Thursday, September 14, 2017
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Big whoop: Real median household income rises $384 to new high after 17 years, says Census
From $58,655 in 1999 to $59,039 in 2016.
That's a total rise of 0.6546756 percent.
Don't spend it all in one place.
Like liberals everywhere, Canada's can't take a joke, suspend judge Bernd Zabel 30 days without pay for wearing Trump hat Nov. 9 in court
Story here.
The real joke's been on the taxpayers, as the judge has been suspended with pay since last December.
He's had a nice long vacation at their expense, saving up for the next 30 days without pay.
Monday, September 11, 2017
Just when you think you are talking to a sane person, he cites Paul Craig Roberts
"Others maintain the U.S. government seriously undercounts the national unemployment figures for political effect. Paul Craig Roberts is one whose view I would take over yours, no offense intended. He is a highly respected authority on political/economic issues."
You know Paul Craig Roberts:
Today, April 15, 2017, is the fourth anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombing, a hoax event performed by crisis actors and tell-tale bright red Hollywood blood. Sheila Casey has done a good job of exposing the hoax just by using the time line and photos of the event. https://truthandshadows.wordpress.com/2013/05/08/false-flag-theatre-boston-bombing-involves-clearly-staged-carnage/
A number of agencies run training programs in which amputees working as crisis actors have a prosthesis afixed to resemble a bone as a remaining piece of a leg or arm. Casey examines the Boston event by timeline. First the crisis actors are assembled. Then the prosthesis is attached. Then the blood appears. ...
A person has to be extremely gullible and inattentive to believe the official story. But that is what most Americans are.
Sunday, September 10, 2017
The price of the latest continuing resolution will probably be a big tax increase
The last time we had a really big continuing resolution, defying "regular order", the Republicans gave away the store in exchange for lifting the export ban on oil.
Exports began in early 2016. The price of West Texas Intermediate crude has actually risen 51.6% since then, from an average of 31.68 in January 2016 to 48.04 in August 2017.
Larry Kudlow thinks Trump is a genius for clearing the deck with the debt ceiling, hurricane emergency funding, continuing resolution deal with the Democrats because now Congress can finally get down to tax reform and pass it before the end of the year.
Watch your wallets, I say.
Saturday, September 9, 2017
Here's how the House and Senate voted to raise the debt ceiling, fund the government for three more months, and provide hurricane relief
The Senate passed the measure 80-17. That story is here.
The House passed the measure 316-90. That story is here.
See how they use a crisis?
The year 2017 will end without a restoration of regular order in the House, where spending is debated and voted on. And I'm betting we'll never see a return to regular order. It'll be more such continuing resolutions as far as the eye can see.
The debt ceiling is an impediment in genuine emergencies, such as funding disaster relief. But there is no excuse for the continuing dearth of fiscal probity.
There is also no excuse for Trump caving on his promise to shut down the government if he doesn't get funding for The Wall. Extending and pretending was more important to him.
And Trump's new pledge to sign DACA legislation only adds to the perception that he was never serious about The Wall in the first place. He just turned on the magnet again on The Great Illegal Immigration Machine.
One picks the best horse one can, but this horse has decided to drink from The Swamp, not drain it. He'll be promptly unrideable, and we'll have to find another.
James Madison had little faith in a bill of rights, repeatedly violated in "every state" in his own time by the tyranny of the majority
From a letter to Jefferson in 1788:
[E]xperience proves the inefficacy of a bill of rights on those occasions when its controul is most needed. Repeated violations of these parchment barriers have been committed by overbearing majorities in every State. In Virginia I have seen the bill of rights violated in every instance where it has been opposed to a popular current. Notwithstanding the explicit provision contained in that instrument for the rights of Conscience, it is well known that a religious establishment wd have taken place in that State, if the Legislative majority had found as they expected, a majority of the people in favor of the measure; and I am persuaded that if a majority of the people were now of one sect, the measure would still take place and on narrower ground than was then proposed, notwithstanding the additional obstacle which the law has since created. Wherever the real power in a Government lies, there is the danger of oppression. In our Governments the real power lies in the majority of the Community, and the invasion of private rights is chiefly to be apprehended, not from acts of Government contrary to the sense of its constituents, but from acts in which the Government is the mere instrument of the major number of the Constituents.
