Have Schools Changed This Much?

 So, I was greeted this morning with a story of a kid with a weapon in their vehicle. 

I thought an AK47....Or a AR15......Or a French made Mas 49/56. ( Shoots a round the size of a .308. ) Some sort of an assault weapon. It scared even me.

I would have been concerned if those had found. 

When law enforcement search the vehicle they found a " large knife and several vapes."

Good grief. 

I remember one of you had a M-1 bayonet in my class as part of their research paper.  M-1 bayonet is what the US Army, US Marines used in World War II on the end of their rifles. ( M-1 Garand).

Now, I know we have to be careful now days. 

And perhaps their were threats associated with the knife, but I remember when every boy at Buna High School had a pocket knife in their pocket. Heck, I remember when the  gubmint/economics teacher had a large yellow handle Case Stockman in his pocket he'd gotten from Mott's in Spurger, and may or may not have been known to loan said Stockman to a student, male or female for whatever......I remember when we had " Alphabet Arson" in which we burned letters at homecoming instead of a bonfire at homecoming and pocket knives were needed to cut, well, paper, cloth, other items, as the letters were being constructed. 

I understand the concern, I do, but have we come to this?

When I was in high school, I went duck hunting after school with my physics teacher. We kept our shotguns locked-up in his closet. On know on Saturdays, I met with several of you at a kid's house and we went to the gun range. We had a dad or two went with us, to show off his new rifle, or pistol. 

And I know that THC can be put in vapes, but in most cases, the vapes are for nicotine...

It hasn't been that long ago when high schools had ' smoke shacks' and or smoking areas. I remember having a 5-pack of cheap White Owl cigars in my shirt pocket in high school. Heck, students had packs of Marlboros in the shirt pockets, and boys all had 'skoal' rings on their blue jeans. 

I was sent to the store my senior year by a  teacher to get him a pack of Winstons and a box of matches. But of course that was 1975.  

And in college, heck everyone in the history department smoked, many trying to look academic had pipes....The cooler professors Woodbine British cigarettes or a French made cigarette with a yellow corn paper.... 

Even when our son was living here, there was a Chinese made AK47( I teased my daughter in law her cousin made it, until I found out she had a relative that worked for the company in an administrative position, again, her family is sort of fancy.) with a Hungarian Tanker Magazine fully loaded in his room. And was in 2006. The gun was there in case of an emergency. And he knew not to be carrying it around. Especially not carry it to school.  I wonder if we'd get in trouble today if he had that gun in his room? 

Am I not paranoid enough? Should I be more paranoid today? I know kids should not have guns at school in 2025, but I wonder, where did we lose our kids? Where/when did we no longer trust them? What has happened to us in this country? Where was the change?

 

BUNA ISD...Good????? Bad?????

 I was afraid that the Buna ISD would not talk about the students who went to Regionals in UIL Academics this past weekend. 

In the past, the Buna Schools had a Supt. of Schools that hated the academic teams. Saw them as a drain on resources....

The Ex-Supt. of Schools openly told others it was like sending the high school faculty members on a "vacation."

Huh? You want me to stay in a motel that I personally wouldn't take my family to on a trip of any sort, we get pretty much no sleep trying to stay up and check that a bunch of 15-18 year old students didn't slip out to each others rooms( Boys-girls) didn't sneak out down the road to the 7-11 type store and try and buy wine. ( And someone will now tell us, well, "we did."...when you have 50 kids spread all over the 100 room motel, 3 stories, well, you do the best you can.  In the end, glad no one was arrested, killed/seriously hurt, pregnant, or ran off.)

It was anything but a holiday for teachers.....

You need to thank any teach this week. It is a busy time for everyone, and trying to teach the kids is like "Trying to herd cats."

But, Buna High School is sending 2 kids to UIL State in Austin, next month...

That's a big deal. 

A big deal. It shows other schools there are some smart kids, and there is some sort of academics going on in Buna Schools. It impresses other teachers in your academic district.  The other school's may not say so, or laugh it off, but it's a big damn deal. 

I'm proud of the kids, their academic coaches, heck everyone affiliated with UIL Academics. I am hoping they are honored at some point in a board meeting. I know in the past, Buna's Supt. of Schools didn't have the time, or didn't want to "Fool with it."  I know if was on the district's Facebook site this weekend, and I am very happy the district did that. 

( BTW- Saw on Llano ISD they had a high school Barbecue Team and a Meat Judging team....A HS Meat Judging team like Bobby Hill was on in the TV Show " King of the Hill." But it is Llano and they love their smoked meats.....and a lot of kid's families are still in a serious ranching business. More in agricultural pursuits than Buna even dreams of.... But you've got to admit, HS BBQ Team, HS Meat Judging Team? That's pretty cool.....And both going to state? Along with Llano UIL Academic kids? Man that all is pretty cool...)

Second, I hear from a lot of people from the Buna ISD. 

Faculty, staff, and especially patrons, and patrons are the taxpayers. 

And while there is some "cleaning house" going on, there are people who are doing everything they can to "take the eyes off over here, and look over here instead......"( I am trying to figure out what we are missing?)

