Re-Gain

​ ​In the mid-1970s, as a student of environmental economics at George Washington University, I learned a fundamental truth that has haunted me ever since: our economic system knows the price of everything, but the long-term value of nothing. ​In economics, "externalities" are the unintended consequences of human activity the hidden costs passed on to society while profits are pocketed by a few.  We see this play out constantly. Take the opioid crisis: a handful of corporations reaped immense profits from synthetic opioids, leaving taxpayers and communities to bear a trillion-dollar societal cost. ​ Today, humanity risks winning a collective Darwin Award by applying that same broken logic to our natural world. We have monetized virtually every corner of our lives while ignoring the baseline ecological systems that keep us alive. ​Misplaced Capital in an Aging World ​ We are living through an unprecedented accumulation of global wealth. Baby Boomers alone hold over...

​Prologer ​Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them. — Dalai Lama ​ Welcome, fellow wanderer, to this grand experiment in paradoxical wisdom—where I embrace both the insightful and the absurd, the profound and the delightfully foolish. You see, I call this "Confessions of an Oxymoron" because, frankly, my life is an ongoing tug-of-war between clarity and complete bewilderment. And honestly? I wouldn't have it any other way. ​One of my guiding principles is KISS—Keep It Simple, Sweetheart. Now, years ago, my inner critic would have scolded me with something less affectionate—perhaps Keep It Simple, Stupid. But as I've aged like a fine (or perhaps questionable) wine, I’ve realized that I am, indeed, a sweetheart. And that is progress, my friends. ​This book isn't just a collection of musings—it’s a heartfelt unloading of thoughts I’ve carried like a squirrel hoarding nuts for winter. I...

Pay-As-You-Throw: Can Charging for Trash Help Boost Recycling? https://share.google/rMlKYDOYMoqP1BcXg

​Saving Our Land ​Rejuvenating the American spirit comes from our connection with our land, water, and air. Saturday, September 26th, is National Public Lands Day, when we celebrate our parks and all those who care for them. As the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort, it honors the bond between people and nature while caring for our shared spaces. ​Two hundred and fifty years after the birth of the United States, it is worth remembering that one of our most powerful acts of national renewal didn’t happen during the Revolution. It happened in the 1930s, when a country reeling from economic collapse used the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to restore not just American landscapes, but the physical memory of America’s origins. Today, more than fifty museums and interpretive centers remind us that keeping our outdoors healthy is critical to our future. ​Growing up in Washington, D.C., I always found tremendous tranquility in the woods. Today, I live nestled betwee...

​Thirty years ago, I drove a neighbor home as she vented her outrage over the sheer number of billionaires and the obscenity of their wealth. Ironically, her own home housed roughly $80 million in inherited artwork—including Picasso sculptures and multi-million-dollar paintings—which she later donated to the National Gallery of Art. ​Even among those with substantial fortunes, the true scale of inequality is hard to grasp. Teachers, firefighters, construction workers, and nurses face an economy where the top 1% holds over $40 trillion in total wealth, far outpacing the bottom 99% combined. ​The middle and upper-middle classes feel the pressure, too. While households in the 80th to 95th percentiles hold significant wealth compared to those below them, many in this bracket still feel financially squeezed. Meanwhile, the broader middle class remains distinct from those living in poverty, yet what little wealth they possess is largely locked up in home equity, offset by mortgag...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbKIPSdjlh0 ​ The American spirit cannot truly thrive until it reconciles with truth and justice. ​My commitment to this reconciliation began in college. Driven by outrage over how our government historically treated—and continues to treat—First Peoples, I set out to study social welfare.  ​ My journey reached a pivotal moment in 1978 during the Longest Walk, a five-month, 2,800-mile peaceful march from Alcatraz Island to Washington, D.C. Marchers walked across the continent to oppose federal bills that threatened Indian treaties, eliminate reservations, and strip away tribal sovereignty. ​When the marchers arrived in D.C., I went to the Lincoln Memorial to offer my support. I donated my teepee—which became the sacred medicine tent for the gathering—along with my first car, a VW Bug I handed over and never saw again. ​ Years later, amid the heavy emotional aftermath of 9/11, I helped organize several sweat lodges with Richard Moves Camp, a Lakota med...

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Managing Waste at Sporting Events https://share.google/uG03nU14x8tJiYb7z

​ Orphaned Oil Waste & Wells: A Hidden Climate Crisis ​ Years ago, I developed an expertise in used motor oil recycling. Thanks to my father’s background as a congressional tax expert, I had a front-row seat to observe how subsidies and financial incentives drive cradle-to-the-grave economics. ​ This background led me to testify before a House subcommittee in support of funding the Used Oil Recycling Act of 1980. Our goal was to launch public awareness campaigns targeting the tens of millions of do-it-yourself oil changers who, at the time, routinely poured their oil drainings directly into the environment. ​ A few months earlier, in 1981, I helped build a multi-million-gallon used oil recycling plant in Alexandria, Virginia. Proximity was on our side: just several hundred yards away sat an asphalt plant with a daily demand for 10,000 gallons of No. 4 industrial fuel. It was proof of concept, yet a frustrating reality remained—and still remains—that hundreds of millions...

