I noticed this because where I live it is a tourist haven of people visiting to see things like kelp beds, Harbor Seals, Sea Lions, Sea Otters, Killer whales, Grey Whales in Season and Porpoises and other things that you can see from shore or on an ocean going boat or ship.
I also noticed Coastal squirrels eating weeds and other things and I have never seen that before. I also noticed Sea Gulls driving away Sandpipers to eat the sand Crabs Sandpipers usually eat.
Even Driving south to Santa Barbara would say there were at least 50% less cars on the road than any other time I have driven south to Santa Barbara mostly because Gas (regular) was about $6.70 to 6.90 a gallon and Premium gas was $7 a gallon to $7.50 a gallon at most name brand stations like Chevron, Shell and other well known name brand stations. However, you can buy cut rate gas likely around $6 to $6.25 a gallon if you really search for it in Northern California.
If you don't believe me just try to buy gas anywhere in California and you will see what I mean!
Basically, Trump has enraged the whole world so people are coming here less basically from everywhere on earth reducing tourist dollars by billions and billions of dollars this last year. Just in Canadian and Mexico Tourism the U.S. has lost $5.7 billion.
begin quote:
The
decline has significantly impacted the U.S. economy, with projections
estimating a $5.7 billion loss in international tourism spending for
2025 due to plummeting Canadian and Mexican visitation.
The first place prices are likely to drop is urban places in more inexpensive homes as they go underwater from variable rate loans. This will likely cause more homes to go underwater and then more people to go bankrupt. The next place to look for houses going underwater would be more remote places where it becomes too expensive for people to drive there much. This reduces tourist business those places from the price of gas and food and this then sends local economies (especially those dependent on tourist dollars into a financial tailspin). This then causes home prices to drop because people aren't visiting those areas or visiting restaurants or hotels or other recreation places because there isn't money coming in locally from tourism.
Also, places in the northeast will likely be really affected now because Canadian tourism has dropped 35% because of Trump being so crazy to Canada:
begin quotes:
Canadian
visitation to the U.S. has experienced a sustained, sharp decline since
Donald Trump's return to office, with overall visitation down 35% as of April 2026
compared to 2024 levels. The downturn is widely linked to trade
tensions, tariffs, and a voluntary boycott by Canadians, with some
researchers noting a steeper 42% plunge in visits specifically to U.S.
metropolitan areas.
Key Data on Canadian Tourism Decline (as of 2026):
Total Decline: Overall Canadian travel to the U.S. is down 35% compared to March 2024.
City Impact: Visits by Canadians to major U.S. cities have crashed by a median of 42%.
Road vs. Air: Automobile trips have dropped by 33.7%, while air travel decreased by 15.3%.
Boycott Impact: Approximately 60% of Canadians reported that U.S. government policies and rhetoric made them less likely to visit.
Regional Damage:
Some border-area cities and top destinations, such as Myrtle Beach,
S.C., experienced dips exceeding 65% in Canadian visitors, according to
2025-26 data.
The
decline has significantly impacted the U.S. economy, with projections
estimating a $5.7 billion loss in international tourism spending for
2025 due to plummeting Canadian and Mexican visitation.
Canadian visitation to the U.S. is down 35% since President ...
Apr 14, 2026 — Canadian
visitation to the U.S. is down 35% since President Trump returned to
office—dealing a massive, sustained economic blow to...
Facebook·Forbes
Canadian visitation to the U.S. is down 35% since President Trump ...
Apr 13, 2026 — Canadians
are skipping U.S. vacations — and it's starting to sting the American
economy. A new report from the U.S. Travel Associa...
Facebook·Forbes
Staggering Drop of Canadian Visitors to U.S. Cities Under Trump Revealed
May 11, 2026 — Sign
Up for The Swamp Newsletter. Visits by Canadians to major U.S. cities
have crashed by a staggering 42 percent during Presiden...
8 days ago — The U.S. Travel Association last year said a 10 per cent drop in Canadian tourism would cost the American economy about $2.1 billion US. If ...
May 11, 2026 — Visits by Canadians to major U.S. cities have crashed by a staggering 42 percent during President Donald Trump's second term, new research ...
