Delusional Republicans

 Our outside temp is 22 (F) and that almost feels warm, but that's because we've been cold for a bit.  We've got another bit of frigid air coming our way over the weekend, then the warmup begins.  In 10 days we should once again be up in the low to mid 40s (F).  That will be nice.  Keep in mind, however, that ten days can sometimes seem like an eternity.

While at work yesterday, I got a measure.  Yippee!  That should make management happy.  For those interested, our fiscal year is now over.  2025 was not good.  Corporate will put out a statement saying that at present people are just not that interested in home improvements.  In a way that is true.  Also keep in mind that one of the main reason for this is that home improvements have gotten very expensive, and not everyone wants to put a $9000 charge on a credit card.  With prices going up, not everybody wants to set aside a monthly payment.  There are quite a few people out there who don't want to live from paycheck to paycheck.  This is something large corporations refuse to deal with.  It matters not one bit if you're in debt up to your eyeballs.  The home improvement retail business is beginning to learn that.

My first loaf of bread is on its 2nd rise in my new bread machine.  The yeasty smell is permeating my house.  I love that smell.  Real estate agents will sometimes back a batch of cookies before they show a house.  I think the scent of baking bread is much more homey.

And (brace yourself) the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) is delaying the release of the their month jobs report for January.  Orangie's administration is blaming this on the government partial government shutdown.  You know?  The one that's in its 3rd day.  

This is because they really, really don't want to tell the American people just how badly Orangie's labor market truly is.  All of those layoffs by large corporation like Amazon (16,000 jobs cut) hurt.  We are entering into what's called Selective Hiring, where there are an overwhelming number of qualified candidates for the shrinking number of jobs available.  Putting this simply means that the unemployed will end up taking the same sort of job they were doing, but at a lower pay grade and with lesser benefits.  The number of people hired goes down while unemployment goes up, and corporations are too concerned with their own balance sheets to understand how they are killing the economy.

And Orangie wants to nationalize elections, rather than leave them in the hands of the states.  This is a great way to win by cheating.  Don't believe me?  Just look at Russia.  Or China.  I do believe Republicans believe that most Americans will pull a Susan Collins and clutch their pearls, all the while saying they are "so concerned."  Of course, Republicans have been delusional for years.