It is almost all but certain that the Democrats are going to destroy the Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections.  The Democrats are highly likely to take a majority in the House where the Republicans currently just barely hold power.  Even in the Senate, the Democrats are looking more and more likely to gain a majority there.

We should never underestimate the stupidity of the Democrats.  Trump and the Republicans are handing them a gift.  Democrats basically just need to shut up and not say anything too stupid or crazy.  But some people can’t help themselves.  They will find a way to defend wokeness to the extreme.  You can take the Democrat out of the room of woke people, but you still can’t take the wokeness out of the Democrat.

Still, the Trump and the Republicans have brought stupidity to a whole new level.  Trump is basically saying that he doesn’t care about the elections because Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon.  Aside from the fact that Trump’s war against Iran makes it more likely for Iran to get a nuclear weapon, it is extremely bad politics on Trump’s part.

Then, in the next breath, Trump is offering a massive bribe in the form of a $5,000 check to every adult American if the Republicans maintain control of Congress.  They will be coming right after your DOGE check and you tariff rebate check.  This desperate move by Trump just made him look that much more pathetic.

The establishment Republicans are going to blame all of the people who don’t go to vote who previously voted for Trump.  Yet, it is them and Trump who have caused this.  They didn’t have to start new wars and bomb 7 countries in one year.  They didn’t have to keep growing spending.  They didn’t have to do the bidding of the Israeli state.  They didn’t have to continually raise and lower tariffs.  They didn’t have to work to destroy anyone who dared criticize Trump’s policies.  Let’s remember that Trump campaigned harder against Thomas Massie than he has or is doing against any Democrat.

Lame Excuses

There are no excuses any more.  Ask any Trump defender why spending and the debt is going higher and higher under Trump.  They will come up with some lame excuse that Trump can’t control Congress.

Yet, this is the exact opposite of what Trump would make you believe.  And up to this point, Trump has had great control over what members of Congress do.  Trump destroyed Massie and MTG.  If he put in half as much effort to enact spending cuts, then it would force the hand of the Republicans in Congress.

The problem is that Trump doesn’t want spending cuts.  He wants spending increases.  That’s why he doesn’t bring the issue up.  And when he does bring it up, it is to spend more.  He wants a military budget of $1.5 trillion.

Trump has spent most of his time defending his stupid decisions on tariffs and war.  Even on immigration, Trump has been mostly terrible.  The best you can say is that illegal immigration is way down.  But let’s remember that the Trump administration, in March 2025, was focused on arresting and deporting legal immigrants who said anything critical of Israel.

For every issue that Trump has focused on, he has taken the wrong position.  He has taken the anti liberty position.

On foreign policy, it is worse than that.  His administration murders a hundred and some little kids in Iran and then Trump lies about it.

How many times has Trump threatened to destroy the Iranian civilization?  The threat alone qualifies Trump as a war criminal who should be locked up for the rest of his life.

In front of the United Nations, Trump just bragged about the U.S. getting Venezuelan oil.  He said, “To the victor belong the spoils.”

Does anyone really want to live in a civilization where this is the rule?  If a 300-pound man rapes a 120-pound woman, would Trump just say that “might makes right”.  To the victors go the spoils?  This is sick and deranged.

The Republicans Deserve to Lose

Just as the Democrats deserved to lose in 2022 and 2024, the Republicans deserve to lose in 2026.  This isn’t to say that the Democrats deserve to win.

When we get talk of Democratic socialism and more wokeness, you can blame Trump and the Republicans who supported his nonsense.  That is the reason we are getting the Democrats.

It is especially frustrating that Trump has turned into the worst caricature that the anti-Trump left has warned about.  Trump is making the left into truth tellers, at least to a certain degree.

To be sure, the Democrats lied about many things, including Russia gate, saying that Trump told people to drink bleach, saying that Trump called white supremacists very fine people, etc.  But instead of discrediting them, Trump has done everything in his power to live up to the evilness that the left warned about with Trump.

It is also frustrating because Trump still gets a few things right, yet he just discredits the position more because he supports it.  For example, Trump gets some things right on repealing some really bad environmental regulations.  He also got it somewhat right in at least appointing RFK Jr. to head the DHHS.  But if Trump says something common sense like how we should space out vaccines for young children, then nobody takes him seriously except for his hardcore supporters.

Trump lies about almost everything, so it is almost unfortunate at this point when he actually says something that is true and valid.

Trump Fatigue

The one good thing that will come out of a huge Democratic victory is that Trump will lose a lot of influence.  A lot of Republicans will start to turn on Trump.  Trump still has a lot of influence within the Republican Party, but that will wane with the coming defeat of the Republicans in the general election.

We can’t get rid of Trump soon enough.  He came onto the scene and seemed to offer an alternative to the Bush/ Cheney/ Romney establishment.  Now Trump has given us the same policies, and sometimes worse, while still trying to act like he is anti establishment.

