Rein Teder

Ahhh yes. A refreshing day in Minnesota, Lifeboat Headquarters. (Note the minus sign! That's -26 Celsius.🧊)

From our families to yours, Lifeboat would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas!🎅🎄 We hope you travel safely during this time of the year and enjoy the true meaning of Christmas!

@LeeStrobel Lord, watch over and protect Lee.

Would you be willing to pray for me at 8:40 am Central Time on Wednesday as I undergo surgery for skin cancer? I would really appreciate it.

@Evolving_Ego Economists are stuck on the theory that protectionist economies are bad. But in practice, they more often than not serve their citizens well. Likely outcome: lower gap between most and least wealthy.

If Trump gets his tariffs, and inflation rises, on what will he place the blame?

Whale watching off the coast of Iceland. This pair of humpbacks-- bigger than our boat-- surfaced right next to us.

@realTrumpNewsX Yes.

@Evolving_Ego TBH I don't do enough of the household shopping to notice a short term fluctuation either way. I hope it's lower, but I suspect there is a lot of inertia and real change will take months.

@ReinTeder We had a bout of it for a year or two. It's come down since then, though, don't you think? I don't notice much difference in most prices since January.

Trump hasn't even taken office yet, and look at how good the economy is already. Low inflation rate. Low unemployment. High growth. Amazing. Trump's influence is so phenomenal, this has been true for months already.

@Evolving_Ego It was Bob Dylan who said "Don't need a weatherman to tell what way the wind is blowing." And you don't need statistics to know prices are soaring. Arby's used to have coupons for sandwich deals, and now the only deals are for combos! Goodbye 2 for 1 French Dip!

@ReinTeder Can you list the bundle of goods you're tracking, and how their prices changed over the last few years? And is your sample fairly representative? Or are you at least trying to correct for confirmation bias by noticing not only items that have risen, but items that have not?

@PeterSchiff Be honest, you actually kinda love to rain on parades.

I hate to rain on this parade, but the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is not a real department. It exists outside of government and has no authority to do anything. Like any one of a number of independent think tanks that already exist, it's free to make any recommendations it wants, and the government is free to ignore them all. Even if the Trump administration actually proposes some of the DOGE recommendations, they mean nothing unless Congress votes to pass them, which it won’t. Since no Democrats will vote in favor of eliminating any government department or agency—except perhaps the Space Force—the House will need over 98% of Republican votes. This is nearly impossible to achieve with so many RINOs still in the House and so many representing swing districts. In the Senate, even if all Republicans vote in favor of the cuts, they still don’t have 60 votes. Also, regarding firing government workers, the civil service unions make that nearly impossible. The best Trump can do is allow the workforce to shrink naturally through attrition. That will help, but the savings over the course of his term will be minimal. Of course, the nearly impossible task will become completely impossible after the Republicans lose the House in the midterms. That is normal for the party in power. In two years, Trump and the Republicans will own the economy. With stagflation firmly entrenched by then, disappointed voters will again vote for change. But as usual, there will be no real change until an actual dollar and sovereign debt crisis finally forces our leaders to act. @elonmusk @VivekGRamaswamy @realDonaldTrump

@hajiyev_rashad Investors think inflation will be tamed, so gold loses some hedge value.

Fed cuts interest rate last Thursday, gold and silver sell off. Trump promises to cut taxes, which should explode budget deficit borrowing , gold sells-off. Is there any logic?

@PeterSchiff Permabear.

Consumer optimism is picking up and will likely continue to rise for a while longer, as misplaced confidence in a Trump-inspired economic boom continues to spread. But the good feelings won't last long, as all the economic problems that people hoped #Trump would solve get worse.

@PeterSchiff Reagan didn't have Elon Musk. Spending will decrease, inflation will be tamed.

The best #Trump trade now is buying the dip in #gold and gold mining stocks. Cutting taxes is easy. We know from experience that substantive spending cuts are impossible. Even Reagan couldn't do it, despite making greater promises to do so. Trump will make #inflation great again.

@Todo56_ Thanks, and indeed!

I wrote a song about the practical utility of a biblical worldview. youtu.be/sejZ1O6pnIQ

@randydreammaker Yes, thanks! And cool that you recognize the Nord. Love the B3 sounds.

@DoinkADoodle Merry Christmas to you and yours!

I just unplugged this from my test bench and have absolutely no recollection of what it powers. I hate it when that happens.

I'm 36. This is my honest advice for people in their 20s: 1. Make decisions your future self will thank you for, not resent you for. 2. Somebody you know and love is going to die within the next 10 years. It could even be you. So live accordingly.

It's in responsibility that most people find the meaning that sustains them through life.