REBUILD THE UNITED STATES!

    “The Kochs might have disavowed Trump, but in several important respects he was their natural heir and the unintended consequence of the extraordinary political movement that they had underwritten since the 1970s. For forty years, they had vilified the very idea of government. They had propagated that message through the countless think tanks, academic programs, front groups, ad...

    BY STAS MARGARONIS With truckers playing a crucial role providing medical supplies and food for a nation under lockdown from the Covid-19 virus, drivers are coming under stress from long driving hours leading, in some cases to Covid-19 infection. This prompted the head of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) to demand President Trump take action: “Once word...

    Lars Jensen BY STAS MARGARONIS Lars Jensen, CEO of Copenhagen-based SeaIntelligence provided the following ocean shipping reports via LinkedIn: Far Eastern exports declined 1.4 Million TEU in Jan/Feb. New data from Container Trade Statistics show that the combined container volume exports from the Far East in the two first months of the year declined from 14.2 Million TEU in 2019...

  Zhao Lijian, spokesman and deputy director general of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Photo: Kyodo) By Stas Margaronis China’s Ambassador to the United States is urging that the United States and China set aside their differences and work together to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, as the Ambassador appeals for cooperation: Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of...

  The Carnival Surprise Could Be Deployed As A Floating Hospital (Photo: Carnival Corporation) By Stas Margaronis Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and P&O Cruises Australia are offering to convert some cruise ships  into temporary hospitals for non-COVID-19 patients. Carnival Corporation says it will offer up to 15 cruise ships for use as floating hospitals that...

“First of all, governors are supposed to be doing a lot of this work, and they are doing a lot of this work…The federal government is not supposed to be out there buying vast amounts of items and then shipping. You know, we’re not a shipping clerk.”- President Donald Trump, March 19, 2020 By Stas Margaronis As doctors and nurses clamor for protective gear and medical supplies to combat the...

Illustration: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers BY STAS MARGARONIS In 2017 Hurricane Harvey caused 51 inches of rain to fall on the Houston area causing massive flooding, shut down the Port of Houston, damaged petrochemical facilities and caused $125 billion worth of damage. With that experience in mind, Texans are supporting a gigantic storm surge defense complex projected to cost as much as $37...

By Stas Margaronis The catastrophic flooding of 2019 appears to be repeating itself in 2020 with another round of rains and flooding that have motivated Mayors from hard-hit Mississippi river cities as well as farmers, shippers and ports to demand that Congress and the Trump administration invest as much as $12 billion to: upgrade neglected waterways, repair flood damage and factor climate...

  BY STAS MARGARONIS, RBTUS The City of Venice must to adopt “a resiliency plan to stave off the long-term threat of increased flooding and that flooding can come not just from high sea levels but also from the rivers and heavy rainfall,” according to Piet Dircke, a water management consultant for the Dutch firm Arcadis. The resiliency plan needs to factor new construction and upgrades that...

By Stas Margaronis Two Southern California owner/ operator harbor truck drivers say they welcome the passage of California’s Assembly Bill 5 which they hope will help pave the way for owner/operator drivers to become employees with better wages, healthcare and job security. The recent passage of California’s Assembly Bill 5 (AB-5) makes employing owner operators more difficult for companies,...