In other words as the interest rates on mortgages climb less and less people are able to finance practically homes here in the U.S. and the price of gas and diesel and food is also a part of this problem too regarding the valuation of houses nationwide. So, expect housing values (what you can sell them for to drop during the next year or so).
begin quote from ABC NEWS:
Average US long-term mortgage rate climbs to 6.51%, highest level in nearly nine months
The
average long-term U.S. mortgage rate climbed this week to its highest
level in nearly nine months, driving up borrowing costs for homebuyers
during what’s traditionally the housing market’s busiest time of the
year
ByALEX VEIGA AP business writer
May 21, 2026, 9:02 AM
The
average long-term U.S. mortgage rate climbed this week to its highest
level in nearly nine months, driving up borrowing costs for homebuyers
during what’s traditionally the housing market’s busiest time of the
year.
The
benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.51% from 6.36% last
week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. Despite the sharp
increase, the average rate remains below 6.86%, where it was a year ago.
When mortgage rates rise they can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, reducing their purchasing power.
As
recently as late February, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage had
slipped just under 6% for the first time since late 2022. It’s hasn’t
fallen below that threshold since. It’s now at its highest level since
August 28, when it was 6.56%.
Meanwhile,
borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with
homeowners refinancing their home loans, also rose this week. That
average rate climbed to 5.85% from 5.71% last week. A year ago, it was
at 6.01%, Freddie Mac said.
Mortgage
rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s
interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations
for the economy and inflation. They generally follow the trajectory of
the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home
loans.
Rates have been mostly trending higher since the war with Iran
began. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has roiled energy markets,
sending crude oil prices sharply higher — a key driver of inflation.
The
yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury note, which was at 4.6% in midday
trading Thursday on the bond market. A week ago, it was at 4.47%. It was
at just 3.97% in late February, before the war broke out.
While
average long-term mortgage rates remain lower than they were at this
time last year, their recent increase has helped dampen sales so far
this spring homebuying season.
Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes were essentially flat last month after declining from a year earlier in the first three months of the year, extending a nationwide housing slump that dates back to 2022 when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows.
It's possible what is really happening is that in some ways human Armies are becoming obsolete as shown by the Drone and missile wars in Ukraine and Iran and Israel and Lebanon. So, Armies are too vulnerable to "Flying hand grenade drones and the new fiber optic controlled drones that fly into soldiers one by one and blow them up if they are walking around anywhere now.
Ukraine kills 30,000 to 35,0000 Russian soldiers with these types of "Flying hand grenade drones every month now).
Armies might become obsolete because anyone walking around outside of a bunker or armored vehicle will be blown up otherwise by a drone.
Zelensky says it costs his government $1000 to kill each Russian Soldier now.
begin quote from ABC NEWS:
Army cuts dozens of medical training courses amid funding woes
The Army is moving to manage a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall.
Army cuts dozens of medical training courses amid funding woes
The Army has canceled dozens of medical training courses as the service moves to manage a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall that is rippling across the force, according to multiple U.S. officials and internal documents reviewed by ABC News.
At
least 34 medical-related courses have been canceled during the second
half of the Pentagon’s fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, according to
the documents.
The
cuts come from the Army Medical Center of Excellence, the service’s hub
for its medical training, headquartered at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Those
cuts come as commanders are being told to closely scrutinize their
spending as the service faces ballooning operational costs, including
those related to the war in Iran and skyrocketing fuel costs.
Many
of the canceled medical training programs are tied to frontline combat
casualty care. An internal memorandum describing the reductions cites
"funding shortfalls and limited resources."
Soldiers
assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 4th
Infantry Division, maneuver toward an objective during a Combined Arms
Live-Fire Exercise as part of Ivy Mass at Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site,
Colorado, on May 17, 2026.
Pfc. Jacob Cruz/US Army
Other
cuts include leadership and certification courses for senior medical
officers, including training for officers preparing to command
helicopter medical evacuation units. The service also canceled courses
related to animal care, behavioral science, food safety inspections and
operating in radioactive environments, according to internal service
plans.
"The
Army has issued guidance to subordinate commands – for the remainder of
this fiscal year, to make tough and sound resource decisions that
optimize and prioritize resources toward their most critical
requirements, to include major training and readiness events," Col.
