From Governing:
Why Housing Density Has Become a Key Issue in the New Jersey Governor’s Race
Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican candidate for governor of New Jersey, talks a lot about the state’s high cost of living. He talks about housing, too, but not often in the same sentence. New Jersey’s problem isn’t that it’s building too little housing, Ciattarelli says: It’s that it’s building too much. One ad posted to Ciattarelli’s Instagram account shows bulldozers cutting down trees behind ominous music and a short clip of his opponent, Democratic Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, saying “we’ve got to build more houses” on repeat.
“There’s an overdevelopment crisis in this state,” Ciattarelli said in his opening statement at the first gubernatorial debate last month. “We’re taking the ‘garden’ right out of the Garden State with all this overdevelopment.”
This is an unusual theme at a time when officials in both major parties and in virtually every state in the country are talking about the skyrocketing cost of housing, and typically blaming a shortage of supply for causing it. A recent study from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies found median home prices are a record five times higher than median household income. Republicans from Montana to New Hampshire to Florida have led efforts to promote more housing construction in recent years. Ciattarelli himself has even said there is a “shortage” of affordable housing.
But in New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the country, he is betting that opposition to suburban development is a winning campaign issue. He’s taken aim at a state law, passed last year, which codifies a 50-year-old court case requiring every New Jersey municipality to contribute its “fair share” of affordable housing by zoning for new construction. “Jack opposes the current model,” he says on his campaign website, “because it is gobbling up open space, chasing wildlife from its habitat, increasing pollution from more idling cars on already congested roads, leading to more local flooding from stormwater management issues, and driving up property taxes due to endless legal fees and additional local services.”
…
By calling out “overdevelopment,” Ciattarelli is hoping to tap into a vein of frustration among municipal leaders trying to comply with the law, as well as ambient anxiety in many cities and towns about the loss of wooded areas. A group of towns clustered in the wealthy northern suburbs have filed a series of lawsuits trying to overturn the affordable-housing law. They say the law is overwhelming public services and forcing them to change the character of their communities.
“We can’t have high-density housing in the suburbs. Then we have no more suburbs,” says Mike Ghassali, the mayor of Montvale, N.J., and a lead plaintiff in the lawsuits. Ghassali, a Republican, says he supports affordable housing, but towns like his can’t keep up with the legal requirements to build more housing overall because they’re out of developable space. They’ve had to hire more police and build new water towers and other infrastructure to serve new developments. “We are for affordable, and against high-density,” Ghassali says.
Good morning New Jersey
New Jersey’s problem isn’t that it’s building too little housing, Ciattarelli says: It’s that it’s building too much.
“There’s an overdevelopment crisis in this state,” Ciattarelli said in his opening statement at the first gubernatorial debate last month. “We’re taking the ‘garden’ right out of the Garden State with all this overdevelopment.”
Amen. It’s like a disease. I’ve been saying this for a loooong time. They’re building everywhere, way too much.
BREAKING NEWS!
UPDATED TUE, OCT 14 2025
6:44 AM EDT
Dow futures drop 360 points as selling resumes on Wall Street after one-day bounce: Live updates
Turn Saddle River into Lodi now!!!
So the National Army of Texas was too fat to successfully liberate Chicago? The intervention in Portland similarly unsuccessful? I hear DoorDash has been absolutely slammed since they arrived.
Hegseth’s queer obsession with peak male form makes me wonder if he never actually spent any time with a national guard “platoon”, which probably ranks a tick below volunteer EMT or Firefighter in terms of physical ability. In Texas, I’d imagine that it’s basically an excuse to spend Sunday out of the house watching football with fellow guard members, or a weekend playing dress up LARP in the woods while scouting for tree stand locations.
I mean, fixing this is simple.
Stop making military uniforms, especially pants, in a size that exceed a 34 waist.
Immediately destroy any uniforms that exceed the size.
Play the Benny Hill song as people walk around in their boxers on base.
So the National Army of Texas was too fat to successfully liberate Chicago?
Lead by example.
The Commander in Chief is your example. He is the supreme leader.
His body is the correct standard.
America got the President it deserved. He fits the general population in looks, personality, and body type.
The Gravy Seals.
Lol that’s amazing. Spit out the coffee.
I’ve seen numbers as high as 70% of our military is obese or overweight leading to more injuries and high health care costs. I’m not sure a little fat shaming isn’t a good thing in our current culture.
But don’t worry, i’m sure an anti-obesity ozempic style drug will be a future feature of our troop daily diet.
There’s a pill for that, it’s the American way!
Ten 402. Touched 399
Libturd says:
October 13, 2025 at 12:01 pm
“Would love some of what you and the POTUS are smoking.” “Speak loudly and carry a soft taco.”
You sound more like a woman every day. The hysterical outrage and emotion (calling DJT a naz* as he receives a hero’s welcome in the Israeli Knesset) is one thing, but the inability to be gracious or congratulatory at someone else’s success is pure ‘woman’. Pathetic.
grim says:
October 14, 2025 at 6:53 am
“So the National Army of Texas was too fat to successfully liberate Chicago? The intervention in Portland similarly unsuccessful? I hear DoorDash has been absolutely slammed since they arrived.”
What are you referring to? Linky to source material please…
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/texas-national-guard-chicago-standards/
The Texas Military Department has removed an unspecified number of National Guard troops deployed to Chicago for not being “in compliance” with its validation process.
A spokesperson for the Texas Military Department confirmed to Task & Purpose that “a small group” of the 200 National Guard members sent to Illinois this past week have been replaced after they were found to not meet certain standards. The move came amid criticism on social media over pictures that showed some of the Guard members appearing to be overweight, and as an appeals court temporarily blocked the deployment of the Texan troops into Illinois.