James Madison on parchment's powerlessness to stop the legislative's theft of our money
From Publius, Federalist 48:
Will it be sufficient to mark, with precision, the boundaries of these departments, in the constitution of the government, and to trust to these parchment barriers against the encroaching spirit of power? This is the security which appears to have been principally relied on by the compilers of most of the American constitutions. But experience assures us, that the efficacy of the provision has been greatly overrated; and that some more adequate defense is indispensably necessary for the more feeble, against the more powerful, members of the government. ... [A]s the legislative department alone has access to the pockets of the people, and has in some constitutions full discretion, and in all a prevailing influence, over the pecuniary rewards of those who fill the other departments, a dependence is thus created in the latter, which gives still greater facility to encroachments of the former. ... The conclusion which I am warranted in drawing from these observations is, that a mere demarcation on parchment of the constitutional limits of the several departments, is not a sufficient guard against those encroachments which lead to a tyrannical concentration of all the powers of government in the same hands.
Friday, September 8, 2017
Thursday, September 7, 2017
It looks more and more plausible that both Trump and Ayotte lost in NH due to Democrat vote fraud
From the story here:
But more than 80 percent of voters who registered on Nov. 8 using out-of-state driver’s licenses, or 5,313 of them, neither had a state license nor registered a motor vehicle almost 10 months later. Double voting is illegal, and 196 people are being investigated for casting ballots in New Hampshire and in other states. In the presidential race, Democrat Hillary Clinton defeated Republican Donald Trump in New Hampshire by 2,736 votes. In an even tighter race, for the Granite State’s U.S. Senate seat, Democratic challenger Maggie Hassan defeated incumbent Republican Kelly Ayotte by 1,017 votes.
Cloudflare protects muslims in calgary dot ca, which promotes female genital mutilation
But stopped protecting The Daily Stormer in August.
You know whose side Cloudflare is on. Which side are you on?
McKinsey analysis finds health insurance premiums shot up 279% on average, mostly because of guaranteed issue and community rating
From the story here from Sally Pipes:
The analysis was conducted by McKinsey for the Department of Health and Human Services. The consulting firm looked at rate hikes in four states: Georgia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Tennessee. Premiums in each had doubled or tripled since 2013 -- the year before Obamacare went into effect.
In Georgia, the average premium for the equivalent of a mid-level "Silver" plan for a 40-year-old male went from $94 a month in 2013 to $323 a month in 2017. In Tennessee, it went from $104 a month to $431.
Nancy Pelosi: Our founders were successful disruptors of the status quo
Status quo: Instagram and YouTube, Facebook and Twitter . . ..
Hm.
Hm.
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
DACA rescinded with a drop-dead date of March 5, 2018: Pressure transferred to Congress, where it belongs
From the story here:
Acting DHS Secretary Elaine Duke has issued a memo formally rescinding DACA and starting what the administration calls an "orderly wind down."
The government will not process any new applications or requests for DACA protection.
People currently protected will not be affected before March 5, "so Congress can have time to deliver on appropriate legislative solutions," according to Duke.
Current DACA holders' protection from deportation and work permits will remain in effect until they expire, at which time they will no longer be shielded. The government will hear all pending applications for DACA protection and renewals and decide on them on a case-by-case basis.
Monday, September 4, 2017
It's politically smart for Trump to dump DACA in Congress' lap, but we didn't vote for that
Congress looks dumb all by itself, with or without any help from Trump.
Just cancel the DACA executive order and be done with it. If that's not enough incentive for Congress to act, I don't know what is. DACA is nothing more than the open borders clothing gladly worn by the Congress, given to it by Obama after he raped it.
Congress needs to be humiliated bigly. Make it stand there nekkid.
