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This week in 1785, Benjamin Franklin penned a letter extolling the virtues of bifocals. The Franklin adage that sees clearly in these troubled times

A penny saved is a penny earned . . . except for when inflation is eroding savings
0%
Don’t throw stones at your neighbors, if your own windows are glass . . . Vladimir Putin
0%
Pardoning the bad, is injuring the good . . . in communities where crime is lightly punished
0%
Rather go to bed without dinner than to rise in debt . . . U.S. national debt surpassing $30 trillion
0%
Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain – and most fools do . . . in the Twitterverse
0%
Total votes: 0
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With inflation at a 40-year high, what is the greatest detriment to US consumers and investors?

Rising food prices (meat/poultry/fish/eggs up 14% from 2021)
0%
Upper and lower-income households cutting back on spending
0%
Fewer Americans working (3% of labor force quit in March)
0%
Higher interest rates negatively impacting the housing market
0%
Ongoing stock/financial volatility due to economic uncertainty
0%
Total votes: 0
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If it’s true that April showers bring May flowers, what’s likely to blossom this month?

More prophecies of recession given the first-quarter GDP decline in the US
0%
Iran’s “breakout period” ending – acquiring nuclear weapons
0%
Russia using nuclear weapon(s) to turn tide of war in Ukraine
0%
Trump-endorsed candidates winning OH, PA senate primaries
0%
COVID BA.4 subvariant spreads from Africa to US and Europe
0%
Total votes: 0
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This week in 1940, Winston Churchill addressed the British House of Commons for the first time as prime minister and gave a riveting speech. Today’s equivalent of Churchill's “blood, toil, tears, and sweat" is

Abiding by future rounds of government COVID restrictions
0%
Putting “boots on the ground” in besieged democracies
0%
Waging a global “war on terror” for generations, not decades
0%
Limiting water and energy use, reducing carbon footprint
0%
Less generous Medicare, Social Security benefits assuming entitlement reform
0%
Total votes: 0
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The most curious decision in terms of institutional brand, credibility, and profitability

Disney engaging in a culture war over K-3 instruction, parental rights
0%
White House enlisting Tik Tok influencers to blame Putin for gas prices
0%
CNN hyping new streaming service (CNN+), then shutting it down after one month
0%
Netflix cracking down on password-sharing after stock plummets
0%
Dollar Tree stores raising product prices from $1 to $1.25
0%
Total votes: 0
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The current power play most likely to successfully pan out

Vladimir Putin’s attempted hostile takeover of Ukraine
0%
Elon Musk’s attempted hostile takeover of Twitter
0%
California Legislature’s assault on 5-day, 40-hour work week
0%
Extending/declaring state and federal “states of emergencies”
0%
Extending student loan debt-repayment moratorium
0%
Total votes: 0
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Seventy-five years ago this week, Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier. The next barrier to be broken

First black commissioner of the NBA, NFL or MLB
0%
First black governor of California, Florida, or Texas
0%
First black principal White House press secretary
0%
First black film artist to win an Oscar for Best Director
0%
First black Nobel laureate in physics/chemistry/medicine
0%
Total votes: 0
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What Has Been the Effect of the Ukrainian Invasion on Europe and the United States?

Putin’s invasion will permanently terrify Westerners as they seek to mollify him with more appeasement.
7%
No effect. A year from now the West will be buying Russian energy again and pursuing anti-carbon agendas.
36%
Ukraine’s proximity to Europe has spurred NATO members to meet their 2% defense spending benchmark.
28%
There is now an entirely reborn West, becoming energy independent, rearming, and strengthening NATO.
23%
World opinion will isolate Russia and China, as the West returns to its historical global dominance.
6%
Total votes: 135
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This week in 1988, then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev agreed to final terms of his nation’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, with Soviet troops leaving a month later. The future of Russian forces in Ukraine

Heightened combat until a peace accord is reached
0%
Combat de-escalation until a peace accord is reached
0%
Remaining military presence if land is ceded to Moscow
0%
Complete withdrawal from Ukrainian territory, ala 1988
0%
Total votes: 0
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As we enter the fourth month of the year and the adage “there’s no fool like an April’s fool,” the height of foolishness

Sanctions alone will deter the world’s aggressors
0%
Iran’s nuclear ambitions are strictly peaceful
0%
Trillions in new spending/debt have no tie to inflation
0%
Masks have no effect on kids’ education/well-being
0%
Betting on one golfer, not “the field,” at the Masters
0%
Total votes: 0
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