8/10/2022

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            Vacation! That should be nice, especially after the streak of legislative successes the Dems have had in recent weeks. You were brilliant to keep it on the down low while CES negotiated with JM3 about energy.

Hopefully the Inflation Reduction Act will fly through the House. Do you think NPP can deliver on her proposal to pass it on Fri without any changes? She’s most excited about the provisions on prescription drug costs. Do you know if she takes any prescriptions? Many people her age take several.

            While you are enjoying the beach on Kiawah Island, please take a minute to weigh in on the development of Capt. Sam’s Spit. As you may know it is one of the few remaining pristine spots in the vicinity & is more vulnerable than the rest of the area to erosion. It’s been under water 3 times in recorded history.

Duke Geology Prof Orrin Pilkey has spent his career trying to educate the world on the folly of building on barrier islands, so if you want to get educated on the matter, please give him a call. Bottom line, “development on the spit will result in great costs to federal, state and local taxpayers, who will end up footing the cost to fill in the new inlets and protect the development using beach replenishment and probably eventually seawalls…Since there are currently no buildings there, erosion is not a problem to be solved.”

            On other matters, what do you make of Fox News running the AP story about rare earth mining in Burma? Are they trying to appeal to a new audience? In any case, I am grateful that they are drawing attention to the transgressions of the junta. I hope you & Sec Blinken will continue to do so, too.

            BYBS,