People, whoever you are, trust no one. 

Especially in this day and age of instant posts on the internet. 

Already I am hearing of 'cliques' forming in an attempt to  influence the Supt. of Schools. 

Of course of there are other people who think that the public at large should only hear good things about the district.....That Buna ISD can "Do no wrong." ( I threw up in my mouth a little writing that. I know what goes on behind the curtain, to steal a scene from the Wizard of Oz.)

If you work for the district, heck, live in the district, trust no one. You MUST remember that school districts are a political entity. They have elected officials. They are a taxing agency. In Jasper County they raise huge sums of money through taxes. 

Watch your back....

Will try and write a bit more this week. 

 

Pope....End of Times?

 I write this before pope francis' funeral, which will be tomorrow, Saturday, April 26th, 10AM Vatican time, 3AM CDT.

So, as I promised I would talk a little about Catholic Prophecy and what they are saying. 

Of course, there are people who base their entire doctrinal beliefs on the 'End of Times.' 

In 1844, a Protestant denomination still in existence today, predicted that Jesus was about to return. In Upstate New York, the leader of the denomination, William Miller said that Jesus was going to return October 22, 1844. People sold their homes, the farm, whatever they had and waited on Jesus. This became know as the " Great Disappointment."

In more recent times a radio Bible teacher by the name of Harold Camping predicted the date of Jesus' return. 

Camping through donations to his 'ministry' became a millionaire, and bought 150 radio station throughout the U.S. One was in Beaumont. An FM station. 

His radio show in the evenings, was a call in show about Bible verses, and more times than not, he told the caller why they were going to Hell for their question, or what they had been taught in Sunday School. 

Again, you can't make this stuff. 

Camping had a Civil Engineering degree from Cal-Berkley and  his math background, he claimed allowed him to figure out the date of the rapture, and Jesus' return. 

He claimed the rapture would be in 1994. Even wrote a best-selling book on the topic.....Of course, nothing happened in 1994.

Camping then claimed that he made a math mistake and Jesus would be coming in May 21, 2011. And millions of people would die every day for the next 5 months. When nothing happened in May, he changed the date to October 2011. ( Just what I want, an engineer who's trained to bridges who can't get his math right.)

Camping died before October. 

So, this leads us to Catholic prophecy.  

We of course are talking about the "Prophecy of the Popes" by St. Malachy a Archbishop in Ireland ( Armagh, in Northern Ireland, I've traveled through, nothing to write home about.) 1094-1148. 

Malachy wrote a set of prophecies concerning the next 112 popes. Each pope had , written in Latin, a short description of what they were going to be like. 

Many of the descriptions were 'dead on' others, well, you had to push it a bit for it to work. and for many they were close enough. 

These prophecies were found in a vault by a Benedictine monk in 1590, and were published. 

Malachy said there would be 112 popes from his time until the end of time. 

Trouble is Francis was Pope number 112......And so called Catholic prophecy experts are saying 112 before the last pope...

Which would mean the coming pope would be the last pope....And the last pope would be 'Peter the Roman' ( Petrus Romanus) whose reign would end in 2027.  

And three of the front-runners who might be pope are names 'Peter.' 

According to the final entry by Malachy, surrounding Peter the Roman, the 'last pope' will preside over the Church during a time of great turmoil, culminating in the destruction of Rome and the end of the papacy.

There are also people who think that the person won't be named "Peter" but in will take the name of "Peter"......There has not been anyone called Peter who was a Pope according to the Catholic Church other than Peter who walked with Jesus. So, if he calls himself Peter, or if his birth name was Peter, it might give cause for pause. 

Now, remember, Matt 24:36 said- "No one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows."

Take any end times prophecy for what it is worth....

That said, if we have a Peter named as a Pope, well, might be worth keeping an eye on Rome....If anything, to see who loses their minds, and really might need to keep an eye on them...

 

Buna ISD Grades- Did the School District Fail???

 The Texas Education Agency( TEA) has released the 2023 grades for the school districts in the state. 

And here are the latest scores for the Buna Independent School District. 

Overall= C 78/100

Buna Elementary= B

Buna JH= C

Buna HS= C

Buna HS went down from a B to a C.

Now, would we like it higher? Yes, of course, but the way things are taken off the score now, including things that really don't have anything to do with academics. I am not shocked....

And, the scores/rating has changed since 2022. 

And this is coming from the TEA. So, unless they are talking about a take over, I would not panic.  Again, we'd like the scores higher. 

And the Wichita Falls ISD according to the Texas Tribune is in danger of having the State of Texas take over the district due to scores. And where was the present Supt. of Schools at Wichita Falls ISD, Supt. of Schools right before he was hired at WFISD?  Yep.....You are correct...

Quick story on scores- One year during Inservice training, the Buna Supt. of Schools had Region 5 Service Center, a part of the TEA come out for training to increase out districts test scores. 

The Buna High teachers were all sent into separate groups , classrooms, for training to increase our scores. The Social Studies teachers were, at best not really paying attention to the witch teaching our course told us, "She was going to increase our scores by at least 5-10%. "

The Asshole who was the History/ Social Studies Department Chair told the witch " You're not going to be able to help us any." 