Why Trump should think Republicans can come up with a fix to DACA in six months when they can't fix Obamacare in seven years is beyond me
It sucks trying to make a bunch of losers winners.
Sunday, September 3, 2017
Saturday, September 2, 2017
BAMN (By Any Means Necessary) is a violent Marxist group with teachers as members, active in Michigan and tied to antifa, the NEA and NAMBLA!
And our property tax dollars pay their salaries!
From the story here:
One of BAMN’s most prominent organizers is Yvette Felarca, a Berkeley middle school teacher and pro-violence militant. Felarca currently faces charges of inciting a riot for her role in the Sacramento violence. ...
BAMN is active within both the National Education Association — the nation’s largest teacher’s union — as well as with local and regional teacher’s unions in Michigan and California. Last year, 17 different BAMN members ran for elected positions on the Detroit Federation of Teachers, according to a newsletter sent out by the DFT. BAMN also ran five candidates for different national leadership positions with the NEA in 2017.
John McCain's enjoying himself one last time in Italy
Story here.
He most enjoys himself, it seems, whilst pretending he's the leader of the free world, no matter what country he's in.
Grand Rapids, Michigan, climate update for August 2017
The back of summer was broken last month, and August showed it:
Max Temp: Actual 88, Mean 92
Min Temp: Actual 47, Mean 47
Av Temp: Actual 68.7, Mean 70.2
Precip: Actual 1.72, Mean 3.04
CDD: Actual 140, Mean 188.
The average of the last twelve ONI values is -0.266, the lingering effects of the five month long Weak La Nina, indicating a very slightly cool ocean in the tropical Pacific over the last year.
I used 22% fewer kWh this August than last, but stayed comfortably cool nonetheless.
Every passing day on which Trump fails to rescind DACA only validates its original executive overreach
Rescind the illegal executive order already, not because its content is wrong, which it is, but because the order is an offense to the constitution.
Friday, September 1, 2017
Thursday, August 31, 2017
A materialist imagines that for the first time in history we are free
Wow, while I wasn't looking utopia suddenly arrived. Reminds me of nothing so much as Millerism.
It never occurs to this guy that "the end of the working class" can mean only one thing. The middle class replaces the old working class and becomes the new working class. And that won't be good for your bank account.
Here:
We can hope for something better because, for the first time in history, we are free to choose something better. The low productivity of traditional agriculture meant that mass oppression was unavoidable; the social surplus was so meager that the fruits of civilization were available only to a tiny elite, and the specter of Malthusian catastrophe was never far from view. Once the possibilities of a productivity revolution through energy-intensive mass production were glimpsed, the creation of urban proletariats in one country after another was likewise driven by historical necessity. The economic incentives for industrializing were obvious and powerful, but the political incentives were truly decisive. When military might hinged on industrial success, geopolitical competition ensured that mass mobilizations of working classes would ensue.
Helen Raleigh sounds the alarm: Antifa is Mao's Red Guard
If you read nothing this year, you must read this:
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Meanwhile, we get "broken window fallacy" nonsense from The New York Times about Hurricane Harvey
Destroy the previous products of GDP which produced GDP of their own, and presto! More GDP!
Might as well just print the stuff on steroids and spend it.
About 21% of taxpayer money and borrowings is already misallocated to expenditure by the federal government. Some of that is absolutely necessary, but even that is not spent well.
Hurricanes aren't called disasters for nothing.
Here:
Ellen Zentner, chief United States economist at Morgan Stanley, said that although Hurricane Harvey’s impact on national gross domestic product in the third quarter might be fairly neutral, “the lagged effects of rebuilding homes and replacing motor vehicles can lost longer,” providing a lift to gross domestic product in the fourth quarter and beyond.
On the other hand, an extended rise in gasoline prices could have a more immediate effect. Each 10-cent rise in the price of gasoline is equivalent to a $10 billion tax on consumers, Ms. Zentner said, so “should higher prices be sustained, it would rob other categories of spending as dollars are diverted to filling tanks.” ...
