Tariff Caused Bankruptcies in 2025

Tariffs were a contributing factor to a significant surge in U.S. corporate bankruptcies in 2025, which reached their highest level since 2010. Over 717 companies filed for bankruptcy through November 2025, a 14% increase from 2024, with many citing tariffs as a primary cause.

 

In contrast to previous patterns that were dominated by retail bankruptcies, this year’s impacted industries were primarily industrial, manufacturing and transportation.  

First Brand, a 2.5 billion dollar company that provides parts to the auto industry.

iRobot, maker of Rhomba.  Now owned by a Chinese company, Picea.

Spirit Airlines.

Wolfspeed, a 7.5 billion dollar company that makes semiconductors.

Ligado Networks.  A telecommunications and satellite company.  But with 7.5 billion dollars of debt, this one may have been in the works regardless.

2U, valued at 1.2 billion, builds and supports educational programs.

Tyson foods shuttering a beef processing plant in Nebraska.  This was caused by other countries no longer accepting American beef due to tariffs on their products.

Osage and Justice, both beef processing, also  "exited", cattle operations.

 

 

 

Infra-Man

True story. I saw Infra-man in the theater in 1977. Freshly out of Navy radar school, laughed my ass off at the blueprints.

Years go by. I saw a copy of the movie on VHS tape in a discount bin.

After watching it with more jaded eyes, it was still a riot.
My wife, however, was seriously reconsidering her life choices.

Decades go by.

I'm at "Blobfest". Phoenixville, Pa, honors the making of the movie, "The Blob", by closing main street in front of the movie theater the Blob attacks. There is a lot of kitchy stands put up, cos-players, and...
a young man sporting an Infra-man tee shirt????
40 years after this one shot wonder and someone made a fresh tee shirt?
We talked....
I could see his girl friend's eyes glaze over and with the thought, "Oh my god, he found a friend."

Another decade goes by.

I'm at a gaming event, "OttoDotCon", Née "The Weekend", where the evening is spent "MST3000ing" a truly bad movie.
One of the choices was Infra-man!
Totally worthy of MST3000.
If anything, the movie has improved with age.

The movie can be seen on YouTube here.

 

Coronavirus, End of Year 2025

It's been more than a year since my last "state of the Covid."  Because, well, it was largely samo-samo.  Variants come into being, prosper, fade.  Some surges in the numbers, which I have long stopped tracking, followed by retreats.  

 

France has completed phase 4 studies on Covid-19 vaccines.  One of the many advantages of universal health care is that there is a very large database to work with.  In this case, some 29 million individuals, ages 18 to 59, for a period of 4 years.  23 million were vaccinated by the mRNA Moderna and Pfizer.

 

Short form.  Vaccinated individuals had a 74% lower risk of death from severe COVID-19.

 

There was noticed a slight increase for Myocarditis. However, that is also a symptom of Covid.  And getting Myocarditis through Covid is much more devastating with the virus running rampant through your system than from the vaccine just boosting your immune system.

 

And vaccinated individuals consistently had a lower risk of death, regardless of the cause. Mortality was 29% lower within 6 months following COVID-19 vaccination.  Including oddly. boosting the overall survival rates some cancer patients when given before their treatments. 

 

As to why the this may be could be partially due a to "healthy-vaccine" effect.   Where healthier individuals opt for vaccination.  The reverse of this is "frailty-related" bias, where those in poorer health may avoid it.

 

See the Jama article here... 

Today is Dec 8

Today is Dec 8.  On this day, my sister and me are the same age.

But she has been in an urn some 18 years now.  Her life destroyed by cocaine and alcohol.   To her children, she served as an example how drugs have consequences beyond the immediate victim.

Of her children, she would be proud. From adversity, each one has blazed their own path into the world—razing a little hell along the way. Each has carved out a life marked by resilience, courage, and success.

Tracy Lynn Gardocki, 1977

They are innovators, dreamers, and doers. They have built careers, families, and legacies that speak to the strength instilled in them. And while their journeys were not without hardship, they carried forward the lessons of perseverance and the spirit of independence that defined their upbringing.

 Yes, she would be proud, as are we all.