We would all be better off at this point if Trump exits the scene as soon as possible.  I don’t even care if the Democrats impeach him over something stupid.  They won’t impeach him over the Iran war because that would implicate too many past and future presidents of both parties.

J.D. Vance should never be forgiven for how awful he has been in trying to defend the awful things that Trump has done.  Still, if Vance became president, maybe we could get some sense of sanity back.  At least he probably wouldn’t be continually changing tariffs, threatening other countries, and threatening to end an entire civilization.

When the Democrats win in November, consider that to be a total repudiation of what Trump has done over the last year and a half.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) released its latest statement on monetary policy.  By a unanimous vote, the committee decided to hike its target federal funds rate by 25 basis points (0.25%).

This means that Donald Trump’s recently appointed Fed chair, Kevin Warsh, was in agreement with the decision to raise its key interest rate.  This was widely expected going into the meeting, but it was still noteworthy.

Let’s remember that Trump would call that the previous Fed chair, Jerome Powell, all kinds of names, even though Trump was the one who originally appointed him.  Trump would call him “Too Late” Powell because, according to Trump, Powell was too late in lowering rates.

But hey, at least Powell was lowering rates at one point in the game.  All that Warsh has done during his short time as Fed chair is keep rates the same or hike them.  If Powell was too late, what does that make Warsh, who is moving in the opposite direction?

It seems too early for Trump to fully turn on Warsh, but then again, you never know with Trump.    He has already announced (demanded) that rates should be cut to 1% or less.  He doesn’t want to be “Too Late” Trump in criticizing anyone.  There are all sorts of nicknames we could hear.

Opposite Direction Warsh

Backwards Warsh

Too Tight Warsh

Wishy-Washy Warsh

Too Harsh Warsh

Maybe we’ll get something more straight out of first grade like Big Fat Loser Warsh.

Price Inflation and Monetary Policy

The main reason for the Fed hiking rates is because price inflation has remained stubbornly above the Fed’s 2% goal.  Of course, we shouldn’t want any price inflation.  Why would we want even 2%?  Most people would prefer it if their dollars could buy the same things next year in the same amount.

The CPI numbers had gotten closer to 2%, but then the war against Iran happened.  This has sent oil and gas prices much higher, which contributes to higher price inflation, at least in the short run.  It is notable though that this could ultimately lead to lower prices in other areas if consumers paying more for gasoline cut back in other areas.

It is understandable though to question the Fed’s rate hiking on the basis of higher gas prices caused by war.  This isn’t a monetary phenomenon.  It is a political problem.  It is a problem for consumers paying more for gas.  There is price inflation from previous monetary inflation, but that isn’t the main contributor of the spike in gas prices.

This is why it is ridiculous to have any central planners of the economy.  There are so many moving parts, and no one can come close to understanding them all.

If there are major shortages in gasoline, then we actually want to maintain higher gas prices.  Higher prices provide an incentive for consumers to consume less.  They also provide an incentive for producers to produce more so that they can make more profit.  The solution to high prices is high prices.  In this case, the solution also involves the U.S. leaving the Middle East.

The Economy and Politics

Even as the Fed lowers its target rate, it is still slightly inflating the money supply.  The Fed’s balance sheet is slowly expanding again.  In the past, there has typically been a strong correlation between a tighter money supply and tighter rates.  If the Fed were hiking rates, it was probably shrinking its balance sheet.  Since 2008, this is no longer true.  The Fed largely controls the federal funds rate by paying interest on bank reserves.

This means that even though the Fed hiked its target rate, it may still continue to expand its balance sheet (monetary inflation).

Either way, there is a lot of trouble hanging out there in the economy.  The 10-year yield just briefly hit the 5% mark.  There is great fear of a popping of the AI bubble.  Meanwhile, the average American continues to struggle because of incomes not keeping pace with prices, especially when it comes to necessities.

This war in Iran is deeply unpopular, as it should be.  And it is easily tied to the higher gas prices.  Americans are quite aware of the higher prices every time they have to stop at the gas station and fill their car.

The Republicans are going to pay dearly in the upcoming mid-term elections, as they should.  This isn’t an argument for Democrats.  It is simply recognizing that the Republicans have done a terrible job.  They have given us more spending, more war, and more broken promises.

Trump is already acting like a socialist with his promise of $5,000 checks, his tariffs, his public/ private profit sharing, and all of his other schemes.  Just imagine how socialist and dictatorial he will become if we sink into a major recession.

There could be some really rough times ahead, both politically and economically.  The good news is that a decent percentage of Americans are fed up with both major parties.

Donald Trump thinks so.  His desperation has reached an all-time high as his approval ratings reach all-time lows.

Trump thinks he is still popular because many of his preferred candidates won their primaries.  The problem is that these are Republican primaries.  He is still quite popular strictly within Republican circles.  But we are moving on to the general election.

