No Longer Representative Government

With the midterm elections in progress one reality is evident. The U.S. Congress is no longer a "representative" form of government.

Over half of the members of Congress are millionaires, with a median net worth of approximately $1 million. This compares to approximately 7% of the U.S. population consisting of millionaires.

Income inequality in the United States remains at some of its highest levels in over three decades, with a widening gap between top earners and the rest of the population.  The top 10% of U.S. earners capture nearly half of all household income, while the bottom 50% receive roughly 13%.  The top 1% of Americans own approximately 31.7% of the nation’s total wealth—an amount roughly equal to the entire bottom 90% combined. 

In addition, the median age of the 119th U.S. Congress is 60 years old (median age of 58 in the House of Representatives and 66 in the Senate), making it one of the oldest in U.S. history.  Nearly 94% of members are older than the national median age of the general U.S. population, which is roughly 39 years old. 

Polling indicates that a majority (around 58% or more) of Americans view the advanced age of members of Congress as a problem, citing concerns about cognitive health, physical fitness, and a disconnect from modern everyday life.

To make Congress more representative of the population money needs to be separated from politics. A good start would be reversing the Citizens United Supreme Court decision.  In addition younger people need to be encouraged to run for Congress.  We seniors have had our chance and have sufficiently screwed it up.    

  

Dyed Diesel Smoke And Mirrors

Here on the farm we have two vehicles which run on diesel fuel.  A 2006 Dodge pickup and the Kubota tractor.  Since the war with Iran began, the national price of diesel has surged from $3.76 per gallon to $6.32 as of Tuesday, a nearly 70% increase.

Recent executive orders related to “red dyed” non-taxed diesel means that we will be able to run non-taxed diesel in the pickup.  Since the tractor is off road farm use it has always been eligible to use non-taxed diesel.  However since the amount we use in the tractor is so small and the closet available is 15 miles away at the farm coop station we have always used regular diesel.  

On Monday Trump signed an executive order to promote the use of "red dye" diesel fuel. The order aims to bring down fuel prices by "temporarily" allowing highway use of red dye diesel fuel. 

Red dye diesel is exempt from federal excise taxes because it is intended for farm equipment and other off-road uses. The order instructs Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to "defer certain diesel fuel tax payment obligations and to provide penalty relief to the extent permitted by law.”

This comes on the heels of a similar order signed by the Nebraska governor on September 24th which allows highway-registered vehicles to hold, sell, or use untaxed, dyed diesel fuel without facing state fines or penalties and is active for 90 days. In Nebraska off-road diesel is exempt from the 24.4 cents/gallon federal road tax

 

The operative word in the federal order is “defer” and truck stops nationwide were warned to "proceed with caution” because it does not waive the federal taxes, as only Congress can eliminate a tax.  What this means is that at some point these deferred taxes will have to be paid by fuel distributors. 

The stated intent of the Nebraska order is to allow farmers to use dyed diesel in highway trucks during harvest.  Most farmers already have dyed diesel in storage tanks for use in tractors and off road equipment or have easy access to facilities that sell off road diesel, so the Nebraska order has less to do with the federal tax on off road diesel. 

In contrast, the federal order specifically defers the tax, which implies it must be paid at a later date - a record keeping nightmare.  Also, the users it is intended to help, i.e. long haul semi trucks, it may not help at all.  Most traditional truck stops don’t even stock off road diesel and it is generally available only in rural areas at farm cooperatives, off the beaten path of long haul semi trucks.  

The bottom line is that nothing will change for those who use the most diesel fuel.  Another Trump smoke and mirrors executive order.   

Medicare Part D Scam

2026 marked Medicare Part D’s 20th anniversary. Congress took about 40 years to enact this coverage, which is not meant to benefit seniors.  Rather it is a scam to enrich private insurance companies.

Part D is the so-called prescription drug program attached to Medicare.  I say so-called because it isn’t actually a Medicare benefit.  While Medicare rules govern the program, it is essentially fee based coverage provided by private insurance companies.  Medicare simply approves the insurance companies, which can be limited and vary state by state.  

