What if America is already far wealthier than you can imagine?

What if taxes aren’t the only drag on revenue?

What if bureaucracy and monetary leaks are hidden taxes?

What if bureaucracy, foreign aid, financial accounting leaks and taxes are more about control than balancing budgets?

What if $36 of debt isn’t as insurmountable as it seems?

What if, after we eliminate them 🇺🇸 becomes vastly wealthier overnight?

What if American productivity was fully unleashed?

Not saying I believe all this but it’s 💯 important to ask ‘what if’ Part 2:

https://twitter.com/johnkonrad/status/1858191051820806512

Long 🧵warning:

For my entire life, I’ve picked candidates based on rational thinking, but this time I’m going with emotion—“my gut.” One emotion specifically is driving my vote: anger

Biden’s “trash” comment has a deeper meaning, it wasn’t a simple mistake and let me explain why.

There has never been a more emotionally charged election in my lifetime. Sometimes the hope, indignation, incredulity, excitement, shame, frustration, and concern feel like they’re tearing me apart.

It’s tearing some of you apart too, and that’s okay. Emotional response is okay… if it’s authentic.

It’s ok to feel all types of emotion, except one.

We live in a culture that tries to remove emotion from the human experience. This isn’t healthy. You should feel empowered to feel every emotion against the opposition EXCEPT anger.

Anger is dangerous and unauthentic.

John A. Konrad III, my grandpa, had a great Irish-German anger problem. Stories of his rages were legendary, and my dad and uncle suffered the wrath. Not entirely his fault—I blame the PTSD from many bombing runs over Nazi Germany.

John A. Konrad IV, my dad, also had bouts of anger. Less severe, but more imposing because he was 6’2” and 275 lbs of pure muscle. BIG Jack. A Vietnam vet and Bronx firefighter, he could channel the early stages of anger into a stare that would quiet a room and make grown men shake. Unfortunately, I occasionally got to see him past the “in control” phase. It wasn’t pretty.

When you experience rage as a kid, you become very attuned to emerging anger. When you’re the child of a hardened vet who can turn on and off that anger at will, you become very attuned to authentic anger, both controlled and uncontrolled.

I am an expert in very few things, but anger is one of them.

I say this because I’ve been retweeting a lot of posts by angry people lately, and almost all are Democrats. The comments I get are “that’s not anger, that’s passion,” or “she has good reasons for being angry,” or “you’re wrong, John.”

I know anger, and I’m seeing it in abundance today—and the vast majority is on the left.

And my experience comes not just from living with anger but from going out of my way to read and learn about anger.

Why? Because I did not want to pass it on to my son and daughter.

Anger is toxic like no other emotion.

What have I learned from a lifetime studying anger? Lots, but the breakthrough came on a trip to California when I met Marshall Rosenberg, the father of Nonviolent Communication. He taught me an important lesson: all anger derives from misplaced judgment.

Let me repeat: all anger derives from misplaced judgment.

We are angry because we think we know what the other side is thinking. We think we know why they are voting for Kamala or Trump. We think they see the same rational information and pick the idiotic, selfish, or, worse, malevolent choice.

Why I mentioned Grandpa was because I never once witnessed anger in his voice. He was the kindest, most gentle man in my life. I certainly believed the stories of his rages, but I never experienced them.

Why?

Today, I broke down in tears, and the reason dawned on me. Why are so many poor fathers wonderful grandparents?

What happened is my son went to college a few months back, and my wife has been bugging me to disassemble his bed so we can turn his room into an office.

Simple task, but as I was halfway through, something dawned on me. He had slept in this bed his entire life. 18 wonderful years. And now it was going away.

I cried like a baby. Just me. Nobody around to witness it.

What got me was how unexpected it was. One minute I’m listening to music with tools, the next I’m paralyzed with emotion.

The smaller but important lesson here is that time moves quickly, and we should not allow anger to rule any of it. Grandpas have a perspective on time—they understand this. 1/4 But what grandpas (most at least—some men never learn this) know is how impossible it is to understand yourself. I’ve been living in this body for 47 years, and I did not expect to cry today. Yet here we are.

Grandpas understand what dads do not: that their lack of self-understanding is often the cause of kids’ misbehavior.

Kids do not understand their personal behavior or inner rationality. They are kids, learning. This is often what sends parents into rage.

“Why did you do that absolutely idiotic thing, Jimmy?”

Jimmy tells you the reason, and you don’t believe him. You think he’s lying. The thing is, HE IS LYING, but not to you—to himself.