 

The Oath to the Constitution

I noticed nearly silence by the many republican supporters over the issues of the last 8 weeks.  Like on the topic of the Republican controlled house of representatives taking an 6 week vacation in order to to keep the Epstein files from being voted on.  

The administration insisting that it was the D's, and not the R's that was holding up food aid, wasn't getting any traction. 

That the Democrats were showing up for work in congress throughout the shutdown.  Crickets. 

The release of  some Epstein emails that proved that DJT lied yet again about his relationship being broken off with Epstein.  There was shock, but no one was standing up and supporting him.

That he knew what was going on the island is almost a certainty, still quiet.

That DJT's banner waver in congress, MTG,  is resigning in disgust, and now needs extra security.  Whimpers.

But 6 lawmakers urging military members to "refuse illegal orders". And social media just explodes.

Many of the shouting is from veterans.  A lot of them who have been quiet during the big reveals as this administration continues to torture and fleece the country with their incompetence and malfeasance, suddenly found their voices.

Their claims that these lawmakers are committing treason and sedition fall flat in the face of the culture of the US Military.  The US Military is almost unique in the world.  We swore an oath to the Constitution of the US.  Not the president, the Constitution.  It reads, "I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God." 

Yes, it does say obey orders of the officers and regulations up to the President.   But the overriding part of the oath is ..."support and defend the Constitution"... 

Before someone tries to legalize the wiggle room here.  This plaque is mounted at West Point.  Where future Army officers  see it for 4 years:

 

The priority is LAW over ORDERS.

10's of millions have sworn the oath.  That there is a duty to disobey ILLEGAL orders was taught in boot camp, to millions of soldiers and sailors.  

65% of veterans voted for the DJT.  See here...  Why?  I think it was down to they were not going to vote for a black woman.  And were willing to accept the crap faux news was putting out.  About the migrants that were NOT taking their jobs, or the few dozen trans athletes in collegiate sports.  That was just an excuse they were telling themselves to justify voting for the white man, who demonstrated his incompetence in the first term, causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans.  And leading an insurrection against the Republic.

Which was a violation of his oath as well.  It was obvious to everyone.  

The last 10 months have shown them what a deal with the devil they had made.  Many of them are working their way, whether they realize it or not, through 7 steps to acceptance.  Shock and denial, those we have seen a lot of in the last 10 months.  Now many are on step 3, Anger.  They know, that by supporting this con-man, that he was guilty of sedition and treason.

What Mark Kelly and 5 other law makers, 4 of which are veterans as well, was hold up a mirror to them. And they are ashamed.    

 

 

 

Priorities for a Democratically controlled congress

Last edited Jan 1, 2026.  This will be updated when priorities are identified. 

This has been referred to as "Project 2028", we will see if the name sticks. 

Once they are back in charge the Democrats face the challenge as to what to do.  If you look to the UK or example, their conservatives,  their MAGA equivalent, were voted out last year, only to have the labor party struggle as to what to do next, and have come up with priorities that are silly, and not helpful at all.

For America, the priorities need to be:
Overturn Citizens United.  
    Corporations ARE NOT PEOPLE!  This is the highest priority as the flood of money will defeat all the other priorities.

Universal Health Care
    Oddly enough, with the Republicans killing the Obamacare subsidies, this may make this very doable, unifying those that can no longer access health insurance.  This needs to include abortion rights.

Impeach Donald Trump until it takes

     Pick one item.  Treason, impeach.  When the Senate votes to acquit, pick another.  Like violating 9 of the first 10 amendments. When the Senate votes to acquit, pick another.  Like the emoluments clause.   When the Senate votes to acquit, pick another. Committing fraud, like selling "Swiss Watches",  When the Senate votes to acquit, pick another. Defying the Supreme Court.   When the Senate votes to acquit, pick another. The list is endless. And he is adding to that list almost daily.  Just yesterday, agreeing to sell to the Saudi's F35 jets in exchange for continued business dealings with the desert kingdom.  By picking just one impeachable item and focusing on it, the trials are very short.  Make the Senate justify their votes.  With their reelection prospects dimming each time.

    Is this going to be expensive and a waste of time and money?  Yes.  Worth it, equally yes!  If he is allowed to flaunt the rules without penalty, then we are done as a country.  And that never ends well.  And if he is busy defending himself every other week in Congress, that is less time he is destroying the country.

