Biden voters in 2020: elect Joe and things will be great!
Biden voters 2021: stop buying stuff like food and clothes!
The supply chain, as you know, is having a bad time. That’s been true since the pandemic began. Shortages in consumer goods have persisted far beyond analysts’ initial expectations, then beyond their subsequent revisions. At the moment, for most types of goods, shelves aren’t exactly bare yet. For the relatively well-off Americans accustomed to the astonishing abundance of big-box retail and grocery stores and the near-instant gratification of online shopping, it’s more a matter of having to settle for your third-favorite brand of Greek yogurt or wait six weeks for back-ordered jeans. But what’s already a genuine crisis for people who work in the global supply chain could very well turn into one for all of us; the manufacturing and distribution of necessities such as food and medicine require many of the same resources as the consumer economy’s various conveniences and diversions.
When you dig down into the numbers of just how much people are purchasing, the way that the supply-chain crisis gets talked about starts to feel a little uncanny. As the holidays approach, many people have begun to worry that shortages will worsen, not just for kids’ toys and other popular gifts, but for holiday decorations, seasonal clothing, and even food—the things that make the end of the year special. Despite those concerns, few seem willing to acknowledge that the record amount of stuff being brought into the country isn’t merely disappearing off store shelves. We know where it’s going, and we know who’s buying it all up. They—and maybe you—could simply knock it off.
This is actually an attempt to say that the Biden economy is good, that there are products, it’s just you people are buying too much. Really? Where? Are people over-buying talapia at the supermarket, so there’s almost none for everyone else? Are people buying 3-4 cars each, leaving none for others? These are also the same people claiming that you need to buy your Christmas presents now, because it’ll be pretty bad in December.
I’m not proposing that you or anyone else boycott commerce on a conceptual level. That would be impossible, and it would ignore how human life in this country works. It would also be the sort of killjoy self-righteous proposal that doesn’t gain much traction. Shopping is fun—novelty and possibility are fun—and it’s often how people access the tools and materials to do things that bring them genuine comfort or joy, which everyone needs. But even a quick glance at America’s credit-card statements begins to explain the mess we’re in. A lot of people buy things for the sake of it, stuff they don’t need or even particularly want and in many cases won’t use, as a salve for boredom or anxiety or insecurity. On the whole, consumer expenditures, which encompass both necessity spending (rent, gas, groceries) and discretionary spending (whatever you ordered from an Instagram ad after three glasses of happy-hour wine last Friday), account for about 70 percent of the country’s economy, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But that spending is not distributed equally. In a typical year, the most affluent 20 percent of people account for nearly 40 percent of the country’s consumer spending, and this wealthier group’s purchases are disproportionately discretionary.
If the economy was great, people would be able to do this at will (never minding that what people purchase is none of the business of The Atlantic or writer Amanda Mull), not be told to stop shopping.
It’s also whining at The Rich. Nothing unusual from Democrats, despite those same The Rich funding Democrat politicians.
As it stands, America’s central organizing principle is thoughtless consumption, acquiring things for yourself and letting everyone else pick over what you left behind on the shelves. You can decide you don’t like that. You can decide that people—your family, your friends, the people in your community, the port truckers and Amazon warehouse workers running themselves ragged—are more important to you than another box of miscellaneous stuff. You can take a bit of pressure, however tiny, off a system so overburdened that it threatens to grind everyone in it to dust. American shopping is a runaway train, gliding smooth and frictionless down the tracks toward God knows what over the horizon. Your brakes are small, but you can throw them whenever you want.
So, in order to get back to normal, you people have to just stop buying stuff. Because the #LetsGoBrandon economy is great!
Teach keeps yelling that demand is down, yet from his own citation:
So the world has a genuine supply chain problem because of a global pandemic AND increased demand for 1st world stuff AND a labor shortage (or labor mismatch). People in their 50’s saved money during the pandemic and their 401k’s did great and are retiring early.
As America digs out of the Covid/tRump recession, of course demand is increasing. It’s by design. Recall all the gov’t spending the past couple of years – much of it direct payments to working class families. It’s how you get out of a recession. Even tRump understood that (and he hoped it would buy him enough votes to actually win).
