Bernie loves Donald! Americans love old cars!

Bernie loves Donald! Americans love old cars!

Bernie loves Donald!

Someone once said that Republicans are like Democrats, only slightly less so. That description seems especially apt for Donald Trump, whose economic views would make Bernie Sanders proud —recalling the old Persuaders song, “It’s a Thin Line Between Love and Hate.” So what separates Bernie Sanders from Donald Trump? Mainly age: Sanders is 84, while Trump is a 80. Both favor using government power to seize private wealth. Bernie has proposed that the federal government take 50% of the stock of AI companies. Outrageous? His RINO ally DJ has floated a similar idea, promising to make Americans “rich as hell” by requiring AI companies to sell equity stakes to the federal government.

Sanders harks back on Obama’s “you didn’t produce that” and AOC’s contention that the wealth of some comes by making others worse off. Sanders justifies his expropriation by saying that AI was produced through the “collective knowledge of humanity”. Hey “Artificial intelligence was not created out of thin air. The data and language used by generative A.I. tools didn’t just pop into Sam Altman’s head or Elon Musk’s imagination. A.I. is built on our collective intelligence: our books, songs, artwork, journalism, computer code, scientific research, videos, conversations, images and ideas spanning generations.” By that logic, I should get a cut out of the profits of every producer of goods and services no matter how big or how small – including some of Bernie’s book royalties.

Now we will see if the republicans continue to genuflect to Trump. Ted Cruz says “I don’t think the federal government should be in the business of being an equity holder in private companies.” All well and good, but where was Cruz when Trump started this road to socialism by demanded a piece of other firms? Cruz was silent while the Trump government has taken equity stakes in private companies. In August 2025 it acquired 10 percent of Intel. As of mid-2026 the government had spent $30 billion in sixteen companies, mostly semiconductors and rare earths.

I guess it is a matter of semantics. Bernie being the good socialist that he is wants to expropriate the 50 percent stake in AI while Trump is purchasing his government share with the government’s money. But any way you slice it, both are big government socialists at heart.

We love old cars

You know you are old when your car has a cassette player. Actually my CLK 350 does have a cassette player but the F250 and the GLS 450 have CD players. Do new cars have CD players? My CLK is a 2007. The F250 is a 2017 while the GLS is a 2018. I am in equilibrium and have no desire for a new vehicle. As a matter of fact, I would not trade any of my vehicles for a new one. The CLK is my favorite Mercedes convertible and I actually pat it when I put it up for the night. When my GLS was in the shop and they give me a loaner, I like the technology in the new ones but they just feel cheap. My GLS has higher end seats and fixtures than the new models. It feels more solid too. I would rather have mine than a new one. The F250 has 165,000 miles on it and is the best truck I have ever owned. It has towed a 41 foot toyhauler all over the east coast and to motorcycle rallies way up north and out west. We camp with it when we visit out of state friends and the fifth wheel makes a great hunting lodge. It is also my farm truck and I will drive it – and the others – until the wheels fall off.

I am not by myself. Americans are keeping their vehicles longer. We are not quite the Cubans but the average American car is 12.6 years old. Insurance costs – I changed companies because my old one tried to lowball me on the repairs when a deer attacked my GLS 450 – and especially the ridiculous high prices of new cars are enough to keep the old clunkers going. I am old enough to have paid $1,650 for a new Toyota Corolla in 1968. Even on a graduate student’s stipend I could afford it. Now a Toyota Corolla starts at $30,000 and goes to over $40,000. 

Those factors also mean that the number of new cars purchased yearly in America have fallen by one million units. So more and more Americans are opting to keep their cars longer. You would think that the auto dealers who get half of their revenues from their service shops would benefit. But customers have increased doing it yourself and have also gone to independent repair shops resulting in dealer service visits falling by 12 percent last year. 

I haven’t done the math but it is likely that the American automobile manufacturers would rather make SUVs and pickups that are more expensive with higher markups than small sedans increasing overall profitability. No American manufactured cars are under $30,000. Since that is the case, then your government should remove all tariffs on vehicles imported into the country with a list price under $30,000 and leave that market to the Japanese, Koreans and Chinese. I am tempted to say that the Asians build small cars because they are small people – but I won’t.