Pass the Equal Rights Amendment.  Including codifying a Woman's rights to her own body.

Fix the immigration system.  Lets put that word "illegal" to bed for good.  Our current system allows for a fixed number of immigrants per country.  So Luxembourg (total number of actual applicants is about zero) is allowed the same number of immigrants as Mexico.  One existing exception is Ireland, which is allowed double the number.  Because Teddy Kennedy wrote the law way back when. 

Adjust the Tax brackets.  Introduce new brackets for over 10 million a year, and above.

Raise the exception for Social Security tax from $160,000 to something in the millions.
      
Pass the 3 of 6 of these items, and the Democrats can be assured the presidency in 2028.  Fail, and the Republican controlled media will eat us alive.  

Other items:
Defund ICE.
    We have to assume this organization is so corrupted as to be unsalvageable.

Defund Trump's pet construction projects.  The Arc-de-Trumpf and the ballroom. 

Defund foreign aid to Argentina.  40 Billion?  For what?

Put teeth in the Emoluments clause.  

Ban Stock Trading to members of Congress, and to the President, Vice President. the Cabinet and their staffs. 

Set an age or term limits to the Supreme Court.

Raise Federal minimum wage, and index it to the inflation rate.

Delegitimize Private Prisons.  Companies like GEO Group have caused widespread harm — including wrongful deaths, medical neglect, and exploitation.

 

 

     

Declaring War on Harvard

The latest inanity by our dictator-wannabe.  

The legal eagles representing the i'm-a-genius-i-just-passed-my-cognitive-test-in-chief have decided to to go to war with that bastion of free thought, Harvard University. It is a power play where they want to bring the FULL FORCE OF THE GOVERNMENT to intimidate the lesser entities.  Going for a surrender without a fight.  It worked against some high priced legal firms.  It worked against some smaller universities.

But this is Harvard.  Harvard said, "bring it."

They decided to strip Harvard of it's federal grants.  

Harvard derisively snorted.

They threatened to revoke  Harvard's permissions to educate foreign students.  Harvard raised an single eyebrow.

Lets put this in perspective.  Harvard is, quite literally, older than the country.  By some 150 years.  

There were Harvard graduates at the first Tea Party.  

Harvard alum's signatures are on the Declaration of Independence.  

8 presidents, including 2 recent, are Harvard alums.  

 

They have bookshelves older than the country.

Google "Famous Harvard Graduates," and you get 4 PAGES is just Nobel Laureates.  3 pages of Supreme Court Justices, though admittedly most in other countries.  Pages of other notable LEGAL figures.  And frankly so many journalists, writers, film personalities that you will wear your finger out scrolling through them.

The Turnip in the Oval Office always believes he is operating from a position of strength.  And sadly, this is true most of the time.  And when he is rebuked, his tactic is always to double down.  

Harvard told him to buzz off when he wanted them to trash what he claims are DEI policies.  

So he doubled down with the threat to rescind 2 billion dollars in various grants.  Harvard has $55 billion in endowments.   There are living Nobel laureates in economics from Harvard.  I'm sure they will get by.

Revoking Harvard's permissions to educate foreign students?  Think that one through.  Do you actually want MORE Harvard lawyers that are US Citizens to stand against your tyranny?

And then there is the legal battles this will bring.  Again, the cry-baby-chief believes he has unlimited resources to tear down all the institutions he doesn't like.  And the last hundred days has largely proven him correct.  Can he beat Harvard in a knock down drag them out fight?  Maybe.  But only by taking the his focus, which is not his strong suit, from everywhere else.  Without the fear of reprisal, Congress might just reach down and find a pair.  Vance might pull the 25th amendment on his butt.

Harvard's legal pool is vast.  How many grade 'A' lawyers?  Possibly all of them. On staff, others pro-bono, or, well, see $55 billion endowment above.   How many interns to do research?  The legal students at Harvard would salivate for the opportunity to put "United States vs Harvard" on their Curriculum Vitae.

 

And regarding all those journalists, actors, writers? They can pillory and shame his fear inspired supporters far better than me.

 

If anything the last 100 days has shown us, is the bestist-he-can-find-in-chief's staff is,  at best, shown itself to be a C minus in competency.