ZOMG: Greg Abbott Signs Law Increasing Fees On Fossil Fuels Free EVs

By William Teach May 20, 2023 – 7:15 am

Gizmado thinks they really have something here, attempting to paint Abbott as an Evil EV hater, forgetting that all he did was sign the law, it was passed by the Texas general assembly, with an almost unanimous vote including the Democrats

Greg Abbott Signs Law Making EV Owners Pay for Their Gas-Free Cars

Electric vehicleEV drivers in Texas don’t pay at the pump, but will have to start paying a significant annual fee that critics are calling “punitive.”

Driving an electric vehicle in Texas is soon to become more expensive. Governor Greg Abbott signed a law (SB 505) on May 13 instituting new fees for registering and owning EVs in the state. Under the bill, electric car owners will have to pay $400 upon registering their vehicle. Then, every subsequent year, EV drivers will have to shell out an additional $200. Both of those fees are on top of the cost of the standard annual registration renewal fees, which are $50.75 each year for most passenger cars and trucks.

At least 32 states currently have special electric vehicle registration fees, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures. These range from $50 in places like Colorado, Hawaii, and South Dakota to $274 (starting in 2028) in a recently passed piece of Tennessee legislation. Note: Tennessee lawmakers had originally proposed a $300 fee, but lowered it in response to pushback.

Like many other states that have instituted EV fees, the reasoning behind the Lone Star State’s new law is that electric car drivers don’t buy gas. Taxes at the fuel pump are the primary way that most states, Texas included, amass funds for road construction, maintenance, and other driving-related infrastructure.

OK, they actually played fair after the headline. And this really started to hit back during the Obama years when he significantly increase the CAFE standards, which meant a lot more hybrids and vehicles that achieved pretty decent MPG, which meant lower gas tax revenues. I could find posts about states, and even the federal government, talking about increasing fees for hybrids, increasing gas taxes, and even pushing taxes for miles driven (which would, of course, mean the government tracking your vehicle), all to make up for the lost revenue.

With the push for EVs, well, that revenue has to come from somewhere to maintain roads and the infrastructure and more.

But, compared with what gas drivers contribute, Texas’s EV fees seem a little out of whack. Charging $200 per year and $400 at the outset of EV ownership places Texas’s fee schedule at the higher price end of the policies out there. In comparison, Texas’s gas tax is among the lowest in the country, at just $0.20 per gallon. Just seven states impose a lower duty on gasoline than TX. Among the 10 most populous states in the country, additional fees levied elsewhere make Texas’s gas the cheapest.

Oh, there’s the whining. Again, just about every Democrat voted for this. Regardless, people will pay more in fees for EVs. Their auto insurance will go up anywhere 10% to 25%. Repair costs will be much higher. The greater use of electricity will then cause that price to go up, including at home

Electric personal vehicles are not a perfect solution to the ongoing problem of petroleum-powered cars. Swapping every gas-guzzler for an EV still would use up an extraordinary amount of resources, that are likely to be ill-gotten. Public investment in mass transit would inarguably be a better environmental strategy. But, as long as the U.S. remains overwhelmingly car dominant and as long as most Americans lack access to adequate public transit, EV uptake remains important for lowering the nation’s carbon emissions.

And there it is: those who believe they are the Climate Cult Elites believe that they can dictate your life. And let the cat out of the bag what they really want.

Read: ZOMG: Greg Abbott Signs Law Increasing Fees On Fossil Fuels Free EVs »

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NY Times Seems Upset That Majority Of Republicans Aren’t Into Open Ended Funding Of Ukraine

By William Teach May 20, 2023 – 7:00 am

I wonder, how many Democrats truly approve of dumping hundreds of billions in money, aid, and military gear to Ukraine, with very little oversight, no end in sight, and little true need. For all the attempts to state how much Ukraine means to the U.S. national security, it really doesn’t

A Loud GOP Minority Pledges to Make Trouble on Ukraine Military Aid

A congressional delegation of five Republicans and two Democrats met with representatives of Ukraine’s parliament this month in Poland, where the Ukrainians thanked the delegation for U.S. aid and asked for F-16 fighter jets to help in the war against Russia. Three members of the delegation described the meeting as cordial and informative.

One left the session in a state of indignation.

“I just got back from meeting with the Ukrainian Parliament in Poland, where they demanded F-35s and thought it was an obligation for every American to pay $10 a month to fund their war,” first-term conservative Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., wrote in a heated email to this reporter three days later. Ukrainians are not asking for the more advanced and expensive F-35s, but regardless, Luna said the U.S.’ role in the conflict could “potentially start WWIII.”

Ukraine ranked low on her constituents’ concerns, she added, vowing to brief her colleagues about the encounter.

Luna is among the boisterous proponents in Congress of former President Donald Trump’s “America first” worldview that regards financial commitments overseas with extreme skepticism. Like Trump, they maintain that every dollar spent on Ukraine — and there has been $113 billion for the war so far — is a dubious investment of taxpayer money that could have been better used on domestic priorities, like fighting the spread of fentanyl. Senior Republicans who support the war and maintain the hawkish traditions of the establishment GOP fear the movement will gain momentum as the conflict grinds on and Trump’s candidacy consumes the 2024 spotlight.

Um, yeah. What’s wrong with spending that money here? Helping Americans? Dealing with homelessness?