…
A set of viral photos by ABC News earlier this week showed troops arriving in Chicago, with several appearing heavyset. The Texans were met with derision online for their appearance, with several people noting Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s comments about fitness standards during his September speech to top military leaders.
The Texas Military Department’s response was to questions from Task & Purpose about whether Guardsmen were being evaluated for height and weight standards as a result of the pictures.
The Texas Military Department did not say exactly how the 200 deployed National Guard members were out of compliance and being replaced. The National Guard Bureau issued a statement on Oct. 9 saying that “National Guard Soldiers and Airman are required to meet service-specific height, weight and physical fitness standards at all times.” The statement did not include any context about what prompted it, not did it mention the photos criticized on social media.
Apparently “validation” does not take into account Fortnite rankings.
Given the administration called it “a small group” and didn’t release numbers, my guess is more than half.
Gaza wasn’t a war, to have a war, both sides need similar weapons. The analogy would be the USA Army vs Mayberry RFD. This was a big kidnapping.
Ukraine is a war. Both sides with tanks. Both sides with drones, assault weapons, missiles, aircraft and bombs. Trump was going to end that in 24 hours. That hasn’t happened. He called it “Biden’s war,” but was the first one to send weapons to Ukraine, and now is planning to escalate this war rather than negotiating an end to it.
End it in 24 hrs? Nope.
Release the Epstein files? Nope.
A set of viral photos by ABC News earlier this week showed troops arriving in Chicago, with several appearing heavyset.
Isn’t that how you would describe the President of the United States?
Isn’t he the perfect example for the National Guard to follow?
You elect someone like you. And you have.
Kid, eat your vegetables so you don’t get fat.
But dad, you are so fat that when you sit around the house, you sit around the house.
The irony of someone fat complaining about others being fat,well, go f yourself.
grim says:
October 14, 2025 at 8:01 am
“The Texas Military Department has removed an unspecified number of National Guard troops deployed to Chicago for not being “in compliance”…”
Disappointing, but certainly not shocking. I think what’s truly shocking to people is the absolute shambles left behind by SlowJoe, and the impact of the deliberately disastrous Oblama policies. Going to take awhile to fix and undo 12 years of incompetence, negligence and maliciously anti-American Dem policies. You blue-state dingbats can help by not voting for Mikie “going to cost you an arm and a leg” Sherrill, but I suspect that’s too much to ask.
And..
The Presidents doctor says that porky is healthy and in good shape.
I feel I am being gaslighted.
But the last President’s doctor said he was in good shape too, and that guy could barely walk.
I guess they give out plenty of happy pills there, and never discuss a real diagnosis. They did find some blow in the White House a while back, the name White House appears to be fitting for what is going on in there. Unless you are religious, their isn’t a white soul to be found.
Nasdaq futures have given back all of Monday’s gains and are still dropping
SGC
If Slow Joe and Obama, the donkeys, are responsible for your overweight military, as you suggest, I have a small query for you.
Trump is a republican. Where is his self control at the dinner table? How did he become morbidly obese, did SlowJoe and Obama slip into his bedroom at night and feed him high calorie snacks?
STATE PLANNED ECONOMY
“Viewed as a stand-alone incident, the Intel deal could be dismissed as unimportant. There are state-owned or partially state-owned companies around the world, after all, and some are more efficient than others.
Unfortunately, this is not a one-off. The federal government also decided to take a 15 percent share in MP Materials, a company that mines rare-earth minerals that are essential for everything from smartphones to guided missiles. You might think that is essential for America’s national security, because China has such a large presence in that sector and the military applications of these rare-earth minerals are many.
Just last week, however, the Trump administration announced it would be taking a 5 percent stake in two different lithium mining ventures. The good news is that major lithium deposits are being discovered around the world, making this kind of U.S. government involvement unnecessary for national security reasons. The bad news is that our government still is treating this as a national emergency…
Last week, the Trump administration announced an arrangement in which Pfizer would cut pharmaceutical prices in return for some tariff relief. Reuters has reported that the Trump administration is now planning various kinds of deals with up to 30 industries.
To make sure the new deals stick, there is a plan in the works to formalize them and make it so this is how the U.S. government deals with businesses going forward. To that end, the Trump administration wishes to greatly expand the financing and authority of what was previously a minor institution, namely the International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).
The DFC was created in 2018 to help finance projects in developing nations. But under the proposed expansion, it would establish an equity fund to cement federal government ownership of key parts of American industry. This means that our federal government would move away from its longstanding and beneficial stance of letting private ownership stay private.“
vsg
Wall Street needs to crash badly in order for Main Street to even have a chance.
Smalls,
This whole degradation of woman thing that Charlie Kirk, you, Trump and Gary like to play is caveman think. Trump is a shit stain on the proud history of our country. And I think I’m being a little too nice here.
Dark Phoenix says:
October 14, 2025 at 8:19 am
“The Presidents doctor says that porky is healthy…”
Funny, you blue state guys never complained about Joe’s doctor deeming him cognitively healthy; you know, the guy that pleaded the fifth when asked about the cover-up…
Biden’s doctor invokes Fifth Amendment in House probe of ex-president’s health – https://www.axios.com/2025/07/09/joe-biden-doctor-health-decline-investigation
Trump administration announced it would be taking a 5 percent stake in two different lithium mining ventures.
They should probably visit the mine, dissolve some in bourbon, and have a few drinks.
It might help.
SGC
That’s a lie. I live in a blue state.
I always complained.
Can people ever tell the truth anymore, or have y’all drank from Goebbel’s cup?
I don’t know if being a pathological liar is in the DSM5, but I would imagine it is.