Incensed, and turning red, she said, " Yes, I am certain."

To which the Asshole Chair said, " No, we scored the highest score in Region 5 that past testing period, we scored a 100%." 

BTW- I was so proud of that dept.  Best in Region 5? And here is the thing, no one cared but us.....Didn't hear a word from an administrator, not a word from the damn school board....

Later that day, the witch from Region 5 went to the Supt. of School and ' Told on me.' 

BTW- Every Supt. of Schools wants to move to a Region Service Center for a job, be it Region 1 or Region 20.  Easy job, little pressure, big paycheck. 

Yeah, I got into trouble. 

Yeah, I'd do it again.....

So, I Make People Mad Writing the Blog...And Get Ugly Threats, Cussed Out....

 You knew after yesterday's post on getting into trouble for tell people what is going on, the truth, how this author really feels about things, well, it gets me into trouble. 

I lost a few subscribers to the blog after the DWI article. 

And the thing is, most have joined back on the Facebook The Govtach Part Deaux group page.

And yesterday, I got a long, long email from someone on "Why don't you have positive pieces on the community?"

"Why don't you talk about only good.?" "Why don't you try and lift us up?" 

" Why don't you talk about the schools winning, or kids getting scholarships?"

Do you know why? 

NO ONE READS IT.........OR CARES. 

Literally, my readership is terrible when I post articles on that/those subject(s). 

Other than family and friends, no one cares your kid is valedictorian. Or your kid won a medal at One Act Play. They really don't. 

It is sad, but true. 

And already the Buna ISD's Facebook, The East Texas Banner, KJAS publishes articles on these things. 

It is part of the reason why I don't and can't have advertising. I can write news, I can write opinion pieces that often make at least one group of people in the community mad. 

And the thing is, while one group is mad this time, and swear  " I'll never read that shit Thomas is publishing again." Two weeks later, they are back reading,  either what is going on back at the school, community, or news other people can't really publish, or say, no matter it's the truth, or it is something everyone else is thinking, but only I can say.... 

Yeah, I wish I mad a few quid as the British would say, from the stuff I write, and again, I've thought about putting paypal, Venmo link on the page so perhaps you can buy me a cup of coffee, or perhaps Deb and I a pizza. And may do that at some point....

Okay, you want to know the background on what "Behind the Scenes" at the blog is like...

I am writing a blog right now on Francis' death and Catholic Prophecy....End of Times???

Pope Francis Death- What Happens Next?- And I was going to Write a Blog and Bad-Mouth the D*mn Southern Baptists, But.....

 If you've not heard by now, Pope Francis age 88 has passed this morning. 

He did so after attending Easter services yesterday, and hours after meeting the U.S. Vice-President. ( Already conspiracy theories abound there. )

Let's talk a little about what will happen next. 

-There will be a 9 day period of mourning. 

-A Pope's funeral is normally 4-6 days after his death. 

-Francis is still just laying around in the Vatican. He will not be put into a coffin until 1PM CDT. The placing of the Pope into a coffin is a ritual. 

-Francis' Papal ring (Fisherman's Ring) will be destroyed so no one will use it on official documents.  

- A special silver hammer will be used to destroy the ring.

-Francis was a darkhorse when he was elected, because many felt is was too old. ( Age 76) He was Pope 12 years. 

-Francis appointed 80% of the present Cardinals. 

-Francis was the first Jesuit Pope.

- A Jesuit is a member of the Society of Jesus.  In seminary, we were taught that the Society of Jesus was established to counter against the the rise of Protestants in Europe, especially the Lutheran movement in Germany and the English Reformation. As always, this is not always, this is not 'clean' history. I may talk about why later. 

- By tradition, 15-20 day period before the Cardinals meet to elected the next Pope. This goes back to the old days to allow for travel. Today, everyone could be at the Vatican in a couple of days. 

- There are 252 Cardinals in the Catholic Church. 

- Only 135 are allow to vote for a Pope....This is due to the rule that Cardinals over the age of 80 cannot vote in a Papal Election.

- A Cardinal is a Prince of the Vatican. You must remember, the Vatican City is a nation. Of course, they are called a "Cardinal" due to the Cardinal Red clothing they wear. Yes, taken from the bird.

- Francis was the first non-European Pope since 714CE (CE replaced AD and BCE replaced BC. It is the same time period, nothing has changed time-wise, just what it is called. It was done so because a large part of the world is not Christian.) The last non-European was Gregory III, and was Syrian. Pope Francis was from Argentina.

- Any male baptized Roman Catholic is eligible to become pope. 

- That said, the last non-Cardinal Pope was elected in 1378CE. 

 - There are gambling sites in which you can bet on who will be the next Pope. Odds are on these sites. 

I will write more on the Pope , the election, and I know at least a couple of you would like for me to write on this, Catholic Prophecy. And I know there is are people waiting on me to discuss this....

 

So....You Want to Be a Blogger??????

 So, you want to be a blogger????

