The one Biden said last week that he fixed in April…

I opine the Biden regime needs to get out a bit more. See “stuff” for themselves.

I further opine that all those “reports” read by Biden and crew, those the regime foolishly parrots AND alarmingly relies on, need at least a minimal edit by an average college junior econ. major. Wondering: does anybody know who the low-ranked pukes are who write that balderdash?

We know who does not read them! Everybody in the cabinet, Congress and most media talking heads. Do you blame them? Many, many, many thousands of shamelessly obfuscating pages. Many…

Right. The supply chain problem that Biden fixed in April. And then again a few days ago: the major ports in California and elsewhere will operate 24 hours a day because of the regime’s foresight and intervention. Next, I expect Biden to assure us all, assuming, well, a lot of things, that the sun will come up from the East over San Pedro and Long Beach harbors. A wonderful assurance to the ninety cargo ships anchored offshore there, for seventeen days on average. Parenthetic to this, that kind of wait makes that trip a financial loser for the year, for the shipping company, for any one ship.

Not to worry, all that will resolve now that dock operators in California will be fined for containers that are not moved out immediately. Looking forward to the “suits” who operate those docs carrying containers on their backs to … nowhere … while being chased by Teamsters. Trust that is not a visual you really want to come to pass.

In an interesting public chat, I tried to reduce the little knowledge I have on the [no longer] supply chain mess to simple and obvious talking points. Please give that a try and avoid flying chairs at your head.

Alas… Here come some super basic reality checks, with the help of a couple uber smart econ. types (friends), and no help at all from any governmental agency. They just don’t want to share this kind of stuff.

What the hell happened? Why the hell is it happening?

First, there is the single most important import ever from China: COVID. “Made in China.” Don’t you wish you bought “Made In The U.S.A. instead?” How tiring is it to hear about the shortage of chips. You can ponder that while your car sits with a wrinkled fender for months because the body-shop cannot get parts.

Well, all you quarantined folks ate those up with all the electronics you bought while gaining COVID weight at home. Assuming that the Chinese are not having a campfire dance over THAT shortage, it takes time to re-balance supply and demand. Surely, this will be a classic feast to famine to feast deal. Just say’n… Short the chip market. A glut is coming.

More about our dear friend COVID in a bit. Kinda like a fish dish, the second day.

Then there is our shortsightedness. We relished putting China’s and the rest of the world’s feet to the fire with tariffs, imports bans and more. While smart countries began stocking up inventories, we got a suntan. And depleting inventories.

No sweat. Politicians will make some incoherent speeches and all will be well!

Then, the trucking industry somehow finds 80,000 more people to drive trucks.

If we convince the toxic California government to cool it with the new onerous regulations taking effect in January. Oh… 70% of all goods we all buy are trucked! 11% are independents. Likely no longer be able to afford to gas up their trucks AND even less so make them compliant with the rules and regs. the Martians who run the state impose. The non-independents, well, it is linear. Their costs just become ours. And for the mandatory oxymoron, they even have their favorite unions!

Then there are the many millions who have not and may not return to offices to do work. Many. In many major cities, less than 30% have!

How many early retirements? How many have not bothered to go back to work at all, having received too generous benefits, for too long. How many businesses – clearly retail and entertainment – have you seen that are NOT HIRING? How many restaurants do you know that have not cut back on days a week, on capacity, on offerings because of staff shortages? How about the lines at mighty Starbucks? The two baristas, heretofore three, are struggling to keep up. And, horror of horrors, there are empty shelves there too! Incomprehensible and certainly not acceptable.

All that effects stock inventories – specifically ordering those. What happens when demand increases? Just ordinary bottlenecks.

The bright folks assert – sorry all you woke male peeps – that it is the females, specifically mothers, who make most household expenditures decisions. And, again – sorry all you woke male peeps – childcare is still a disproportionately discharged distribution of labor. Moms shoulder much of that. Perhaps that accounts for a disproportionate percentage of young women not returning to offices and to work in general. Navigating a job, doing the work, while managing children twenty four hours a day, is a herculean task.

And when Johnnie or Maryellen sneezes in school or complains of a headache or tummy ache, that is no longer a brief pass by the nurses’ office. More likely a panic call to mom to pick up the child.

Just a couple months ago, having traveled through the initial year or two of COVID, I call that the “Toilet Paper Era”, would you have imagined empty shelves at behemoth Walgreens? Some at Walmart (food), Kroeger, Albertsons? Just check out the “full” shelves: how many have just one customer-facing row of stuff?

Just thinking about the winter that is upon us. Particularly in the East, Midwest, North… With heating fuel likely double that of last year. Now: at those highly inflated prices, there should never be supply issues. Except when the delivery truck breaks down. Then there is that supply chain thing about parts…

Also wondering about the “ordinary” flu season upon us. What will the infection rate be considering that most of us have not sneezed on anybody for a long time, thus, that virus is dancing for joy because our immunity is down?

There is not now nor will there be a supply chain issue with those wonderful viruses, inflation and all the good stuff those engender.

I will let you fill in the details. As always, god and the devil are in the details.

©2021. Steven J. Manning. All rights reserved worldwide. Reproduction in any part or whole, in any medium is strictly prohibited