JRM

Analysis,critical thinking, Philosophy and practical application of logic.

[John Ʌ Konrad V @johnkonrad]

When I was a kid, the Bronx was burning. My dad was a fireman who happened to be an Ivy League graduate.

He told me it wasn’t the crackheads torching the city, whatever the news said. It was fraud.

Let me explain how it worked…. John Doe buys a rundown apartment building for $100k. He pockets the redevelopment tax break, then sells it to Joe Doe for $250k. Joe pockets the tax break, then sells it to Jerry Doe for $500k. Rinse and repeat until the building is worth $5 million.

The tax breaks are real. The money is not.

Because the buyers are all family, the cash flows out of Swiss bank account 27852 and right back into 27852 after every sale. There’s a transaction cost, sure, but the tax breaks more than cover it.

Then comes the payoff: they insure the building for $5 million and burn it down.

The name for this was “Jewish Lightning.” The phrase stuck around not because the landlords were all Jewish, but because the stereotype hit a nerve in a city run by Jewish mayors from 1974 to 1989, the peak of the burning. Fair or not, the term stuck.

So why was none of this investigated? NGO funding, of course.

The NYPD union was powerful, and NYC detectives had sweeping investigative authority over almost everything. Except arson. Arson belonged to FDNY detectives. NGOs, routing money through union donations, stoked the rivalry between cops and firemen.

Long story short, arson investigators got no funding and zero cooperation from the NYPD.

No money for investigations means no arrests.

Eventually the Bronx ran out of buildings to burn, and Giuliani drove the final nail into arson fraud’s coffin.

But the lesson survived, and it’s the foundation of today’s fraud. The lesson was this: the actual value of the asset doesn’t matter.

👉What matters is the movement of money.

Destruction is still very profitable. When the Baltimore bridge collapsed, the cleanup and rebuild were estimated at $1.7 billion, with the bridge reopening in 2028. The cost has since ballooned to $5.2 billion, and the wreckage still isn’t fully cleared.

Money pours into demolition,, engineering, environmental review, project management, waste removal.

But if the work doesn’t actually get done, the real expenses stay low. The money moves; the bridge doesn’t.

And here’s the leap: you don’t have to destroy anything at all. You just have to not build it.

Democrats allocate money to a government body, which hands it to a project manager, who hires consultants, who hire subcontractors, who hire more subcontractors, who funnel it back to Democrats, who allocate more money.

The fewer the actual costs (labor, materials, equipment) the more of the flow you can capture.

And if a taxpayer complains, you hire a PR firm and a few consultants to explain why costs keep exploding while nothing gets built. The easiest thing to blame is red tape.

So why does red tape exist?

Because destroying valuable property, while profitable, is too obviously unethical.

Burning buildings gets you arrested, eventually. Not building gets you a ribbon-cutting and a press release.

Here’s the deeper trap. Because our most valuable assets are fixed (houses, cars, index funds) we think of money as static. You have what you have. It grows over time, but it doesn’t flow.

That’s exactly where the fraud lives: in the flow.

The light bulb moment was realizing you don’t need to destroy physical property. You only need to destroy productivity.

If labor and materials are never purchased while money pours in, the fraud works.

You don’t have to build or destroy anything of value, just productivity. You just announce a project and start writing checks while throwing up enough red tape to block any real spending on labor and materials.

This is basically why Congress handed @PeteButtigieg $1.2 trillion and our roads and bridges still suck five years later. They put up signs, traffic cones, and red tape, and little else.

But there are a few residual problems. 1/2

[Real Texan Politics ✝️🇺🇸 @RealTXPolitics]

Four of the best and most conservative Texas state representatives!

@AndyHopperTX, @brentmoney, @ShelleyLuther, @realmitchlittle

[JRM @Bullride0808]

Well said sir. Well
Said

[Hillbilly @JamesHu27192912]

There are moments when I sit with God and realize I don’t even have the words anymore.
No clear sentences.
No perfect prayers.
Just a tired heart that still turns toward Him.
I used to think I needed to say everything the right way. That I had to explain it all, organize it all, make sense of what I was feeling before I brought it to Him.
But I am learning He already understands.
He sees the weight I carry before I speak it.
He knows the thoughts that keep me awake.
He feels the quiet ache I try to hide behind strength.
And still, He welcomes me.
Not with expectation,
but with compassion.
So I come as I am.
With the worries I cannot fix.
With the questions that keep circling.
With the heaviness I am tired of holding.
And I place it all in His hands again.
Not because I suddenly feel strong,
but because I know He is.
I am learning that surrender is not losing control.
It is finally releasing what was never mine to carry alone.
And when I let go, even a little, something shifts.
My breathing slows.
My thoughts quiet.
My heart softens in His presence.
Because He is not overwhelmed by what overwhelms me.
He is steady.
He is near.
He is already holding what I keep trying to pick back up.
So tonight, I am choosing to trust Him again.
With the fear.
With the unknown.
With every part of me that feels worn.
I may not have the words.
But I have Him.
And that is enough.

