The Omaha Bugle-Global News Network

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A thought-provoking look at the news--offering entertaining insights into politics, economics, and popular culture--which are occasionally grounded in actual facts.

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155 episodes
Updated June 25

Episodes155

Newest first

Jul 1, 2024 · 39 min
Russian Ships in Cuba, Oh My! . . . Putin Makes A Peace Offer to Ukraine
Send us Fan Mail The recent visit of several Russian ships to Cuba strikes Adam and Jeff as nothing more than a tit-for-tat move by Putin in response to President Biden's recent decision to allow Ukrainian troops to fire American weapons into Russian territory. Of course there is not much tit or tat because Putin started the war in Ukraine and has disingenuously proclaimed that the Russian ships are in America's backyard due to America's aggression against Russia. Adam and Jeff talk about Cuba's dependency on foreign benefactors such as Russia and Venezuela in the past and the sad fact that these patrons have hit the economic skids in recent years and cut back their assistance to Cuba. They then wander over to the topic of the recent peace offer by Putin which would require that Ukraine give up its four eastern provinces in their entirety (even though Putin only controls a fraction of those lands) and, to show good faith, disband their military forces altogether. Because Putin has not done a very good job keeping his word, Adam and Jeff believe that the Ukrainians would be very unlikely to enter into any type of agreement with Russia. After all, Russia and other autocratic countries such as China view treaties as tactical devices for obtaining additional advantages from the counterparts whereas Western countries consider treaties to be solemn promises that must be kept by all parties. Given the frequency with which Russia breaks treaties, Jeff wonders why another country such as Ukraine would ever enter into a treaty with Russia as it has shown over and over again it cannot be trusted.
Jun 10, 2024 · 37 min
The Mushy Debate Over Climate Change and Global Warming, Formerly Global Cooling, Formerly Global Warming, Formerly Global Cooling . . .
Send us Fan Mail Adam and Jeff consider the increasingly blurred line between science and theology in the climate change world where many people--regardless of whether they are actual scientists or people who like to hang out with scientists--assert that humanity is in global warming death spiral. They point to the past two centuries beginning in 1800 with the start of the Industrial Revolution during which time the global temperatures have ticked upward between 1 to 2 degrees. However, Jeff notes that two centuries is a tiny blip in the 4 billion year life of planet earth and that we should be very careful not to extrapolate short-term changes in temperature over longer periods of time involving thousands of years or more. After all, if we were to assume that the global temperatures will rise 1 degree each century going forward, then in 10,000 years we would be living on a planet with boiling oceans and far fewer cruise ship passengers--a swing in temperature that has not occurred in billions of years. Adam and Jeff also point out that many factors contribute to the temperatures on earth in addition to human activities such as ocean currents, solar activity, weather patterns, planetary wobbling, and flatulent livestock--which cannot be neatly separated from each other. Jeff also asks about the temperature measurements taken a century or more ago and wonders about the accuracy of these these readings since he has trouble differentiating the degree marks on the normal-sized rectal thermometer that he keeps handy for recreational reasons. Adam and Jeff also caution their listeners not to take the predictions of computer models very seriously because their results are obviously going to reflect the assumptions made by the programmers which may reflect their own political views about climate change.
Jun 7, 2024 · 37 min
The Omaha Bugle Explains (Sort of ) the 34 Count Conviction of Donald Trump
Send us Fan Mail Noted political analysts and knick-knack collectors Adam and Jeff offer their opinions about what they view as an appalling display of prosecutorial, judicial and jury bias in the New York case in which Donald Trump was found guilty 34 times for the same expired misdemeanor that had somehow been magically bootstrapped into a federal election law violation. Because the district attorney, Alvin Bragg, managed to stretch the limits of the law out beyond the orbit of the planet Pluto, Trump was found guilty by a jury of his quasi-peers who were drawn from a pool that voted 90% in favor of his opponent, President-for-Life Joe Biden, in the last election. As a result, these jurors were thus just possibly not concerned with Trump's guilt being established beyond a reasonable doubt or even at all. Adam and Jeff believe that the case will eventually be overruled due to its numerous procedural and substantive errors, but they are convinced that this attempt to pin any sort of conviction on Trump will send a strong signal to businesses in New York and businesses considering doing business in New York that they might want to consider a locale with a more democratic system of justice such as Moscow or Beijing or Pyongyang. Jeff points out that this decision will certainly end any discussions by the corporate brass at the Omaha Bugle to locate a news bureau in New York City--which will no doubt cause the city overlords much loss of sleep and prestige. The decision has also prompted the Omaha Bugle to reconsider its policy of paying disgruntled former employees to keep quiet because they always open their mouths to the media as soon as the checks to purchase their silence have been cashed. Finally, Jeff declares in solidarity with the founding fathers that he will not purchase an apartment that he cannot afford in New York City under any circumstances.
