Will AI be the downfall of many a 9 to 5? Will machines replace humans on a large enough scale to force a re-imagining of what it means to earn a paycheck? It seems this is the fear.

I believe Elon Musk has even suggested a guaranteed monthly income in lieu of an hourly wage, some sort of major restructuring of how we think about work, or the lack thereof, and what we’d do with all the resulting free time.

I guess what I’d like to know is if this is shaping up to be a major cart-before-the-horse event. An imaginative and powerful group of entrepreneurs develops a groundbreaking technology that is highly sophisticated and potentially disruptive, and then just tries to sell it as some sort of godsend, without seemingly much of a beta run, in the absence of long-term data collection or simple observation.

They go all-in on springing it on a public that doesn’t even know what questions to ask.

Epstein

The Trump cabal is good at creating media frenzy over mostly non-descript, though sometimes important stuff. They get the networks all riled up about something over here, while tending to the meat and potatoes of implementing Project 2025 over there.  

One might think the media would have caught on by now, but it seems they just keep falling for it. Meanwhile, Trump and the rest just laugh all the way to the bank, oblivious to actual governance.

Many realize the awfulness of the situation, shocked and dismayed and incredulous over the fact that it’s still going on, that this soulless knucklehead continues to command so much attention and seeming devotion.

Epstein

Not unlike gawking at an accident scene, I sometimes click on women’s MMA video clips, and I come away from the experience thinking that the female of our species is more tenacious and vicious than men ever could be.

For me, the overarching theme, whether it’s men or women—and whether boxing or MMA—is that these people are either desperate, angry/inordinately aggressive, always feeling as though they have something to prove, or a combination thereof.

A person can be competitive without wanting to punch or elbow or kick someone’s lights out, or render them unconscious in a relentless, merciless head lock. I know there’s money to be made, but there also appears to be an accompanying and sometimes steep cost.

And the venues themselves—the spectators, the blood lust, the cage or ring with the dueling gladiators—come across as just modern-day Colosseums. A reminder that we are more sophisticated animals who haven’t come all that far.

For whatever reason—most likely nefarious or at least politically expedient—we’ve seen neither hide nor hair of Mitch McConnell for quite some time.

There have been updates along the way, some supposedly from the man himself, along with a couple of pictures that may or may not be doctored with the help of AI. The burning questions for many are, “Why can’t we see him, in the flesh, in real time? Is there a problem?”

This being a mid-term election year, when House and Senate seats are up for grabs, it’s understandable that there might be a bit of subterfuge surrounding whatever it is that’s been ailing the ancient senator from Kentucky. There is no shortage of opinions and theories, because in the absence of proof, people will fill in the blanks with all sorts of imaginings.

Regardless of privacy concerns and consideration for the family, we find ourselves doubting the veracity of assurances, most of which have come “from the Senator’s office.” The ones supposedly originating from McConnell himself have landed with varying degrees of incredulity and suspicion, perhaps because we live in the era of Trump, when every motive is tainted and questioned, and things are hardly ever what they’re reported to be.

This whole episode reeks of scam, of misdirection and lying and cover-up.

Show your face, Mitch, if you’re still conscious. If you’re too frail and withered to handle such visibility, then do the honorable thing and tell us that, somehow. Then pass the baton.

Damned Republicans. They give us no reason to trust anything about them. Which, apparently, is just how they like it.

Dropping birthrates is a topic getting some attention nowadays. They’re even dropping in Utah. But is it any wonder, really?

Lifestyles have changed, priorities have changed, there’s much less need to raise a brood so they can work and take over the farm. And… maybe prospective parents are thinking twice about bringing children into a world that’s looking increasingly inhospitable, like a place you wouldn’t want young ones to inherit or have to navigate in.

I hear voices occasionally encouraging people to have more children—gotta replace those dying off, after all. It’s an empty appeal, seemingly based on nothing more than numbers, with little consideration for the condition of the world into which they would be thrust– and with no say whatsoever.

I assume the loudest voices in support of making babies are Republicans, for whom every sperm is sacred and life is so, so precious. Trouble is, there’s some serious magical thinking going on, since there’s been such a rush to deep-six programs and cut funding for research and medical care and any semblance of a safety net for families who may need a bit of help along the way.

Is it just that people of a certain pedigree and income level get the lion’s share of encouragement to procreate, or is it more of a general need for bodies in the dystopian vision of the Heritage Foundation?

Seventy-seven million people voted for him in 2024. At least seventy-five million didn’t.

Either he’s good for the country or he isn’t. If it comes down to being truthful, a number of that 77 million are starting to realize he’s monumentally bad for most of us. He’s lazy, angry, calculating, morally bankrupt, transactional, and inept. He is a liar’s liar, and he is broken.

Governance is the last thing on his mind. It’s all about grift, self-preservation, using the power and influence of the office he holds, and monetizing everything. He’s not God’s gift to anyone, including the MAGA faithful and most Republicans in Congress who exist in a bubble with fingers in their ears all day every day.

A pox on anyone who looks for a silver lining with this guy. He deserves no benefit of any doubt. He is distilled indolence, poster child for skin deep, beholden to the deepest pockets, in awe of despots. He is a marionette operated at the whim of people who want to destroy the power in diversity, render America a land full of sheep– nothing more than an oligarchy and a repository of white privilege and a brand of “Christianity” that might have atheists rolling in their graves.

If the tide starts turning in November, Trump won’t be going anywhere– even after he leaves office or decides he can run for another term. As long as he lives, he will need to be consequential. He will need to be seen and heard.

What an asshole.