In the bigger picture, this is the conundrum of a consumerist economy, where the fortunes of the fortunate depend on the spending of the masses. Fortunes depend not on sustenance, but on constant growth. You can’t sell the same number of the same widgets (adjusted for population changes) each year and hope to survive. When a drug goes generic, its effectiveness doesn’t decrease, but its price does, so pharma needs a new drug or at least a new disease (pseudo-bulbar affect for the win!). Need to sell more stuff – invent gluten sensitivity and charge more for gluten-free everything!
So sure. We could all live a simpler (and better) life – smaller energy-efficient homes – fuel efficient transportation – fewer gifts and consumer junk – but bigger is better!
“A new voice added his blazing warning about the future of America’s economy as the Biden administration began a retreat from its predictions that inflation was a tiny blip on the radar of happiness.
Inflation has been hitting Americans since the summer, with prices rising on a wide range of goods.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey offered his dire two cents on Friday.
“Hyperinflation is going to change everything. It’s happening,†he wrote to his 6 million Twitter followers.
“It will happen in the US soon, and so the world,†he also wrote”
“As America digs out of the Covid/tRump recession, of course demand is increasing. ”
We assume you are referring to the fake Fauxi Flu and the demofascist recession caused by dems locking down cities and states for no reason except to rig an election.
“Recall all the gov’t spending the past couple of years – much of it direct payments to working class families. It’s how you get out of a recession. Even tRump understood that (and he hoped it would buy him enough votes to actually win).”
No, you do not get out of a recession by pouring free money into people’s pockets for not working. Where did you go to economics class? I guess the same place you took Poli-sci. The dumbass college of commie logic.
The very act of giving away free money hurt the “recovery” more than anything else and we still cannot escape the malaise it caused. The Closing of Americas fossil fuel industry by a fascist dictator more interested in reversing Trump than helping Americans caused our ones energy independent nation to falter. The constant spending or threat of spending by irresponsible demofascist politicians has also weakened the economy.
But the most damaging thing to our economy were two things; First all junta joe the fraud had to do when he came into office was NOTHING! The economy was good before the dems fuked it up and if they stopped the Fauxi flu hysteria and fake propaganda that would all have gone back to normal by summers end. Second, if the dems hadn’t devised such a shrewd election steal and cover up we would be at a great place under the Trump plan. Continuing the scamdemic to steal the mid term was unnecessary had the dems enough sense to leave everything alone but it was much more important to UNDO all of Trump’s great policies and deals than it was to make America great again.
They had to have their revenge and retribution and so fucked us up. But they don’t care because all revenge and retribution takes is hate and hate is all they have.
ARE YOU BETTER OFF NOW THAN YOU WERE UNDER TRUMP IN OCT 2019? If not thank a demofascist and the liar’s that stole the election.
Sigh. Oil is a global commodity, not a US exclusive.
Sigh. What did President Biden do to “fuk up” no-longer-president tRump’s economy?
The tRump recession started BEFORE the pandemic. Was that Chjina’s fault too?
kye: ARE YOU BETTER OFF NOW THAN YOU WERE UNDER TRUMP IN OCT 2019?
Yes, and so is the US. Also, tRump was kicked out Jan 2021, not Oct 2019.
tRump lost the election because US voters didn’t like him. His average approval rating for his 4 years was 41%, and in the 30’s late in his term. He was lucky to get a high turnout from nuCon voters to make it as close as it was (he lost by 7 million human votes and over 70 EC votes). tRump and his henchmen tried to steal the election after the fact by cajoling GOP state legislators and finally by delaying the certification by attacking the US Capitol. Thankfully he failed and is a traitor and is still a threat to the United States of America.
Are you criticizing tRump’s economic policies of excessive government spending? Hallelujah! A tRumpist admitting tRump is not a god.
MORE projection.
Liberals think of their “leaders” as gods on Earth (See Obama, i.e “lightworker etc.) and expect conservatives to think the same way.
Teach gratuitously attributes the attitude of writer (a talented business writer with a sense of humor) Georgian, Amanda Mull to The Democrats. Lazy, Teach, just lazy. Maybe you should do as much research as Ms Mull. Teach (like the zombie jimhoft) push several poorly sourced screeds per day while a legitimate writer such as Ms Mull takes time, research and thought.
