🇺🇸7.4.2025 - Special July 4 Edition
This family has seen some things. We're about to see more things, it feels like.
🎧 Listen here, or on Spotify
This Issue in 20secs:
🇺🇸 Generational Strength & Civic Duty
A heartfelt July 4th reflection on family legacy, sacrifice, and the enduring call to stick together, take care of each other, and actively participate in democracy by contacting our representatives.
📞 Call: 202-224-3121
📈 Economic Reality vs Political Rhetoric
Despite patriotic promises, gas prices are up and the new bill may hurt more than help—cutting key programs while spending lavishly elsewhere.
💸 Read beyond the headlines; leadership requires vigilance and accountability.
🌲 Leadership & Stewardship Needed
New laws favor logging, uneven tax burdens, and selective service cuts. Will leaders use their power to heal or harm?
🌳 We must champion stewardship over exploitation.
🛡️ Defense & Manufacturing Crossroads
Global tensions rise—Russia, China, Iran, and drone warfare escalate. The U.S. and Europe must choose: outdated war machines or modern, agile tech innovation?
🤖 Creativity may be the best defense.
🧬 America’s “Secret Sauce” at Risk
Top talent, capital, immigration, and universities fuel U.S. strength. But internal policy shifts risk undermining this advantage—China is watching and learning.
🧪 Let’s not dismantle our own edge.
[perspective]
Looking back and forward from July 4th
I come to this day as an American who looks every day on the top of my bookshelves at the American flag two soldiers lifted from my Dad's coffin, folded and handed to my Mom. On my wall next to to those shelves is a frame which holds the Civil War medal of my Great great Grandfather. On those shelves is my collection of old books that date back to the 1700's.
Two of these books trace my family's lineage back to ancestors who came to America in the 1600's. 2 of these ancestors fought for American freedom in the Revolutionary War. Ours is a family of farmers, sawmill owners, railroad and factory workers, hunters, ranch hands, schoolteachers, musicians, and builders scratching out an existence from the backwoods, the mountains, wide open spaces and growing small towns across the country for almost 4 centuries.
This family has seen some things. We're about to see more things, it feels like. First it was European kings trying to impose monarchy on the world, then it was southern plantation landowners who wanted to treat other people like property. Today its feral billionaires.
The one thread that runs through those 4 centuries: when we stick together we can get through just about anything. Over and over this family outlasted the prevailing nonsense of the times, and moved on toward better days. Your family has the same history and strength. We can take care of those who are in our purview. Look out for each other, and work to make things better. Doing what we can every day.
"Posting this so we can compare next year" said one excited friend in December 2024, at that time still thrilled about the outcome of the 2024 election. It was a gas receipt (anonymized excerpt below) showing the cost to gas up a semi-truck at the then rate of $3.18 per gallon.
Today the national average for diesel is higher: $3.77 (at time of writing per official US Gov data here). The prices at the specific gas station noted in the receipt are also higher: currently charging $3.34 per gallon according to iexitapp.com, and $3.37 according to Way.com.
I hope for everyone's sake that prices come down. If they do, it won't likely be due to any "plan". The Big Beautiful Bill seems to underscore this.
Whoever thinks it's a "Big Beautiful Bill" needs to read it
Even though it just passed, you really should read this bill, at least the sections you are concerned about, and continue to communicate with your elected representatives. There are three options for reviewing the bill:
- The Summary Text - this goes section by section explaining the proposed changes to laws and to funding. Most helpful - easy to digest version.
- The Senate "release page" lets you link into specific sections to see how the proposed laws would read.
- The full text as passed in the Senate - simply reads out the proposed edits to existing laws. To understand what is being changed, you would need to look up those laws and then read the proposed edits. This is the least recommended, least helpful view, but some may want to refer to it to confirm a detail.
After reviewing the bill, I have to agree that overall, the bill is simply "not the kind of relief the president is promising for working Americans," as noted by NC Republican Senator Thom Tillis before voting against the bill.
