Bummer: Those With Student Loans Might Have To Give Up Their “Fun Budget”, Which Could Tank The Economy (more)

By William Teach September 18, 2023 – 6:45 am

The NY Times is really trying to make a case for doing away with all the student loan debt, but, really, this is really not the argument they’re looking for

Will Restart of Student Loan Payments Be the Last Straw for Consumers?

Mykail James has a plan for when payments on her roughly $75,000 in student loans restart next month. She’ll cut back on her “fun budget” — money reserved for travel and concerts — and she expects to limit her holiday spending.

“With the holidays coming up — I have a really big family — we will definitely be scaling back how much we’re spending on Christmas and how many things we can afford,” James said. “It’s just going to be a tighter income overall.”

In October, roughly 27 million borrowers like James will once again be on the hook for repaying their federal student loans after a three-year hiatus. President Joe Biden tried to use his executive powers to forgive about $400 billion in student debt last year, but the Supreme Court overruled that decision in June, and payments kick in again in October.

Fun budget? They knew this was coming, and they also legally took out the loans. There’s lots of us with mortgages and other loans who plan accordingly, knowing that those payments come before concert tickets, unlimited-data phone subscriptions, streaming media subscriptions, fast fashion, dining out regularly, international travel, craft beers, lots of energy drinks, expensive foo-foo coffees, tattoos, all their selfies, weed, vape pens, etc. These are all considered “basic expenses” by many of those complaining about having to repay student loans. This is not a good argument for cancelling the debt.

Now there are big questions about how those people — many of whom had expected to have at least some of their debt erased — may change their spending habits as they budget for student loan payments again. It could crimp the economy if a large share of consumers cut back simultaneously, especially because the resumption in payments comes just as the retail and hospitality industry begin to eye the crucial holiday shopping season.

Not a great argument. But, hey, you know, if the government would cancel our mortgage and car debt we could spend that money on fun, too! Except, up, didn’t the Experts tell us that it was all that spending money post-COVID that was causing the economy to over-heat? So, maybe we make those people pay what they owe and reduce interest rates.

But the student loan payments will also restart at the same time consumers face a number of other headwinds, including shrinking savings piles, a cooler job market and higher price levels after two years of rapid inflation. It could also coincide with major strikes; Hollywood actors and writers have been locked in a work stoppage all summer, and the United Auto Workers began a targeted strike Friday — one that economists warn could be disruptive if it lasts. Adding another source of looming uncertainty, Congress could fail to reach a funding agreement by the end of this month, forcing a government shutdown.

The NY Times is working hard, unintentionally, to tell us the economy is not good

The resumption of student loan payments for a retailer like J.C. Penney, which caters to middle-income consumers, would be the latest unwelcome squeeze on their budgets. Their core customer makes an annual income of $55,000 to $75,000 and has had their monthly household expenses increase by $700 from two years ago. The department store chain said 17% of its credit card customers have student loans.

$700 a month. Bidenomics.

And some borrowers may simply not pay, at least for a while. Because missing payments will not be reported to credit reporting agencies for a year — the so called “on-ramp” period — households have wiggle room, said Constantine Yannelis, an economist at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Wiggle room to continue with their Fun Budget? Good grief.

Read: Bummer: Those With Student Loans Might Have To Give Up Their “Fun Budget”, Which Could Tank The Economy (more) »

Posted in Economy, Joe Biden | 1 Comment | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach September 17, 2023 – 1:00 pm

…is an area flooded from too much carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is The OK Corral, with a post on a criminal picking the wrong restaurant to break in to.

It’s Jeep week!

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 10 Comments | Trackback URL

Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

By William Teach September 17, 2023 – 9:16 am

Patriotic Pinup

Happy Sunday! Another fine day in the Once And Future Nation Of America. The Sun is shining, the new fish in the tank are doing well, and International Talk Like A Pirate Day is on Tuesday. This pinup is by Bill Garland, with a wee bit of help.

