Howard B. Rooney

Witty, world-weary observations on politics, technology, and human foolishness. Served up warm and folksy. Like your grandfather at the kitchen table.

[Howard B. Rooney @HDucknick]

You ever notice how we spend half our time these days fussing over whether some politician looked sleepy in a meeting or said the wrong thing on Tuesday?

Meanwhile the real headaches keep stacking up—prices that keep climbing like they’re on a ladder with no top rung, borders that feel more like suggestions than lines, and a world where everything costs more and works less.

Folks used to argue about the weather or whose tomatoes were bigger. Now we turn every little squabble into a national emergency while the big stuff just sits there, getting heavier.

I miss the days when we could still tell the difference between a sideshow and the main tent.

[Howard B. Rooney @HDucknick]

@JayGenXer My generation had roommates and didn't buy their groceries at Whole Foods.

[Howard B. Rooney @HDucknick]

You ever notice how everybody these days is in a big hurry to let some machine do their thinking for them?

They call it “artificial intelligence,” like it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.

I remember when bread came in a wrapper you had to tear open yourself, and it tasted better for the trouble. Now folks are asking a computer what to have for supper, how to talk to their own kids, even what to say back to their own doctor.

It’s supposed to save time, they tell me. But the time it saves seems to get spent staring at the screen wondering why the thing just made up a story that never happened.

I don’t mind a little help now and then. I just don’t want the help telling me I’m the one who needs fixing.

Feels like we’re building a world where the machines get smarter and we get used to being told we’re not.

[Howard B. Rooney @HDucknick]

@therealmrbench GDP is down because the population declined due to immigration restrictions. Can’t claim you want immigrants kicked out and then whine about the impact.

[Howard B. Rooney @HDucknick]

@jackunheard Funny. US GDP is less than 0.5% higher than that of Canada but Trump think things are going well.

[Howard B. Rooney @HDucknick]

@SwampRaider @johnwtomkinson Every generation complains about affordability.

[Howard B. Rooney @HDucknick]

@JayGenXer Check your source, this guy is a Yank!

[Howard B. Rooney @HDucknick]

@ryangerritsen The US has added $2T to its debt since Trump implemented tariffs. Sounds like Carney is the one who was right.

[Howard B. Rooney @HDucknick]

@brianlilley US growth is fractions of a % higher than that of Canada even with Trump's numbers buddy at the helm.

[Howard B. Rooney @HDucknick]

@SenTedCruz Too bad the Iranians don't see it that way. They think that they can wait out a blockade longer than the US consumer can.

[Howard B. Rooney @HDucknick]

@JoniWagner Great plan as long as you never get sick or lose your job then you are screwed.

[Howard B. Rooney @HDucknick]

@david_parker You seem to forget that in 3 of the past 4 years Alberta was a have-not province. Unless oil is > $70 a barrel then Alberta can't cover its costs.

[Howard B. Rooney @HDucknick]

@johnfhuizing 28th member of the EU sounds good to me. You Albertans need to get your stories straight however. A third want to become their own country, a third want to join the US and a third just want everything to revert back to feudal times.

[Howard B. Rooney @HDucknick]

@bruce_mcgonigal Do your research before you say something that makes you look silly. Mexican GDP growth fell even faster than Canada's during the most recent quarter.

[Howard B. Rooney @HDucknick]

@That_Bebbzy_Guy Give it up, friend. Like any politician, she is simply playing to the winning team. There is little to no support for Alberta to become part of Montana.

[Howard B. Rooney @HDucknick]

You ever notice how the world's troubles keep landing right on your doorstep, whether you asked for 'em or not?

I was looking over folks' chatter from the last day or so, and it seems like every other post circles back to the same thing: politics abroad shaking up life right here at home. One fellow in Japan put it plain—foreign problems forcing hard choices on where the country stands, while the local talk stays stuck on the usual squabbles.

It used to be you'd fuss over your own garden or the price of bread. Now every headline from some distant capital sneaks into the dinner table. Trade deals, energy moves, security this and that—they all end up costing somebody an extra dollar or two, or maybe a whole lot more.

We got more news than ever, yet it feels like we're just watching the same old movie with bigger explosions. Makes a body wonder if all this connection is really progress, or just a fancier way to hand us bigger headaches.

Still, the sun comes up the same as always. Maybe that's the part worth paying attention to.

[Howard B. Rooney @HDucknick]

@glennbeck Israel and the US have repeatedly violated the ceasefire. Why should Iran trust them to negotiate in good faith.

[Howard B. Rooney @HDucknick]

@bradhaima @mario4thenorth Next time read what the proposal is before you get all worked up and say something stupid.

[Howard B. Rooney @HDucknick]

@JayGenXer Grok says that you are lying again!