The Republicans had some kind of convention for the mid-terms, as if anyone really cared other than a few die-hard Republicans.  Trump cared because he got to be in the spotlight yet another time.  But these Republican candidates are in a bad position.

If you are a Republican running in the general election, you don’t want Trump by your side at this point.  Trump’s overall approval rating is just above 30%.  It’s hard to believe it is even that high at this point.  But if a Republican candidate criticizes Trump or even says they don’t want his help campaigning, then they risk the wrath of Trump.  Ask MTG or Massie.

Peak Trump

I think we have passed peak Trump.  Trump has exerted an unbelievable amount of control over the Republican Party.  This is why there should be no excuse making for things like war or massive spending.  For example, Trump could easily make it a priority to get spending under control and force the hands of the Republicans in Congress.  But he doesn’t because he likes the big spending.

It is obvious that the Republicans are going to get destroyed in the mid-term elections.  The Democrats are heavily favored to gain a majority in the House.  There is a good chance they will also gain control of the Senate.

While giving the Democrats more power is a major problem, there will be something good that comes of it.  It will drastically reduce the influence of Trump.  It isn’t just because the Democrats may try to impeach Trump (probably over something stupid instead of starting an immoral and illegal war).

Trump will start to lose influence because there will be a realization, including among Republican politicians, that Trump just isn’t that popular any longer.

Shortly after Trump started his second term in January 2025, his approval rating was above 50%.  About 2 out of every 10 people who previously approved of Trump now disapprove of the job he is doing.  That is highly significant.

Buying Votes

At the lame Republican convention, Trump stated that if the Republicans maintain control over the House and Senate, then all adult Americans would receive a check for $5,000.  Of course, that check would not come from Donald Trump’s bank account.  It would come from the U.S. Treasury.  And the Treasury would only be able to get that money by issuing debt, which will be bought up by the Federal Reserve creating more money out of thin air.

This is a complete act of desperation from Trump.  It is more socialist that what we hear from many of the so-called democratic socialists.

There is also no reason to believe anything that Trump says these days.  I’m sure that $5,000 Trump check will come right after the tariff rebate check and the DOGE check.

It is unbelievable just how blatantly corrupt Trump has become.  It is typical in politics, but it is crazy just how open Trump is about it.

I remember even going back to when I was a teenager and young adult and seeing how politicians (Democrats in particular) would just openly try to buy votes.  I remember people like Dick Gephardt who would say that we need to tax the rich people more and use that money to give to poor people.  This was blatant enough for me.

It was Pedro:  “If you vote for me, all of your wildest dreams will come true.”

Now Trump is Pedro.  Vote for my side, and I will give you $5,000.

More Inflation

The government is already running an annual deficit in the neighborhood of $2 trillion.  This is especially absurd when you think that the stock market is near all-time highs and unemployment is relatively low.  We aren’t in any kind of official recession or financial crisis yet, but the deficits are still enormous.

If Trump actually kept this promise (bribe) and was able to get the Treasury to issue $5,000 checks to Americans, it would cost well in excess of $1 trillion.  It would be purely inflationary.

I mean, I would rather get a $5,000 check rather than have the government start another war or continue a war, but that isn’t the option being given.  Trump wants to continue all of his militarism and mass murder overseas while also going socialist at home.  Should I really be that scared of AOC at this point?

I don’t think anyone believes Trump at this point except for his devoted followers who consistently consume Fox News.

This is a desperate attempt by Trump, and it comes across as that.  It isn’t going to work on anyone, mostly because they don’t believe his empty promises.  Anyone who believes this promise would have voted Republican anyway.

Trump won’t have to break this promise because the Republicans are going to get destroyed in the mid-term elections, just as they deserve.

I recently took a trip with family and wanted to share my experience.  This is not a political piece, but I thought others might find my observations and experiences interesting.

We went to Iceland for one night.  We would have had a tight layover in Iceland, and Icelandair makes it easy to add a stay in Iceland with your flight.  We arrived in the morning (Iceland time) after not having much sleep on the plane.  Despite being tired, we rented a car and made the most of our time there.

We went into Reykjavik for lunch at Subway.  We were hungry and didn’t want to search for places to eat, so that is why we kept it safe for lunch.  After lunch we walked around for a few minutes.  Public restrooms are apparently not a common thing.  And restaurants typically won’t allow you to use their restrooms unless you are a customer.  We found this also to be common in Norway.

We drove the Golden Circle and saw a geyser, waterfalls, and a crater, among other things.  The scenery was absolutely beautiful.  We were fortunate to have a sunny day.

Gullfoss Falls was particularly impressive.  I have been to Niagara Falls before, and Gullfoss was at least comparable in size and beauty.  I had to look it up, and Niagara is bigger, but the falls in Iceland far exceeded my expectations.