May 23, 2024 · 43 min
The Omaha Bugle Welcomes Congressional Candidate Chris Eddy Back to the Studio
Send us Fan Mail Alway happy to meet up-and-coming power brokers, Adam and Jeff welcome Chris Eddy back to the show to provide an update as to where things stand with his candidacy to seek election to the 25th Congressional District of Florida. Due to Chris's background with the intelligence community, Adam and Jeff pepper him with questions about the current administration's decisions on a variety of topics including the continuing open border, exploding government deficits, the politicization of the Justice Department, and possible solutions for what appears to be an increasingly incompetent federal government. Happy to lend a boost to lagging government efforts, Adam and Jeff also offer to oversee the federal government's EV-charging station installation effort which has thus far seen only 8 such stations installed despite a multi-billion dollar budget. No doubt Adam and Jeff could install two or three times that same amount of charging stations for only a billion dollars or so and they will assemble the stations themselves in person. They also discuss the value of sweat equity in all walks of life--noting that legal immigrants are incensed at the illegal migrants who show up and expect to be showered with government goodies when they have done nothing to work for those benefits and thus do not appreciate the sacrifices most people go through to become legal residents. Chris also points out that the out-of-control government spending is going to increasingly swamp the government budget so that in a few decades almost the entire budget will be consumed by Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and interest on the debt.
May 7, 2024 · 41 min
The Omaha Bugle Offers Its First Annual Predictions About Various International Issues
Send us Fan Mail Never reluctant to let actual facts or expert opinions get in the way of their own views of the world, Adam and Jeff offer their predictions for the next year about a variety of international issues. Even though neither Adam nor Jeff have ever been to Ukraine nor eaten in a Ukrainian restaurant, they both believe that the war against Russia will continue to be a stalemate with comparatively few changes in the battlefield lines. Russia currently occupies the eastern band of Ukraine as a "buffer" against "Ukrainian attacks" even though Russia boasts three times the the population of Ukraine and has a land mass that is 28 times larger than that of Ukraine. Jeff believes that Putin's fate is tied to his success in Ukraine and that Putin is obsessed with rebuilding the old Soviet Union--which can only be a good thing given the joy that the original blood-soaked version of the Soviet Union brought to the world. He thinks that Putin might seek to divert domestic attention by attacking a less formidable adversary such as Kazakstan or even Minneapolis. But attempts to conquer new territories typically drain a country's coffers so it can be too expensive to take over and control other countries--which is basically what caused the original Soviet Union to fail. As far as China and Taiwan are concerned, Adam and Jeff believe that the next year will see more provocations by China but probably no real attempt to invade the island nation because China is not very sure about its ability to project naval power. Jeff does commend China for managing to alienate every country with which it shares a border--which shows a degree of consistency that is not often found in the modern world. China may also find itself increasingly constrained by a rising India which could displace China as the leading economic power in Asia in the next generation.
May 7, 2024 · 1 hr 4 min
Who Should Be Donald Trump's Running Mate?
Send us Fan Mail As both Adam and Jeff have apparently not made the final cut for consideration as Donald Trump's vice presidential running mate, they have decided to evaluate the most likely prospects to see who would help the presumptive GOP nominee the most in the November election. Adam points out that Trump's biggest problem seems to be his inability to connect with many women voters because many women voters do, in fact, detest him. Because Trump has made significant inroads with various minority voting groups, Adam and Jeff evaluate a number of candidates based upon their ability to reach out to the aforementioned women voters who still, in fact, detest Trump. Candidates such as Doug Burgum, Tim Scott, J.D. Vance, and ByronDonald are viewed as too inexperienced or too limited in their appeal to bolster Trump's candidacy among those voters who detest him--namely, women. Elise Stefanik, the New York congresswoman, and Christy Noem, the South Dakota governor, are, indeed, women but Elise is newly-elected and Christy Noem shoots puppies. Tulsi Gabbard is a former congresswoman from Hawaii with a military background but she supported that stalwart of conservatism, Bernie Sanders, during his 2016 presidential campaign, so her conservative sentiments are suspect. Because Donald Trump cannot pick the most perfect candidate in his eyes to be his running mate (himself), Adam and Jeff believe that Trump's best best is to bury the hachet with the one other candidate who can best help Trump to reach out to the women voters who detest him.
May 1, 2024 · 33 min
Who Wants to Learn How to Make Green Bean Soup? . . . Adam and Jeff (Mainly Adam) Stage the First Omaha Bugle Cooking Show
Send us Fan Mail In a switch from the usual hard-hitting news program that millions of listeners have come to expect from the Omaha Bugle, Adam and Jeff carry out their very first cooking show. Adam is the actual chef who describes how to prepare a German recipe for green bean soup. As Jeff is kitchen-challenged and has never ventured far beyond burning toast and overboiling eggs, Adam does not confer the coveted status of sous chef upon Jeff but tries to keep him at arm's-length in order to avoid a kitchen fire. Adam points out that this cooking show is being done in part to placate upper management so that he (unlike Jeff) does not lose his parking space next to the building and get exiled to the auxillary parking lot used by the interns and the local chop shops. Adam then proceeds to take the audience through the preparation of green bean soup, throwing in a few choice words in German pulled off of Google Translator in order to underscore the authenticity of his German roots. Adam also provides helpful hints about the proper care of kitchenware--most notably the endlessly versatile and extremely heavy iron skillet. He also talks about the ways in which listeners can prepare other dishes such as cream of celery soup (which does not have the consistency of latex paint) and the Dutch baby (which is a pastry that inflates much like the old Jiffy Pop popcorn but without the aluminum siding coating). Adam also announces his plans to write a new cookbook (because there is apparently a severe shortage of cookbooks available to the bookbuying public) called The Offal Truth. This tongue in cheek title cleverly masks the fact that the book is all about preparing tasty meals and treats (using the entrails and internal organs of animals) for all sorts of popular occasions including weddings, funerals, and children's birthday parties. Finally, Adam talks about his preference for cooking with gas over electricity due to the greater control that gas affords. However, Jeff points out that you cannot blow up your house using an electric burner.
Apr 25, 2024 · 32 min
The First Annual April 25th Omaha Bugle Prediction Show
Send us Fan Mail Anxious to avoid cliche´d January 1st predictions for the New Year, Adam and Jeff kick off their first annual prediction show on April 25th and offer a few ideas about what will happen in the upcoming 12 months with regard to inflation, the presidential election, and housing prices. Jeff points out that inflation can increase or decrease however much you may desire so long as you construct the index properly. So if you want to avoid a lot of inflation, you can load the index up with items that are either stable in price or declining in price. He also blames the vast expansion of the national money supply for much of the inflation we have seen in the past quarter century because there is simply too much money chasing too few goods. Adam is concerned that there is no one who talks consistently about cutting the debt or balancing the budget because spending cuts are simply not very much fun. The other problems is that comparatively little government spending is for capital improvements on a national scale--most of the money is spent on transfer payments or, increasingly, debt servicing costs. As far as the presidential election is concerned, Adam believes that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be replaced by a ticket consisting of Gavin Newsom and Taylor Swift--both of whom have very good hair. Jeff believes that Joe Biden will not go quietly into the night and that he and co-President Dr. Jill Biden, Ph.D, will run for another 4 years to complete their destruction of the American nation. Jeff also believes that Donald Trump will run for President and, if there is a reasonably fair election, win a second term. Adam and Jeff have both indicated that they would be receptive to serving as vice president should Trump come calling but they acknowledge that the likely candidate will be the person who has least irritated Trump on the day that he makes his vice presidential selection. Finally, Adam believes that housing prices will remain relatively stable because there do not appear to be any black swan events that will tank the housing market in the next twelve months.
Apr 16, 2024 · 33 min
Will President Joe Biden Be Replaced? . . . Who Would Be the Best Candidate for the Democratic Party?