[SMB Attorney @SMB_Attorney]

Great post

[JRM @Bullride0808]

AI

[Tommi Pedruzzi @TommiPedruzzi]

I’m shocked more people aren’t making $10,000/month with Claude.

How? AI publishing.

I shared this with a retiree... he’s now making $15K every month.

I’ve spent 6+ hours breaking down:

• The prompts
• The exact workflow
• The niche research method
• How to turn Claude into a content factory

If you want the full breakdown, comment 'AI' and I’ll send it over.

[𝐍𝐢𝐨𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐠 🇮🇷 ✡︎ @NiohBerg]

Decado is verified inside Iran, is very skilled with tech, and uses expensive VPNs to remain online, at great risk to his life.

Please listen to him.

He represents actual Iranians on the inside, as opposed to podcasters and 'Iran experts' in the West.

[The Real Mike Rowe @mikeroweworks]

I want to apologize for not responding to any of the 22 thousand comments my last post inspired. I’ve been filming all week and just noticed my observations about Jimmy Kimmel and a former plumber named Markwayne Mullin have gone viral. I've also noticed that many of the comments are from people who genuinely seem to believe that Jimmy wasn’t belittling plumbers at all, but was instead, simply trying to point out that Mullin is not qualified to lead the DHS. Here's a small smattering...

Roger Bicknell...
Mikey stop. Kimmel wasn't making fun of plumbers he was making fun of Mullin.

Rebecca Piatt Gonzalez...
Dearest Mike, it's not anything to do with his being a plumber. It's him NOT being skilled in Homeland Security.

Patrick Wise...
Being a plumber qualifies you to be a plumber. Period. The issue Jimmy and the rest of us at the adult table recognize is that jobs require certain training and experience and being a plumber does not qualify you to be Sec of DHS.

Had Roger, Rebecca, Patrick and all the others who rushed to Jimmy’s Kimmel’s defense actually read what I had written, they would see that I did not suggest - even remotely - that a plumber was inherently qualified to hold a cabinet position. What I said was that being a plumber should not disqualify a person from holding such a position. Big difference. Doctors, lawyers, veterinarians, fireman, and university professors are no more or less qualified to run the DHS than plumbers, electricians, or carpenters – but should they all be dismissed as “unqualified” simply because they made a living in some other vocation?

As I wrote in my original post, credentials and diplomas are great ways to bolster a person’s credibility, especially if we’re talking about mastering a specific skill. I think we can all agree that plumbers, accountants, mechanics, and surgeons should all have to prove themselves competent before hanging out a shingle. But what do their credentials and diplomas have to do with their actual competency? Are we not already surrounded by a legion of perfectly qualified experts who don't know what the hell they're doing? Moreover, what do credentials and experience have to do with wisdom, honesty, common sense, integrity, courage, the ability to lead, or any other virtue we’d like to have in our elected officials?

There are plenty of legitimate reasons to question Mullin’s suitability for this role. But there’s no legitimate reason to disqualify him simply because he used to be a plumber. Just as there was no legitimate reason to dismiss AOC because she used to tend bar. As for the joke itself, here’s an honest question. If Senator Mullin was a retired doctor instead of a retired plumber, do you believe he would have would made the same joke?

Roger, Rebecca, Patrick...be honest. Do you really think Jimmy would have said to his audience, "So, now we have a DOCTOR in charge of protecting us from terrorism? Hey – it worked for Dr. Suess – maybe it’ll work for Markwayne!"

Personally, I don't. Not in a million years. Why? Because no one would have found it funny, that’s why. Even though doctors are no more “qualified” to protect us from terrorists than plumbers are, Jimmy knows that doctors are widely respected in society, and that plumbers are not. He knows that medical degrees and doctorates are aspirational credentials, whereas plumbing certificates are not. The entire premise of his joke was based on a personal bias that he knew his audience shared – a bias that presupposes plumbers are uneducated, one-dimensional workers who never made it to college, and are therefore "unqualified" to do anything but plumb.

