Brendan

Sound Money | Macro 😍 | Dumb Kid Trying To Become Smart

[Noah @antibearthesis]

ANTHROPIC VALUATION: $965B
WALMART VALUATION: $940B

ANTHROPIC REVENUE: $20B
WALMART REVENUE: $725B

BUT AI IS NOT A BUBBLE, RIGHT?

[Tom Woods @ThomasEWoods]

The Boomers of Kentucky embarrassed the United States on the world stage today.

Around the world, people genuinely wondered: can an American politician survive who doesn't repeat low-IQ platitudes about Israel and the Middle East?

The Boomers -- with their heterodox Christianity and FOX News propaganda -- gave their answer.

Republican politics is dominated by people who for some reason still think Sean Hannity is a smart guy, and Mark Levin is a constitutional scholar.

Pat Buchanan had given them the example of the learned and articulate right-winger -- and Pat was well to the right of Hannity and Levin -- but they decided to go with Tomi Lahren and Dan Bongino instead.

Oh, Massie voted this way or that, people will say, and that's why he was targeted in this unprecedented way. Yet there's Donald Trump out there campaigning for pro-amnesty Mike Lawler. So I don't believe you that this is a question of Massie's voting record (which is stellar, by the way).

Even if Massie had had a handful of objectionable votes, a million times more important than any Massie vote is this principle:

A patriot who values his country's sovereignty cannot allow three socially leftist billionaires who represent a foreign interest to buy a congressional seat and place a ridiculous empty suit in it.

Even if for some reason you don't like Massie, you as a patriot would have to dislike THAT a hundred times more.

These three billionaires never once set foot in Kentucky -- Kentuckians, to them, are lower than dirt, and exist solely to have congressional seats bought from them.

Put up a nonentity like "Ed Gallrein" who refuses to debate (how can any voter reward that?), have him utter a few Boomer slogans to satisfy the rubes, and otherwise hide him away. That was the strategy. Boomers (yes, I know there are exceptions) are too morally and intellectually corrupt even to understand what just happened.

But the rest of us understand.

Can you imagine "Ed Gallrein" leading the charge against the Covid restrictions? He would have been first in line for the damn "vaccine"!

Remember, too, that the folks who voted for "Ed Gallrein" tonight are the kind of people who think Marco Rubio is an impressive person, so there was no reaching them.

But the younger generations, who don't get their information from the insulting caricature of conservatism that is FOX News, aren't going to fall for the nonsense that snookered the Boomers -- and therein lies hope.

Incidentally, the easiest thing in the world would have been for Massie to buckle. Nobody reading this has the remotest idea the pressure that was brought to bear against him. Not one of his detractors could have lasted a week in Massie's shoes.

If Trump can sup in happy concord with Zohran Mamdani, the radical leftist mayor of New York, you'd think he could have spared a meal with Massie, whose track record proved he was not Trump's enemy.

Not that you'd know it from the anti-Massie brigade (half of whom used to love Massie before they were instructed not to love him), Massie defended Trump through two impeachments, grilled Merrick Garland over FBI assets on January 6, and defended Trump during Russiagate. By contrast, "Ed Gallrein" left the GOP when Trump was elected, and came back only when Biden was in office.

But since we're not completely dense, we know the real reason Massie could not be tolerated.

As Glenn Greenwald put it, "If the AIPAC/Adelson crowd wants someone out of Congress for disloyalty to Israel, they will be out of Congress.

"There are a few exceptions due to unusual districts, but not many. The Israel Lobby has unlimited funding and will spend limitlessly to expunge the blasphemous."

I repeat that no American patriot can tolerate, much less celebrate, this grotesque and demeaning situation.

The polls show that this situation won't exist forever. We will reach a point at which the foreign money (and that's obviously what it is) will at last be a mark of shame for the candidate receiving it. That will be a great day for American patriots everywhere.

Thomas Massie should hold his head high: he stood up against the machine time and again, knowing that it could one day lead to this.

Tonight we have to explain to our kids: in this world, the good guys don't always win. But you fight regardless of the prospects of winning. The fight for what is good and right is an end in itself.