Send us Fan Mail Somewhat alarmed at the extent to which President Joe Biden seems to get lost on stage or while reading a teleprompter, Adam and Jeff discuss whether he might be replaced by another candidate prior to the November election. Numerous polls show that Biden is trailing prospective GOP nominee Donald Trump, prompting many Democrats to begin whispering that a change at the top of the ticket might be in order. But who would be the best replacement if you do not consider Dr. President Jill Biden Ph.D+++. The most likely possibility would be Vice President Kamala Harris who has served as border czar and done a "bang up" job without having ever spent much time at the southern border. Jeff suggests this apparent lack of interest in border policies is due more to the iffy shopping available at the southern border even though no one can deny that you can find great prices for items such as sombreros and tequila. But Harris has even worse polling results than Biden and has managed to alienate almost everyone which is no small accomplishment in the modern era. Moreover, she has never run a national campaign except when she ran for the Democratic nomination in 2020 and her campaign disappeared without a trace after about 10 minutes. Jeff also downplays the possibility of a so-called "mythical perfect candidate" such as Michelle Obama or Oprah Winfrey or perhaps even the entire cast of "The View" because they seem to lack the gravitas that is necessary to be taken seriously by the voting public. Moreover, they all live very comfortable lives and would probably not want to sully their brands with the grubby day-to-day groveling that constitutes modern political campaigns. This leaves Gretchen Whitmer and Gavin Newsom, the governors of Michigan and California, respectively, who are making numerous appearances across the country to tell everyone that they are not interested in running for president. Of the two, Newsom seems to be the most likely prospect because he has governed the most populous state in the nation and has managed to run a $68 billion deficit in the past year alone--which shows that he is serious about living beyond his means and will be able to continue even more out-of-control spending on the national level. As far as predictions are concerned, Adam believes Joe Biden will step aside at the convention in favor of Gavin Newsom and that Gretchen Whitmer will serve as his running mate. Jeff suggests that the Republican presidential nominee will be Donald Trump and the vice presidential nominee will be the only person whom Trump truly respects--namely, Donald Trump. Jeff does not think there is anything in the Constitution that prevents Trump from running as both President and Vice President so it seems like a sound theory.
Apr 13, 2024 · 37 min
The First Annual Omaha Bugle Dog Show Podcast
Send us Fan Mail Not to be outdone by the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, Adam and Jeff bring the first annual Omaha Bugle Dog Show to their millions of adoring fans. Because podcasts lack a visual component, however, they decide to tell stories about some of their favorite dogs. Jeff is proud to point out that he is solely in the dog corner after having flirted briefly with the dark side of cat ownership. Adam questions the idea that anyone can "own" a dog since the so-called "owner" is generally at the beck and call of the dog and must feed it, walk it, and provide it with a steady supply of high-priced doggie toys. Plus, dogs are able to recharge their batteries each day with up to 22 hours of needed sleep followed by 2 hours of vigorous activities including chewing and swallowing the latest gourmet chef brand dog food which is typically tastier than the meals being eaten by the "owner." Jeff talks about his "genetically engineered" morkie who has enormous separation anxiety issues and must be comforted constantly (sort of the reverse of the traditional comfort dog concept). He also recalls the beautiful, photogenic samoyeds that he has had over the years, all of whom were keenly aware of their good looks. Unfortunately, this awareness translated to repeated failures to complete dog obedience training courses as samoyeds simply do not like to follow rules. For his part, Adam has had a bevy of dogs and continues to foster dogs. As such, the Von Romer household can boast a wide variety of dogs ranging in size from a few pounds in the case of a terrier to well over a hundred pounds in the case of his labrador retriever and his German shepherd. Adam points out that every time he has put his foot down and laid down the law about not getting any more dogs, he is ignored and the size of the Von Romer household increases accordingly. Jeff cannot figure out why little dogs that are constantly barking and presumably enduring very high blood pressures levels outlive big dogs who appear to be far more easy-going than their smaller canine counterparts. In a sop to philosophical students, Adam suggests that dogs live longer when they are happy, a profound insight that will be chiseled on government buildings for many years to come.
Apr 10, 2024 · 32 min
The Continuing Saga of the Ukrainian War. . . . Could Russia Attack Another European Country?
Send us Fan Mail Noted Ukraine boosters Adam and Jeff turn their attention back to the ongoing war in the Ukraine. Jeff suggests that Russia's image as a military colossus has taken an enormous hit due to it having become bogged down in a war of attrition in the Ukraine over the past two years. Although Russia managed to seize about 20% of Ukraine's territory in the early weeks of the invasion, Ukraine has fought back valiantly and essentially held the Russians in check for nearly two years. Jeff and Adam are in favor of new military aid packages to Ukraine but want to make sure that they do not fund the purchases of Beverly Hills mansions by mid-level government clerks in Kyiv. Although there are concerns about Russia having designs on Europe, Jeff points out that there is a big difference between wanting something and having the ability to go out and get it--a dilemma that every high school teenager must face at the school dance. Adam and Jeff also point out that the EU population and GDP are roughly 3 times and 15 times larger, respectively, than that of Russia and that it is unlikely that Russia, having already been bloodied in Ukraine, would be able to mount any real attack against Europe, particularly a regional power such as Poland. Indeed, Jeff argues that Poland, like Ukraine, would be a very tough customer for Putin to take on for many reasons such as the Poles' undying hatred for Russia due to its past historical atrocities against Poland.
Apr 7, 2024 · 32 min
Joe Biden Celebrates Transgender Visibility Day on Easter Sunday. . . . Some Possible New Culturally Insensitive Holidays
Send us Fan Mail Both Adam and Jeff are surprised that President Biden chose to celebrate America's newest heartwarming holiday--transgender visibility day--on Easter Sunday. Even though Hallmark has not yet issued a set of holiday cards to commemorate transgender visibility day, Adam and Jeff do not feel that this holiday will enjoy the enduring popularity of Christian holidays such as Easter and Christmas unless transgender advocates can come up with some catchy traditions such as a anthropomorphic mascot that leaves baskets of candy behind for sleeping children. Adam considers Biden's proclamation of transgender visibility day on Easter Sunday--perhaps the holiest day of the Christian calendar--to be a stunning example of cultural insensitivity, particularly since it was acknowledged with the phrase "in the year of our Lord". Not surprisingly, Jeff argues that it is yet another example of the on-going efforts by the far left wing of the political spectrum to trivialize Christianity in general and Christian holidays in particular. Both agree that Easter and transgender visibility day are probably not destined to co-exist with each other as Jeff has noted that the Bible does not seem to have any chapters devoted to transgender issues. He also points out that very few denominations in the Christian Church have embraced transgender visibility day but are probably somewhat hostile to its basic tenets.
Apr 6, 2024 · 42 min
Should the United States Impose a Moratorium on Immigration?
Send us Fan Mail Adam and Jeff consider the merits of an immigration moratorium despite their concerns that stricter immigration laws might crimp the supply of low-priced gardening talent to tend the grounds at the corporate headquarters of the Omaha Bugle. They discuss the current situation in which millions of largely unvetted migrants have been allowed to enter the United States courtesy of the Biden regime and debate whether the country has been benefited as a whole from this massive influx. Because the government continues to run enormous multi-billion dollar deficits each year, it is hardly in a position to add millions of newcomers to the welfare rolls. Adam and Jeff suggest an immigration moratorium would provide a "breather" for the country to both assimilate those individuals who should be here and chase down and deport those other individuals who should not be here. They argue that certain exceptions should be made for non-citizen spouses with minor children and people with special talents such as advanced degrees. However, all other migration should be stopped indefinitely while the moratorium is in effect. Jeff points out that all countries have the right to control their borders even though a number of poor countries have argued that there should be an international right to migrate. Of course this position is not very popular with the wealthier developed countries which would be the destination of tens of millions of poor migrants.
Mar 22, 2024 · 52 min
How Can the Fed Make Life Better For the Superrich? . . . Shedding Tears for Big-Time Developers. . . . How Do You Tell Incompetent and Competent Persons Apart?