Jimmy is entitled to his opinion, along with anyone else who believes that Mullin is unqualified to lead the DHS. The Constitution, however, says otherwise, and so does the Senate. Likewise, reasonable people can disagree as to what is funny and what isn’t. Frankly, I couldn’t care less. What I do care about, is the extraordinary shortage of plumbers and electricians our country is facing, and the longstanding stigmas and stereotypes that continue to discourage people from considering a lucrative career in the skilled trades. Jimmy’s joke – and his audience’s reaction to it – is proof positive that those stigmas and stereotypes are alive and well.

PS. We have a lot of money set aside to help train the next generation of plumbers. Apply for a scholarship at https://t.co/vidLSYXCf6 Who knows? Could be the first step on your road to President..

[JRM @Bullride0808]

Yes this is significant.
Working with 2 parties that are doing this.
Thx

[Rep. Mitch Little @realmitchlittle]

Significant 👇

[JRM @Bullride0808]

@DonMiami3 Help me out. What is wrong with MS leasing at Abilene data center? Thought that was part of scope..to have space to lease out. No?

[HannaKat @swiftyloo]

@DouglasOConnell @realmitchlittle @LoewyLawFirm @Austin_Police @ATXPOA Travis County has a plethora of criminals roaming the streets because DA Garza's office drops charges on anyone who is not law enforcement.
Jessica Brand and her Wren Collective cronies should face civil and criminal suits for endangering the public.

[Rep. Mitch Little @realmitchlittle]

I’m looking forward to hearing more about the @Austin_Police officers who heroically stopped the terrorist. We should be honoring them as a state, and they shouldn’t be going out wondering if they’re going to be indicted for doing their jobs. We need a cultural reset.

[JRM @Bullride0808]

Great start now please try Styles Switch in Austin.

[Secretary Kennedy @SecKennedy]

First stop on my national BBQ tour, I visited Terry Black’s to EAT REAL FOOD.

[JRM @Bullride0808]

This would be a wonderful improvement for every city. Would be widely supported by decent people on both sides of the aisle.
Only people that would not support would be the dimwits that make the hideous noise.

[Austin Statesman @statesman]

Austin police can now ticket drivers whose vehicles exceed 85 decibels under a new Austin ordinance aimed at curbing loud engine noise. https://t.co/x3gq8agXDK

[JRM @Bullride0808]

After 70 Years of Operating, Lubbock Feeders Is Shutting Down https://t.co/3ALkgXHFH9 @kfyo

[JRM @Bullride0808]

Notice NBC CAMERAS NOT SHOWING COWARDLY DEMOCRATS SITTING DOWN WHILE THE MEDAL OF HONOR IS BESTOWED.

[RNC Research @RNCResearch]

Democrats refuse to applaud for Warrior Dividends for our brave servicemembers.

Do Democrats hate our military?

[JRM @Bullride0808]

Are SWA replies generated by AI? Tbey are so banal and weak.
“Sorry your not happy we will document that”
Oh please!

[Southwest Airlines @SouthwestAir]

@ms4cy That sounds incredibly frustrating, and I’m really sorry you had that experience, Martha. When you get a moment, please send us your confirmation number so that we can document your concerns as we work to improve our Customer Experience. - Amanda

[JRM @Bullride0808]

Hahahaha
Always been a SWA fan but my God how many of these replies can they send out? Sorry had a bad time. We are shocked. Please know we love you.
Hahahaha

[Southwest Airlines @SouthwestAir]

Good afternoon, Jimmy. We know how important it is for our Customers to have a smooth boarding experience and access to nearby overhead bin space. We understand how disappointing it must have been to board earlier in the process yet find limited or no space near your seat. Please know we’re actively reviewing concerns like yours as we continue to enhance our Customer Experience. - Jeni

[Tim Burchett @timburchett]

When you pay your taxes this year remember the $14 Billion that was stolen by Somalis and the gutless politicians that continue to vote to fund them and others.

[JRM @Bullride0808]

Many many now live in Highland Park, Dallas married to very rich men.

[Nandi 🤍💜🤍 @pallnandi]

Honestly, has any porn star in history successfully gotten married and raised a family after retirement?

[JRM @Bullride0808]

That would be an incredible improvement for Austin, both business and residential quality of life is being horrified by loud, obscene noise bombs from vehicles.

I spend 90% of time in downtown Austin and have connected several politicians to see what could be done.

Go Chief Go

[ATX data @data_atx]

The Austin police chief wants to change city code to ban loud car engines

Excessive revving or engine noise loud enough offensive to people would be made illegal