Jimmy doesn’t know why he did it, just like I didn’t realize I was going to cry today. 2/4

My wife is a teacher. Here’s excerpts from the special kids election edition of the @NYTimes being taught in some public schools this week.

Editors note: grown-ups should not read this Apparently Trump thinks everyone should be able to buy fully automatic grenade launchers

keep getting DM’s the same two questions:

1) what ended the Port Strike?

2) Was it @GovRonDeSantis calling the NG?

Here’s the timeline from my sources….

Up until 14:09 on Tuesday all my reliable sources were telling me the ILA was digging in for a long fight

@typesfast - who has the best ocean data in the world - was the first to make bold counter call “with 80% probably it will be over by Tuesday”

His company @flexport has some of the best experts in the business and can see in realtime if ships are diverting or not. That combined with smart staff who understand history, political and economic issues is likely what drove the prediction

Ryan also didn’t hesitate to collect information directly from experts.

The person with the best trucking data (trucks need to start diverting too) is @FreightAlley and he echoed Ryan’s optimism yesterday.

Yesterday afternoon @mercoglianos started warning us at @gCaptain to be ready

Biden then made a statement of support of the union and @SecretaryPete applied pressure on USMX at 8PM. DC was finally waking up

Yesterday afternoon I received information from a source that Daggett was getting death threats and public sentiment was against him. Some of his advisers were suggesting he sit down for a deal

Later I got confirmation from another source along the same lines.

There were two problems with the information that prevented me from making a prediction:

1) other sources were adamant the ILA would not budge on automation

2) we got a statement from ILA confirming that Daggett was thrown by the backlash but it said he was a combat veteran and a fighter who wouldn’t back down

This morning more sources confirmed that DC was waking up and ILA was breaking due to the backlash

@mercoglianos got solid information a deal would be made

I published the article on @gCaptain “TikTok Fury and Death Threats: Will ILA Union Boss Daggett Fold or Double Down?”

I also talked to a source in the Trump camp who assured me DJT had deep knowledge of the issues from his time as a NYC real estate developer and was working the problem. No details how but told to watch for something thst would “move the needle”

Talked to @mercoglianos again and he was confident a deal was coming soon

Around lunch I finally got a hold of a Democrat source who said “it close but there’s a sticking point” I assumed it was automation but they would confirm

At 12:52 @GovRonDeSantis called the national guard to take over the ports in FL

Had a long conversation with Sal @mercoglianos @MikeSchuler around lunch and confidence it would end was high but nobody was sure exactly when

I disappeared into meetings for the rest of the afternoon.

I was hesitant to make a call because numerous sources said the ILA was still dug in over automation.

17:18 Sal calls it outscooping everyone

@MikeSchuler gets it up on @gCaptain just after it becomes official /1 So, what exactly happened?

It’s hard to say for sure, but I’m confident the ILA expected public support—and the backlash flipped the script.

The rest is just my informed speculation:

Biden did a good job threading the needle with by supporting the union but applying gentle pressure behind the scene.

@SecretaryPete helped by finally stepping in.

A source close to Trump told me his NYC real estate meant he understand the dynamics well. While it’s unclear if he directed DeSantis, he likely gave at least tacit approval for calling in the National Guard.

Sources told me the deal was nearly done, but no one was sure if it would take hours or days. DeSantis’ move likely sealed the deal, removing any lingering doubt.

Both Trump and Kamala did the country a favor by not turning this into a political fight. Trump had more to gain but also more risk—if the strike dragged on, he could’ve picked up populist support, but Kamala might’ve taken full credit if a deal was struck right before the election.

Kamala stayed quiet, but with Marty Walsh as a close adviser, a union pro, she likely knew more than she let on.

I think all parties made fairly smart moves and I am very glad nobody leveraged this hard for political gain!

That’s a win for the entire nation!!

All this plus a very civil and smart VP debate gives me renewed hope for our future.

/2

Craig has an excellent post on the ILA, but what’s missing is a deep dive into the organization they’re negotiating with: USMX

If the ILA is “bad”, USMX is possibly worse

Who are they and why?

USMX (United States Maritime Alliance) represents shipping companies, port operators, and other maritime players along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts. Their role? To negotiate labor contracts and operational policies with dockworker unions like the ILA, ensuring smooth port operations.

But here’s where it gets tricky: despite its American identity, USMX is heavily influenced by foreign interests, including massive overseas corporations like the China-controlled COSCO Shipping.

Although USMX is supposed to represent U.S. interests, foreign-controlled companies within the alliance have significant sway over key decisions. Why? These large companies, with deeper pockets and bigger fleets, control more resources, giving them outsized influence in decision-making. Here’s how they wield their power:

1.Board Representation: Foreign shipping giants often hold significant seats on USMX’s board, shaping agendas and steering decisions.
2.Economic Clout: The financial contributions of the largest foreign ship owners give them more say in how resources are allocated within the alliance, often to suit their own interests.
3.Committees and Expertise: Employees from these companies often lead technical committees, giving them control over critical policy recommendations.
4.Strategic Coalitions: These companies form alliances with other members to drive consensus on issues that benefit them, amplifying their collective influence.
5.Information Access: With access to greater data and resources, they can craft well-founded proposals that steer USMX’s strategy.

So, while USMX negotiates with American dockworkers, foreign ship owners shape these labor negotiation policies.

When USMX prioritizes keeping trade flowing by catering to foreign interests, the U.S. risks losing control over its own critical shipping infrastructure, raising concerns for national security and long-term economic stability. /1 That maybe ok when we are talking about a NATO ally like the Danish company @Maersk or the French @cmacgm

But China’s CCP controlled @COSCOSHIPPING has a board seat too?

How Could China Exert Influence on USMX Decisions?

1.Economic Leverage: China, as a major global trading partner, wields substantial influence by controlling the flow of goods. By offering increased cargo traffic or threatening to divert shipping routes to other countries, they can pressure USMX into making decisions that favor their interests. A promise of more business can entice USMX to align with China’s trade preferences, while the threat of reduced cargo could financially strain U.S. ports.
2.Influence Operations: Behind-the-scenes lobbying is another tactic. China can engage intermediaries or businesspeople with connections to both Chinese interests and USMX, subtly encouraging policies that align with Chinese objectives. These indirect methods create the appearance of a fair negotiation, while steering decisions toward outcomes beneficial to China’s shipping dominance.
Chain Dependence: Many U.S. industries rely heavily on Chinese manufacturing. China could highlight this dependency, reminding USMX that disruptions in their trade relationship could severely impact the supply chain. This indirect pressure encourages USMX to adopt policies that prioritize maintaining smooth trade with China, even if it compromises broader U.S. interests.
4.Leveraging International Regulations: China also works through international bodies like the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to shape global shipping standards. By pushing for regulations that align with its own shipping practices, China can exert influence on USMX to adopt similar policies. These standards may be presented as neutral but are often designed to favor Chinese shipping interests, creating further leverage in global trade negotiations.

While these tactics are subtle, they exemplify the complex web of economic and political influence in international trade, demonstrating how a foreign power like China can quietly shape U.S. maritime policies through economic and regulatory pressure.

/33.Supply

The International Longshoreman Union was founded in 1892 but by the end of World War 2 it was a hotbed of organized crime, communist sympathy and corruption.

How did they clean up their act? (or did they?)

And how did Harold Dagget become a star?
A 🧵 There had always been pilferage and corruption at the docks. This is because cargo was carried on stick ships and laoded onto ships by hand.

IT was just too easy to break open a wooden box in the hold of a ship and steal high value cargo. Or you could "accidently" drop a box and claim damage.

Ok so in the last few weeks China has deployed

-3 aircraft carriers simultaneously
-3 icebreakers to the arctic
-400 warships exercise with Russia
-251 ship armada into West Philippine Sea

And now… broke this arctic containership record 😳

Why isn’t @POTUS concerned?

https://twitter.com/malte_humpert/status/1838957562865303617

251 ship West Philippine Sea armada 👇

gcaptain.com/china-floods-w…

It’s not looking good. I’ve been told by a shipowner the Navy does not have a spare oiler to deploy and is scrambling to find a commercial oil tanker to refuel the Abraham Lincoln carrier group.

Updates over at gCaptain forum: forum.gcaptain.com/t/usns-big-hor…

https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1838429708456718832

Full article on the USNS Big Horn grounding incident including background on the US Navy's tanker crisis:

gcaptain.com/us-navy-oiler-…

704 people cheer on the idea that I'm dumb.

704 people back this West Point Mafia don.

704 people rally behind this DoD intellectual's —complete with foreign flags and pronouns signaling his brahim status — ad hominem attack

And you know what? This is a win. Let me explain in this 🧵: For decades, shipbuilding has been left in the dust of denial.

Now that a few of us are gaining momentum to build powerful Navy warships and bolster the vital US Merchant Marine, they're coming after our intellect.

The landscape of war is rapidly changing

Our Navy is in continuous combat in the Red sea and it’s not going well

We’re approaching the most dangerous geopolitical environment since WW2

Innovation is critical

This is your Defense Innovation Board
Does this give you confidence? For the record I like @MikeBloomberg and wish he won the 2020 democratic primary but Admiral Mullen was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 2007-2011 and shares serious responsibility for both failing in Afghanistan and deprioritizing shipbuilding. 2/4

In 1967, the Army picked 14 officers to critique the Vietnam War. 🧵 on David Hackworth's top 6 imperatives - from the military's most decorated soldier. It's shocking how many still resonate with the war in Afganistan & even today's US Navy challenges.

Which one resonates with you the most? 1) We have not required the government of SVN (GVN) to establish reforms. It remains a corrupt, inefficient, graft-ridden collection of divided opportunists who have little interest in the people of their country. As a result of these factors, the people have no interest in the GVN and are either actively supporting the VC or completely indifferent to the programs of the GVN. Without the active assistance of the people, an insurgent force cannot be defeated.

Life is a stage. Even at sea.

A sea story >> Long 🧵warning <<

We were poor not just because dad refused to do anything with his Cornell degree besides help poor people in the Bronx but because he purchased a truly dilapidated house we couldn’t afford in the best school district in America.

While my classmates in High School were sailing, golfing or horseback riding I was lifting drywall or crawling into the attic to staple insulation. It was painfully slow and sucked because we couldn’t afford any mistakes or the proper tools or material. Mistakes triggered Dad’s PTSD.

The school was difficult and Dad made me sign up for the hardest honors track classes. I shouldn’t have qualified but Dad was enormous - as his firehouse buddies would say “built like a brick shithouse” - and had the 1,000 yard stare from Vietnam that nobody said no to.

A few years before High School some rich guy donated a building to the school. A world class theater and classes for an elite performing art center.

Dad made sure I was accepted into this elite High School theater program, kinda like a charter school but I was the opposite of a theater kid, deeply embarrassed to be a nerd, so I refused.

Dad made me do it anyway. He said life is a stage and everyone must perform.

Nobody said no to dad. Not school administrators, not me.

I agreed because the backstage lights and audio and camera work intrigued me. Problem was the program was so well funded they didn’t need volunteers to manage the lights. I would have to perform.

So there I am in my salvation army clothes with bruises from construction surrounded by the confident children of investment bankers and diplomats, attending theatre classes in addition to AP classwork.

The good news, I found out, was they taught the “fundamentals” of performance art which means lots of warm up and confidence exercises. Modern dance too where everyone looks silly so I didn’t feel too embarrassed.

I also learned that I loved to sing. Problem was despite have teachers who made 4 times Dad’s salary so this program could “attract the best” they couldn’t fix my pitch regardless of how much I practiced.

Basically I sucked.

Fast forward a decade and I’m the Chief Mate, XO in Navy parlance, of a massive ship I wasn’t at all prepared to lead. Leadership isn’t about doing more yourself, it’s inspiring others to but most of the crew were boomers with decades at sea I was 24.

I did ok because Dad was right, life is a stage. Give an order with confidence and men will usually follow. Play the part of a Chief Mate, and generally you’ll be ok if you listen to your supervisors (our NCOs)

I could scrape by with hard work, go down and study a job before I ordered men to go do it, always stay a step ahead, read every manual twice, but when bad weather hits - when you are bruised and starving and haven’t slept for days - you just can’t work harder and the reality of your lack of experience is impossible to hide.

So we are in a bad storm that just wouldn’t give up. The type of storm where you stare at the waves and contemplate jumping in with heavy boots to end the misery. Everything was breaking and morale was at all time lows. Bad moral led to more mistakes and when a crane broke loose on deck we almost killed a guy.

At this point I’m angry and burst into the captain’s office demanding to know why he gave me this important job. He only shrugged his shoulders. Then he told me to go out to the bridge wing and yell at the top of my lungs to relieve the anger. He promised me nobody would be able to hear my breakdown because the wind was so strong.

So I did. I yelled and screamed and shook my fist. It was exhausting and not helpful at all. I broke down and sobbed. Cried like a baby.

Now one rule of leadership is you don’t cry like a baby in front of your men but I didn’t care. I wanted a demotion. So I walked right into the crew area still sobbing. To be honest I probably wanted sympathy too.

Nobody noticed. 1/4 The rain was so hard they assumed it my eyes were red from the rain slapping me in the face. I looked defeated but so did everyone. Bad storms do that to a crew. That’s why we were having near misses because nobody was noticing.

Everyone was exhausted. Everyone was angry. Everyone just wanted a hot cup of coffee and a good meal but the galley was closed because of the storm choosing between a can of Vienna sausage or soggy sandwiches wasn’t a choice, it was torture.