What is happening in Ye Olde Blogosphere? The Fine 15

  1. Bustednuckles covers when you’ve realized just how stupid people have gotten
  2. Chicks On The Right notes Biden being creepy again. As usual
  3. Cold Fury discusses doctors doing trans surgeries all for the money
  4. Da Techguy’s Blog covers who should be worried about losing their job from AI
  5. Dissecting Leftism explains how we can resist COVID mandates
  6. Geller Report notes the shocked faces when a kid’s book is read at a Senate hearing
  7. IOTW Report covers the GOP being against trans shows for kids
  8. Legal Insurrection discusses Dove soap hiring a “fat ambassador”
  9. Libs Of TikTok shows an insane person putting whipped cream in their diapers while at work at Starbucks
  10. Moonbattery highlights Colorado going after lawn tools
  11. neo-neocon covers the Dem knives out for Kamala
  12. Outside The Beltway discusses the politics of an auto strike
  13. Pacific Pundit notes the Biden regime telling the media how to cover impeachment
  14. Powerline makes the case for capital punishment as two “youths” go wild
  15. And last, but, not least, The Daley Gator features Biden’s America on full display

As always, the full set of pinups can be seen in the Patriotic Pinup category, or over at my Gallery page (nope, that’s gone, the newest Apache killed access, and the program hasn’t been upgraded since 2014). While we are on pinups, since it is that time of year, have you gotten your Pinups for Vets calendar yet? And don’t forget to check out what I declare to be our War on Women Rule 5 and linky luv posts and things that interest me. I’ve also mostly alphabetized them, makes it easier scrolling the feedreader

Don’t forget to check out all the other great material all the linked blogs have!

Anyone else have a link or hotty-fest going on? Let me know so I can add you to the list. And do you have a favorite blog you can recommend be added to the feedreader?

Two great sites for getting news links are Liberty Daily and Whatafinger.

Read: Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup »

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Here We Go: SCNY Socialists Push Tax Increases To Pay For Illegals

By William Teach September 17, 2023 – 7:00 am

Well, hey, most of the voters in Sanctuary City New York should be happy to support tax increases, right? It’s not like the SCNY metro area didn’t go overwhelmingly for Joe Biden, right? Except for Staten Island and a smattering of Red in the SW tip of King County (Brooklyn). Perhaps they should be left out of the taxes, and let the Biden voters pay for the illegals

‘Pay Their Fair Share’: Socialist Lawmakers Push for ‘Migrant Taxes’ on New Yorkers During Immigration Crisis

Socialist state lawmakers in New York want tax increases to pay for migrants flooding into New York City as the area struggles to accommodate them.

The New York Post reported the news Saturday and quoted state Sen. Julia Salazar (D-Brooklyn), who said:

We should increase taxes because it’s economically just policy to offset all costs for our state to function. I’d say that even if our city and state hadn’t seen an increase in migrants seeking asylum, this moment makes it all the more important for the wealthy to pay their fair share of taxes.

Meanwhile, state Sen. Jabari Brisport (D-Brooklyn) said, “We’re still organizing to tax the rich through the same revenue-raising bills we’ve been fighting for for years.”

Would that be Jabari, since he’s reportedly worth $5 million? Or, does he mean the businesses and really rich folks who already pay the lion’s share of taxes and provide jobs and goods? Of course, how many of those supported Democrats despite Democrats going soft on crime causing problems for their workers and businesses? So, maybe they should be more than willing to pony up. But, in reality, it will be the working and middle class folks who will end up bearing the burden, if not through direct taxation, through increased costs of goods and services. And the illegals won’t be put in the rich, high-fallutin’ areas.

From the NY Post article

Socialist state lawmakers are itching to impose new tax increases to cover the ever-increasing cost of migrants in the Big Apple — insisting that forcing New Yorkers to pay even more is the only way out of the mushrooming crisis.

Two state senators told The Post new taxes were on the table, while their grassroots cadres have buzzed on social media.

“We should increase taxes because it’s economically just policy to offset all costs for our state to function,” said state Sen. Julia Salazar (D-Brooklyn).

“I’d say that even if our city and state hadn’t seen an increase in migrants seeking asylum, this moment makes it all the more important for the wealthy to pay their fair share of taxes.”

Got that? Even without the illegals that Sanctuary City NY loves (well, as long as they’re Somewhere Else) the Elected Class wanted to raise taxes. As if rich folks and businesses haven’t already left in droves, along with the other classes.