Her take on online shopping… pointing out the hypocrisy of under 40’s online buying (and returning) habits… it turns out a large percentage of returned merchandise isn’t worth the expense of recycling, restocking, reshipping etc and ends up trashed, with the cost added into the price.
and on The Supply Chain:
If supply chain costs remain high it may finally become economic to manufacture in the US! What a complicated world we live in!
Wasn’t that complicated when President Trump was running the show.
#FJB
#LetsGoBrandon
Bwaha! Lolgf
Fuck Joe Biden.
Have you notice that Jeff is spewing far more lies than previous, that is an accomplishment..
Yes, david7134 I’ve noticed too. Seems old Elwood is desperately trying not to confront the reality that the fuk-up he supported id destroying everything he touches. The psychosis of TDS has Cuisinarted his brain and now he actually thinks like the demented predator occupying the WH.
Ten months into the biden fake “presidency” and Elwood along with Circle Back Psaki still blame everything on Trump. It’s the old song and dance but it’s all they got. If they keep this up the midterms will be a slaughter for the dems So here’s hoping they keep trying to blame everything on anybody but the liar in chief and his whore VP.
Hey Elwood, I had the designer in this morning to lay out my wine cellar, wine bar, refrigeration and temp control. He also laid out the area for June’s Swedish Sauna and exercise room. Thanks again to you, the retard in the WH and all the leftist America haters for providing this extraordinary opportunity to cash in on the filthy third world scum you are illegally bringing into our county. $$$$$ Cha-Ching!
kye,
Here’s hoping you and your whore enjoy all the taxpayer largesse!
Best,
Elwood
“Answer: As it stands, America’s central organizing principle is thoughtless consumption, acquiring things for yourself and letting everyone else pick over what you left behind on the shelves. ”
“Question: What is projection?”
Elwood P. Dowd says:
October 25, 2021 at 3:24 pm
kye,
Here’s hoping you and your whore enjoy all the taxpayer largesse!
Best,
Elwood
Excuse me. Did Elwood just call my wife a whore? Is that allowed at The Pirates Cove? If so why? He has no right to say such things about our families. I demand an apology or he be banned for some determined time.
Our esteemed host’s “Code”, listed in the right hand sidebar, states:
The comment section here would be much quieter without the distinguished Mr Dowd and the likes of the Hirsute One stirring up s(tuff), but yeah, Kye is right. Mr Dowd is certainly free with his insults to others, as others are to him, but when he starts calling other people’s families names, something should be done.
Mr dana,
gitarcarver calls my wife delusional, calls me a rapist; drowningpuppies accuses me of repeatedly raping my grandson and a hundred other names.
kye calls the VP of the US a whore, but this was just too much. LOL.
I didn’t call his wife a whore, did I? He assumed I was talking about his wife. Who wouldn’t think that a hypocrite who grifts millions from taxpayers wouldn’t have a side piece?
Let Teach explain his “Code”.
Then I demand gitarcarver be barred for calling my wife delusional and that drowningpuppies be barred for saying I’ve “assraped my pre-pubescent grandson”.
Rimjob demands!!!
Hey, guess only grandson assraping dipshits get to post allegations about others.
Is that how it works?
Bwaha! Lolgfy
Dana,
I have followed this blog for a very long time. Jeff came in about 10 years ago, or maybe more. In the entire time he has commented he has been abusive to others and often their families. Pups and I have indeed been less than deferential to him mostly because we try to discount his obvious lies. Now, some time ago you chastised me for “doxing†him. I have only parroted information given by Jeff himself.
Jeff, is a very sick person. He lies, obfuscates, and in general acts like a child. His abuse of others is of a nature that could cause harm. I have pleaded with others not to respond to him and just ignore his comments with the idea he might go away. That is wishful thinking. Jeff’s reference to Kyes family is actually the least of what he has done. Kye is physically ill. Jeff has taunted Kye with this fact in some of the most cruel nature that I have ever witnessed.
I would support any action to make comments more civil. But I can tell you, from Jeff’s track record here and in his home town that it is wishful thinking that he can reform.
dookie,
You have rarely offered anything of value on Porter’s blog.