While it tightens funding for education and healthcare, it also splurges on odd items such as a $40 million “National Garden of American Heroes” (you can find this on page 3 Subtitle H here: https://www.help.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/help_committee_reconciliation_2025_section-by-section.pdf)
The bottom line - this all creates an opening for leadership.
Leadership intervenes and makes things go better than they otherwise would have. Even when it feels like things couldn't possibly get worse.
- The bill calls for federal agencies to contract with at least 1 private logging company for the next 20 years to increase logging. Will leaders at these logging companies step up and ensure selective logging that increases the health of the forest OR use government rules as a pass to degrade the capabilities of nature that we all depend on?
- The bill makes the tax burden even more lopsided so that individuals will have to carry even more of the tax burden - individuals already provide 6x what companies provide in government revenues. Will leaders in these companies recognize the privilege and opportunity they have - compared the rest of the world and most of history - and respond by increasing support for the communities where they reside?
- The bill selectively prohibits federal funding for social and health needs in conformance to personal prejudices of those for whom these issues are distant or scary. Will leaders from all walks of life be willing simply to talk to their own neighbors and family members about these issues to help them better understand?
- The bill in general appears intent on "swinging the pendulum back" against environmental stewardship in favor of "economic growth". Will leaders step up to explain that economic growth has always depended on nature's services? If we naively treated nature's services as if they were infinite, then we are eating the foundations of our own growth...like termites that eat the structures they live in, until they collapse. We get exactly what we engineered.
It all comes down to leadership. One very simple form of leadership that we all can take on a regular basis is communicating with our elected representatives. Here is a phone number you should have on your phone's Favorite Contacts.
Call the capital switchboard 202-224-3121
Be sure to talk your family and friends through this process, and its easy enough that anyone can do it.
- Call the capital switchboard 202-224-3121.
- A virtual agent will answer and ask if you know who you want to be connected to. You can say the name of your elected representative and it will connect you.
- If you don't know you can say "not sure", and the agent will ask you your state and/or zip code to help get you connected to the right representative.
- Be as clear and specific as you can. It doesn't have to be perfect. As you do this more regularly, you'll get better and more confident at clearly expressing your concerns and views.
- Don't forget to call and say thank you when you see your representatives doing the right things.
As I taught my kids:
- Being an American citizen means you’re the boss
- Your elected representatives are the workers
- You have to communicate to them regularly, tell them what you need them to do, and give them feedback on how they're doing.
How often does a boss talk to the team? If they're any good, probably just about every day. SO, are you talking to your team in Washington (and your state capitol) every day? If the country's on the wrong track, and we're wondering why, probably time to look in the mirror.
Is this an oversimplification? Yeah, maybe, but not by much.
Could we all do a little better at communicating regularly with representatives? Most likely.
Would the country be better off if we did? Definitely.
This is us doing our part, in good faith, working to make things better. It reminds me of some of the last words shared by George Washington.
There are four things which I humbly conceive are essential to the well being of the United States as an independent power:
- An indissoluble union of the states under one federal head
- A sacred regard to public justice
- The adoption of a proper peace establishment
- The prevalence of that pacific and friendly disposition among the people of the United States which will induce them to forget their local prejudices and policies, to make those mutual concessions which are requisite to the general prosperity, and in some instances to sacrifice their individual advantages to the interests of the community.
That last point is especially relevant today. I hope you make time today to do something together with your loved ones, hold them close and take care.
Happy 4th!
[Macro Views]
Defence ramp ups: Heavy vs Light Manufacturing
Europe is gearing up its manufacturing sector for defense capabilities. Ironic that Europe - the laid back continent of social safety nets and long holidays - is now shifting its economy into war machine mode.
As the US Military branches celebrate their 250 Anniversary this year, it's not pleasant to contemplate yet another chapter of world wars, where a rising portion of GDP may go to making weapons. But most of us - regardless of what side of the political spectrum we think from - would agree that the US mobilization of the manufacturing sector in WWII was necessary. So sometimes it is necessary.
The question is - are we in another one of those same eras now? Considerations: