www.markholder.org

Yes, hindsight is truly 20/20. Georgia is drowning in new cases of Covid-19, no doubt due to Governor Brian Kemp's insistence to re-open the state to please his hero at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Kemp, the same man who ran for Governor while holding office as Secretary of State, an office in charge of overseeing the electoral process , has bumbled his way through the pandemic almost as embarrassingly as Trump, complete with dumb quotes, obvious ignorance of the situation he faces, and surrounded by flunkies who assure him he's doing everything well. At least his body count is lower than Trump's. Georgia is devolving into Florida North, but this will somehow be blamed on migrating birds bringing the madness north as they fly north for the winter. Times like these make this writer ask "What if...?" but such an exercise is exhausting and ultimately frustrating. Election day is only 16 weeks away. What unfolds in anyone's guess.

I don't even know where to begin. Despite there being no effective treatment, vaccination, or the much-discussed herd immunity, many states are relaxing social restrictions put in place to mitigate the spread of Covid-19. My home state of Georgia was among the first to do so (my sense of timing and location is impeccable). Instead of a state economy charging out of the gates like a racehorse, we get this: An 83% increase of confirmed cases in my county, which is mostly rural with a small industrial base, 90 miles from Atlanta. But freedom, amiright? I find it utterly amazing that people find being instructed to stay in their homes and take extra precautions to prevent becoming infected with a fatal disease a form of tyranny. When did "Wear a mask and wash your hands regularly" become equal to tanks in the streets? I understand wanting a haircut; Hell, I need  one but don't want to kill my barber, a nice guy who fits nicely into the at-risk category. Do...

What a year 2020 has become. As the federal government (particularly the head of the executive branch) dithered, a microscopic killer grew in strength and swept across the globe. A novel virus; one which humans have not been exposed to and thus have no immunity from. No effective treatment, no vaccine at this time. The possibilities are horrendous. At first it was a China problem, then an Asia problem, before it became a global problem. In my home state of Georgia, it has become a human behavior problem. The state has been partially shut down for a matter less than one month, yet is set to reopen in days. Never mind that our governor claimed he was unaware that the virus could spread via asymptomatic persons, earning himself a place on the Dumbest Governors list. The state is reopening with a mind-boggling list of businesses: hair salons, barber shops, tattoo parlors, massage parlors, bars. These are the last  businesses that should open, yet Kemp, doing his best impression of a ...

Out With The Old, In With The New I'm sure you've heard the story: somewhere-in-line-for-the-throne Prince Harry and wife Meghan are leaving Britain and stepping back from their Royal duties for a new life in the US. And one can be sympathetic, considering her merciless treatment by the British press. With the popularity of the royal family riding high partly in thanks to the popularity of such shows as The Crown, trendy America will be more than happy to welcome a real live prince to its shores. Look a bit closer and things get interesting. Not only is Harry a member of the Royal Family, he's also a  Lieutenant Commander of the Royal Navy, Major of the British Army and Squadron Leader of the Royal Air Force; if such qualifications were applied to someone else, that person would immediately be considered a spy. He is married to an American (bonus point) actress (double bonus point) of multicultural heritage (21st century trifecta). They may hope for a quiet life,...

Serial child rapist and all around weird guy  has died while in custody. Alleged cause of death is suicide by hanging, but needless to say, not everyone is buying it. And by "not everyone," I mean a great many people, some famous and well-respected in their fields, who preface their opinions with "I'm not a conspiracy theorist but...". Go to Twitter in you need further evidence. The question of how did a man on suicide watch (with one failed attempt under his belt) successfully commit suicide in one of the most secure holding units in America? As has happened so many times throughout history, the parties responsible for protecting were off duty or stood down. I call this the Praetorian Pattern. The Praetorian Guard was a unit responsible for guarding the Roman emperor. Formed by Augustus to act as personal protection, the unit lasted for three centuries, during which time it developed a pattern of intrigue and interference with Roman politics, capable ...

I had hoped that by summer's end there would be no more trade war posts to write but there appears to be no end to the ongoing struggle. Fears of a recession are increasing, so much so that Bank Of America is offering advice on how to navigate the impending slow down, the price of everything continues to march upwards,  retailers are failing in droves , and even a Republican lawmaker is calling for a tax cut due to tariffs . This last point should prove once again that a tariff is a tax passed on to consumers, but try to explain that to the true believers who support the fun and easy to win economic policies of the current administration. At least things aren't boring. The market reaction to the Fed's announced rate cut (which flies in the face of all logic) followed almost immediately by a tweet announcing more tariffs on Chinese products sent the VIX off the charts and VIX traders into a rapture or rupture, depending on which side of the trade they were on. And yet, ...

The arrest of Jeffrey Epstein for sex trafficking children has all facets of the media tying themselves in knots, from straight reportage  to the more outrageous . These are early days and most of what is being published is opinion or speculation. It is this writer's choice to wait until justice is served before opining, but things of this nature seem to get swept away easily . Need more evidence? Look into Jimmy Saville. In the meantime, the UK is apologizing to Ivanka Trump for stating the obvious. Also, the Fed is preparing an interest rate cut as the economy soars to new heights . That gurgling sound you hear is your savings account being strangled.  And, as always, the US is spoiling for (more) war .  

It wasn't supposed to last this long. Or so it was thought. "Trade wars are good and easy to win!" the tweet read. I'm not seeing much good and no one appears to be having fun. I suppose a trade war is good when you have no skin in the game, ie your living expenses are covered by taxpayer dollars and you know how to write down losses, but for those of us on the ground in this trade war, real pain is being inflicted. Ask the farmer who is losing money (although in a bit of welfare, there are subsidies being discussed). Ask the customer paying more and more for the same items. Ask the business owner paying more for said items and passing that cost on to the customer you just spoke to. The current trade war is the economic equivalent of the second Iraq War: a war of choice, led by amateurs. Sure, US-based intellectual property is being stolen, but the companies whose IP is being stolen are multinational corporations who operate in China willingly. I'm yet to me...

In a world in which Fight Club , The X Files , and the complete works of Phillip K Dick have collided into one twisted reality we call normal (with a dash of Black Mirror and The Big Short for flavor), we now learn that software upgrades that could have prevented the crashes of two Boeing 737 Max passenger jets were available... at a price . "Want your passengers to live to fly another day? Sure, but it'll cost you." And I'm unsure who is more evil, the manufacturer for making safety features ON A FLYING MACHINE optional at additional cost or the airlines for declining to install the features. This is a stunning failure of human decency in the eyes of this writer. Perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised. This is business as usual in our extortionary economy. In the US, medical bills are the leading cause of bankruptcy , a real-world manifestation of the "your money or your life" ethos of the street thug in literature and film. The hand wringing over w...

35 days into the longest-yet government shutdown is US history, it was announced that an agreement has been reached to reopen for three weeks. What happens in three weeks depends on negotiations regarding border security, something Americans are deeply concerned with and hardly effected by. Call me a wonk, but I can't help but think that a nation whose currency is backed only by "full faith and credit of the US government" needs to keep said government open. Much to my surprise, the USD remains strong, but gold price is up (the price of each rises and falls in relation to the other; a strong dollar lowers gold price, gold price increases as the dollar weakens). Crypto? Still limping from the beatdown that was 2018. Remaining hopeful in a time of supreme dysfunction isn't easy, and the temptation to fall into despair is ever present. In times like these, I reach for a book.