The economic impact of the storm will not be clear with any degree of accuracy for a while. But given Houston’s commercial importance — and its perch along a well-trod hurricane zone — economists and others have long taken it for granted that an epic storm would hit the region eventually, so have a head start on the numbers.
Monday, August 28, 2017
There were lots and lots of articles today about a tax reform bill . . .
. . . as if the Obamacare repeal debacle had never even happened.
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Laugh of the Day: "Maybe this will chase all the Katrina refugees back to New Orleans"
Seen here in the comments.
Cuckservative schizophrenia at The Weekly Standard: 27 antifa arrests for anti-police violence in Boston, but Trump still wrong
From the August 20th story here, which also misses the growing polarization between antifa and BLM:
The atmosphere of the counter-protest was not as violent as these sentiments. Nor, with the exception of the small antifa group, was there the whiff of militarism that leaks from the alt-right. So President Trump was wrong to characterize the crowd as “anti-police agitators.” ...
In the park, the counter-protesters divided into two camps. The BLM protesters gathered on one side, the socialist groups on another. Eventually, the antifa and the police got to grips. The Police Department tweeted a request that people stop throwing “urine, bottles, and other harmful projectiles at our officers.” Twenty-seven people were arrested.
Saturday, August 26, 2017
The victims surrender: Half a million fools march in Barcelona against Islamophobia
From the story here:
"We are here to say we're not afraid, we are united and we want peace," said 59-year-old pensioner Victoria Padilla as she marched. Slogans carried by marchers read "The best answer: peace" and "No to Islamophobia".
Police estimated the march at half a million people.
Members of Spain's Islamic community marched alongside the King and Prime Minister Rajoy, including women wearing hijabs. Speakers gave readings next to a floral display with the words 'Barcelona' and 'I am not afraid' in different languages including Arabic.
Jonah Goldberg knows a thing or two about self-hatred
In "Behind the monument wars is a plague of self-hatred", Goldberg calls self-hatred a "Western disease". Gee, where'd we catch that?
The mobs of students — and their enabling professors and administrators — renaming buildings and bowdlerizing the language are still products of Western civilization. Even the poseurs who think Googling a few phrases from Karl Marx and wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt make them anti-colonialists are disciples of Western thinkers. Where does Mark-Viverito think her mother’s feminism came from? The Arawaks? For centuries, to the extent that educated Muslims talked about the Crusades at all, it was to boast about how they emerged victorious from them.
But Osama bin Laden and his ilk read too much Noam Chomsky and caught the Western disease of victimization and resentment. That’s the plague sweeping the land now. And tearing down some statues and renaming some streets isn’t a cure, it’s a symptom.
Friday, August 25, 2017
Why I haven't flown since TWA Flight 800
 |
| Memorial to Pam, Shannon and Katie Lychner, 3 of 230 who perished |
I worked for a cargo airline at the time, and we went into freak-out mode after Flight 800 with cargo inspection procedures to prevent against the introduction of explosives. We were promised that technology was just around the corner to insure that everything going on the plane was safe, and that we wouldn't have to expend all the extra effort for long, opening up everything to check it ourselves. But it never happened, at least not adequately, and to this day it hasn't. For me, it meant operational burnout, and I quit.
You fly at your own risk.
Crappy News Network reports, here, that the problems still remain:
As the TSA continues to study its current cargo screening protocols, it is unclear if or when it might implement any changes.
But an airport security official told CNN that new safety protocols and additional resources may not close all the gaps that exist in airline cargo security.
"Cargo is a vast area with lots of access points -- you can never get it completely right," said Mark Hatfield, chief security officer at Miami International Airport.
"It's something that keeps us up at night," he added.
My seventeen year-old said he wants to sit in the front row of a no-whites college orientation . . .
. . . just so he can tell the bastards who object that their kids will be pulling down a statue to him 100 years from now.
"And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father".
I'm so proud.