For that reason, people will remember the Thomas Massies and the Ron Pauls. Nobody will remember "Ed Gallrein," not even as the answer to a trivia question.

[Joe Kent @joekent16jan19]

This clip is from 2022, it shows that despite pressure from hardliners the supreme leader’s prohibition on the development of a nuclear weapon held.

The tension between hardliners & the supreme leader/moderates was included in all IC assessments that consistently said Iran was not developing a nuclear weapon.

Even if Iran had attempted to develop a nuclear weapon we would have better off clandestinely taking out key capabilities as opposed to doing another failed attempt at bombing a country into submission.

[Thomas Massie for Congress @MassieforKY]

Never in the 250 year history of our Republic has this happened in a Congressional race.

Support from all over the country is pouring in, because this May 19 election is about We The People vs. foreign lobbies & Epstein’s billionaire cronies.

Join here: https://t.co/QltzMNFObw

[Tom Woods @ThomasEWoods]

I have way more reasons
(1) We love vaccine mandates and Massie should have supported them
(2) We love Anthony Fauci and Massie should have supported him
(3) We love Merrick Garland and Massie shouldn't have grilled him about January 6
(4) Massie shouldn't have defended Trump through two impeachments
(5) We want a kill switch in our cars and Massie shouldn't have supported an amendment to get rid of it
(6) We hate the Second Amendment and Massie shouldn't support it so much
(7) We hate local farmers so Congress shouldn't have passed Massie's PRIME Act
(8) Massie gets an A from Conservative Review for his voting record, and we don't like conservative voting records

[Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 @FmrRepMTG]

This is remarkable and you should watch this entire video.

The House was going to pass a 45 day extension of FISA 702 (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act), BY VOICE WITHOUT VOTING, and Thomas Massie courageously forced a debate and demanded a recorded vote.

Jim Jordan who has fought FOR warrants for FISA for years ironically led the debate AGAINST warrants and urged a YES vote for a clean extension WITHOUT warrants, which is what Trump is demanding even after FISA was used against him by the Democrats to spy on him and his campaign. Trump literally says give up your rights and just pass it and Jordan won’t go against Trump even though he wants warrant requirements.

Chip Roy, Warren Davidson, and Keith Self joined Thomas Massie and made strong cases as to why Congress must add warrant requirements to FISA 702 and why a Central Bank Digital Currency must be banned and how both are powerful tools of control and surveillance and violation of your privacy and liberties.

And Jamie Raskin (D) gave compelling arguments as to why bipartisanship is needed in the House to make reforms to FISA 702 yet after doing so he voted YES to a clean 45 day extension of FISA 702 without warrant requirements, which makes no sense. Why demand change and then literally vote for what you just argued against? However never forget under Biden and Democrats FISA 702 was used to spy on hundreds of thousands of Americans.

Also, the Republican controlled Senate and its leader John Thune will not vote for a ban on Central Bank Digital Currency, saying it’s dead on arrival in the Senate. And neither will the Democrats.

To sum it up, Americans are literally losing our precious privacy and freedoms right now under Trump and Republicans, yet Democrats are no better and have made no major policy changes that caused them to lose in 2024. They are only winning because Trump and Republicans have betrayed the most important campaign promises.

111 members of Congress voted NAY (NO) to the 45 day FISA 702 extension without warrant requirements for Americans so that your government can spy on you. Some voted NO in a partisan manner and because they hate Trump and some voted NO because they truly want change.

Either way, those who voted NO should be recognized.

Out of 111 ONLY 26 Republicans bravely voted NO. Here is the list of GOP NOs and pictured is the full list of both D’s and R’s who voted NO.

Republican NO votes:
Begich, Biggs (SC), Boebert, Brecheen, Burchett, Cammack, Cloud, Collins, Crane, Davidson, Downing, Fry, Fulcher, Gosar, Hageman, Harshbarger, Higgins (LA), Kennedy (UT), Luttrell, Massie, Miller (IL), Ogles, Perry, Roy, Self, and Tiffany.