I would be quite happy just to correct his mis- and disinformation but his defenders always need to mount personal Alinsky-esque attacks. If you can’t take it, get out of the kitchen!
Same old Rimjob.
Everyone picks on him.
Poor little thing.
So dipshit do you use a pillow so nobody can hear his screams?!
Bwaha! Lolgf
You guyz want a “safe-space” where you won’t be “triggered”. You guyz do all you can to “discourage” anyone with contrary opinions to not join in. Ignoring “The Code” themselves, Alinsky-esque name-calling, ridicule, mockery, doxxing, urging Teach to ban commenters…
We neither want nor need a safe space because we don’t get “triggered” we’re adults. But had you been in front of me and said that You called my wife a whore. That is unacceptable. Apologize.
And yes, we can engage in ridicule, mockery, name calling but not doxxing nor calling each others families names. That’s not how civilized people argue. That’s what barbarians do.
Apologize.
You first.
What filthy names did I call your wife? A while back you insinuated that because my wife is Asian her Day Spa was a whore house. Now you infer she’s a whore. You apologize and be a man for a change.
We knew your brain went out of control lately by the nutty crap you’ve been commenting. But to go to the extreme of calling a fellow commenter’s wife a whore is beyond reason or propriety on Teache’s blog.
“I didn’t call his wife a whore, did I? He assumed I was talking about his wife. Who wouldn’t think that a hypocrite who grifts millions from taxpayers wouldn’t have a side piece?”
Yes, you did call my wife a whore. Are you denying that was your intention? You are welcome to call me your ridiculous names but why do you need to bring my wife into it? Do you think that’s right?
BTW, I can call that pathetic dick sucker VP anything I want. What’s it to you? Is she your wife? So your answer to my politics is to defame my wife. You are like a barbarian. You’re too weak to hurt me so you figure you’ll go after the women and children. And now you suggest I have “a side piece”.
Again, I “grift” nothing. I am a businessman taking advantage of the opportunities afforded me by the asshole you claim was elected. My NGO is legal, my non-profit is legal and it was the HHS that approached my COO first about renting to “refugees” to SAVE the taxpayers money as they were forking over $5k per week per illegal on hotel rooms. Hey, you “elected” him.
I still say you should be banned for at least two weeks for saying what you did about my wife.
Jeff,
Your response displays the issues that all here seem to have with your comments. I will not be drawn into a childish give and take with you.
dookie,
I would expect commenters here to have issues with my comments. I disagree with much of what Teach posts and criticize it vigorously. If Teach had a responsible rebuttal each time I’d expect to see it, but instead his minions like you use Alinsky-esque ridicule rather than to discuss issues.
drowningpuppies posted a business address that he claimed was my work address. What was his objective?
What if a right-wing crazy went to that business to harass or even harm someone?
Did Teach take action then?
dana objected to another commenter using Teach’s first name.
Well, Rimjob, was it your address?
If so why didn’t you sue me?
That’s right your lawyer told you it would cost a lot of money to file your silly little vanity suit because you had no standing and no guarantees of winning. Plus there would be very good reasons to file a counter suit because you couldn’t prove any actual harm. But boy would you get some publicity especially by having to post “your” comments in court/public.
Hell, you’ve threatened to sue me along with several other commenters here (along with Teach) and you never do.
Why not ya, little pussy?
Fuk off, tough guy.
Bwaha! Lolgf
The Op of this blog is not going to ban Elwood. He single-handedly is responsible for 200 posts per day which in turn elicits another 100-200 posts in rebuttal.
That is like Fox pissing off Trumpists and you saw for several months they were finishing 3rd behind CNN and MSNBC. Unfortunately for conservatives, Fox just kept plugging along and now they are back to spreading their Surrender to the left mentality.
Even the never Trumper McCain who left the view was on Hannity the other night and poor Shaun Hannity looked like he was interviewing the person who was going to execute him. IT was hilarious for about 3 minutes as poor McCain complained about how abused she was by the rest of the cast.
Kind of like anyone here who would feel abused by Elwood when I watch all of you calling each other names non-stop day and night. What he said was wrong, but hey all in a day’s work for a troll whose sole purpose in life is to piss people off.
https://i0.wp.com/www.powerlineblog.com/ed-assets/2021/10/balls1.jpg?w=462&ssl=1
Zombie,
Elwood or Jeff has run off a number of people over the years. He often comments on our families. I think that is his intent. Some years back a group pledged to attack and destroy blogs that challenged the socialist narrative on climate.
