Sticking it to the Man... and Common Sense

I suppose I should start by saying that this is not a "political post."

The problem with politics and partisanship tends to be that any kind of applied common sense goes right out the window, when we enter the political arena. All of a sudden "winning" and "being right" takes precedence over whether or not something actually works.

So, April 2nd was allegedly "Liberation Day," here in the USA.

I believe that was supposed to be a good thing, in some interpretation of the word.

In most cases, grand announcements from the government make me shrug and go "whatever" to myself, as I typically live an existence where such things have pretty much zero impact on my world.

The last time "something in the world" had a direct effect on my life was in 1986 when I was living in Texas and running a business, and the oil bust hit. With the price of oil sinking to under $10 a barrel (which would work out to about $29 in 2025 dollars, adjusted for inflation) I experienced a thriving business with upscale customers turn into hanging on by a thread... in a matter of months.

So, what does that have to do with this "Liberation Day?"

Adding the footnote that "it could be complete coincidence," my modest — but relatively reliable — eBay businesses have gone from an average of about 4-5 sales a DAY to a total of three (small) sales in total since April 3rd.

Of course, it could be just a coincidence.

On the other hand, the fact that the University of Michigan's "Consumer Sentiment Index" has dropped to its second lowest level since they started calculating it — in 1952 — might be having some influence, too.

About a week ago, I wrote about what seems like Diminishing Marginal Returns in my life, and that seems to be ramping up even more than what I was hinting at in that original post.

This is likely not going to be a "wait and see" scenario... we're (getting back to the "common sense" thing) quite literally going to have to start cutting basic services, likely going to slower Internet, start using "go phones," perhaps letting some insurance lapse and just "take our chances."

You know: "America's Health Plan: DON'T GET SICK!"

Thankfully, we have a lot of food in our big freezer, and in our pantry.

Earlier today, I had to set up a "payment plan" with the IRS (Tax department, for those of you outside the USA) because there's no way we can pay the self-employment tax due with the tax return — well, extension, actually — that's due tomorrow.

Meanwhile, crypto is pretty much in the toilet and not being much help, and we certainly can't make ends meet from a few dollars from Hive posts! No disrespect to Hive... but this is not a job!

I realize this all must sound pretty glum, but I was never much good at putting on a "sunny face" and pretending all was going well when the excrement was actually hitting the whirling apparatus.

But who really knows? Maybe tomorrow everyone will suddenly show up and start shopping again! After all, being in sales has always been a bit of a risky proposition.

Not gonna hold my breath, though!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great remainder of your week!

Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation! I do my best to answer comments, even if it sometimes takes a few days!

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Created at 2025.04.14 21:58 PDT
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