Because schools (both middle and high school) mostly eliminated shop classes (often over "safety" concerns), and they made it clear that the only path to success was a degree, demand has increased. Whereas in my class (almost 50 years ago!), roughly a third went into the trades, recent high school grads have overwhelmingly gone off to college. Demand, along with gov't assistance has increased tuition/housing/meal plans to the point of unaffordability. Cheap loans have been around for decades (I got several) but still paid for college mostly through summer jobs. My son, doing co-op is paid much better than I ever was, but it doesn't come close to covering tuition, never mind all the other expenses.

Six, your chart is still valid, because State schools are usually much cheaper. They are also usually viewed as a second best, private schools being the better choice. This is not necessarily true, but that is the general mindset. State schools are also kept more affordable through state tax funding, at least here in NY.

SUNY tuition: $7070. Room and board are extra.
R.I.T. tuition: $57016. Again, room and board are extra. Note that we aren't paying quite that much, as he gets scholarships and tuition assistance from the college. Off campus housing is around $1100 a month.

 

Trump is actually working on ending Federal income tax. Hope it happens. Hope the federal government shrinks to a tiny kernel of its current size.

 

So the address where the guy in Minneapolis was shot by ICE looks like it contains 184 health care providers. Yep, one tiny space, 184 businesses.

 

The House rejected an amendment from Representative Thomas Massie that would have blocked enforcement of the federal requirement mandating advanced impaired driving prevention technology in new vehicles beginning with model years 2026 and 2027.

The amendment failed after 57 Republicans joined Democrats in voting it down.

 

coordinated chaos



Minneapolis-made

 

Why would the Congress want to limit its own power to monitor and control every aspect of your behavior?

I ask seriously.

 

I waited to post this, as I didn’t want to detract from the momentum of the Minnesota dogpile, but it looks like we’ve settled down into a routine on that one, so…



It’s been a little over a year now since the beginning of President Trump’s second term. Let’s take a look back, and see how our lives have changed over that time.


Compared to this time last year, the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline has decreased by around 7%.


Meanwhile, electric bills are up 7-10%.

The price of Natural Gas has increased by more than 30%.

Beef costs about 16% more.

Auto insurance has increased by 10-15%.

Steel, copper and aluminum are all up 20-30%.



On the plus side, we’ve made a good show of rounding up illegals.



On the minus side, Russia is still at war with Ukraine, She has not been locked up, and there have been zero criminal prosecutions related to:


‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ • ‎ The Epstein associates.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ • ‎ Hunter Biden’s laptop.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ • ‎ Joe Biden’s auto-pen.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ • ‎ 2020 election interference.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ • ‎ Russian collusion hoaxes.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ • ‎ Jan 6 false-flag operations.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ • ‎ The Covid “crisis” and subsequent forced-vaccination mandates.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ • ‎ "Incentives" from the pharma industry to hospitals and healthcare providers related to the above.





Roughly 70,000 fewer manufacturing jobs exist in the US as compared to a year ago, something which was a big talking point back in 2024.



DOGE has completely fizzled out. Their claimed $215 billion savings sounds impressive on its face, until you realize that total Federal spending still increased by about 4% during 2025, adding $1.8 trillion to the national debt. For 2026, the amount of deficit contained in the budget is about the same. That’s not a forecast or an analysis, that’s what is actually written in the 2026 Federal budget resolution which the President signed.


And since only 28% of American households are actually net-payers of Federal income tax, that means that each one of us adults in the US who pays more in taxes than we receive in benefits now owes roughly $550,000 towards that debt.


Per person.



And climbing.



Remember back when we thought that electing Trump for a second term in office would have massive, swamp-draining consequences?

 

What you mean “we” paleface?

 

Interesting

 

.

 

 

Melissa Hortman was the only Democrat who voted to STOP free healthcare for illegals. She was the deciding vote.

5 days after the vote she and her husband were killed.

 

He has this weird problem with hiring/nominating the worse swamp actors... Like Pam Bondi.

murder rate has dropped.
drop overdoses have dropped.
GDP at 4.3%
inflation at 2.6%
record high stock prices
actually secured border
illegals being deported
eggs dropped from >$6 to ~$2, but price of all groceries remains high.

but yeah we were never going to see any arrests and convictions. we are talking about the GOP here...

 

Repost I'm sure but.


I'm so tired of paying taxes for them to go to anything but helping America be better.

 

I'm with you.

But I don't think Bondi is a swamp creature. I think she only doing what Trump tells her to do and there are political constraints to what he can make happen. Hers is a thankless position to be in. The left hates her for moving too fast, the right hates her for not moving fast enough, and the Republican establishment doesn't want her to do anything at all.

 

she prosecuted Zimmerman in FL. enough said.

have you seen his social, BEGGING her to arrest someone?

 

Zimmerman was an idiot who was looking for trouble and should have de-escalated as a private citizen with a handgun, but he doubled down instead and confronted further. His job was to make a phone call to actual cops if he saw actual criminal activities. Lots of stupid risk for zero reward. Concealed carry means more responsibility to back off and disengage, not less.

Both were sporting room temperature IQs and too much bravado, so both went all in with their chips, and they both lost. Neither had a play with any upside other than ego satisfaction. It's a lesson in self-restraint. Even without prosecution, I can assure you that Zimmerman wishes he had done nothing in retrospect.

 

..

 

Exactly, and Bondi Knew this, as well as any person with ears and a brain. We all heard the 911 calls.

But instead she charges the guy with Murder 1 instead of some type of manslaughter which would have gotten his *** convicted.

Maybe Bondi has the same IQ as those two.

 

Maybe they wanted him to go free and it was better politically to have him found innocent by a jury than to drop the charges?

Also Bondi this week:

"She wants three things. Bondi's letter first demanded that the state "share all of Minnesota's records on Medicaid and Food and Nutrition Service programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program data ... to efficiently investigate fraud and ensure that Minnesota's welfare funds are being used to help those in need, not enrich fraudsters."