But after all this, the House passed the clean 45 day extension of FISA 702. After years of Trump and Republicans campaigning and demanding on Fox News that warrant requirements must be added to FISA, nothing changed.

The promises they made to you are broken.

The only thing that matters is voting records, none of their words. Words are meaningless puffs of air.

If your Representative is not on this list, who voted NO, then you should tell them you are withdrawing your support and not voting for them. On both sides of the aisle.

It doesn’t matter anymore whether you vote Republican or Democrat.

Behind the veil, they are one and the same.

Lastly, KY-4 your Representative Thomas Massie is a giant among men in Congress and fights for you harder than the entire House and Senate combined.

Don’t be fools, vote for Thomas Massie!!!

[Thomas Massie @RepThomasMassie]

America First > MAGA

[Not Jerome Powell @alifarhat79]

Lmaoooooo I’m crying

[Haytham Kaafarani @hayfarani]

I am a US citizen & Surgeon who took care of the Boston Maraton Bombing victims in 2013. I paid for 7 years to own a small apartment in downtown #Beirut for my 3 kids to enjoy summers there. Today, #Israel reduced my dream home to rubble, with american weapons, paid by my taxes.

[Tom Woods @ThomasEWoods]

Boomers in 2030: ok, you were right about Iraq and Iran, and frankly everything in between, but this war with Turkey is really necessary

[Tom Woods @ThomasEWoods]

@Wurmserscribit If I were responsible for as many pointless deaths as you are I think I would shut the fuck up for the rest of my life

[Natasha Crain @Natasha_Crain]

Last month, I shared a bit here about how my 17-year-old son has a passion for video game development and has spent hundreds of hours over the last 9 months creating his first game for release. Well, I want to let you know that Nitro Turtles is now out!

It's a party racing game (kind of like Mario Kart) and has 9 courses, a speedrun mode with online leaderboards, and split screen/online multiplayer. My husband and I played all 9 courses against each other last night and IT WAS SO FUN!

I'm so proud of him for the accomplishment. He has a really demanding junior year schedule of AP/Dual Credit/Honors classes, has straight As, and somehow managed to develop this all on his own out of pure passion. He started teaching himself programming in 3rd grade and just developed his skills from there. Nitro Turtles in the culmination of all the subsequent years of self-driven learning.

If you or your kids play computer games, I would love for you to check the game out on Steam!
https://t.co/RWf3885qFR

[Ben Rickert @Ben__Rickert]

Morgan Stanley restricts redemptions at private credit fund after withdrawals surge.

Wall Street banking giant Morgan Stanley has limited redemptions at one of its private credit funds after investors sought to withdraw almost 11% of shares outstanding, a ​regulatory filing showed on Wednesday.

[Football Perspective @fbgchase]

What a dynasty the 2020s Bills have been.

Over the last 6 years, the Buffalo Bills have:

- scored the most points (DAL #2)
- allowed the fewest points (KC #2)
- have the best record (KC #2)
- have a points differential of 902. No other team is over +600.

[Dave Portnoy @stoolpresidente]

This was called an interception and it ended the Bills season. What did Bills fans do to deserve this torture?

[A.I.Warper @AIWarper]

This is absolutely insane!

30s video length with very decent stability.

Performance on the bottom by JulianoMass on IG

How? Foolishly simple 👇

[Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 @FmrRepMTG]

I’ve served on the Homeland Security Committee for the past three years. I’m 100% for strong safe secure borders and stopping narco terrorists and cartels from trafficking deadly drugs and human trafficking into America.

Fentanyl is responsible for over 70% of U.S. drug overdose deaths and fentanyl comes from Mexican cartels made with chemical precursors from China and trafficked across the U.S. Mexico border.

Mexican cartels are primarily and overwhelmingly responsible for killing Americans with deadly drugs.

If U.S. military action and regime change in Venezuela was really about saving American lives from deadly drugs then why hasn’t the Trump admin taken action against Mexican cartels?