 It'll be fun, they said.....

You'll never run out of material, they said...( That one is kinda true)

You'll make some money, they said....( HA!) As many of you know, I don't take advertising on purpose, and while in the past, I have had a Paypal link on the blog, I no longer do. ( I've considered it, or a Venmo, something like that, but I don't want to think you are obligated to send me a few quid.)

I literally didn't think I'd be doing this 14 years now. I figured, well, I'll do this a couple of week and that's about all.

I seriously thought I would have spent all this time and energy, research, writing a book on the English Reformation. Maybe Oliver Cromwell. Or perhaps the last Stewart Queen of England?  A book no one would even read. A book with over a thousand sources. Something I'd like to do...

No, this idiot down in Lemonville spends most of his writing time, writing a blog. Mostly on the school district I retired from. 

And the thing is, hundreds if not thousands of people read the blog every time I post...And my demographic area is surprisingly small.  

Yeah, I am going to make you think......Yeah, I'm going to make you mad.....Yeah, you get the good with the bad.....It's not like I'm going to drink whiskey with any of you...( That's a lie, I have and will again...) 

I am really surprised at the "secret readers" I have....Those who would never admit reading the blog. But read it every time it is posted. 

Anyway, unless I post an Easter special, I do not plan to blog the next several days. And if you are not doing so, you need to be reading Mitch Keeler's blog. An amazing exposé on Holy Week. Mitch should have gone to The George W. Truett School of Theology at Baylor instead of the law school....Chris Bossier and I have already discussed how great it is this morning. ( If you're reading Mitch, I tease about divinity school) But seriously folks, it is good stuff....

Thanks for reading the blog. I do not think you know how much I appreciate it. As always, any info you have, send it to me. I might not write on it at once, but I take everything sent to me seriously. 

And as always, you will be kept anonymous. 

 

 

Drunk at Buna Schools?

 I was minding my own damn business this morning. 

I get up and talk to Jesus. Yes, I did some intercessory prayer on your behalf. Yes, I prayed for my forgiveness, never mind 5 minutes later I am going to sin. 

I then was looking at the new Subaru Outback 2026 at the NYC Car Show. Subaru had the big unveiling yesterday. And well, it's too much like the Forester. It's boxy, and as you well know, I like boxy vehicles, but Subaru has a boxy vehicle already. And this changes the Outback from a rare station wagon to just another SUV. ( Like we are about to buy a new car.)

Then, after a recent trip to the eye-doctor, I look at getting new eyeglasses. Perhaps rimless round ones, go even more nerdy?  

I put on stream Rage Against the Machine and Led Zeppelin through Bluetooth to the headphones.....

Only then do I check my phone and then Facebook......

My attention is called to an  arrest by a parent for being allegedly DWI near the school with a child under the age of 15 with them in the car......And the thing is, this is the former spouse of an elected local official. 

Again, let me reiterate, former. 

( Can be found with the Jasper County arrest reports. It's there with the cat from Vidor who stole the deer feeder.....That deer feeder is getting as much press as a capital crime, then again, steal mine, I'd be upset too....)

Now, I've been known to take a nip or two. Even when I was teaching I made it no secret I liked a little dram of Scotch whiskey.

That said, I am funny about drinking and driving. I won't even take mind altering prescription meds and drive.  

Folks, don't be coming up to school as we say here in East Texas, " Good and likkered up."   

Hell, I've had parents call my about midnight under the influence wanting to talk about their sorry-ass kid. And I say sorry-ass, the kid's sitting in Huntsville now. 

Hell, don't be driving drunk, or high or whatever....Especially with your kids in the car. 

And specifically, don't do it near the school?

Honeymoon Period Over @ Buna ISD???

 I know it is still early...

And I will have people "Jump on Me" for even writing this blog. 

That said, in 2025, I am already hearing "grumblings" from certain sectors within the Buna ISD community.... 

I am seriously wondering if this is influenced by things such as TikTok, those short, fast videos, our brains are now hooked up to things going, fast, fast, fast.....I wonder how this is effecting Gen Alpha kids. Those parents allowing pads to raise their children?

Hell, even I expected nothing really negative to start until the 25-26 school years, But, as I said, it is 2025, stuff happens often at a breakneck speed. 

And of course, before anyone says anything about it, there are always people you can't please. 

If Jesus Christ his-self ( Using Southern vernacular this morning) was running the place there would be people unhappy, they'd be asking " Where's my miracle?" "Where is my 5 loaves and fishes to feed 5,000?" "Where is my water into wine?" ( Remind me to tell you about Cana one of these days....)

And I understand the Supt. of Schools for Buna ISD is a local, heck I am old enough I remember her coming over to the high school and literally, it was like winning the lottery the way she acted back then...Then again, I do not think y'all know how happy back in '94 I was to get the Gov/Eco job. There's generally only one of those per-school. That said, I was typical Kerry Don Thomas and expected to be fired every year. ( I know me, I expected to "foul it up" just because it is Tuesday.)