Day to day it amazes me the amount of people who lie about absolutely everything.
For some, I think that they believe they are superior if they can get something over on someone else, as if they are smarter by convincing them of some dumb lie they created.
The other turds are those that try to win you over by telling you what they think you want to hear. One of the turds I work with pulled that crap on me. If you are gonna pull that shite, at least be smart enough to know what I want to hear.
I can detect a liar like an Aegis Radar can detect a MIG. Didn’t use to, but got it down to a science now.
Bessent slams China: ‘They want to pull everybody else down with them’
Now that’s a guy I wouldn’t leave alone in a classroom of children.
You tell ’em Paulie!!
“I mean you don’t abuse ’em once in a while they’ll shit all over you. I don’t mean you walk around morning to night whackin’ ’em upside the head like someone from the other side, but you terrorize ’em once in a while just to keep ’em in line. Know what I mean? Like sometimes, when they embarrass you in front of your friends, you whack ’em with a backhand. You’re not in the middle of the road like some fucking animal, but nice, in the bedroom. Ba-boom! “What am I? Some kind of fucking asshole? Get your coat on fast and you don’t say goodnight to nobody! You understand me?” That’s to keep them humble. When you don’t let them say goodnight to nobody, they walk out looking at the fucking floor.”
If China is smart, and cannot sell good things like electric cars and home appliances without being hassled, they should just convert that manufacturing capability to make billions of drones and other weapons.
Keeps their people employed, keeps them from being taken over, gives them an advantage in a potential conflict.
In fact, they could probably take a car factory and make fighter jets with it in 24 hours.
Less time then it takes the street department in NJ to fix a pothole.
Dark Phoenix says:
October 14, 2025 at 8:28 am
“I always complained.”
It’s fair to say that you always complain, but your equivalence between SlowJoe and DJT is most certainly false. I’ll help you out…
DJT = “it’s quite common for a 79-year-old man to be somewhat overweight…overweight BMI isn’t always harmful in older adults”
Joe = “a person with moderate dementia can sometimes function in some ways, but with significant limitations and increasing need for help. Memory loss and confusion are noticeable and affect daily life…”
See the difference? See why your equivalence is false?
Eddie,
Do you like having taxes extorted from you, then sent to Argentina to be given to Trump’s hedge fund buddy?
I thought Republicans were against that sort of thing.
I am. I thought you were too. I was really hoping we could agree on that. I do like NASCAR too.
And his body was ravaged with cancer.
Dark Phoenix says:
October 14, 2025 at 8:
But the last President’s doctor said he was in good shape too, and that guy could barely walk
SGC
A lie is a lie. I’m calling you out.
Also, that quote isn’t my quote. I hated Joe Biden, and Harris as well, and voted for neither.
Don’t tell me I was easier on Biden than I am on Trump.
I’d like to see the two of them in the Roman Colosseum and duke it out.
Chicago says:
October 14, 2025 at 8:49 am
And his body was ravaged with cancer.
Clarify for me. It’s prostate if I remember.
Many times slow growing, plenty live long enough to die from something else.
It was his head I was worried about, he was confused.
That’s not what you want running the country. Don’t care about his prostate, did care about his mental condition.
They can vote to cover up E pstein files, but can’t vote to open govt.
Maga controls whitehouse, senate, congress, supreme courts
No judgement here on guilt or innocence, none of this matters, it’s irrelevant for this.
What does matter is Trump’s attitude towards fraud, corruption, and bribery.
He thinks this is a good thing, and believes “winning” is all that matters even if you use the three things above in order to do it.
Problem is, most Democrats think and act the same way. I guess it’s the new norm, or rather, has been the norm for some time.
I guess we should all act this way. If it’s good for the goose..
Donald Trump stunned the Israeli parliament after demanding the Israeli president pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for corruption charges.
Netanyahu’s political career has been plagued ever since he was indicted in 2019 for fraud, corruption and bribery charges. If found guilty, the Israeli prime minister could face up to a decade behind bars.
‘I have an idea, why don’t you give Netanyahu a pardon?’ Trump told Israel President Isaac Herzog.
Trump then cheekily references the apparent gifts to Netanyahu by stating, ‘Cigars and champagne? Who the hell cares about it!?’
The joke caused the parliament to erupt with laughter and cheers as Trump continued with his remarks on the topic.
‘Alright enough controversy for the day. Actually, I don’t think it’s very controversial,’ Trump added before addressing Netanyahu. ‘You’re a very popular man. You know? Because you know how to win.’
According to the latest defense department numbers, 68 percent of active duty military are overweight or obese.Obesity rates have doubled since 2012.
Apparently one of the reasons our military members are overweight is due to the fact that so many young people are overweight or obese.Over 57 percent of Americans adeg 18 to 25 are overweight /obese.
Do you like having taxes extorted from you, then sent to Argentina to be given to Trump’s hedge fund buddy?
I don’t like any taxes extorted from me that goes towards DEI musical events, transgender operas, glowworm sexual habits or the melting point of shea butter in Burkina Faso. Catch my drift? I’d say Argentina funding is 837 on the list so… get in line.
Free Palestine!!
Oh wait… Trump did.
And the personal grifting? What number is that? No need to answer really, MAGA can do no wrong. You know, even the bully does a lot of winning. Until he grows up and gets his ass kicked.
There was nothing left of Gaza. It’s a hell of a victory. I’d say the bullies won again. Wouldn’t you?
3b: So, we need to bash Hegseth for wanting to reverse the trend of an obese military. I’m sure China and Russia would love for us to maintain our pudgy muppets to be skewered when they surrender because they’re too fat to run.
