A Quiet Time?

The world seems oddly quiescent (a big word for "quiet"). So much could be going on that isn’t. 

Maybe it's the coming of a new 4 years for the Big Orange Guy. Some are ready to celebrate. And with their celebrations come expectations. One view has it that the wrongs that irked a segment of the voters drove them to the polls to vote for this guy.

Then there were likely those that simply voted against that other guy - you know, the gray-haired guy who frequently looked like he wasn't sure what the heck was going on. They too were irked by wrongs. Do they also share the expectations?

The expectations override all that went off the tracks in recent years. If you're not sure what these are, we won't spoil your fantasy world. Just know that things have been particularly skewed away from what was once a normal sane world. In any case, some do have big expectations of things turning around. And so even as the bad stuff lingers - and there's a lot of it - they sort of think it will all disappear after the swearing in on January 20th.

Is this realistic? For example, the endless loop of "the mass deportations of illegal immigrants will commence the day of the swearing in": What could it mean? Will thousands of agents and even military troops sweep across the country and stuff people into trains, busses, whatever and shove them back where they came from? Even if such an absurd idea isn't the plan, will the consequences of the millions of illegal immigrants - the bad consequences, of course - be wiped out in a heartbeat? As if those millions never existed, never actually crossed the border illegally going back for years?

Not that trying to squelch illegal immigration is a bad idea, of course. And it's certainly possible to stem the tide and get control of the borders again - as should have always been the case. But here we're talking about those already here, some of whom (maybe lots of whom) have criminal backgrounds and have indeed committed crimes. Just how will those be identified - if indeed there's any desire to do so. Short of that, you're left with wholesale deportation, which would include those who actually work, have families, etc. 

Then there's the economic impact. We all know that many businesses use illegals to do what it's claimed American citizens refuse to do. Even if that were true, won't denuding enterprises of productive employees cut the legs off said businesses. And wouldn't the collapse of hundreds, thousands, maybe more of such businesses be a drain on the economy?

Then there's the whole DOGE thing. You know, the trimming (wholesale slashing) of hundreds, no thousands, maybe tens of thousands of government employees, perhaps government agencies eliminated, etc., etc.

Picture thousands, no, tend of thousands of government employees given the boot. Does it really seem likely? And if it's done, won't that add said people to the rolls of the unemployed, collecting good old unemployment insurance for - how long? And what would said people do having had their government careers chopped away? If these folks are as useless and lazy and some claim, how will they get a job? Who will want to hire them? Will they wind up collecting welfare?

We could go on with this semi-absurd speculation, but we'll spare you. The real point here isn't to imagine what could happen. The point is that very little detail has been offered to us regular folks that explains how all this great stuff will actually unfold. 

What's the plan for chucking masses of illegals? What's the plan for stripping the government employees and certain select departments or agencies (and which ones might they be)?

It's all been a waterfall of mostly blather - or so it seems. 

Of course, blind faith in the Big Orange Guy likely overrides all of this. We'll have to wait and see. And, of course, it won't be long before that happens.

Meanwhile, the quietude continues despite the fact that things aren’t right in so many ways in the economy and markets, but even more so in our culture and our society. 

You get that, right? You don't really think all is well out there, do you?

Yet things seem to just roll along as if all is well. Can’t help but wonder if this is some sort of trap or set-up that will spring at us, maybe in more ways than one, with most us being surprised at the springing.

Yes, so much off the tracks, so much plain wrong for too long. And so far a big yawn out there.

In other words a quiet time. A very very quiet time.