There's a group unhappy Buna didn't go to a 4 day week. Well, after the fiasco of the 4 1/2 day established by the former administration, well, you knew that wasn't going to happen. Then , there was the fact that the now Supt. of Schools came from a school district still on a 5 day week, well, first year here, just got here, well, that's a " Bridge Too Far." If you notice, I really didn't talk about it during the time period that the next school year calendars are constructed. ( Heck, I am noticing even Louisiana Parish Schools are starting to change to 4 day weeks, the latest being Vernon Parish Schools changing for the 25-26 school year. That's Leesville for those unfamiliar with Louisiana geography. That is now 9 Louisiana Parish School Districts. In Texas, starting next school year, 116 districts will be going to class 4 days a week.)    

I don't know folks, I still feel attached to the Buna ISD. It is where I spent the majority of my professional career, it is the district I retired from, it is what I write on more than anything else, but I'd give the woman a little more of a honeymoon period. 

At least until the start of the Buna Independent School District 25-26 school year. 

More Buna Gossip?

 So, I am always surprised at the number of hits I receive when I write on South Jasper County gossip. 

I am also surprised at the number of people who up and confess their missteps. I seriously may need to get an old used Confessional and put it in my garage, set up hours they are open. 6 in the last 24 hrs.

And yes, with the number of Catholic Churches closing in this country, heck worldwide.( Not just Catholic, plenty of Protestant Churches going "out of business".)  There are Confessionals for sale online. Some are pricey, like an Italian one I found from the 1600s. 

 I may share with you some of them. At least two said it was okay to do so....Of course, no names will be used. 

I am telling you, I could set up a site called " Slippin' Thru the Slough." Or "Nekkid in Gist." " Playing Slap and Tickle on 1004." " Buna After Hours." " Why Are There Pineapples on 96?"

Perhaps pair it with news on the Buna schools, ( What a combo) Put it behind a paywall, and make some Irish money. 

I Hear Stuff I Shouldn't.......I'm Sorry, You're a Cheater.....

 By now, many of you know about the former student of mine who now has an Onlyfans page. 

Someone wanted to know if I wanted a link to at least see if it was true. I passed. I was afraid I would take a look, and already my opinion of said student is bad enough. I'm  afraid in a rage under the influence of Irish Whisky I'd reveal who they are.

Then, we find out yesterday about a student having affair with an old classmate. Both were in the same class as seniors, Gov/Eco. They flirted then. They may have been playing " Hide the Hot Dog" back then, I know many of you were, and well, tried to avoid knowing, but in many cases, we knew. 

And this is to you guys. 

If you know the girl you are "messing with" is married.......Leave them the fuck alone. 

There are plenty of single women out there. Don't be a damn homewrecker. 

And the thing is, both attend church.....And people wonder why I don't go to church? ( Then again, I am like Doc Holiday in the movie "Tombstone"......" My hypocrisy goes just so far."  I'm trying to stay out of Hell as it is now, and well, I'm not doing too good a job......And please don't tell me about" church being a place for sinners and all that stuff." Hell, some of you are not even trying. )

Anyway, I know you are grown ass people. But try and have some sort of morals. 

Be Careful When You Start Name Calling....

 You need to get out more. 

Seriously. 

It's sort of like the soft-rock group " England Dan and John Ford Coley" in the early 1970s. Hell, we all thought they were from Great Britain when in reality, they were from Dallas, Texas. Sitting here in SE Texas, we well, don't have a very good " worldview." 

I know I am speaking to the author, editor( I suck at editing), publisher of this blog. 

The Vice-President of this country got into trouble by calling the Chinese " Peasants."  

Never mind they hold most of America's government debt.

Now in country of 1.4 billion people( China's population) there is going to be an underclass of people. And about 400 million still live in a rural agricultural setting. And yes, they are poor. 

And until 2018, we didn't know what to really think of China. Then our world changed. We get off a plane in Houston, and literally as we walk in from Ireland, the phone rings and my son is getting married in a couple of months, in China. 

Not going to lie, we were afraid of going there.....

We went to Hong Kong first that, "Let's ease into the Chinese Experience." 

And Hong Kong is a massive world class city, center of banking, well, it's like visiting any other major city. Just with an Asian flair. ( Former British Colony, Hong Kong is well, "different.")  

We finally get to Kunming. A town most of us never even heard of. 

In China, they have Tier cities. They're ranked in order of importance to the nation. Kunming is in the far Southwestern part of the country, away from most of industrialized coast and North. It is, as my daughter in law calls it a " Very Small City." It only has 10 million people. New York City only has 8 million people by comparison. Again, a nation of 1.4 billion.

Kunming is a Third Tier City in China. 

We literally expect the worst. 

We get off the plane in Kunming, and drive into the city. There are literally high-rise construction cranes everyplace. I counted at least 23. There are massive buildings. It looks like something you'd see in the old cartoon show, " The Jetsons."  The first major business I see as we drive into town is a massive Land Rover dealership, and it is bigger than any car dealership I've seen ever, Houston has nothing like this. 

(When we flew home into Houston, we went over downtown. It pales by comparison to Kunming.  )

Now the dealership is not a showing of the average Chinese. They're middle class, drive Mazda, Toyota, Honda like cars. They all live in high rise buildings, with three bedrooms. 

EVERYONE is engaged in commerce. You think we are capitalists? The Chinese are the definition of capitalism. Everyone is making, selling something. Yes, the central government calls themselves Communist, and their government sucks, sucks bad, but the average Chinese on the street is hustling, trying to make an RMB( Their money). And they're not afraid to work 7 days a week, 18 hour days.

The kids over there go to school 6 days a week. 5 days in regular school, Saturday to get ahead, trouble is, they all are trying to get ahead. And Sunday? In the morning if your parents are nice, you get to play, but after lunch? Hit the books.  

Now I don't know what is going to be the final outcome of the tariff business, but in the Chinese mind, they are saying to themselves, we don't sell to America? Fine, we'll sell to someone else. There are 7 billion people in the world and the USA is only 4.2% of the population. We'll find another 4.2% of the world's population to sell our goods. 

Here is my concern, how much will we hurt US farmers in this change? 

Folks, these people are not peasants. They make a smaller wage, yes, but costs over there are cheaper. Much so. 

Trouble is, if business stops with commerce to China, what happens? Does it come back to America? Already tariff threats to other nations are coming down. Business won't be making toasters in Mississippi, or Barbie dolls in Missouri, or Fruit of the Loom boxers in Florida, business will move the plants to Vietnam, or Indonesia, or India. Those with lower tariffs. ( India now has the world's largest population at almost 1.5 billion, and they're looking for work. )

Someone said the other day that an American made Barbie would cost right at $310. " Sweetie you're only getting this Barbie from Santa and maybe some Reese's Pieces."  Maybe....

I am not being an apologist for China, I am not. I was scared several times dealing with government authorities. I would and wouldn't like to go back. I literally have a Chinese Q1 Visa that allows me to travel back and forth. ( Chinese Family Visa) I would love to visit Macau. I want to visit the old German colony cities. You ain't had Chinese food until you've been in China.( But you might be eating donkey or worse.) We were in a part of China in which I saw no other " Blue Eyes" other than my family in a month. Vacationers do not go there. ( I so wish I would have carried a Texas flag with me to hang on our condo balcony on the 27th floor....Then again, I'd probably be still sitting in some Chinese prison. )

I need at some point to talk about Credible Threat Theory in economics, and have tried to write it, but I've made it either too hard or I've went too far the other way, making the theory non-understandable. 

I'll work on it some more....

I Act Like a Smarta$$ This Morning.....And Tell You Stuff You Don't Want to Hear....And I Beg You Not to Do This....

 Last evening, for " shits and giggles" as the British would say, I looked at the opening for teachers in the local school districts. What can I say, I was bored.

I fully expected to be few if any.....To my surprise, there were more than I expected. Then again, the economy in our area has always been sort of "Mundus Inversus" or, we often do well when the rest of the country is suffering, and when they rest of the country is doing well, well, we are doing poorly. In economics, this revolves around the price of oil. Literally an " Upside Down World." I could go into a history of Tarot and the " Upside Down Card" or the " Hanged Man" but I am hoping to stay out of Hell already on some sort of technicality already....And please don't send me religious literature. Don't send missionaries to the house. I already have someone sending me Prayer Cards from Opus Dei. ( Yes, a former student is sending them...)

Seriously,  I was somewhat surprised at the number of faculty openings.  Hell, there were even History teacher jobs and to be honest traditionally they are hard to find for "non-coaching" academics at the high school level. And these were....

Heck, I even found an opening for a Literae Humaniores teacher, as they would call it at Oxford, someone to teach Latin. Who is in 2025 in SE Texas is taking Latin is well, beyond me. ( Back in the day there were two degrees when Oxford and Cambridge were founded.) Literae Humaniores ( the Classics) and  Literae Divinae, and also called, Res Divinae( Theology)...

So, Govteach, Kerry Don, Mr. Thomas, why do you mention this????

They are predicting at least, 2.2 million people to be laid off/fired between now and April of 2026. Jobs as my late Grandfather would say are as " Scarce as Hen's Teeth.."  

2.2 million people sending out resumes are a bunch of people looking for work and the day and age of AI, well, more and more businesses are laying off people. 

Already the people are being let go from their jobs left and right. 

Some of the first actual jobs to be taken, will be teaching positions, or other ancillary positions in school districts. I've seen it before. Especially people who have degrees that they can turn into teaching positions. The sad part is, so many will leave the job as son as the economy gets better. There have always been people who looked at it as a job, and people like Mr. Taucer and myself who saw teaching as a "calling."

If you got a job, unless you have another one lined up, well, I'd hang onto what I got. 

I'm going back to my East Texas roots here....

It's fixin' to get rough....

Panic!?!?!?!

 Panic? 

I had to quit watching the news this weekend and a former Current Events Coach has a hard time stopping. ( ( Fuck you former Buna Supt. of of Schools who didn't want the academic "sponsors" called coaches....It's what the UIL calls us...Look at the Book of Rules....)