And now that we’re done funding the bullies, we now will pay billionss funding the losers.
MAGA can do no wrong.
And democrats can do no right. ;)
It’s all a show guys. An overweight military is the lowest hanging fruit. But it sure makes a great deflection against our shitty economy. How’s the industrial base doing? Maybe you can celebrate all of the winning over a fine steak oh wait.
You’re right on the second point.
But it sure makes a great deflection against our shitty economy.
3.8% GDP last quarter. That’s the third highest value in the last ten years and Trump owns four of the five highest GDP quarterly values.
Fast: I am not thrashing Hegseth per SE regarding getting the military into physical shape, just pointing out its not just the military, overweight/obese is a huge problem in our society. It was the exception at one time, now it is the norm. ‘
As for Hegseth, I don’t like the guy, zero managerial experience, serial cheater on his 3rd wife at 45. It goes to character.
Lib: You seem to be taking a different tone on Gaza now, like it or not, Trump did get this thing done, at least the first part releasing the remaining hostages. What happens from here, well time will tell, But, I think as hard as it may be for some to do, Trump deserves the credit on this piece. As for the bullies in Gaza, who are they? Hamas, the Israeli’s, both?
Lib; Jamie Dimon says the US economy although having issues, is still strong and American consumers are still spending. I am skeptical with about that, job growth has slowed dramatically and credit card spending has declined again, but Dimon says economy is still good.
3B, the bully in Israel is Bibby. I give Trump credit for the cease fire, but it’s only a matter of time before this shit starts up again. You’re a fool to believe otherwise. Quite frankly, there is little left of Gaza. What we need to watch is what replaces it. A lot of seasoned Hamas terrorists were released as part of the deal. It doesn’t take much for the tinderbox to relight.
The American economy is great for the wealthy. Look at the luxury brands. Everything else is stagnant at best or AI fueled.
And I thought it was only NJ streets.
Oops, my bad.
A huge pothole tore through a private jet’s landing gear during takeoff
Libturd, Luxury brand sales haven’t been very good so far in the US in 2025. Only Hermes is doing well, but that’s such a small segment of the economy, the trendier brand of recent years, while Gucci has fallen off. But more importantly why do you people need to envy what a few people do with their money? Don’t fall for the Dark Phoenix/Chicom propaganda view of the world.
That said, Trump’s arbitrary lawlessness is a big concern, as is the New Right’s plan to expand government to wield it to their purposes. Both parties’ plans are fascist in nature, with different groups of beneficiaries, while everyone in general loses from bigger and more powerful government.
Y’all not impressed by the nor-easter the other day, all Jonesing for a storm. Well it’s coming, but it ain’t Mother Nature to blame for it.
Some U.S. companies have begun passing on their higher costs by raising prices. American consumers are on course to eventually bear 55 percent of the tariff burden, with U.S. businesses swallowing 22 percent and foreign exporters paying 18 percent, economists at Goldman Sachs said.
The shit is broke.
It is not supposed to be this easy.
Phoenix,
Have you seen higher prices show up this year on Temu or AliExpress?
From what I hear, the Chicom masters pushed manufacturers to build more capacity, so for now they haven’t hiked prices much on that stuff, or they are diverting their oversupply to Europe or other developing countries.
Don’t fall for the Dark Phoenix/Chicom propaganda view of the world.
Lib doesn’t fall for anything, and something isn’t propaganda if it’s truthful.
But I guess when some look at people like this:
You know, I never feel comfortable on these sort of things. Victims? Don’t be melodramatic. Look down there. Tell me. Would you really feel any pity if one of those dots stopped moving forever? If I offered you twenty thousand pounds for every dot that stopped, would you really, old man, tell me to keep my money, or would you calculate how many dots you could afford to spare? Free of income tax, old man. Free of income tax – the only way you can save money nowadays.
Guess the movie?
Below is some data on 2025 US luxury goods sales, compiled by AI. It doesn’t match the story Libturd told.
You know the people who most drove up spending on luxury goods during the early stages of the pandemic shutdown? People who should have been spending their elevated government checks more wisely. A certain kind of people who have a habit of not planning their lives with a long term view. They were a growing demographic for Gucci for a while.
Here’s a Google AI summary of the data:
While exact year-to-date (YTD) sales figures for luxury goods in the U.S. for 2025 are not yet public, reports indicate the market is facing a significant slowdown. After a period of strong growth following the pandemic, consumer spending has been affected by economic uncertainties, high price points, and shifting consumer behavior.
Key trends in 2025
Sales are softening, but resilience remains among top brands
Overall decline: Spending on luxury goods has been down for much of 2025, according to data from Citigroup. Industry analysts have also downgraded forecasts for the year.
Segment variations: Spending dipped in the second quarter, but categories like high-end jewelry have been a bright spot, showing an increase in both customer numbers and average spending.
Experiential over tangible: Affluent consumers are increasingly favoring luxury experiences, such as high-end travel and dining, over physical goods. This has helped buoy sectors like luxury hotels and cruises.
“Luxury fatigue” sets in: After years of post-pandemic spending, consumers in mature markets like the U.S. are becoming more selective and cautious.
Drivers of the slowdown
High price points: Aggressive price increases by many brands in recent years have reached a ceiling, alienating aspirational consumers and even causing hesitation among wealthy shoppers.
Economic headwinds: Geopolitical tensions, tariff concerns, and broader economic volatility are eroding consumer confidence.
Loss of customer interest: An April 2025 YouGov BrandIndex study found that consumer “Consideration” for top luxury fashion brands fell by nearly 25% year-to-date. Quality and long-term value are now more important to buyers than prestige alone.