Since Part D’s inception insurance companies have lobbied congress to make sure they are included. Insurance companies made sure they are wedged into the plan since there is a significant penalty for those signing up for Medicare at age 65 who opt not to sign up for Part D, even though they don’t need it. 

Currently Part D has $2,100 out-of-pocket spending limit that includes deductibles, copayments and coinsurance for covered drugs in your stand-alone Part D plan or one folded into Medicare Advantage, you won’t pay any more for your prescriptions for the remainder of the year.

It is left up to the individual to decipher the plans offered by the private insurance companies annually.  The alternative is staying with one company and absorbing any premium increases. A good example is the notice my wife and I received from Humana, the company we selected for 2026 coverage solely based on the monthly premium.  The monthly premium will go from $4.70/month to $18.30/month.  The deductible will go from $615 annually to $700 annually.  Since neither one of us even reaches the annual deductible or out-of-pocket limit we are paying for coverage just to avoid the penalties for not having a plan if our prescription drugs ever increase. We are paying the bulk of the cost for our prescription drugs out of pocket.

It does take some work annually to review the private insurance plans offered.  In most states those who need extra help wading through the plans can get help offered by state agencies.  No matter the plan, insurance companies will make sure they get their pound of flesh out of seniors.  

The Menard's Perfect Scam

There's always some project here on the farm that requires a trip to the hardware store, usually to Menard's.  It takes some planning as it is an hour drive for us.

Menard's has come up with the perfect scam of an 11% rebate on any purchase.  This requires sending an original receipt along with a form to someplace in Wisconsin.  After about three weeks a rebate coupon is mailed out.  The scam is that the coupon is enclosed in what looks like an advertising mailer and since Menard's has your address numerous mailers show up in the mailbox.  One needs to pay attention to what is a junk mailer and what is a rebate coupon disguised as an advertisement mailer.  In the past it has always been postcard sized with the coupon on the inside of a fold out card. I got used to watching for a postcard size advertisement to identify the rebate coupon, until this week.  Menard's totally changed the size and format of the rebate card, which I suspect was intentional.  It is now a trifold card and resembles any other junk mailer they send out.

Compared to the past rebate card it is larger and appears just like any other  advertisement they send out.  

Granted the is a small note on the front of the card that says "reveal your coupon," not "reveal your rebate," and I mistakenly assumed that was some kind of a coupon for vinyl windows which we don't need, so into the trash it went. I checked online and found out that the rebate had been mailed out a couple of weeks ago.  After digging through two bags of trash there it was.

Someone at Menard's has come up with the perfect scam.  Charge full price for product and leave it to the customer to get the rebate form and deal with mailing it to Wisconsin and wait for a rebate coupon.  They know that on a small purchase it isn't worth the hassle to go through that process and some won't even mail in the rebate request at all.  And once the rebate coupon is mailed out is is disguised as a junk advertisement mailer.  To top it off changing the format of the hidden rebate coupon to an even more junk advertisement causes some to pitch it out, as I did. In most cases it is forgotten over time.

It is not a cash rebate and it can only be used for another purchase at Menard's and the cycle starts all over again.  A frustratingly perfect scam to take advantage of human nature.

Message To Canada

America's convicted felon wannabe dictator president signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America.

Canadians should just ignore this moron and recognize that not all Americans are as unhinged as he is.

Big Bend Outrage

Bulldozers are ripping into one of America’s treasures at Big Bend National Park for more of convicted felon Trump’s border wall.

It isn’t enough that he has torn down part of OUR historical White House to construct an asinine “ballroom” and turned the place into a pimped eyesore with his gaudy gold fixtures plastered all over. 

Chief Pimp

Now he is forever scarring a formerly protected national site on his continued quest to trash America.

I’ve been watching the RV blogs and wondering where is the outrage for the ravaging of OUR national parks.  You would think this asshat felon president could shoot someone on NY Fifth Avenue and get away with it.  

Oh wait… he already said he could. 

Sign(s) Of The Times

NO KINGS 3/28/26

The protests included more than more than 3,300 organized events across the country that drew a combined estimated eight to nine million protestors. It was the largest single-day protest in American history.