And if prosecuting narco terrorists is a high priority then why did President Trump pardon the former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez who was convicted and sentenced for 45 years for trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine into America? Ironically cocaine is the same drug that Venezuela primarily traffics into the U.S.

The next obvious observation is that by removing Maduro this is a clear move for control over Venezuelan oil supplies that will ensure stability for the next obvious regime change war in Iran.

And of course why is it ok for America to militarily invade, bomb, and arrest a foreign leader but Russia is evil for invading Ukraine and China is bad for aggression against Taiwan? Is it only ok if we do it? (I’m not endorsing Russia or China)

Regime change, funding foreign wars, and American’s tax dollars being consistently funneled to foreign causes, foreigners both home and abroad, and foreign governments while Americans are consistently facing increasing cost of living, housing, healthcare, and learn about scams and fraud of their tax dollars is what has most Americans enraged. Especially the younger generations. Boomers and half of Gen X will cheer on neocon wars and talking points, but the other half of Gen X and majority on down see through it and hate it.

Americans disgust with our own government’s never ending military aggression and support of foreign wars is justified because we are forced to pay for it and both parties, Republicans and Democrats, always keep the Washington military machine funded and going.

This is what many in MAGA thought they voted to end.

Boy were we wrong.

As the baby boomers slip away both in votes and power, the electoral future will be decided for candidates that focus on American economic populism and promising prosperity for Americans only.

As of right now, neither party is offering the solution.

[Clint Russell @LibertyLockPod]

@elonmusk Was your life threatened and is that why you left DOGE?

You were uncovering far more fraud than Nick. That's for sure.

[Rock Chartrand @RockChartrand]

This marxist argument collapses once you stop treating income as public property.
First, taxes are the only price in society that rises simply because you earn more.
Food doesn’t cost more because you’re richer.
Gas doesn’t.
Rent doesn’t.
A haircut doesn’t suddenly double because your net worth did.
Only the state charges you more for the same services based on income.
Second, percentage is a rhetorical trick. Governments don’t spend percentages, they spend dollars. Roads, courts, armies, and bureaucracies cost fixed amounts. Billionaires already fund a disproportionate share of that bill while using less of the services per capita. They don’t have more kids in public school, they don’t clog emergency rooms, and they don’t live off transfer programs.
Third, comparing net worth to taxes paid is either ignorant or dishonest. Net worth isn’t income. You can’t tax unrealized value without destroying the asset itself. If you think owning something is the same as having cash, you don’t understand basic economics.
Fourth, when people say “they should pay the same percentage,” what they mean is “I want equal sacrifice, not equal treatment.” That’s not fairness. That’s envy dressed up as morality.
And finally, the premise underneath it all:
“No one owes you anything because they have more.”
We don’t live in a society where need creates a claim on someone else’s life, labor, or property. The moment you accept that premise, there is no limiting principle. There’s only a bigger mob and a higher percentage.
What they call “fair” is just theft with a calculator.

[IT Unprofessional @it_unprofession]

Our CFO asked me to "audit" our software subscriptions last week.

He sent me a spreadsheet with 200 rows. Slack, Zoom, Jira, Notion, Trello, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.

He wanted me to survey the team to see which tools were essential.

I told him: "Surveys are for people who care about feelings. I care about OpEx."

I deleted the spreadsheet.

Instead, I logged into the corporate Amex portal and reported the card as lost.

Every single auto-renewal in the company failed instantly.

I call this "The Scream Test."

It’s simple Darwinian procurement.

If a tool goes down and nobody runs to my desk screaming within 4 hours? We didn't need it.

The Marketing team was at my door in 10 minutes begging for Adobe. We renewed it. The Sales team was crying about the CRM in 20 minutes. We renewed it.

But here’s the interesting part.

The HR department’s "Employee Wellness & Engagement Portal" ($12,000/year) has been down for six days.

Not a single person has noticed.

I didn't just save money. I quantified the exact value of our corporate culture.

It is zero.

Stop auditing. Start unplugging. If it’s important, they’ll scream. If they don't scream, it’s just noise.