Market projections
Bain & Company/Altagamma: The consultancy’s June 2025 report lowered its forecast for the global luxury sector, projecting a possible decline of 2% to 5% for personal luxury goods for the full year.
Statista: Forecasts U.S. luxury goods revenue to reach $94.10 billion in 2025, with an annual growth rate of 2.21% between 2025 and 2030.
No One says:
October 14, 2025 at 11:31 am
Phoenix,
Have you seen higher prices show up this year on Temu or AliExpress?
Absolutely.
And Amazon, and Walmart plus. Additionally delays in shipping as well along with increased taxes so plenty of purchases I would have made I didn’t.
I’ll pay the tarriff on my car parts I need to survive making my long drive to work each day so I can pay extortion fees levied by the American court system for child support that my x keeps collecting while my child lives with me. Liberty and Justice for all my ass.
And I will keep using these parts rather than buying an “American” product like Jeep or Dodge, as the Chinese replacement parts last longer than the warranty on an American vehicle. You see, I have to pay taxes, Argentininan/American Venture Capitalist friends of Trump need my tax money to be bailed out. Herr Trump says so, I oblige.
Can’t wait to get my new TrumpRx card this year. I wonder what the co-pay will be.
Dear AI users. One example. I lived it.
AI told me my niece’s car used YF 1234 refrigerant.
No, the car actually used R134a refigerant.
The lazy crooked body shop that replaced her hood, well, they billed for replacing the labels under the hood that provide that information, along with emissions data and hose routing. Pocketed the 100 dollars, didn’t buy the lables, you know, the things Trump would do and pardon himself for. (my earlier post, it’s how he does “business.”)
Luckily I noticed the difference.
Good luck trusting any of it.
NoOne,
I should have been more descript. Yes, those terrible Covid checks, juiced the luxury goods sector, so comparisons year over year are not terribly useful. What I’ve read is that the wealthy continue spending and the silver generation (a new term for broke college kids and recent graduates) are much more discerning. So yes, luxury spending is down overall, but consumer spending is being propped up more and more by the wealthy, who used to be the first to cutback when the economy showed signs of souring.
From AI: Consumer spending is resilient but expected to slow, with lower and middle-income consumers potentially cooling their spending more visibly, while high-income consumers have maintained their spending levels.
As per usual, appreciate the correction.
Older people dying. Multiple examples of 40-something’s/50-somethings having multiple seven figures dropped in their laps. That money is being spent. It had been sitting in accounts.
Libturd says:
October 14, 2025 at 11:59 am
NoOne,
I should have been more descript. Yes, those terrible Covid checks, juiced the luxury goods sector, so comparisons year over year are not terribly useful. What I’ve read is that the wealthy continue spending and the silver generation (a new term for broke college kids and recent graduates) are much more discerning. So yes, luxury spending is down overall, but consumer spending is being propped up more and more by the wealthy, who used to be the first to cutback when the economy showed signs of souring.
From AI: Consumer spending is resilient but expected to slow, with lower and middle-income consumers potentially cooling their spending more visibly, while high-income consumers have maintained their spending levels.
As per usual, appreciate the correction.
Reflecting on the job search. The last time I looked for a job, I was 29 years old and the tech bubble was roaring. I was currently employed, but knew I could do much better. The small boutique ad agency/design house I worked for just couldn’t compensate me fairly for the growth in revenue I was providing.
Well, I put a line in the sand salary-wise, and sent out resumes. I mainly used the NY Times classified. I applied to about twenty firms. Of those twenty, I received ten interviews and nearly a job offer from each one.
Turning to today. I’ve applied to about ten jobs so far, all excellent matches for my skill set. My salary guidelines include a willingness to work for 40% less than I was previously making. I have not received a single call back. In my research, I’ve learned that most jobs (over 70%) are now obtained through networking and referrals. 30% of jobs aren’t even listed. So I now plan to attend a bunch of job fairs and seek out referrals. So far, I’ve been perusing adds on Indeed and other online job boards. I’ve been selective in that I am trying to find jobs that match closely to what I was doing, but have recently branched out to related opportunities, so far to no avail.
I know it’s anecdotal, but this economy for those hunting for jobs in anything but AI or construction, is really tough. I am actually considering working in Home Depot or Costco (mainly for the healthcare coverage) until the economy turns, or until AI replaces all of us. The D still costs six figures on a good year.
Fear not, I am still on severance and my investments have me solidly wealthier than I was prior to being riffed so I am not looking for sympathy. Just wanted to share how tough it is out there right now. Unless you’re Gary. :)
I’ve seen a lot of people hang their own shingle out and try consulting.
It cannot be easy, but it seems like a viable route in some cases.
Weekend at CDC: What we know, what we don’t know, and the real danger
On Friday, about 1,300 CDC employees received a surprising email: they were fired. No warning. No time to plan. Their badges were immediately deactivated. The justification was a “reduction in force”—a bureaucratic term now being used as a political pawn in the broader Congressional shutdown fight.
This wasn’t the first wave. For months, CDC employees have endured mass layoffs, political interference, the firing of top scientific leaders, a lack of transparency, and fear and uncertainty. But this round struck at the agency’s core. Senior leaders, including the incident manager for the national measles response, were let go. The entire MMWR team—the scientific backbone that translates CDC data into outbreak reports and public guidance—gone. So were epidemic intelligence service officers, the nation’s “disease detectives” who detect and track emerging threats before they spread.
It didn’t stop there. Cuts hit every corner of CDC’s operations:
Data office: the infrastructure that collects, connects, and analyzes data nationwide.
CFA INFORM: the “weather service” for infectious diseases.
CDC Washington Office: the bridge between science and policy.