Too bad we can’t forbid anyone voting Democrat in the 5 Boroughs of SCNY from leaving. They should have to suck it up and deal with the fallout of their votes.

Read: Here We Go: SCNY Socialists Push Tax Increases To Pay For Illegals »

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Good News: Pirates Are Now Plaguing California

By William Teach September 16, 2023 – 3:48 pm

Well, as long as they aren’t stealing more than $950 they should be OK, right?

From the link

Pirates are taking over the Oakland Estuary Marinas. Yes, pirates. And local and federal authorities says it’s getting so bad – the U.S. Coast Guard is deploying help to patrol the area.

“Boat owners attacked by pirates,” said Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. “There are no excuses for that.”

From shipwrecks to sunken sailboats to pirate attacks, the shoreline around the Oakland estuary is seeing a new level of violence that’s leaving the area torn up and trashed. The irony is it’s happening right in front of one of the agencies responsible for addressing it.

“I’ve heard it’s gotten to the point of near fist fights on docks,” said former Harbor Master Brock de Lappe.

The vessels abandoned are covered in graffiti – left like a battleground scene of an action movie.

So, California is becoming like Somalia?

De Lappe served as Harbor Master in Alameda and Oakland over the course of 10 years. But, he’s never seen it get this bad.

“You can see one here that’s recently sunk,” he said, pointing to boat bow peeking out of the water. “As you can see out here at the pier, the public fishing pier for Union Point Park. There’s at least two sunken vessels off that pier.”

Oakland police are not providing the I-Team with any specific data, but De Lappe says over the past few months pirates have been attacking vessels at five different locations along the channel – including Jack London Square, the Jack London Square Aquatic Center, the Estuary Channel west of the Bayside Hotel, Union Point Park West, Union Point Park East.

Really, it sounds like all the rest of the crime in California, this is just happening on boats, on the water. But, really, is anyone getting hurt? It’s just property, right?

“Well, I would certainly say that this phenomenon of criminal activity in the maritime domain, it’s new to me,” said Cpt. Lam. “I think it’s going to take a comprehensive inter-agency effort to really effectively address it. And we’re committed to doing it.”

Sink their boast. Hang them. Well, can’t really do that per the law, unless they attack a US military ship, but, the US does still have laws on the books. Some acts have a minimum ten years, others have a minimum life sentence. Better to hang them.

And since this time frame is usually used for a ‘climate change’ post, let’s not forget that the wackos are saying that global boiling is driving piracy. Unlike back in the Golden Age Of Piracy, which was a Holocene cool period.

Read: Good News: Pirates Are Now Plaguing California »

Posted in Liberal World, Like, Gnarly, Dude | 11 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach September 16, 2023 – 1:00 pm

…are horrible sugary drinks making the sky boil, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Bunkerville, with a post on Trudeau threatening grocery stores.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 22 Comments | Trackback URL

PRC Democrats Pass Bill That Looks To Stop Citizens From Making It Harder To Pass Tax Increases

By William Teach September 16, 2023 – 10:30 am

Now, why would Democrats want to keep it easier to pass tax increases, and keep those stupid peasants out of it?

California Democrats pass measure to thwart business effort to block tax increases

The Democratic-led California Legislature voted to place on the ballot an amendment to the state Constitution that seeks to thwart a business-led effort to make it harder to pass new taxes.

Lawmakers on Thursday passed Assembly Constitutional Amendment 13, which would require ballot initiatives that seek to increase voter thresholds under the California Constitution to meet that same higher bar in order to take effect.

The amendment, which will go before voters on the March primary ballot, is a direct response to an initiative called the Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act. Led by the California Business Roundtable and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn., that act would require voter approval for all tax increases passed in Sacramento. New local special taxes also would require a two-thirds vote of approval by residents.

It’s starts getting all sorts of detailed and politicalish on how all the initiatives works, the upshot is that Democrats really want to keep the California citizens out of the way when it comes to tax increases. Their idea is that the peasants vote for Democrats, often unopposed, and the elected class votes however they want, and the peasants should simply say thank you and do as they’re told.

ACA 13 is the latest example of political gamesmanship in the battle between progressive unions and conservative business interests at the state Capitol.