Marty Meiners, a service spokesperson, said in a statement.
The cuts are part of a broader financial squeeze that has forced Army planners to slash training
across the force while commanders reshuffle money. ABC News previously
reported that Army planners had begun canceling training events as the
service confronted a projected $4 billion to $6 billion funding
shortfall.
The
medical course cuts are in addition to what was previously reported, and
the cancellations offer the most detailed account of specific training
events getting axed until at least October, when the new fiscal year
starts.
Last
week, Gen. Chris LaNeve, who is serving as the Army’s top officer in an
acting capacity, disputed ABC News’ earlier reporting during testimony
before lawmakers.
"We haven't canceled anything," LaNeve said, while acknowledging the Army is in a funding pinch.
LaNeve
seemingly conceded to lawmakers that some training cuts were planned,
which he framed as typical toward the end of the fiscal year. Yet the
service was only halfway through the fiscal year when those plans were
being made, documents show. The Army did not make LaNeve available for
comment.
Military
spending does start to draw more scrutiny from commanders toward the
end of the summer as money for the fiscal year dries up, but any
belt-tightening is traditionally at the margins, multiple current and
former U.S. officials explained.
The
service’s III Armored Corps, based out of Fort Hood, Texas, which
includes some 70,000 soldiers and made up of much of the Army’s tank and
other heavily armored units, recently had much of its training funds
diverted, while an internal memorandum warned that its helicopter units
expected to deploy to Europe next year will be at “a lower state of
readiness,” as pilot training had to effectively be frozen outside of
the bare minimum military requirements to fly.
All
of the Army's major formations are being directed to make cuts,
officials explained. The full scope of training and other events being
canceled is likely much more significant.
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Just
to keep its helicopters flying at that minimum level required, $26.6
million was siphoned from the corps’ ground combat training units, an
amount of money just slightly higher than cost estimations to keep
flying time at a minimum, internal documents show, which directs
commanders to scratch any training of scale. Flyovers for public events
were also canceled.
The
shortfall stems from a combination of rising costs and increasingly
demanding volume of operations, according to two U.S. officials, with
one describing it as "a perfect storm."
Those costs include the Army’s support to the Department of Homeland Security during its 76-day shutdown,
which involved border construction projects and assistance missions
along the southern border. The Army is expected to eventually recoup
nearly $2 billion tied to those DHS missions.
Soldiers
assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 2nd
Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, pull security near
their Stryker during Ivy Mass on Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, Colorado,
on May 16, 2026.
Spc. Kristen Cruz/US Army
Additionally,
rising fuel costs have forced commanders to heavily scrutinize travel,
as soldiers mostly use commercial travel to fly to different courses and
training events.
The
service is also absorbing expenses tied to the conflict with Iran, as
well as the expanding National Guard mission in Washington, D.C., which
is projected to cost about $1.1 billion
this year, according to estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional
Budget Office. One U.S. official said the mission is set to roughly
double in size, expected to grow to roughly 5,000 troops over the
summer.
Recent Stories from ABC News
The
financial strain comes as the Pentagon is seeking a $1.5 trillion
budget next year, 50% above current funding levels. The sticker shock
has drawn fierce blowback from Democrats on Capitol Hill. But the
record-setting request does not account for the costs of the Iran war,
which Defense Department officials estimate has already topped $29
billion as of last week. Those expenses are largely tied to munitions
and do not include the potentially massive bill for rebuilding bases
damaged in Iranian strikes.
Lawmakers
on Capitol Hill are now bracing for the Pentagon to send Congress a
supplemental funding request to cover the mounting war-related costs.
On
Thursday, Adm. Daryl Caudle, the Navy’s chief of naval operations,
warned lawmakers that the service may soon face similar tradeoffs unless Congress
approves supplemental funding on top of the Pentagon’s proposed $1.5
trillion budget request, which was finalized before the Iran conflict
escalated.
"The
[fiscal 2026] budget didn't bake in [Operation] Epic Fury," Caudle told
the House Armed Services Committee. "You see a large Navy force in the
Middle East. So we're burning bright … but it does come at cost, and it
comes at operational costs."