Global Health Center: the front line that stops diseases abroad before they reach U.S. shores.
Chronic Disease Policy and Comms: connecting science to action on diabetes and heart disease.
Injury Prevention Policy and Comms: addressing gun violence, opioid overdoses, and suicide.
Ethics teams, human resources, the CDC library (it’s hard to do science without access to scientific literature), and more.
Then came the whiplash. Within 24 hours, 700 employees were reinstated. The administration called it a “coding error.” Maybe. Or maybe it was a scramble to reverse a catastrophic mistake. It’s hard to know precisely who remains fired, but it seems to include staff from ethics, congressional outreach, health statistics, nutrition surveys, and all of human resources. Oh, also, the scientists who work on biodefense, such as weaponized pathogens, remain fired.
For those keeping track, this now accounts for 1 in 3 CDC employees lost over the past few months. This doesn’t account for the 50% additional budget cuts coming in 2026.
This is MAGA.
Libturd,
You’re not seeking sympathy but you get some from me anyway. Life throws people curveballs but it threw you a knuckleball in the nuts. But you’re also a resourceful person. Maybe you can game some systems harder. I don’t know anything about your industry, job search, so can’t offer advice there, beyond hopefully you have some people at other places that know you could be a value.
I hope you’re not like that one guy who posted for something like seven years about all the insulting job offers he turned down.
I hear Costco comp is so good that shareholders complain about it. Home Depot you probably have more talent for it and maybe could move up, though that’s probably not what you’re looking for. Costco seems more durable to me than Home Depot, they don’t seem to have as many people useless people standing around as HD, and seems like Costco holds up better in recessions.
Zohran Mamdani doesn’t support Magas excessive economic intervention.
Very Stable Genius says:
October 14, 2025 at 8:23 am
STATE PLANNED ECONOMY
“Viewed as a stand-alone incident, the Intel deal could be dismissed as unimportant. There are state-owned or partially state-owned companies around the world, after all, and some are more efficient than others.
Unfortunately, this is not a one-off. The federal government also decided to take a 15 percent share in MP Materials, a company that mines rare-earth minerals that are essential for everything from smartphones to guided missiles. You might think that is essential for America’s national security, because China has such a large presence in that sector and the military applications of these rare-earth minerals are many.
Just last week, however, the Trump administration announced it would be taking a 5 percent stake in two different lithium mining ventures. The good news is that major lithium deposits are being discovered around the world, making this kind of U.S. government involvement unnecessary for national security reasons. The bad news is that our government still is treating this as a national emergency…
Last week, the Trump administration announced an arrangement in which Pfizer would cut pharmaceutical prices in return for some tariff relief. Reuters has reported that the Trump administration is now planning various kinds of deals with up to 30 industries.
To make sure the new deals stick, there is a plan in the works to formalize them and make it so this is how the U.S. government deals with businesses going forward. To that end, the Trump administration wishes to greatly expand the financing and authority of what was previously a minor institution, namely the International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).
The DFC was created in 2018 to help finance projects in developing nations. But under the proposed expansion, it would establish an equity fund to cement federal government ownership of key parts of American industry. This means that our federal government would move away from its longstanding and beneficial stance of letting private ownership stay private.“
Maga doesn’t care about the unemployed
Libturd says:
October 14, 2025 at 12:15 pm
Reflecting on the job search. The last time I looked for a job, I was 29 years old and the tech bubble was roaring. I was currently employed, but knew I could do much better. The small boutique ad agency/design house I worked for just couldn’t compensate me fairly for the growth in revenue I was providing.
BREAKING:
DOW up 365 points.
lIberals hold nude bike ride to protest
Lib: I don’t believe that it won’t start up again, I am very skeptical in fact that it wont. I just think Trump deserved the credit for getting it done, whether one likes him or not.
As for Bibbi and Israel in general , although they have appeared to defeat Hamas, the environment has totally changed, and like it or not,Israel is going to have to accept a Palestinian state on most of the west bank and Gaza. That is the reality going forward in my view.
Lib: Sorry to hear you are having difficulty on the job search. It is certainly not easy. I think one of the issues too, and I say it with respect, is your age might be a contributing factor as well. Hopefully, you can find a company that won’t have an issue with that.
As for Costco I have a friend of mine that took a job there after he retired, just for something to do. He was started at $25.00 an hour, he loves it. Good luck.
Bitcoin graft in plain view. Nothing to see here. mAgA
A whale that earned close to $200 million by shorting Bitcoin and Ethereum prior to Trump’s tariff announcement on Friday—which helped lead to a record $19 billion in crypto liquidations—has taken another stand against the top crypto asset.
And while the wallet owner has been accused of being a “Trump insider,” the person purportedly behind it insists that there’s no connection to the First Family.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto was caught on a hot mic asking President Donald Trump for a meeting with his son, Eric Trump, the executive vice president of the Trump Organization.
Reuters first reported on the moment, which occurred just after Trump addressed a summit in Egypt.
“Can I meet Eric?” Subianto reportedly asked Trump.
“I’ll have Eric call. Should I do that? He’s such a good boy. I’ll have Eric call,” Trump responded.
While it is unclear what Trump and Subianto were referring to, the Trump Organization has growing business in Indonesia. They opened a golf club in the country earlier this year and have other properties listed as “coming soon” on their website.
Leaders of Young Republican groups throughout the country worried what would happen if their Telegram chat ever got leaked, but they kept typing anyway.
They referred to Black people as monkeys and “the watermelon people” and mused about putting their political opponents in gas chambers. They talked about raping their enemies and driving them to suicide and lauded Republicans who they believed support slavery.