Defeating the business-backed ballot measure has become high priority for Democrats and their allies.

Service Employees International Union of California, which co-sponsored ACA 13, and a coalition that includes the League of California Cities and the California Teachers Assn. contend businesses are trying to deceive voters and undermine the will of communities to adopt their own measures. The coalition contends that the changes would result in millions of dollars in cuts to local public services.

In other words, the unions are part of the effort to kill the tax initiative because so many get their money by feeding at the taxpayer funded trough, and want it to continue to be easy to pass tax increases. As far as public services, so many of these Democrat run cities have trouble just cleaning the streets. How much poop is all over San Francisco?

Business interests say they are funding the Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act in order to increase accountability over how government spends California tax dollars.

Their argument against ACA 13 is relatively similar to the case made by unions against the business-backed measure.

The California Business Roundtable contends that ACA 13 is an example of special interests trying to diminish the voice of voters by applying the change only to amendments that land on the ballot through the signature-gathering process and not those that are passed through the Legislature.

The question now is “do the citizens of California vote for or against the control of tax increases?” This is the People’s Republik Of California after all, where they typically vote against their own interests and for Government telling them how to live their lives. Seriously, I don’t know why businesses fight such tax legislation, its going to pass, just quit doing business in California.

Read: PRC Democrats Pass Bill That Looks To Stop Citizens From Making It Harder To Pass Tax Increases »

Posted in Democrats, Taxation | 11 Comments | Trackback URL

Once Upon A Time: Global Boiling Could Bring More Storms Like Hurricane Lee To New England

By William Teach September 16, 2023 – 7:00 am

This is simply cult activism disguised as journalism, with zero skepticism or research and Journalism 101 by the Associated Press

Climate change could bring more storms like Hurricane Lee to New England

When it comes to hurricanes, New England can’t compete with Florida or the Caribbean.

But once upon a time scientists said Friday that the arrival of storms like Hurricane Lee this weekend could become more common in the region as the planet warms, including in places such as the Gulf of Maine.

One recent study found climate change could result in hurricanes expanding their reach more often into mid-latitude regions, which includes New York, Boston and even Beijing. Factors in this, the study found, are the warmer sea surface temperatures in these regions and the shifting and weakening of the jet streams — strong bands of air currents that encircle the planet in both hemispheres.

“These jet stream changes combined with the warmer ocean temperatures are making the mid latitude more favorable to hurricanes,” Joshua Studholme, a Yale University physicist and l ead author on the study. “Ultimately meaning that these regions are likely to see more storm formation, intensification and persistence.”

This is, as usual, simply prognostication to scare people. And there is no mention of the history of storms hitting New England, going all the way back to 1635, which was a monster storm. You have the massive hurricane of 1815. There were plenty prior to the start of the Modern Warm Age around 1850. And they do tend to strike in September and October. But, this is all about scaring people

Experts warn that policy makers need to take projections of increased hurricane activity seriously and start upgrading their dams, roadways and neighborhoods for these future storms.

“We definitely in our coastal communities need to be thinking about how can we make our shorelines more resilient,” Garner said.

”Do we need to change … where those flood zones are located, kind of thinking about how to perhaps protect the shorelines and think about solutions for that and adaptation kinds of things?” she said, adding that policy makers can also implement measures to keep emissions down so the worst of effects of climate change don’t materialize.

And taking their money and choices for the climate cult grift.

Oh, and, Lee isn’t really going to do a whole lot to New England, unless it happens to shift westward. The coast might possibly get some low end tropical force winds. Any real rain would be at the north-eastern tip of Maine (north of that in Canada might get a bit more). So, this attempt at scaremongering is a big Fail.

Read: Once Upon A Time: Global Boiling Could Bring More Storms Like Hurricane Lee To New England »

Posted in AGW Scaremongering, Global Warming | 7 Comments | Trackback URL

SCLA Mayor Fearful That Planeloads Of Illegals Will Show Up

By William Teach September 16, 2023 – 6:45 am

Why, yes, the Sanctuary City Of Los Angeles Is a sanctuary city. They really do not need plane loads to show up, they have enough even without Texas governor Greg Abbott sending bus loads

LA mayor ‘fearful’ that planes of illegal aliens might arrive in city that ‘welcomes immigrants’

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she is “fearful that any day” planes filled with illegal immigrants will be flown into the city.

