His most interesting revelation is that the KGB spent very little time, money, and manpower on James Bond stuff. Instead, it worked on the slow, easy, and inexpensive process of destroying a country through things like propaganda and education. The KGB wanted influence the young people who would grow up to be politicians, bureaucrats, etc. If it could do that, they would defeat that country without fighting.
Showing posts with label economics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label economics. Show all posts
Thursday, July 30, 2026
KGB defector tells all
Saturday, July 18, 2026
education, religion, work-life balance, suicide, and fertility
There are a number of trends that overlap with low fertility in the industrialized world.
In China, Japan, and South Korea, children are pushed very hard in school, often to the point that they have very little time to socialize. This contributes to increased suicide and makes it harder for young people to form relationships.
In China, it is a common practice to hook kids up to IV drips so they can spend more time doing homework.
In Europe and North America, declining church attendance means young people are less likely to form relationships with peers who share their values. This increases loneliness and means fewer marriages and friendships.
Also in Europe and North America, fewer people are getting married to people they meet at work. Work used to be one of the main places people found their spouses. The other two places were school and church.
Any civilization that doesn't reproduce enough is a just few generations from extinction. Family formation is the key to the long-term survival of groups.
In India, Africa, and the Islamic world, arranged marriages are common, and so the fertility rate remains high. Matchmakers are also prevalent in Asia and the Islamic world.
Of the 30 countries with the highest fertility, 28 are in Africa and the other two are Yemen and Afghanistan. What do these countries have in common? Well, they are poor, are very religious (Christianity or Islam), and the women there often get married young. Chad, which has the world's highest birthrate, is about evenly split between Christians and Muslims.
In North America, the white groups with the highest fertility are the Amish and the Mormons (LDS). They are both patriarchal and highly religious.
Feminism, birth control, pornography, prostitution, and abortion are much more common in the industrialized world. They are linked by the idea of sexual permissiveness.
So what conclusions can we draw and what solutions can be implemented? I see it this way:
1. Most people, but especially women, should stop going to school after the 8th grade.
2. Enough cheap housing needs to be built. This point bears repeating.
3. Traditional and patriarchal views should be tolerated rather than suppressed.
4. More teachers should be men. They are better at instilling discipline and learning.
5. Abortion should be limited to cases of rape, incest, and life of the mother. Currently, about 85% of abortions are for other reasons.
Since I'm an American, I'm mostly thinking about what my country needs to do to get back on the right path. In 1960, the median age at first marriage was 23 for men and 20 for women. The fertility rate in the same year was 3.65, which is about the same as Guinea-Bissau today.
The US has slight population growth only because of very high rates of immigration, which is not sustainable. America's cultures and institutions won't survive if the racial and ethnic composition changes too much from what it was in 1960. The current composition is acceptable, but a larger white majority would be better.
America has a long history of trying to integrate various groups with the white majority, and the results have been mixed at best. The main groups have been the people of the various native tribes, blacks, and Mexicans. History shows America does best when it has a large white majority, such as during the Roaring Twenties and the postwar Baby Boom era.
Jared Taylor gave a good speech on the ongoing failure of multiculturalism in America since 1607. It was banned in Paris.
America's freedom and success come from individualism. America is an individualistic country because whites on average are more individualistic than other races. It's hard to herd cats, but amazing things happen when you do. Note the race of the people in the following video:
1969 was the peak of space travel and aerospace technology. Back then, the country was 88% white and 11% black. The median age at first marriage the same year was 20 for women and 22 for men. The fertility rate was 2.43.
Wednesday, July 15, 2026
great channel on African issues
The presenter is an Igbo man who grew up in Cameroon.
All Black-Run African Cities Are Dirty and Collapsing
wish list
Many moons ago, I wrote that the only things the US government needs to handle are nuclear deterrence and maintaining a stable currency. Perhaps some elaboration would be helpful. I don't expect any of the following to happen, but any of them would be a great improvement. So below in no particular order are changes I'd like to see
-end the income tax
It discourages work and enables wasteful government spending.
-cut about 90% of military spending and close overseas military bases
We have two big oceans to the east and west and friendly neighbors to the north and south.
-end the war on drugs
It's a gigantic, wasteful, hypocritical failure.
-end the Federal Reserve
It was created in 1913 to stabilize the economy and failed to stop the Great Depression in 1929.
-end foreign aid
The main result of American foreign aid besides enriching Israel has been a large and probably unsustainable increase in Africa's population.
-end Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid
They will bankrupt the country unless drastically reformed.
-return to the gold and/or silver standard
It's the only cure for inflation.
-secure the southern border
Build a wall and guard it with soldiers. Illegal immigration is an invasion.
-deport illegals
They don't belong here.
-end birthright citizenship
You're only an American if at least one of your parents is American.
-end any government agency that did not exist before 1900
This would disband most of the alphabet soup: EPA, FBI, CIA, NSA, NASA, TSA, DHS, etc.