Send us Fan Mail Always anxious to impart their vast knowledge about everything that matters to their millions of listeners, Adam and Jeff turn their attention to the Federal Reserve and its repeated insistence on flooding the economy with dollar bills in order to prop up asset prices and, purely coincidentally, the fortunes of the poor, starving 1 percenters--who might otherwise have to sell their megayachts or fifth summer houses. They also talk about whether a house can be considered an investment or a money pit or both. Adam suggests that prospective condo-buyers may want to buy a unit second-hand because developers nowadays require a down payment of half the purchase price with delivery to take place in two or three years. The problems of developers (another disadvantaged group needing a fund-raising telethon) are also considered because many of them purchased properties before COVID when interest rates were lower and occupancy rates were higher. Both Adam and Jeff are against "crony capitalism" because they do not travel in the same circles as those people they need to meet in order to be crony capitalists. The discussion then switches to a comparison of people who are incompetent and typically think they know more than they know and those who are competent who say that they know less than they know. As members of the former group, Adam and Jeff have no concerns about lacking competence in any subject, which is a refreshing perspective in which no apologies are made for any intellectual shortcomings.
Mar 16, 2024 · 32 min
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Supply Chain Logistics . . . But Were Afraid to Ask
Send us Fan Mail Despite their vast knowledge about many important topics, Adam and Jeff are forced to admit that they know virtually nothing about supply chains and the logistical networks that facilitate the transport of goods from point of manufacture to point of sale. As a result, they have called upon eminent supply chain and ocean shipping tech space expert Caroline Weaver (who coincidentally has the same last name as one of the hosts) for an explanation as to how supply chains work. There is a special urgency to this podcast as several containers of highly desirable Omaha Bugle swag are sitting in containers in China awaiting shipment to the United States for the upcoming gala celebration of the 100th podcast of the Omaha Bugle Global News Network. Caroline patiently describes the various actors who are involved in trans-ocean shipping and lists several factors can causing shipping prices to gyrate wildly. Caroline also points out that shippers are having to confront renewed piracy attacks in the Red Sea which is causing most container ships to be diverted around the southern coast of Africa. Unfortunately, these pirates are rather grubby individuals and not at all lovable like Captain Jack Sparrow of the Disney Pirates of the Caribbean series. Adam learns that container ships--which may contain 15,000 or even 20,000 40-foot containers--do not welcome tourists aboard to cross the ocean because of the risks that the containers could shift and fall on top of the lounging tourists while they are sipping their cocktails. Caroline also advises Jeff that the Omaha Bugle should not employ smugglers to bring the company swag to the United States because of the possibility of confiscation and criminal prosecution.
Mar 16, 2024 · 44 min
Part Two: A Review of President Biden's State of Delusion Speech
Send us Fan Mail In continuing their review of what was arguably the most politicized and, perhaps, loudest State of the Union speech in recent memory, Adam and Jeff considered the many tidbits of wisdom and warmth offered by President Biden. Jeff points out that Biden once again called for all wealthy people to pay their fair share of taxes but failed to define what amount or percent would be fair--even though the top 1% of earners reportedly pay nearly 50% of all income taxes. Biden offered all sorts of fantastical statements such as claiming 15 million jobs had been recreated during his tenure even though most of these jobs involved people going back to work after COVID. He also focused on the January 6th "Insurrection" which Jeff likened more to a tired (and unarmed) crowd shuffling through Disney World than a military assault on the Capitol. Adam and Jeff agreed that if they were to ever mount a successful takeover of the government, that they would first secure control over the military and the media and at least give realistic-looking toy guns to the foot soldiers. Biden also patted himself on the back for the supposed decline of the inflation rate from 9% to 3% in the past year but neglected to point out that his legislation such as the curiously-named Inflation Reduction Act had jacked up the inflation rate to 9% in the first place. They also wondered about Biden's claims to have cut the budgetary deficit by $1 billion which they suspect was a figment of his imagination when the annual deficits were projected by the CBO to exceed $1.5 trillion as far into the future as the eye could see.
