Roundup
(1) Is Hunter Biden going MAGA? Not really, but this is surprising:
In a marathon interview on “The Shawn Ryan Show” released Monday, the former first son said the Biden-era immigration approach became “a disaster” and acknowledged the chaotic Kabul exit that left 13 U.S. service members dead was “an obvious” failure.
Hunter Biden argued the U.S. needs “vibrant” legal immigration but warned the country “doesn’t want immigrants that are coming here illegally, draining us of resources” and being “prioritized above” veterans and other Americans struggling at home.
(2) If you’re curious about those weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, this video seems to me to be the most reasonable source of information I’ve seen so far:
(3) The head of security for Brown University, Rodney Chatman, has been placed on leave pending investigation. I wrote about Chatman previously in this post.
(4) Economic growth:
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released its third-quarter real gross domestic product report.
So-called experts predicted 3.3%.
The GDP grew at an annual rate of 4.3% in the third quarter, which covers July, August, and September. …
People’s spending “grew at an annual rate of 3.5% in the third quarter, picking up from 2.5% in the previous quarter.”
Great! People are spending money. That’s good, right? How about disposable income?
Well, let’s look at what people are buying.
Health care blew out every other category, increasing 0.76%.
(5) More trouble for Tim Walz:
… 98 mayors across Minnesota have sounded the alarm in a no-nonsense letter to Walz and state lawmakers, blistering the state’s fiscal mismanagement. The distraught mayors warned that what was once an $18 billion surplus has not only vanished under the far-left governor’s watch; the surplus has been replaced by a projected $3 billion deficit for the 2028–29 budget cycle.
The mayors went bottom-line, warning that Walz’s policies have strained their cities, harmed residents, and pushed Minnesota down in national economic rankings — evidence, they said, of the state government racing headlong toward “fiscal disaster.”
My brother was the city manager, and prior to that, finance director for a small but very affluent city in southern California. He understood that the city had to be run like what it was, a $150 million business with 300 employees. His bosses i.e. the city council did not always understand or like that but he did raise the city’s bond rating to AAA during his tenure. The analogy here is that a state needs a steady hand in the governor’s chair, because he’s going to be caught in between competing factions who either don’t understand or don’t give a rat’s you-know-what about the necessity for fiscal restraint. Especially when it comes to constituents who are loud, unpleasant, and ready to play the race card if they don’t get their way.
The next CO governor will be in a very difficult position. He (Yes, He, and Yes Dem) will want to spend more and more. And the State House, being a solid Dem majority, will want to spend more and more. Right now, there are some restraints on spending because taxes can’t be raised without a vote of the people. So now, fees are slapped on everything. And picking away at Tabor to get money. But, it will have to stop sometime. Dems keep getting the votes, which means we are screwed.
Tim Walz will not change and what with election/voter fraud in all Blue States without exception that will mean that a Republican doesn’t stand a chance.
The importation of 120,000 Somalis and other varieties of Muslims guarantee Minneapolis is toast. The Muslims are here for Dawa, Jihad and Hijrah and stealing taxpayer money. The Democrats have no problem with that in exchange for votes – very open and transactional. Europe has seen decades of this.
Find me one Democrat who has not sided with the Muslims. Don’t give me Fetterman – he votes with his colleagues 100% of the time. His talk is cheap. Chuck Schumer wears a keffiyeh when necessary.
The cold civil war proceeds apace,
2) A very informative video.
These drugs will probably become ubiquitous over time. Understanding how they work and the tradeoffs is really necessary.
I intuited a bit of this from my days in bodybuilding. The lizard brain is really in charge. A powerful force constantly at work trying to keep us alive. You cut the calories; it cuts the rate of metabolism. It doesn’t want you with no fat stores.
These drugs manage to fool it. But you don’t just lose fat. 🙁 Protein and resistance exercise will help maintain the muscle. Otherwise, you are wasting away. There’s no free lunch. 🙂
Was wondering if the death of Chris Rea, at 74 after decades of illness, would make it on your limited radar. Sad but not unexpected.
https://youtu.be/uSjq7x67kzM?si=EMa0mMNyAORTXn2R
Driving home for Christmas,
From 1986, so good it’s often even heard on the radio in June.
I remember my second year at Annapolis driving straight for almost two days. Our only ticket was me driving in Winslow, Arizona, just outside of California.
Lots of great Christmas music. Here’s a fun one from Guardians of the Galaxy
https://youtu.be/-E1ULv6LcOk?si=qeAeIgks3DXZPjDV
I also sang it for karaoke last year.
Roundup, Open Thread—Merry Christmas.
Also Happy Name Day to Adam & Eve, or Eva in Slovakia (like my wife).
And a joyous Hanukkah for those celebrating such lights.
Everyone else’s money is easy to give away. Its not Tim Walz’s money so he doesn’t care.
LIVE STREAM – LIFE THREATENING FLOODING SLAMS CALIFORNIA – 24/7 WEATHER ALERTS WITH YALLBOT
https://commoncts.blogspot.com/2025/12/live-stream-life-threatening-flooding.html
Tim Waltz came perilously close to becoming the VP of the USA. He, combined with a president Kamala “Cackling” Harris , would have made the USA a fiscally spitting image of Minnesota.
I don’t know if Waltz can run again for Minn. governor , but if he can, don’t be surprised if he is re-elected.
As if most of those mayors aren’t just as guilty of “fiscal mismanagement”.
“Never attribute to incompetence what can be explained by malfeasance”. That’s my new 4th maxim of life. 1st is “Never underestimate the power of ignorance”. 2nd is “They call it common sense because it’s common not to have any”. 3rd is “If everyone agrees with you, you’re probably wrong”.