I’ve been curious, as have many of us who live in Illinois, about what has been going on at the flagship university campus in Urbana-Champaign. The seemingly unending series of controversies and lawsuits (now capped off by the exceedingly peculiar resignations/dismissals of the Chancellor, Provost, and the football coach) send a signal of institutional disarray that does not bode well for the future. All I know is what I read, so I would be happy to share any insights others might have, but I will certainly understand if those with inside knowledge prefer to remain mum.

Also, I wonder just where we might end up when the major party nominations for President are finally decided.

Given that Hillary Clinton may be eventually facing felony charges related to her home-brewed email system and the Bernie Sanders boomlet doesn’t seem to have much future beyond a protest vote against Secretary Clinton, we now seem to be digging into the Democratic “Recycling Bin” for Joe Biden. The catastrophic electoral weakness of the Democratic Party at the state level since the election of President Obama, which has left the party with an exceedingly thin bench from which to draw fresh talent, perhaps leaves Hillary Clinton at the top of the ticket for lack of any viable alternative. That’s a scary thought.

The Republican field of Presidential contenders, which is huge, has been left largely in the dark by the total eclipse that is “The Donald”, so we have little clue about how they will perform under the glare of the spotlight. Even two months ago my bet would have been on Scott Walker, simply based on his incredible electoral track record, but we may be seeing something truly unique in the Trump candidacy: someone who is a perfect vehicle for the sheer gut frustration felt by so many with “politics as usual”. Whether you agree with him or not on the issues, he is whipping up fervor that is not going to simply disappear anytime soon.

Finally, given the worldwide concerns over the possible collapse of the Ponzi components of the economy in China, those being primarily their real estate and stock market sectors (problems that we in America have also experienced), one has to wonder how this will affect the U.S. in the next few years. Aside from those ripples that will hit our domestic economy, we also could be soon facing a China far more desperate and dangerous due to the political need to find someone to blame for their calamities other than the current leadership. Also remember this is the nation that recently hacked into the United States government’s personnel system to steal the personal and security information of every single federal employee and contractor. It is hard to put up much of a fight when someone has already yanked your pants down around your ankles.