Mar 14, 2024 · 41 min
Part One: A Review of President Biden's State of Delusion Speech
Send us Fan Mail Although Jeff was the only member of the Omaha Bugle staff who was fortunate enough to watch the entire State of the Union address given by President Biden, he was happy to share the many profound insights offered by the President with the listening audience. Adam, for his part, found his time to have been more profitably spent preparing a rib roast dinner and reviewing the White House transcript of the speech afterwards to uncover any nuggets of wisdom or truth. In both cases, however, Jeff and Adam were struck by the wide range of disconnected statements offered by President Biden (who appeared to be overmedicated) and the ferocity with which he attacked his political opponents. Both Adam and Jeff felt that the speech was less about the state of the union and more about demonizing Biden's political adversaries in front of an enormous television audience. The State of the Union speech was not about building bridges but instead burning bridges or blowing them up altogether. Indeed, it did not offer much in the way of solutions to any problems but seemed to indulge in an on-going fantasy about the things that a president could do in an alternate universe if only he were given dictatorial powers. Jeff believes that the speech will be cited by psychologists for years to come as an extraordinary example of primal scream therapy-- in which the President strung together a very impressive array of totally unconnected fragmentary thoughts and rants. Unfortunately, it offered little in the way of a vision for the future except to reveal that Joe Biden enjoys Snicker's bars and is very upset with shrinking snack food packages.
Feb 28, 2024 · 35 min
Inflation and the Decline of the American Standard of Living
Send us Fan Mail Seeking to answer the most daunting questions about the human condition, Adam and Jeff wonder why the American dream of owning a home is becoming more and more elusive. But they are forced to admit that housing is only one of a wide variety of basic necessities (e.g., cars, food, fuel, hush money) that are becoming more costly and, in the aggregate, making the middle class lifestyle unattainable. But why? Jeff suggests that the answer lies with the massive expansion of the money supply that the government has foisted upon the citizenry over the past 20 years, which has cut the purchasing power of the dollar in half. The sad fact is that this inflation has cascaded through the economy making people feel wealthier because their homes have doubled or tripled in value--even though their actual purchasing power has likely declined. Unfortunately, inflation increases faster than most wages so that rising prices hurt the most vulnerable members of society. Another culprit is the near-zero interest rates that persisted for more than a decade and caused enormous speculation (and inflation) in all types of assets including classy Omaha Bugle memorabilia, thus making such important items all but unattainable to nearly everyone except the superrich.
Feb 27, 2024 · 46 min
Can Any Nation Prosper Without the Rule of Law? . . . Good Intentions Often Lead to Bad Laws
Send us Fan Mail Diving into the morass of modern Anglo-American jurisprudence, the Omaha Bugle's senior correspondents, Adam and Jeff, discuss how the rule of law is absolutely crucial to the long-term success of any modern economy. They point out that companies abhor uncertainty and chaos and are extremely reluctant to invest large sums of money in new plants or hire additional workers when they fear that the laws governing their operations might be changed at a moment's notice--particularly if they are operating in a worker's paradise such as Xi's China or Putin's Russia. They also raise concerns about excessive regulations which can choke off economic activity even though these regulations might be undertaken "with the best of intentions". The advantage of being a dictator is that you do not have to worry about a pesky court invalidating your actions because you will have--if you have properly seized power--already locked up all of the judges. But such regimes in which a single person makes all the big decisions are extremely scary to entrepreneurs. Indeed, foreign investment in China, for example, has dropped off a cliff in recent years to about one-tenth (1/10th) of what it was during the COVID-19 epidemic because companies are very concerned about the arbitrary and capricious actions of the CCP which have been enacted to restrict the power and autonomy of many of China's largest companies.
Feb 17, 2024 · 39 min
Does Anyone Trust the Government? . . . Are Balanced Budgets Just a Quaint Idea from a Past Era?
Send us Fan Mail Adam and Jeff wonder why the citizenry has become so disenchanted with the federal government and conclude that much of its dissatisfaction stems from the failure of elected officials to do what ordinary people must do every day--namely, live within their means. They are disturbed by the increasing tendency of the government to rely on open-ended continuing resolutions instead of actual budgets. Indeed, the fact that a single piece of legislation running 500 or 1,000 lively pages or more can be dropped on the members of Congress to be voted on within a couple of days strikes both Adam and Jeff as idiotic and reckless. The use of massive appropriations bills for such things as military aid to allies or even domestic border security in which little time is given for the legislators themselves to actually try to understand what is contained in these bills appears to Adam and Jeff to be symptomatic of a complete lack of discipline and focus in today's federal government. Adam believes that the only way to rectify this complete disregard for financial sanity in government will involve the installation of his benevolent dictatorship which is currently scheduled to be spontaneously created in the summer of 2028.