Angelika Loyal newsletter readers know that we are big fans of Hawaii. Before the pandemic, we usually traveled once a year to the island of Oahu, to the quiet corner near Waimanalo. Then the pandemic hit. Since Hawaii had very strict quarantine regulations, we stayed away from the islands for a long time. Eventually, sun-seekers were able to travel to Hawaii again, but prices had risen significantly after the pandemic, and at times there were no rental cars available on any Hawaiian island because car rental companies had drastically reduced their fleets during the pandemic due to the lack of tourists visiting.

Angelika In the newsletter, we have often expressed our views on the deplorable health insurance system in the USA. It is completely overpriced, inefficient, and only produces mediocre results. A huge, complex, bureaucratic apparatus in which everything has fallen apart and no one can see through it anymore, causing grief to both doctors and patients.

Michael Not only do we order like crazy from Amazon, but also the neighbors in our apartment building seem to shop at the online giant, and so packages often pile up in rows in the so-called "lobby" at the street entrance. The delivery drivers ring recipients through the intercom, and the recipient presses the so-called "buzzer" on the phone, which unlocks the entrance door. The delivery driver briefly enters the lobby, leaves the package, and takes a photo (Figure 2), which then appears on the buyer's Amazon app. As soon as I get a notification, I immediately rush down the stairs excitedly to receive my delivery.

Michael An average single-family home in our neighborhood costs just under two million dollars. Now, in the heart of the tech industry, many people in the tech sector have money burning holes in their pockets, so the exorbitant purchase price isn't really the problem. But one must consider that the city of San Francisco levies a property tax of 1.17% per year on the assessed house price. That amounts to $23,400 a year on 2 million house, which is almost $2,000 a month. For that, you could almost rent a ramshackle place in a bad neighborhood! You could even say that homeowners are essentially renting their house from the county, at the price of the annual property tax, even though they bought it with already taxed income. We live in crazy times.

Michael It's estimated that twice a year, one of our cars runs a flat tire. Typically, a nail or a screw is stuck in it, causing the air to escape rather slowly, so we often don't notice anything for days. But suddenly, the sensor on the dashboard sounds an alarm due to the low pressure. Changing to the spare tire to drive to the tire repair shop is cumbersome, so I'm glad to have a tire pump that allows me to quickly inflate the tire and slowly drive about a mile to the tire shop "Larkin Bros." where expert staff take care of the problem for $35. The man at the reception once assured me that people like me keep his shop running.

Angelika I now have the difficult task of explaining to you why Trump was re-elected President. I actually wanted to let this topic slide, but Michael said that wasn't an option. To be honest, we weren't too surprised that Trump was the winner this time. It became quite clear to me early on that Kamala Harris was not the person who could beat Trump. However, I was quickly put in my place whenever I expressed this opinion. Nowadays, very few people are willing to engage in open and honest discussions or are even interested in listening to opinions that slightly differ from their own. One should not conclude that someone supports Trump just because they considered Kamala Harris a weak candidate.