Peter Berkowitz agrees with us that Hillary Clinton was the worst candidate since Mondale
Here:
Although Hillary Clinton won the 2016 popular vote, her Electoral College loss—the only result that is constitutionally relevant—to Donald Trump inflicted a trauma for Democrats comparable to 1984. True, Mondale’s margin of defeat was enormous, but he ran against a popular incumbent president and gifted politician whose policies were credited with reviving a moribund economy. And yes, Clinton fell a mere 70,000-combined votes short in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. But the embarrassing scandal for Democrats was that a race between their former secretary of state/former senator/former first lady and the major-party candidate with the highest disapproval ratings and the least political preparation in American history was even close.
But losing 20 states in 2016 to your party's loser from 2004 isn't just embarrassing. It's a sign of popular revulsion.
Chris Jacobs for The Federalist favors the status quo on Medicaid in exchange for Obamacare repeal
It's uncanny how similar Chris Jacobs' overarching point is to the one we expressed here in June when we said that the status quo ante Obamacare was not the way forward, and that the way forward involves getting a buy-in from moderates and liberals on reform, but not repeal, of the Medicaid expansion in exchange for repeal of Obamacare root and branch.
The difference is in solving the funding problem. Jacobs admits his plan precludes "repealing all of Obamacare’s tax increases." Our idea doesn't, in exchange for a broadly based Medicaid payroll tax to democratize the costs. 50 million participants in the small group and individual markets are bearing the burden of funding "health insurance" for the poor, i.e. Medicaid, through grossly more expensive premiums and deductibles than before Obamacare.
As others have observed, the growth of the uninsured post-Obamacare is in this group because they can't afford it anymore.
The way forward is a compromise which keeps the Medicaid expansion, funds it fairly, retains state control of the program (federalism) just as now, and repeals Obamacare.
Jacobs, here:
In both the House and the Senate, debate focused on a push-pull between two competing issues: The status of Medicaid expansion in the 31 states that accepted it, and what to do about Obamacare’s regulatory regime. During the spring and summer, congressional leaders attempted messy compromises on each issue, phasing out the higher federal match for Medicaid expansion populations over time, while crafting complex processes allowing states, insurers, or both to waive some—but not all—of Obamacare’s regulatory requirements.
But rather than constructing substantively cumbersome waiver arrangements—the legislative equivalent of a camel being a horse written by committee—Occam’s Razor suggests a simpler, cleaner solution: Preserving the status quo (i.e., the enhanced federal match) on Medicaid expansion in exchange for full repeal of Obamacare’s insurance regulations at the federal level.
A “grand bargain” in this vein would give Senate moderates a clear win on Medicaid expansion, while providing conservatives their desired outcome on Obamacare’s regulations.
Thursday, August 24, 2017
"The shortage of unskilled, non-English-speaking Mexicans we experienced in the '60s has been remedied by now"
Here:
We fought a civil war 150 years ago to force Democrats to give up slavery. They've become so desperate for servants that now they're importing an underclass to wash their clothes and pick their vegetables. This mass importation of unskilled immigrants is the left's new form of slavery.
Thankfully, shouting Allahu Akbar! is now like shouting Fire! in a crowded theatre in at least one city
What was that slogan from WaPo? Democracy dies in darkness? In Venice at least, the enemies of democracy will die in broad daylight.
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Monday, August 21, 2017
Like all good tyrants, the president is now in the business of telling us how we must feel
I wonder, what will be the punishment for not showing the requisite affection?
Here:
We must love each other, show affection for each other, and unite together in condemnation of hatred, bigotry, and violence. We must discover the bonds of love and loyalty that bring us together as Americans.
Sunday, August 20, 2017
When all else fails, secede from civilization like our first settlers did, and start over
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| Replicas of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria for the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago |
Saturday, August 19, 2017
Friday, August 18, 2017
Snapshot of Trump job approval up to the exit of Steve Bannon
Bannon and Conway took over the campaign management just one year ago, and now Bannon is out as chief strategist. Trump is up +1 in the approval average since Charlottesville on the 12th. We'll see what happens now.
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