I consume a lot of stuff from the rest of the world, sorry but we're in a global society whether we want to believe it or not, stop fooling yourself that we're about to start making toasters in Mississippi.....

Hell, the British were debating whether to visit the U.S. this summer vacation or not......Seriously. 

Fuck up foreign tourism?  It's bigger than you think. They don't come to Beaumont-Orange-Buna....Hell, we are from here and often wonder why? And on the other side of the coin, where else would we go? Seriously? I was born here, I'll die here. 

The markets in Hong Kong, Japan crashed today....and while the American futures have recovered some...it still looks awful...

All this said, relax....Calm down. 

Yes, right now it looks bad, but this has not played out yet. 

My grandparents lived through the Great Depression of the 1930s, World War 2....One set had 11 kids.....The other set 5.... 

My grandparent's grandchildren are pretty soft compared to them. Seriously. 

Things like recessions, depressions happen. Has since the founding of the republic. 

Calm down folks, don't check your 401k every 2 minutes and I know that's hard to do. 

Normally I watch the Bloomberg Business Podcast from 6-9am with Tom Keen to see how messed up Tom's bow tie is this morning, but today...Nope, not going there. 

There might be a time to panic, but we ain't there quite yet....

 Today folks, listen to some music, dance in the kitchen, take a break......Life is too short. ( Then again, I can see the end, and it's closer than many of you know...More and more I wonder what the afterlife is really like....) Enjoy life, it's shorter than you think....

 

Weird Recession/Depression Indicators....

 These weird recession/depression indicators have been around for years, and I do not know it I agree with all of them....

- Snack Index- People are buying fewer chips, candy, junk food at the stores. Already I have spoken to someone in the know who told me that they are selling fewer junk food options at 7-11 type stores. Deliveries of these products are down.

- Smaller alcohol bottles. People are no longer buying as much alcohol especially in the fifth and 1.75lt. sizes. They are buying more pints, and even smaller airliner size bottles. 

-Lipstick sales. Ladies buy more lipstick during a recession. There is a psychological element in it. Can't buy everything, but can get a tube of lipstick. Makes them feel better.

- Underwear sales- Men especially put off buying new underwear. I know that included me. I am holding off on getting new boxers. I figured mine are good at least another 6-8 months. I know, TMI. This doesn't always effect lady buyers. 

- Hemline Index. This comes from the Great Depression. The worse the economy, the longer skirts get....I don't know. Ladies don't wear skirts like they once did, they nearly all wear pants. Heck, I am old enough to remember when girls had to wear skirts to public school, and it was literally called a "sin" when ladies wore pants to church....

In recession time periods in which I taught, when high school girls wore skirts, they were short, too short, and towards the end of my tenure, there was a lack of under-attire by some female students. But, we've talked about that and how that was another reason I retired. Literally there was nothing I could do about it. And if I was to send a kid to the office, what would they do, tell them to " Pull up your skirt to see if I can see your vagina? "  And then, word would get out who sent them, and I can just hear the parents coming to complain.... 

-  Cardboard Box index- Fewer cardboard boxes needed for shipping goods. That's just common sense. 

- Diaper Rash Index- Parents buying fewer Pampers, etc, let the diapers stay on longer causing diaper rash and more people buying ointment for diaper rash. 

- Champagne Index- People buy less of the bubbly wine...Just common sense.

- Stripper Index- Few men having the money to spend at the strip clubs, and few girls go into or stay in that job. 

- Work Ice Box- More people bringing lunch to work. Fewer going out to McDonald's, Chilies. etc.  

Just stuff to look for. Perhaps correct, perhaps, not....

 

The Elephant in the Room.....

 I am proud of myself I could spell elephant correctly.....Now, if I can just finally spell especially right. 

So, how much will tariff effect the car industry? 

Yeah, more and more people are asking me to write on this.....

Here are the cars assembled in Mexico and Canada and sold in the U.S. 

CANADA-

• Honda CR-V: Made in Indiana, Ohio, and Alliston, Ontario.
• Toyota RAV4: In addition to other factories, this popular SUV is made in Woodstock and Cambridge, Ontario.
• Lexus NX: In addition to two locations in Japan, the NX is made in Cambridge.
• Lexus RX: Made in Cambridge, Ontario.
• Chrysler Pacifica and Voyager: Made in Windsor, Ontario.
• Dodge Charger Daytona: Stellantis Windsor Assembly Plant in Windsor, Ontario.
• Chevrolet Silverado: Made in three US plants as well as in Oshawa, Ontario, and Silao, Mexico.
• Ford Mustang GTD: Finished in Markham, Ontario.
  

