HAPPY NEW YEAR: Who is Planning for War, and Who is Preparing for the Next POM Cycle? “Fear and shame are great motivators. Fear the power in the Western Pacific that we helped build. Have shame at our lack of leadership and vision at the very highest levels from both political parties as this happened. As a result, this is what we will order our Navy to engage should the fight come west of the international dateline. Get angry. Get motivated. Demand action.”

SPECIAL NEW YEAR’S MORNING OPEN THREAD: How was your night? How are your hangovers?

SCAMS ALL THE WAY DOWN:

Check out Catholic Charities and Lutheran Social Services as conduits for taxpayer money spent on allegedly “compassionate” programs that often aren’t.

IT’S THE DEMOGRAPHY, STUPID:

(Classical reference in headline.)

HE’S NOT WRONG:

DISPATCHES FROM THE LOST GENERATION:

(Classical reference in headline.)

DISPATCHES FROM THE INTERSECTION OF THE SOMALI PIRATES AND THE COMING MIDDLE CLASS ANARCHY:

“I want to talk about how the average American is starting to feel as major corruption is being exposed, especially now with the case in Minnesota and the daycare fraud. This is not just about money being stolen anymore. It’s a growing feeling that being a good citizen, being hard working person, paying your taxes may not be worth it. People are starting to feel stupid. They think, well, I’m here, I’m playing by rules, I am working hard, I’m providing for my family, I’m doing the hard work – and I’m the idiot. You see the memes online and we laugh, like, oh, me on my way to work, thinking that I should have just opened a daycare center in Minnesota and made millions. And again, it is funny, but it’s also deeply sad, because the next thing is, why am I even doing this? And that’s the part no one wants to talk about, because this kind of feeling shapes culture.”

Flashback: The Coming Middle Class Anarchy. “When the backbone of a country starts thinking that laws and rules are not worth following, it’s just a hop, skip and a jump to anarchy.”

I REMEMBER WHEN THEY SAID TESLA WAS DOOMED BY ELON’S POLITICS.

UPDATE: And X wouldn’t last a year! — Charlie

HAPPY NEW YEAR. NOW:  Bounce!