Then a tiny ember of warmth entered my gut. I noticed that nobody noticed my balling eyes. I noticed that nobody gave a damn. I could throw someone overboard and nobody would notice or care.

But I no longer wanted to murder someone for making me Chief Mate. I wanted to sing.

Sounds corny I know. Sounds idiotic. But it worked.

I headed back outside and did a full theatrical warm up routine. The breathing exercises, the modern dance poses, the “aahh ahh - eeehh eeehs” the I belted out singing.

I sung a half dozen songs culminating with The Door’s “Riders of the Storm”. I belted that shit out snd it sounded horrible but I did not care because nobody could hear. I could barely hear myself over the cacophony of the wind. Nobody noticed, nobody cared. It was just me and the angry sea.

Except they did notice. When I returned everyone looked at me weird. It was the nightmare I always had performing on stage. Every looking at you like you’re crazy.

They thought I was crazy because I was happy. Grinning ear to ear.

Then it got worse. 2/4

I have cried more times in public because of this man than any person alive. His name is Dave Yoho and he’s a dear friend.

He’s a 🧵 on why this photo is an Impossible Dream come true for Dave

https://twitter.com/michaelgwaltz/status/1798683706313564426

In 1944 Dave wanted to fight for freedom but he ran into a problem, he was only 16 years old.

But one service was desperate for volunteers because it suffered the highest percentage of casualties of any service.

Churchill argued that it was also the most important.

Some notes and questions from a former Army Watercraft warrant officer (CW4) regarding the Gaza pier sections that beached… 🧵

https://twitter.com/gcaptain/status/1794787913533943869

1. If the US Army had not sold off their 128 ft Large Ocean tugs, and had deployed these vessels to Gaza, the Large Tugs could have provided the towing and assistance required to keep these LCMS and barges from going ashore.

Earlier this year @michaelgwaltz proposed opening a @DOTMARAD desk at the White House. Sources tell me it was strongly opposed by the NSC.

MARAD ships move ammo to Israel

Here’s Maher Buthar, head of Defense Policy at the NSC, former president of the anti-semitic org SJC 🧵

https://twitter.com/joshrosner/status/1788543891882266666

The enemies of 🇺🇸 know the US Military is too strong and well trained to be defeated in battle.

To take us head on would be foolish but it’s simple to defeat the weakest link in our chain: US Merchant Marine logistics

So just for context this is a Ham Radio operator’s dream. Here’s a 🧵why:

During the solar storm the ham bands are nearly unusable because the sun’s electrical discharge overpowers radio wave. Not good for radio but…

https://twitter.com/johnkonrad/status/1789133901991965067

Solar energy not only powers our planet but also energizes the upper atmosphere. After a storm, this energy can create a temporary ionized layer of “crust” around the Earth.

Dear Representative Huffman,

Every month, I step further right for one reason above all others:

I step right because I am an environmentalist.

I step right because I reject #Bidenomics and the Marxist social experiments that destroy our beautiful earth.

Let me explain🧵

https://twitter.com/RepHuffman/status/1785394621729706407

I step right because Lincoln, a Republican, shattered monoculture plantations, championed minority family farms, and enacted the Yosemite Grant Act.

Meet Jared Bernstein, Biden’s chief economic advisor:

✔️Art Degree, Manhattan School of Music
✔️ Mainstay on NYC jazz scene
✔️ Master of Social Work, Hunter College
✔️ Doctorate in Social Welfare from Columbia
✔️ Can’t answer a econ101 question 👇

ht @mylordbebo

Full boomer bio 👇
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Ber…

“Chamberlain, made it plain that even with loans it was entirely impossible to meet all (Churchill’s requirements for defense)” This is a🔥 🧵but I have a 🧵 to add

https://twitter.com/CalumDouglas1/status/1779554437331026093

Basically, the UK faced two choices in 1934:

Pay an absolute eye-watering amount for defense during a depression

Pray that given more time they could find solutions

(We will see later how this framing is off)

BREAKING: a senior official at the incident command center told @gCaptain that removal of the MV Dali has been delayed.

Ship removal timeline is unclear but unofficial estimates range from 3-5 weeks

Waiting on confirmation… 1/5 The salvage company in charge responded with “no comment”

The Incident response center said “The published timelines are what we know at this time“

A representative of the shipowner said “no comment”

2/5

BREAKING: A NY tugboat captain has reported to @gCaptain “container ship APL QINGDAO lost power while transiting New York harbor. They had 3 escort tugs but 3 more were needed to bring her under control. They regained power & were brought to anchor near the verrazano bridge” marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/sh…