Most people speak English in Iceland.  We talked to one man in Subway who spoke English to us.  He spoke Icelandic to the worker.  As if that wasn’t enough, he started speaking French to another group of people there.

My other comment about Iceland is that it is extremely expensive.  We found a place to stay for under $300 for the night.  It was tight, but it was clean and gave us a place to sleep.  It was more of a tiny apartment than a hotel, but it worked.  A typical hotel room will cost you in excess of $500 per night during the summer season.

The food is ridiculously expensive.  It didn’t get much better in Norway, but at least there were cheaper options in Norway.  We met or overheard several couples or families who were spending a week or more in Iceland.  I am not sure how I would feel about doing that.  It would be expensive, but the landscape is beautiful and it changes depending on the region.

Bergen, Norway

We spent six nights in Bergen, Norway, which is on the west coast of Norway.  It is the second biggest city in Norway.  While I haven’t seen Oslo, my guess is that Oslo has a bigger city feel.  Bergen can be busy when the cruise boats are docked, but it still has a quaint feel.

We were extremely lucky with the weather.  There was only one day where it rained most of the day.  We took a fjord cruise on that day, but the rain lightened up enough to get some good pictures.  The guide on the boat said that it rains 275 days out of the year in Bergen.  We had other days where it rained, but it was typically light and didn’t last long.  If you take a trip to Bergen, just know that you should expect rain.

We stayed in the heart of Bergen.  The fish market was only a few minutes walk.  We never needed a car there, which was nice.  There is a light rail train that goes from the airport into Bergen.  The last stop was walking distance to where we stayed.

We went to the top of Mount Floyen twice while we were there.  You can take a little train up the mountain, or you can hike.  We experienced both.

Our highlight day was taking a train into the mountains.  We took a two-hour train ride to Myrdal Station and then walked to a nearby zip line that we had booked.  It was about a mile walk.  We zip lined through the mountains, and it was absolutely gorgeous.  Then we rode bikes (provided as part of the zip line package) through the mountains.  It was mostly downhill.  We went about 18 kilometers until we arrived in the village of Flam.  The bike ride was wonderful because we could stop and take pictures and videos of the mountains and waterfalls.  We then took the Flam Railway back to Myrdal Station.

I would highly recommend doing this for anyone who is capable and up for an adventure.  If not, you can take the Flam Railway and see some of the great views.  But the benefit of biking is that you can stop and take your time.

The Culture

Most of the locals spoke some English.  I think they are used to a lot of tourists from Europe and North America.  You could typically find an English version of a menu.  Sometimes you have to click on the British flag on a kiosk.

Kiosks are quite common in the fast food restaurants.  We ate at both McDonald’s and Burger King because they were cheap (relatively speaking) and convenient options for lunch.  Both places offered an option of gluten-free buns.

We took the light rail one day to a mall where we had Burger King for lunch.  There was one worker back there getting all of the food ready.  He was quite fast and efficient.  I think there were only two people working there.  We ordered using a kiosk, so there was no cashier.

The workers at food places were generally young.  They all seemed to work hard.  They were helpful when asked.  The only business where the customer service wasn’t great on my trip was at the rental car place in Iceland.

The people in Norway are not generally overtly friendly.  We would pass by people hiking and most wouldn’t say a word when passing by.  There were several times I needed help like buying light rail tickets the first time and figuring out the dumpster for our garbage.  Whenever I asked someone for help, they were quite helpful when spoken to.  The workers in the restaurants and stores were typically quite friendly.  There was a juice/ smoothie place I went to multiple times.  One of the guys there remembered my name from two days before.

It is definitely a more homogenous society than what we know in the United States.  I am not saying that as good or bad, but you can see how things can function better with a centralized government.

They seemed to be very obsessed over not using plastic.  Instead of plastic utensils, you get these wooden utensils.  If you buy groceries, sometimes you have to pay extra for a plastic bag.  And when you get a bottle of water or some other drink, the cap stays attached at the top.  You can open it to take a drink, but the cap doesn’t completely come off.

In terms of food, fish is quite popular.  This makes sense since Bergen is on the water and they get fresh fish deliveries.  I also had a reindeer hot dog.  (It wasn’t Rudolph.  It was one of the reindeer that was picking on Rudolph.)  Aside from that, you can find American-type food like hamburgers and pizza.

Conclusion

I would recommend visiting Bergen, Norway.  Again, just expect some rain.  We had a good mix of activity while also enjoying some of the charm of the city.  Whatever you are planning to spend on food, double your budget.

I can’t say as much about Iceland because my time there was short.  It is quite expensive, but the scenery is unique and beautiful.

Six nights in Bergen was just the right amount of time for me.  We alternated our busy days with a more relaxing day.  I would recommend that strategy for most vacations.  You don’t have to constantly be on the go.