I do have to comment Jeff for hanging on here so long. I remember him doing the same cut-paste routine from Democratic party talking points for at least 5 years. That is some commendable stamina. I do have to wonder about the mental health of the rest of you for still engaging him all this time. Your basic learning curve should have predicted you would all just ignore him after only 6 months of his antics:
1. Incessant name calling. Name calling every Republican and every conservative-leaning commenter here is far beyond impolite. It’s a form of mental illness.
2. Cut-Paste from talking points. Word for word from a google search of someone else who agrees with him. Just boring.
3. Never ever backing down or taking a softer position on anything, even if it is something inconsequential… like recent movie releases.
4. Never accepting an olive branch or offers to engage politely.
Personally, I just look at the pictures, so I am immune to his TLDR posts.
More pictures, Please.
I understand David7134. It was apparent to me after a couple of days that he uses the Saul Alinsky Tactic of never telling them what you would do but always making them defend what they would do. Once you post your beliefs he then attacks you for them.
Joe Biden was asked during the campaign what he would do about court-packing and adding states and he said I am not going to say anything because then it will become about that instead of them or Donald Trump. Saul Alinsky.
It is a tactic. Elwood fellah admitted as much by saying he was personally attacked by a local radio pundit as well as someone else. He is so enamored with enraging people that they are willing to go to extraordinary lengths to respond tells me he has a history of trolling that goes beyond this site.
So I get it. I just refuse to be dragged into his sewer.
Also, I want to commend Jeff. Real commendation, not back-door commendation that is really an insult. He is really great at pushing the buttons. This isn’t just simple trolling. It is master’s level psychological manipulation. Despite my own often-stated policy of NEVER engaging him, he does manage to draw me in sometimes. I must admit, even when I don’t respond to him, I sometimes want to. That is a serious credible skill, bordering on a super-power.
So, good job, Jeff. Hopefully this is something you are doing deliberately. It’s not as impressive if it just comes naturally. But still impressive.
Well Professor, the only way I can disengage from somebody who calls my wife a whore is to either punch his face in which I obviously can’t do, see him flagged for a couple weeks as punishment or leave this blog never to comment again. I did that with Patterico.
I suppose I have to say good-bye here too. I can put up with most personal insults but when an uncivilized maggot starts on my family with no repercussions I gotta go.
Good Bye and best of luck to you. I keep coming back here because it is one of the few sites that make it through my firewall. … And the pictures.
I was about to say that Jeff’s comment was over the top for him, but it isn’t. It is totally in character for him to keep escalating until he gets the response he wants. If this didn’t get a reaction, he would have escalated further.
The right time to ignore him was 5 years ago, before he he made that comment. If I were in your position, I would absolutely block this site from your browser and never look back. Life is too short to put up with that sort of aggravation. It is neither good for the heart nor the soul. It is just the internet, not real life. There is nothing going on here that you NEED. I also advise you, though you didn’t invite my advice, to jealously hoard information about your real life and shield it from the internet. Don’t talk to strangers about your family, or your businesses. There are more dangerous things lurking here than an occasional Jeff.
I trust the host here to make his own judgements about what sort of blog he wants and how much intolerable behavior he is willing to tolerate.
Kye be assured that the right is winning this war. We are losing battles but that is to be expected in a long war. But the war is being fought all across the globe. Even the Great Russian Nemesis gave a speech about the west and Wokeness and said it is destroying their culture and eventually their countries. He said it happened to the USSR and we see the results of that.
This is exactly what the Woke leftists, AKA Communists are all about. China has bought and paid most of them and we know that this is a cultural revolution. That is the damnable thing about it. It is a war of words and ideas without the ability of one side to fight back without being painted as racists.
It is a tactic. Give me your children and I will make Bolshvicks of them in 5 years…Lenin.
It is a war. A battle for hearts and minds and it needs all hands on deck. The right is rising up all over the world and Christianity is surging again in the face of this cruel attack by Woke Communist leftists around the world.
We are winning. Wherever you go remember that.