Maslow's Political Blog

Another summer month is behind us - I hope you're all getting outside when the weather is enjoyable. So what were the MAIN things that mattered in July?  What was, and wasn't, worth our valuable attention? Major: Very important, will be impactful. Was and remains  major  The One Big Beautiful Bill is now law, and the bill contains a lot of stuff and will affect nearly every American in multiple ways, in particular if you have kids. The floods in Texas earlier this month were horrendous.  The recovery is ongoing, here's a  list of organizations  to donate to. Appreciable: Good context to keep in mind, but don't sweat the details. Was and remains  appreciable : The ongoing genocide in Sudan and China. Tarriffs will probably have major effects on things, but don't ask me how.  But it's always good to stay within whatever your budget is so you can absorb price increases (or just surprise bills). Trump firing the jobs person isn't a huge deal...

The trouble of doing this monthly is sometimes a war starts and ends before my next deadline.  Oh well! Also some of last month's stuff is still relevant, but in some cases changes in importance, so I'm noting that. So what were the MAIN things that mattered in Junel?  What was, and wasn't, worth our valuable attention? Major: Very important, will be impactful. Was  Major  in June, will remain  Major : "Big Beautiful Bill" is on the way to being law.  When I started writing this it's fate was still uncertain, but has since been passed by the House.  So if you're represented by someone who voted for it and are unhappy with the contents  you should complain to your rep and in a few months when opponents rise up to run against them consider supporting them.  Or run yourself! But the bill contains a lot of stuff and will affect nearly every American in multiple ways. Appreciable: Good context to keep in mind, but don't sweat the details...

This month was pretty bland - which is always a good thing given we have the rest of our lives to live.  I also was surprised, with mixed emotion, that Trump went through Memorial Day with the gravitas we'd expect of a President.  I think traditions matter and it's good to have a President who doesn't shit on them. So what were the MAIN things that mattered in May?  What was, and wasn't, worth our valuable attention? Major: Very important, will be impactful. The courts are ruling against Trump pretty consistently.  How will these losses be enforced?  Is there any amount of losses which motivate Republicans in Congress to start abandoning him?  If he ignores them, how can Democrats use that to motivate voters next year to support them? "Big Beautiful Bill" is on the way to being law, and if you don't like the priorities of that bill/budget, reach out to Congress before its too late! Appreciable: Good context to keep in mind, but don't sweat the de...

I skipped March because I got a new job.  But now we're back! So what were the MAIN things that mattered in April?  What was, and wasn't, worth our valuable attention? Major: Very important, will be impactful. The Trump administration ignoring court orders is a big deal.  Separation of powers only works if each branch of government respects the power of the other two. Impact of tarrifs will make things more expensive and scarcer, which makes things more expensive, which makes money scarcer, etc. Appreciable: Good context to keep in mind, but don't sweat the details. Trump securing a mineral deal from between US and Ukraine would seem to give him an incentive to help Ukraine more (since the deal only works if they maintain control of the territory).  That Trump posts things like "Vladimir, STOP!" on social media, to no effect, makes the US look pretty fucking pathetic. Incidental: Good to know, but of limited use beyond its own topic. Nothing this month Negligible:...

I had a busy weekend topping off a busy month, but I'm hoping to get this out before Trump's speech to Congress (Update: Success!). So what are the MAIN things that mattered in February? What was, and wasn't, worth our valuable attention? Major:  Very important, will be impactful. The ongoing genocide in Sudan and China. Tariffs on Mexico and Canada, and upcoming counter-tariffs. America's greatest strength is our positive relations with our nearest neighbors. A trade war will disrupt that, and hopefully won't be step one in a multi-step deterioration. That they are  higher than the tariffs on China  is real mud in the eye. Appreciable:  Good context to keep in mind, but don't sweat the details. Nothing, actually. Incidental:  Good to know, but of limited use beyond its own topic. DOGE, unless of course you are or know someone who works in the federal government.  Same with the ongoing ceasefire in Israel/Palestine and the hostages being returned.  The...

January 2025 felt very busy once Trump took over the White House. Lots of executive orders, though most of them are going to need court clarification. So what are the MAIN things that mattered?  What is, and isn't, worth our valuable attention? Major: Very important, will be impactful. The ongoing genocide in Sudan and China. Whoever gets confirmed into the cabinet obviously matters. Call your Senators and share your opinion about those nominated. As a personal aside, that RFK says his kids are vaccinated is out of this world. (I can't find any reporting confirminghe actuallysaid this...) The TikTok ban pause. Tariffs used as an effective bargaining chip in the deportation case with Columbia. Sets a helluva precedent!  I also didn't know Presidents have the power to just make tariffs.  Hopefully the courts will weigh in and clarify before he decides to use the threat again. The executive orders regarding funding pauses. Those just affects so many things it probably impa...

Happy New Year!  For the past few months I've been thinking of getting back into political blogging.  What I'd like to write about is simple: What matters and what doesn't.  I see a lot of people worrying over issues that aren't really worth their time.  Thinking over the past year I think I've been correct about what's worth thinking about and what isn't.  And with Trump returning to office... I worry we're going to see a lot more wasted, aimless worry. So this year every month I'll make a post looking at the news topics of that month and evaluating whether I think they're worth our time.  This will also make it easy for me to check myself as the months roll on - will my analysis hold up? I'll be using a system of ranking importance I am calling the MAIN system - a name I chose with the help of ChatGPT (I'm not good at making clever acronyms).  I'm not going to use ChatGPT for anything else on this blog - unless I decide to change ac...