Commentary: The Social Security crisis | Nvdaily | nvdaily.com https://share.google/WI6EKSuWJnJCx9kon

https://youtu.be/D9n73JsZ2kU?feature=shared Once a week, I become a court jester, mocking modern tyranny in the only garb outrageous enough to survive the purge. ​Historically, only the jester could mock madness without losing his head—though these days, even the fool must dodge the falling blade. I meet tragedy with comedy now. Satire is my alchemy, turning unbearable reality and sorrow into survival. Laughing and crying offer a similar emotional release, but I would much rather laugh. Otherwise, I would collapse under the weight of despair. ​It all began on April Fools’ Day in 1988, when I first appeared on the Capitol steps in full jester regalia. My Republican congresswoman helped sponsor the act and showed up at noon to watch. Since then, one question has echoed louder than the bells on my hat: Who’s the real fool? ​ My first live comic protest was a total bomb—figuratively, thank God. I called it a "FUNeral." The crowd wasn’t dying laughing, but I nearly was from stage ...

Benjamin Franklin was frugal and wise—and today, he is likely rolling in his grave. The federal government burns through hundreds of billions of $100 bills like a wildfire, pushing our national debt toward a staggering $40 trillion. The current political agenda is defined by aggressive tax cuts, sweeping tariffs, and targeted spending. Rather than shrinking the federal footprint, trade interventions and Trump's war continue to drive up projected deficits. ​Our nation is in fiscal decline. The U.S. government continues to spend far more than it takes in, with federal debt projected to reach $53 trillion by 2036 without major policy changes. Most Americans sense the danger: 76% believe Washington spends far too much while the current administration runs this  Now our AI-crazed casino is headed toward bankruptcy. With nearly $3 trillion invested in artificial intelligence, taxpayers shouldn't just be concerned about the return on our investment, but the return of it. ...

.Laughing  Recycling and Reusing Old Tennis Balls https://share.google/HihHpPAGinZhA09gP

​Socrates famously observed that the unexamined life is not worth living. Today, amid the meteoric rise of artificial intelligence, wisdom itself faces an existential threat—not because technology exists, but because it often goes unexamined, shielded from its own unintended consequences. ​ In Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, prisoners mistake the shadows projected on the wall for absolute reality, choosing comfort over the disquieting light of Truth. The freed prisoner is the one who dares to step out into the blinding glare to seek a deeper reality. ​ True freedom relies on free will—the capacity to make deliberate choices and embrace personal responsibility. Embracing that weight often triggers a moment of existential angst. Yet, once we cross that threshold, we discover genuine liberation: the agency to make intentional micro-choices regardless of macro-level chaos, empowering us to forge our own authentic purpose. ​Human flourishing blooms when we cultivate virtue, observ...

Notes from https://youtu.be/zDtvrme-L-0?is=U3IvdLnC3Rnfd37- ​ With nearly $3 trillion in AI investment on the line, taxpayers shouldn't be worrying about the return on our investment—we should be worrying about the return of it. Everyday citizens will pay dearly for this inferno. ​Today’s tech billionaires are playing a familiar game: privatizing profits while socializing costs and losses. Despite sky-high market valuations, internal warnings are leaking out. Reports reveal that OpenAI’s Chief Financial Officer cautioned CEO Sam Altman about the company's aggressive spending plans. While Altman publicly praises the transformative potential of AI, internal messaging to investors paints a far more precarious financial reality. ​ Recent web-traffic tracking data from analysts at Similarweb (via Momentic) shows OpenAI capturing 53.9% of worldwide chatbot visits, followed by Google Gemini at 27.9% and Anthropic's Claude at 9.2%, with smaller players splitting the rem...

​Tech giants are reviving the off-balance-sheet financial engineering behind Enron and 2008 to finance the AI boom—a dangerous gamble given that tech accounts for nearly 40% of the S&P 500. In the 1990s, it was the Special Purpose Entity (SPE); in 2008, the Collateralized Debt Obligation (CDO). Today, it’s the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). A Nikkei Asia investigation highlighted by tech analyst Ed Zitron revealed a staggering reality: five major tech giants hold an estimated $1.65 trillion in off-balance-sheet AI commitments—exceeding their combined reported debt of $1.35 trillion. How the SPV Loophole Works Building AI infrastructure is eye-wateringly expensive. When Oracle used traditional bonds to fund its expansion, credit rating agencies soured on its outlook. To avoid credit downgrades, Hyperscalers (Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, Google) and cloud providers (like CoreWeave) are turning to private credit: ​-The Setup: A tech giant creates an independent LLC (an SPV) to...