During an event hosted by Axios on Thursday, Bass said, “We live in a city that welcomes immigrants, and so I think we have been able to handle it, but I am fearful that any day, planes could start coming.”

She added that the transportation of immigrants from border states and Florida to “sanctuary” juristictions “is just setting the stage for the presidential election next year.”

I’m not sure what she’s complaining about, what’s a few more?

According to the Migration Policy Institute, in 2019, it was estimated that there were approximately 951,000 illegal immigrants residing in Los Angeles County, nearly 10% of the county’s total population, marking the highest concentration of migrants in any U.S. county.

“What’s maddening is the fact that in New York and Chicago, in D.C. and LA, and other places, they put out policies self-proclaiming that they’re sanctuary cities, and they love to promote these liberal ideologies until they have to actually live up and apply them,” Abbott said recently on Fox News’ Jesse Watters Primetime. “It was clear that the policies of sanctuary cities and letting everybody live for free simply do not work. This is a day of reckoning for all of the United States, realizing that the liberal policies of open borders will not work in this country.”

What most think of as LA is actually the whole county. Los Angeles proper is obviously smaller. Liberals like Bass are upset that the ones getting shipped to LA are very visible, and the city then has to take care of them, as opposed to ignoring all those others in the county. I suspect that most of the newer illegals are avoiding areas in death spirals like LA and San Francisco. Anyhow, I doubt SCLA has to worry about planes, unless they are being shipped from Texas by the Biden admin, since he likes to fly them around.

Meanwhile, illegal alien support Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did not have fun

It’s easy for her, since she spends little time in SCNY and certainly has security. Same with Jerry Nadler. They got a little taste of their own medicine.

Read: SCLA Mayor Fearful That Planeloads Of Illegals Will Show Up »

Posted in Democrats, Illegal Immigration | 1 Comment | Trackback URL

Climate Nuts To Spend Weekend Protesting Fossil Fuels

By William Teach September 15, 2023 – 3:03 pm

I can’t wait to see how much trash they leave behind, and whether they realize that most of their clothes, signs, special coffees, and smartphones are all made using petroleum

Global climate protests demand world leaders phase out fossil fuels

Climate protesters were set to take to the streets in more than 50 countries from Friday to Sunday, in a weekend of demonstrations to demand that governments phase out the burning of fossil fuels heating the planet.

In a year of mounting deaths and economic destruction from record-breaking floods, wildfires and drought, protesters have planned more than 500 gatherings in 54 countries – from Pakistan and Nigeria to the United States.

Organizers of the protests expect global turnout over the weekend to total more than a million people. That could make this weekend’s action the largest international climate protest since before the COVID-19 pandemic, when the “school strike” movement led by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg saw millions of people worldwide join marches.

“This is directed at world leaders,” said Mitzi Jonelle Tan, a climate activist with youth movement Fridays for Future in Manila, the Philippines.

“The fossil fuel industry’s time is up. We need a just transition, and we need to phase out the fossil fuels causing the destruction of our environment,” she told Reuters.

I wonder how many of the protesters will be using fossil fuels to travel to the protests? How many will be wearing fast fashion?

Organisers said they would call on governments to immediately end subsidies for oil and gas and to cancel any plans for expanding production.

“We’re taking to the streets to demand that African leaders phase out on fossil fuels and focus on investing in community-led renewable energy, to meet the energy demand for the 600 million Africans who do not have access to electricity,” said Eric Njuguna, a climate activist based in Nairobi, Kenya.

What the hell is “community-led renewable energy”? I haven’t heard that one before. I guess it’s supposed to be about citizens buying shares in energy companies and having a say. You know, people without money and experience. That’s just what energy-poor Africa needs. Oh, and many of these “youth leaders” take long fossil fueled trips to all the climate conferences. Too bad I am not seeing anything about any protests in the Raleigh area. Guess the kiddies do not care that much.

Read: Climate Nuts To Spend Weekend Protesting Fossil Fuels »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming | 2 Comments | Trackback URL
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