William Hendrix, the Kansas Young Republicans’ vice chair, used the words “n–ga” and “n–guh,” variations of a racial slur, more than a dozen times in the chat. Bobby Walker, the vice chair of the New York State Young Republicans at the time, referred to rape as “epic.” Peter Giunta, who at the time was chair of the same organization, wrote in a message sent in June that “everyone that votes no is going to the gas chamber.”
Giunta was referring to an upcoming vote on whether he should become chair of the Young Republican National Federation, the GOP’s 15,000-member political organization for Republicans between 18 and 40 years old.
“Im going to create some of the greatest physiological torture methods known to man. We only want true believers,” he continued.
“I’ve seen a lot of people hang their own shingle out and try consulting.”
This is what every fifty-year-old who reached the end of the corporate rainbow does.
Given their station in life, this must be incredibly anxiety inducing.
The consulting route might be the ticket. I am not anxious at all. Quite comfortable actually. Like Essex, only weed free.
ex, As far as I can tell, the MAGA true believers are the worst and weirdest people to have joined the Republican party. They don’t believe in anything in particular, yet support all the various contradictory things Trump spouts. But I’ve never heard anyone come close to saying such things. Nobody even thinks about slavery anymore except the race studies/grievance professionals. Which was why that Jussie Smollett story seemed so fake from the start – sounded more like a black guy’s imagination about what racists wanted to do to him than how actual racists act. 99% of the N-word use I’ve heard in my life has come from black kids in my youth, and black rappers in my adulthood. But I try not to listen to that garbage.
Maybe these guys were trying to out-edgelord one another. But if that’s how some “Young Republican” leaders talk, I guess they won’t have much future in politics.
I want a job in city hall.
Ain’t no AI ever replacing them.
If Republicans were so disgusted by the jobs and deals Hunter Biden got, shouldn’t they also go out of their way to make sure Trump’s kids don’t have similar issues? Yet I haven’t heard Congress passing laws preventing their kids or the President’s kids from serving on boards, etc over the past 12 years.
I reckon I have enough experience to be a building inspector.
grim,
City Hall doesn’t need AI, they need AS to fill current shoes. Artificial Stupidity.
Someday Elon musk might create humanoid robots that can stand along the side of NJ road projects that take forever to complete and eat donuts.
I reckon I have enough experience to be a building inspector.
You don’t need experience, you need to know Nicky Lombardi or Sean O’Halloran.
That’s it.
LIke the far right line on the lower level of the GWB, that is closed just about all the time, just because. Rarely if ever anyone working in the lane, occasionally there is one truck parked in the line, no one in it, it is just parked there. The line is closed just because.
That’s the lane Gary always takes.
This blog is full of loons; DJT is literally bending the world to his will and delivering historically monumental achievements, and you have nuts here, even smart ones, who whine about MAGA, or complain that there’s no diff between the parties, or that DJT hasn’t ended every war or fixed every problem…
– I read the Babylon Bee headline that ‘Hitler Brings Peace To Israel’ and laugh out loud, then I come here and realize that guys like Lib believe it
– NoOne compares DJT’s sons to Hunter w/out distinguishing that they run a billion dollar company that existed before DJT entered politics and is the source of his/their wealth, while Hunter is a crackhead that ran a corrupt family enterprise that existed to sell access to SlowJoe as senator, Veep and Pres
– NoOne calls MAGA the worst people while he watches Dem-aligned antifa lay siege to federal property and law enforcement officers who are legitimately engaged in arresting and deporting illegal alien criminals
– I won’t even bother to get started on imbeciles like LACKS and UnstableAnus who are too moronic to warrant discussion
You screwballs don’t deserve DJT, but he is the president of all the people so even you Carmella-loving stooges get to benefit from secure borders, safer cities, a lethal military, international respect and domestic production of rare earths to power your iPhones so you can keep taking selfies of yourselves in women’s clothing.
Opened up a lot of shorts today. Balanced mixed of hyped up stocks. SPX looks primed to continue the dump IMO.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DJnWsNhsGjN/
Stu: Senior professionals underrate their uniqueness in adding value to the workplace. On the surface it may seem that the job market is frozen, but your are a networker. Don’t you have an investment club? That sounds like a good place to cast a net. You live in Montclair. Seems like one of the best places in the entire NYC area to cast a net. It is a cross section of NYC & NJ opportunities. In the times that we have met in person, you present well. I would be confident and go out there.
Also, you have the luxury of just trying stuff out…… I will say that even with the job market frozen, conditions themselves are still flush. I would be putting feelers out now. If the economy turns enough that everyone feels it, you will regret pissing away these months, unless you really DON’T want to work.
Hustle a bit. You will enjoy it more than you think.
Boomer Remover says:
October 14, 2025 at 3:13 pm
“I’ve seen a lot of people hang their own shingle out and try consulting.”
This is what every fifty-year-old who reached the end of the corporate rainbow does.
Given their station in life, this must be incredibly anxiety inducing.
Libturd says:
October 14, 2025 at 3:20 pm
The consulting route might be the ticket. I am not anxious at all. Quite comfortable actually. Like Essex, only weed free.
Hey Lib, maybe it’s time to do something you love — in a place you love…
I see 30-40 casino-specific job openings just for MGM properties in Vegas; must be hundreds across all of the casinos, and thousands if you include hotel-related positions. I see ‘Rewards Reps’, ‘BetMGM Ambassador’; right up your alley, no?
https://careers.mgmresorts.com/jobs/?page=2&location=Las%20Vegas&team=Casino&pagesize=20#results
I’ve actually considered being a host. And ChiFi, I’m getting there when it comes to being unconventional or thinking differently. I appreciate all of the advice. There is one interesting offer in Clifton, of all places. We’ll see. If they don’t react to my resume/cover letter, I’m thinking about sending them a couple dozen rippers from Rut’s.
