our respective information bubbles of people who talk to each other. I follow several sources regarding economics, they seem to talk to each other and link each other, but none have ever linked Zerohedge.
Per Wikipedia:
It could be the Wikipedia description is biased, but it is understandable that the sources I follow do not link to it.
Just for shits and giggles, here are some of my go-to eco sources:
https://adamtooze.substack.com/ Adam Tooze
https://www.apricitas.io/ Politano
https://braddelong.substack.com/ Brad DeLong
Some other links for economics type stuff:
https://danieldrezner.substack.com/ Daniel Drezner
https://econjared.substack.com/ Jared Bernstein
https://www.noahpinion.blog/ Noah Smith
@Fortune: I don’t either, if it helps any. I really don’t care much who anyone here is; it’s all meaningless in the context of the random associations of faceless names that is virtual “reality.”
The day I was wondering if you were a sock puppet, I was just trolling you and our other virtual friends. It worked. Thanks!
@just nutha: Connor was responding to Michael Reynolds and CSK from yesterday. There are similar comments every day or two. I guess you wrote some of them?
@charontwo: Yes. And the fact that he finds Zero Hedge credible makes a statement about him. Just not the one he thinks it does.
@Fortune: Only if they’re in my name. I don’t understand sock puppetry well enough to do it. CSK and MR are actual people to the extent of my knowledge. Cracker, Luddite, Drew/Connor/Guarneri/Tinkiewinkie, and Fortune? I have my doubts about.
@just nutha: No, that’s not what I was implying. I only meant that commenters regularly accuse me of being someone else, and I don’t think you triggered Connor’s response.
Now for a little News of the Weirdos in Wyoming. 😉
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2025/05/01/fremont-county-jelly-maker-pleads-guilty-to-meth-charges/?fbclid=IwY2xjawKA5xNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFGQ2VJbG1BTEltQUZkcG9QAR7UiycpDR4ZRWrbxMMH4BedZYfLfXslN0CNT2vqwIaVutW3_nnUTQZBaaIaqw_aem_6TzlU_UP3vBAy8W3471I6g
@Fortune: And I still don’t understand what you’re implying, but that’s okay; I’m through thinking about it for today. Be well.
@de stijl:
First, congratulations on arriving at a place you wanted to be. Things can be a lot more simple for many of us if we take your path.
Second, why do you need to show evidence of insurance to your building manager? Are you in a condominium unit?
@Jax: Wa! You gotta be able to step on that pretty hard to make back $700 in base price.
@al Ameda: Apartment dwellers in many jurisdictions have to cover the landlord’s loss of use in their renters insurance policy. The landlord rides on my loss of use coverage if needed repairs make the unit uninhabitable.
@just nutha:
Thanks, I guess that’s a lot more common than I’ve been aware of.
@just nutha: 100%
@just nutha: 100%
@al Ameda:
@just nutha:
Yeah, I have to have insurance per building policy / fine print. It’s cheap as dirt – like $80 bucks a year.
I assume it’s a thing so that the building management has someone with big pockets to sue if a dumbass floods the downstairs unit or something. Yeah, like an insurance company would actually pay on a claim!
But, it’s a requirement.
Here are things I’m grateful for: I don’t have to worry about my yard and sidewalk anymore. I got no value or pleasure from owning a lawn. It’s a PITA at best. Derecho in 2020 cost me near $8k for tree service folks, homeowner’s insurance didn’t pay me a dime for that. I’m no longer obligated to shovel ~ 80 yards of sidewalk when it snows. (Hint – don’t buy a corner lot. No upside. And don’t buy property that abuts on a busy road.)
Now, I own everything from the paint in. And that’s all. Thank Odin!
I strongly prefer that I never have to move again for the rest of my life. It’s really annoying.