New Tax Rules

Thanks to George of Boston for our TGIF Joke of the Week

Raoul’s 2 Cents. November 6, 2026

Blue Wave

Please move on to the jokes if you don’t want to ponder.

Congratulations to the Democrat party for the bloodbath at the mid-term election. It’s a sober lesson for the Trump administration. They miscalculated their approval from their right-wing base. It’s going to be an interesting two years before the next presidential elections.

Japan’s economy is sinking and my recent trip there showed me why Trump is not a popular man. In his mission to make America great again, he has managed to isolate America from the rest of the world. Let’s be honest, he’s a shrewd businessman you’d want to be on your side but he’s also a bully with all the economic leverage and dangerous military toys at his disposal. It’s understandable why he’s experiencing so much backlash from even long-time friendly countries. But, in his defense, he’s facing insurmountable challenges because he’s the only president who dared to challenge the deeply embedded secret international establishments. He underestimated the combined forces of all of his enemies. Knowing all the conflicts he has to correct from the previous administration, can you blame him? He’s dealing with 12 million plus illegal immigrants, rogue judges who free criminals to do more damage, an entrenched media bias, sub-operatives within the military, FBI and CIA, corrupt elected officials who are stealing trillions of dollars from the taxpayers, etc. Now that the Democrats hold considerable political clout, they will surely focus on bringing him down. Watch out Trump family! Watch out Elon Musk! Watch out Israel! Welcome Illegal aliens! Welcome communism! Welcome Sharia Law!

ALLEGORY OF AMERICAN POLITICS

At the edge of a wide blue sea, an elephant and a donkey stared at a distant island where the grass was greener and the coconuts were, according to the elephant, “the biggest anyone’s ever seen.”

“We need an ark,” said the elephant. “A tremendous ark. The best ark. Nobody’s ever seen an ark this shipshape. I know arks. I’ve talked to arks. Some very smart arks say I’m a natural.”

The donkey interrupts with his own ideas. “Building an ark is a shared project. Everyone should have a place aboard, and we should make sure the animals who need help aren’t left behind. We’re all in the same boat—or we will be, once we build one.”

“First,” said the elephant, “we need to choose the strongest rowers. Big oars for the big animals. They can be foremen, too. I’m great at choosing foremen. The best.”

“Before that, we need an inclusive boarding plan,” said the donkey. “Room for every kind of animal, accessible ramps, family bunks, and a welcoming sign. We shouldn’t rock the boat before we’ve heard everyone’s concerns.”

“How can we do all that given the short time frame?” asked the Elephant.

“I don’t care if it’s not practical as long as it sounds right and let’s not jump ship into construction,” said the donkey. “We need a framework.”

“Exactly,” said the elephant. “And a captain. I’d make a fantastic captain. The ark would be shipshape in no time.”

“Let’s stay on course,” said the donkey. “We can’t just let one animal take the helm. Let’s create an NGO to establish a health plan … you gotta have a health plan in case somebody falls into the sea … and let’s make sure they can choose any doctor they want to … ”

“Right,” said the elephant. “And we shouldn’t hand him the whole ship. What if he sails off with it?”

So the elephant and donkey debated the budget, the oars, the captain, the boarding plan, and who would get credit for keeping the ark afloat.

By the time the elephant called for another meeting to keep everyone rowing in the same direction, a quiet beaver who was an expert in building dams and boats had finished the ark. “Everything’s shipshape,” the beaver said, and opened the gangplank. The animals boarded. The beaver took the helm, and the ark set sail for the green island.

The elephant looked up from his plans. “Hold on. Who gave the beaver the ship?”

“CNN never said anything about it, how can that be true?! I guess he built it,” said the donkey.

“But we hadn’t settled who was in charge!”

The elephant and donkey watched the ark disappear over the waves. “I suppose we should have paid more attention to the work.”

The elephant stared at the empty shore. “We missed the boat!”

“Technically,” said the donkey, “it was an ark.”

“Don’t rock the boat,” said the elephant. “I’m already having a sinking feeling.”

Moral: When the struggle for power takes over, people can lose sight of the task at hand. To get anywhere, we have to work together—and listen to the one who actually knows how to build the ark.

A Future Bigger Than One Election

An election can feel like a door closing to some and an opening to others. For Republicans who are hurting, disappointment is real—but it’s just a wake-up call to assess if the party is still headed in the right direction and to improve their PR to the public.

For Democrats who are celebrating, victory is a moment to be grateful for. It’s wishful thinking that they will lead with humility and care for people who feel left behind but their threats were clearly spoken even before the elections.

No election settles everything. The next chapter is built in everyday choices: listening across disagreement, protecting one another’s dignity, and doing the patient work of building a better future for the next generation. There is room for grief, gratitude, and renewed hope—all at once.

God is still in control so we need to accept this is part of His plan. We need to pray for discernment for our role in it.

Of course, this is just me. TGIF people!

Quotes of the Week

“Power does not corrupt men; fools, however, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power.”

— George Bernard Shaw

“ Those who have been intoxicated with power … can never willingly abandon it.”

— Edmund Burke

“There’s no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you.”

— Will Rogers

“The best government is that which teaches us to govern ourselves.”

— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God..”

— Romans 13:1

“But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”

— Acts 5:29

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”

— 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Memes of the Week

Send me your jokes & memes so I can share them with the rest of our TGIF family. This week, we thank Chuck of Palm Springs, CA, Ed of San Francisco, John of Sierra Madre, and Dana of Pasadena

I found these:

I collaborated with my friend and jokester,Terry Cassel for these below.
Raoul’s TGIF Joke

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