The Year in your Rear…
…view mirror.
Wrapping Up and Observations for 2021, in no particular order…
With Build Back Better NOT getting done, congress experienced what it was like to try and get your own house built back better; you have to make sure that one guy in the planning department signs off. I think they need a new design/build team.
The Environmental Protection Agency proposed reducing the amount of ethanol and other biofuels that must be blended into gasoline in 2021 and retroactively lowered last year’s mandate, in a win for refiners who warned that raising the requirement would lift prices at the pump. I didn’t know the EPA cared.
It’s not the first time that the government has reversed course on something that would be unpopular with voters, particularly when energy is already up 33% over the last year.
Did you even know that bio fuels were being blended into your gas? So why the heck am I told to put “premium” gas into my car when it’s being mixed with corn oil? Don’t worry – your car is still gluten-free.
Did you know that Iowa is the top producer of ethanol? Well, that’s where the corn is. Guess which state loves the idea of mixing ethanol in your petrol?
Lego is building a new factory and guess where it is not going to be built? China.
They already have one in China, but the incentives Viet Nam put out there…
Yes, Chairman Xi, this is what it feels like to be California; you have the star power, but the next state is letting businesses run themselves without interference. Move along, nothing to see here.
I guess Viet Nam is the Texas/Tennessee of Asia.
And finally in 2021…
In 2021, per the US Census bureau, California’s population declined by 300,164.
That isn’t just the people that left; that is the NET population change. Shouldn’t that help with California’s carbon footprint reduction goals? If enough people leave, problem solved. That is crafty!
Omicron turned into a party-pooper for Christmas.
In what turned out to be a completely unrelated harbinger of the supply chain issues, a container ship gets stuck sideways and blocks the Suez Canal for a week, sparking public service messages about texting while driving.
Tom Brady wins a Superbowl without the Patriots.
Inflation in January was 1.4%.
Unemployment in January was 6.3%.
Unemployment in November was 4.2%.
Inflation in November was 6.8%. I guess the good comes with the bad.
30 year conventional mortgage rate was 2.88% on January 1, 2021.
It was 3.05% on Friday. Still time to buy!!
Gold was $1898/ounce on January 1, 2021.
It was $1808 on Friday. Oddly enough, this is usually an indication of a stronger US dollar even with inflation that high.
Lumber was $876/thousand board feet at the beginning of the year; it peaked at $1686 on May 7.
On Friday it was $1052.
Afghanistan was turned over to the Taliban. They were bombed in short order by ISIS-K, putting the Taliban in the awkward position of having to denounce terrorism.
The 2020 Olympic games were held in 2021; in a twist of irony, it was the Taiwanese who prevented China from leading the medal count by beating China in ping pong. To counter that, China included the Taiwan medals as part of their medal count. Really.
Why is it news that Brittney was freed? And if you don’t know what that is about, perfect; keep it that way. Don’t dive into the Google pool. Not even worth putting in bold.
Yes, there were many other stories, but I think I get the most satisfaction each year by noticing that on Christmas Day, virtually all stores still remain closed. I only saw three restaurants open: Domino’s, an Indian cuisine place and Denny’s, but hey, they’re “Always Open”.
May you and your business remain “Always Open” for 2022!