Now your talking.
Other executives recalled touring “dark factories” that don’t even need to keep the lights on, as most work is being done around the clock by robots.
“You get this sense of a change, where China’s competitiveness has gone from being about government subsidies and low wages to a tremendous number of highly skilled, educated engineers who are innovating like mad,”
https://futurism.com/robots-and-machines/western-executives-shaken-visiting-china
“Dark factories” means manufacturing comes back to the US.
When you take labor arbitrage off the table, shipping, transit, protecting IP, all
become far bigger factors.
Making a Tesla overseas and shipping it to the US? Would probably cost more…
I believe Tesla’s Fremont facility was the most efficient auto manufacturing plant in the world, only to be eclipsed by Tesla Shanghai.
That’s not because it’s in China, it’s because it was built after Fremont, and was able to take advantage of efficiencies that came out of lessons learned.
Anywhere they build the next plant will be the most efficient in the world. Shanghai is estimated to be 95% automated.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/14/private-chat-among-young-gop-club-members-00592146
Curious how the Republicans are going to spin this…
… and why are they all so fat? Young republicans clearly need to be reeducated on what it means to be a pinnacle of male performance.
Grim,
Tesla should cost 12k if made by robots.
Greed of American business makes these cars so expensive.
Even with shipping the Chinese would accept less than Musk
Curious how the Republicans are going to spin this…
It’s a feature, not a bug?
Lib,
check out networking groups and networking meetings on the link below but dont use this guys services, you dont need them
replace DOT w .
https://www.landingexpertDOTcom/landing-expert-list-search-location/
PBS ran this story tonight about the economy and luxury goods Apparently if household income is 250k +, you are top 10%
change DOT to .
https://www.pbsDOTorg/newshour/show/k-shaped-economy-why-the-wealthy-are-thriving-as-most-americans-fall-behind
Thanks Nomad.
President Trump just delivered a harsh ultimatum to Hamas – disarm now or face violent consequences. This comes barely 4 days after his “historic” Middle East peace deal, which is already falling apart at the seams.
What’s happening right now:
Hamas security forces returned to Gaza streets and publicly executed 8 alleged collaborators in Gaza City on Monday, with masked militants shooting blindfolded men as crowds watched. Israeli officials called it “Hamas’s deliberate attempt to terrorize civilians”.
Meanwhile, Israel slashed humanitarian aid to just 300 trucks daily – half the 600 promised under ceasefire terms – while keeping the crucial Rafah border crossing closed. They’re citing Hamas’s failure to return all hostage bodies as justification.
Trump posted on Truth Social: “THE DEAD HAVE NOT BEEN RETURNED, AS PROMISED! Phase Two begins right NOW!!!” He declared that “Phase Two” of his plan has started, which demands Hamas disarm and hand power to an internationally supervised body.
The bigger picture:
While Trump declared the war “over” during his Israeli parliament speech Monday, Netanyahu has consistently said the conflict won’t end until Hamas gives up weapons – something the group has always rejected.
Gaza’s 2.2 million residents continue facing starvation as promised aid increases haven’t materialized. At least 67,913 Palestinians have died in the conflict according to officials.
Is this ceasefire DOA? Trump’s peace plan seems to be unraveling before it even got started.
Lucid Motors make some elegant cars.
Alicia Goodwin, Singham’s niece, is a Mamdani donor as well as a prominent far-left activist in New York City. She founded “Jews for Zohran,” much like “Chickens for Col. Sanders.”
In a stock market and asset market bubble, inequality rises. The PBS stuff I read at the link said nearly nothing. Rich people feel rich, poor feel poor. Then they typically follow up this sort of thing with a professor of communism from an elite school to make it all seem high concept.
You never see them reporting about the improving inequality following market crashes.
Lib,
I spent 14 months and probably 150 applications before I landed this gig. I looked at it as a dry run on retirement. At least I had some enjoyment as you never know if you actually going to make it to retirement. Find an hobby and monetize it. I used AI to write books and Amazon sends me a few bucks every month. I have another 10-15 in the hopper that I need to find time to edit.
There jobs out there, but you have to work to find them.
LinkedIN is the best place I found, but even there, there is a lot of fake postings. But the Easy Apply makes it worth it.
The fake postings seem to break down as follows.
The company HR depot trawling to see what’s in available in the market.
The company HR dept posting to make the company seem relevant.
Recruiters posting Company jobs to try and get a foot in the door.
Recruiters posting Company jobs to try and get talent on the books.
So who has the real jobs.
First is the HR dept looking for a unicorn. I had a few of these as I have some unique skills. When I get calls these days, I farm it out to my network.
Next HR with a general requirement.
Then a recruiter on the firms approved list. That’s how I got this role. The recruiter found me on LinkedIN and reached out to me.
My advice is pick a firm you want to work for, use AI to craft a pitch, find some recent hires, and ask them how they got the job. Try and find someone in the firm to put you up as an internal referral.
Make sure your CV and profile are clean and relevant. You get 50 key skills to list that will flag you in searches. Get your profile to a point where it will pass any ATS scan and you can just hit Easy Apply. That will load your profile into the company system and fill out most of the 10 page application, most places use. For a more specific job application, upload your CV and the job description into ChatGPT and get it to tailor your CV and generate a cover letter specific to the role. Make sure you edit this well. You don’t want to send a letter with [Insert Company Here]
Good luck and remember if its meant for your, it will find you. Life happens for a reason.
The lane is closed on the GWB as they are doing reinforcement work on the upper level and don’t want someone to get killed with falling concrete.