 

MEXICO-

• Chevrolet Silverado: Some made in Silao, including the 1500 model.
• Ford Maverick: Made in Hermosillo.
• Ford Bronco Sport: Made in Hermosillo.
• Ford Mustang Mach-E: Made in Cuautitlan.
• Audi Q5: Made in San José Chiapa.
• BMW 2-Series: Made in San Luis Potosi.
• BMW 3-Series: Made in San Luis Potosi.
• Chevrolet Equinox, Equinox EV: Some are made in San Luis Potosi and Ramos Arizpe, others in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada.
• GMC Terrain: Made in San Luis Potosí. The first gen was built in Ingersoll, Ontario.
• Ram 1500 and 2500: The Ram 1500 is made at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in Michigan and at the Saltillo Truck Assembly Plant in Mexico, while the Ram 2500 is made in Saltillo.
• VW Jetta, Taos and Tiguan are made in Puebla, Mexico
• Honda Fit and HR-V are made in Celaya, Mexico

That's just Mexico and Canada...... Not the rest of the world.

This is just assembled.....If a 25% tariff is imposed, prices could increase by as much as $12,000 for some models, or as little as $4,000 for others, in both cases a cost that will almost certainly be passed on to U.S. buyers.

This includes parts in assembly.

Thousands of parts are used to make a vehicle....

They were talking on the Wall Street Journal how many times parts cross the border in the process of being made. For example. There is transmission company in Ontario, Canada that has a building process in which the manufacturing of the transmission is shipped back and forth between Ontario, in Canada to Ohio, to Illinois, back to Canada, to Indiana, back to Canada, each plant had a specialized process in the making of the transmission, and according to the Wall Street Journal, every time it is shipped across the border, a tariff would be applied. That's before it is sent to America to be put on the vehicle. 

That's just one part....

The car parts come from all overseas

GM Parts-

These are just a few, some made in the USA, but others..... Nothing, parts, is made in total in any country.

Wheels/Rims & Wheels- Mexico. Bulgaria. Hell, I'd want my rims made in Mexico. That probably sounds racist. But...true.

Tires- Korea

Engines- Mexico, Argentina

Brake Assembly- Romania

Transmissions- Canada, Mexico, China

Electronics- Japan, Taiwan, India,  China.....And others.....Most cars have electronics, computers, parts from all over the world. 

Already  a car maker has said that to move everything back to America is impossible. It would be like move the state of Maine, everyone, everything, land and all to Wyoming. And even then, it probably won't be enough....Far from it.  

I am sorry, but China is going to wind up being the world's large car maker. And I've ridden in Chinese vehicles over there. They are not junk like you think they are. They've come a long ways. They are building cars to compete with Honda and Mazda.My son's father in law drives a Mazda equivalent sedan....It's 12 years old, and has 140,000 miles on it. I was surprised at the quality....No, cannot but them here. And GM really want(ed) to tap the Chinese market, but now....And the Chinese love Buicks. It is why Buick still exists. Certainly not for the U.S. market.

That's just to name a few parts. In one vehicle, the parts might be from 50 different countries. 

I don't know. People can't afford cars now. And if you can, well, good for you, a lot of people just cannot. 

 

 

 

 

The Economists are Sounding Warning Bells.....

I watch and read a lot of economists, most of these guys are not " Gloom and Doom" people. 

Most are very conservative in what the U.S. Economy is doing.... 

In the last few months, they have changed their tunes, and it isn't just because of the present administration. They were already very concerned in the last two quarters of last year concerning Americans and the US Economy. 

One I listen to, read, is talking about " Economic Chaos." 

And we are not in a poor country compared to the rest of the world. But, we can face changes and how we live. 

It is time to be conservative with your lifestyle. 

It is time to seriously pay off debt. Don't be buying stuff just because it is a shiny new toy. It might be time to as I said, pay off debt. 

Might want to wait on that new car. Wait on buying that new house. If you buy a new car, you might want to look at a lower trim level. 

Say what you want, wages in this country have not increased. Prices have. 

I am going to talk about tariffs in coming blogs. And while some are you are saying the that it is good that manufacturing might be coming back to America, I don't think you know how long it'll take to come back. Literally, decades. It took decades to get us here, and decades to get back. 

America at this people is a consumer nation. Other nations send us their products and we send them a paper promise, and those nations are good with it. Literally, happy with it. 

We will at some point talk about the Cantillion Theory....Richard Cantillion, 1680s to 1734, Irish/British Economist-

Cantillon held that market prices are not immediately decided by intrinsic value, but are derived from supply and demand. He considered market prices to be derived by comparing supply, the quantity of a particular good in a particular market, to demand, the quantity of money brought to be exchanged.

 

I know Subaru has sent memos to dealers not to take orders on their cars.

 

And most Subaru dealerships have almost sold out of Outbacks, Forresters for fear of tariffs. Never mind Outbacks are made in Indiana. ( Not the Crosstrex the crossover Subie. And smaller car. Part of that is no incentives on Crosstrex.)  

 

Also, in America, we don't have manpower to build stuff, Gen Z, Gen A, well, babies to man the plants in the future, are just not there. And as a former student of mine wrote me yesterday, he has a small business. Gen Z, those under 30 just don't want to work hard. And don't be telling me how hard your son " Little Johnny" works, there are always outliers. 

I'm going to tell you stuff you just don't want to do, and the average American, well, they are just not going to do it.....Literally, buy that shiny new object today, with huge interest rates. And wonder why they can never get ahead...Why they live paycheck to paycheck.....

Hang-on folks, I may get ugly here in the next few blogs.