-government land should be sold off
Loggers, ranchers, and others can manage it more effectively.
-end compulsory schooling
Let parents decide how to educate their kids.
-end the minimum wage
minimum wage = minimum jobs
-cancel all tariffs
Tariffs protect inefficient businesses and force consumers to pay more.
-build oil refineries and nuclear power plants
Nothing else will provide enough energy.
-trade and have normal diplomatic relations with all countries
Sanctions don't work.
-Withdraw from NATO.
Let Europe defend itself.
-stop funding the UN
We've already done our share by hosting the place.
-allow total freedom of association
If people want to discriminate, let them. Self-segregation is already the norm.
-build cheap housing
It will go a long way in encouraging a sufficient birth rate.
That's about all I can think of for now.
Saturday, July 11, 2026
by the numbers - US, Brazil, South Africa, Vermont, Mississippi
US
63% white
12% black
per capita gdp: $94,000
homicide rate: 6 per 100,000
Brazil
44% white
10% black
45% mixed
per capita gdp: $12,000
homicide rate: 19 per 100,000
South Africa
8% white
81% black
9% mixed
per capita gdp: $7,500
homicide rate: 44 per 100,000
Vermont
92% white
1% black
per capita gdp: $75,000
homicide rate: 3 per 100,000
Mississippi
55% white
36% black
per capita gdp: $56,000
homicide rate: 7 per 100,000
As countries and states become less white, they become poorer and more violent. Places that are majority white should stay that way to maintain their quality of life.
Monday, July 6, 2026
thoughts on Africa's future - agricultural adjustment and neocolonialism
Intensive agriculture with fertilizer, pesticides, and machines has been slow to catch on in sub-Saharan Africa. This combined with high unemployment means a return to subsistence agriculture is likely in the long term if there is no other intervention.
The problem is traditional methods won't produce enough food to feed Africa's population. It seems the only options are increasing dependence on food aid and imports or letting disease, famine, and war restore the balance. There are 1.6 billion people in Africa now, but only 140 million when they were self-sufficient for food in 1900.
Alternatively, there could be a mass migration out of Africa, but most countries would be reluctant to accept large numbers of them.
Birth control could help, but it too has been slow to catch on, though there has been a gradual decline in fertility over the past century.
Another option would be to allow foreign farmers to buy land in Africa and raise crops. This would be unpopular, but it would solve the food shortage problem. Neocolonialism to the rescue?
China may become the star of neocolonialism. If Africans let them build infrastructure, they'd probably let them farm. China needs food imports and also has a large pool of unemployed young men. I can see Zimbabwe letting Chinese workers grow food on formerly white-owned farms. South Africa might do the same. The Chinese would have to hire enough Africans to sweeten the deal or provide some other incentive.
When I was in Tanzania, I saw that pretty much everyone was a farmer, and most were pretty good at it. I tried my hand at it but only succeeded in growing a small bunch of bananas. Hivyo ilivyo (that's the way it is).
thoughts on America's future - the new Brazil?
1. There will be a gradual takeover of US cities by socialist mayors. Politics is downstream of culture which is downstream from demographics. The current trend is that people who vote socialist will become an increasingly large share of the population. Currently, of 100 largest US cities, only 22 have Republican mayors. Of the top 30, only 2 have Republican mayors, and both are in Texas (Dallas and Fort Worth).
2. Cities will be multiracial while suburbs and rural areas will become increasingly white. This means whites will be in control of the food and fuel, which gives them the upper hand in any future civil war.
They'll also have most of the guns and the most people with combat experience.
3. Spanish speakers will be a majority in many areas. This will force others to either learn it or move to an anglophone area.
4. By 2050, most of the retirees will be white and most of the workers non-white. Cuts to Social Security are inevitable.
5. Moderate to high inflation is inevitable, though there is a small chance of hyperinflation.
6. Overall, the country probably won't collapse of fall into civil war, but gradual balkanization is most likely outcome. India is a country of great diversity, but also poverty and tension. South Africa is very diverse, but also plagued by disease, poverty, and crime. The most likely fate of the US is that it will end up being somewhat like the way Brazil is today.
Thursday, June 25, 2026
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
Thursday, June 18, 2026
how much does it cost to build an atomic bomb (U-235) from scratch?
The minimum critical mass is 15 kg.
Using the above as a shortcut, 1 g of 93% enriched uranium costs $6,690.
(15,000 g)*$6,690 = $100,350,000
The other costs of building the bomb are negligible in comparison. From this I can conclude that any country that can scrape together a few hundred million dollars can make a nuclear weapon.
There are about 87 countries which spend at least $1 billion per year on their military. Thus, many countries could afford nuclear weapons but choose not to build them. This estimate checks out because Pakistan's annual military is about $7.6 billion and they are a nuclear power. North Korea is also a nuclear power, and they spend about $4,7 billion per year on their military.
Monday, June 15, 2026
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Sunday, June 7, 2026
Saturday, June 6, 2026
Thursday, June 4, 2026
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)