For the moment, America’s commitment to Ukraine seems resilient. President Joe Biden announced an additional $1.2 billion in military aid last week. Ukraine funding has gone unmentioned in the $4.5 trillion in spending cuts House Republicans are demanding in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. A House resolution introduced in February by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., aimed at halting further aid to Ukraine attracted only Luna and nine other signatories among the chamber’s 222 Republicans.

America’s? No, certain lawmakers in both the GOP and Democratic Party.

But there is evidence to suggest that the anti-Ukraine flank of the Republican Party is playing not to the fringe but to the heart of the party’s base. A survey last month of registered voters by Kristen Soltis Anderson’s Echelon Insights found that 52% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents do not think U.S. interests are at stake in Ukraine. Similarly, a survey in March conducted by Axios/Ipsos found that 57% of Republicans opposed providing weapons and financial support to Ukraine.

This isn’t anti-Ukraine. It’s simply that we really do not care. I’m not anti-soccer and NBA: I just do not care. Most of us would want to see them defeat Russia and kick them out. But, we see no need to to spend the money and potentially start WWIII. And this just keeps going and going and going. Heck, most days the MSM barely covers it, including the NY Times.

Anyhow, it bogs down in all sort of silliness as the Times tries to paint opposition as Something Bad, it’s Isolationist, it’s Trumpian, ending with

So far, defying the Republican base by supporting aid to Ukraine does not appear to be politically detrimental to the party’s incumbents.

“Not at this time,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a vociferous foe of assisting Ukraine and a Trump loyalist. “But I’ll be speaking at many of the Trump rallies, and you can bet that I’ll be heavily messaging against the war in Ukraine and anyone who’s funding it. And I guarantee you that’s going to be moving the needle.”

It’s really not driving votes one way or the other. But, maybe it’s time to be diligant with all the expenditures, and consider what this is really getting us.

Read: NY Times Seems Upset That Majority Of Republicans Aren’t Into Open Ended Funding Of Ukraine »

Posted in Current Affairs | 5 Comments | Trackback URL

Surprise: Just Stop Oil Protest Gets A Big Nasty And Violent

By William Teach May 19, 2023 – 4:17 pm

It was bound to happen. If you took a poll, I’d bet a good chunk of the people being inconvenienced by the climate cult protests will say they support Doing Something about ‘climate change’ in theory, but, as soon as it causes a problem in their own lives they’re not so supportive

EXCLUSIVE: ‘I worked in the fossil fuel industry, you’re talking c**p!’: Passer-by confronts Just Stop Oil protesters after ranting man hurls female activist to the floor and smashes phone as eco demos turn violent

A furious passer-by confronted Just Stop Oil protesters today after a ranting man hurled a female activist to the ground and smashed another’s phone.

Police have shut down at least three marches by the demonstrators who targeted London’s streets for the fifth day this week.

One passer-by who said he had worked in the fossil fuel industry told a protester: ‘You’re talking c**p… so f*** off.’

In another protest almost 20 Just Stop Oil demonstrators wearing hi-vis vests and holding orange banners flocked to Mansell Street in east London.

Footage filmed from a window above the street showed the moment a passer-by took matters into his own hands and started snatching the protesters’ banners.

They’re just so passionate about stopping oil, despite just about everything they’re wearing being made with petroleum, along with the signs

These demonstrations are rather counter-productive, and are driving people away. So, yeah, keep doing it!

Meanwhile, uber climate cult celebrity chef

(Washinton Free Beacon) After the owners of the mall where Andrés is set to open the restaurant threatened to sue the city, Palo Alto administrators will allow Andrés’s Mediterranean restaurant Zaytinya to use natural gas lines, despite a new law this year that bans them in construction.

The restaurant relies on “traditional cooking methods that require gas appliances to achieve its signature, complex flavors,” said Anna Shimko, a lawyer representing the group that owns the shopping center where Andrés leased space for the project.

The lawyer argued the building’s plans were approved in 2019, years before the gas ban was imposed. She added that some of the appliances the restaurant staff needs “do not have electrically powered equivalents.” Shimko added that if the ban is enforced, “Zaytinya will likely choose not to locate within the city.”

The city in a Tuesday statement called the decision a “one-off” exception and a “unique” situation.

Exemption, eh? I’m thinking there were be a lot of suits if people do not get their exemption

Read More »

Read: Surprise: Just Stop Oil Protest Gets A Big Nasty And Violent »

Posted in Climahypocrites, Climate Cult, Global Warming | 2 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach May 19, 2023 – 1:00 pm

…is an Evil fossil fueled vehicle, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Green Jihad, with a post on South Africa beating their climate goals.

Read: If All You See… »

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Reports Say Ron DeSantis To Enter Race On May 24th

By William Teach May 19, 2023 – 10:30 am

Well, now we wait to see if it will happen

DeSantis to launch presidential campaign May 24, sources say

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to formally announce in a “virtual” way on May 24 that he is running for president, as donors and fundraisers gather in Miami to make calls and fundraise for his campaign, according to three sources familiar with the planning.

He plans to file papers with the Federal Election Commission to officially establish his presidential candidacy. The Miami gathering, which includes some of the governor’s most generous longtime donors, are expected to receive briefings on campaign strategy and requests to help raise significant sums of cash for his bid, three people familiar with the plans said.

A more formal kickoff event is expected to be held closer to June 1, according to those familiar with his plans. It is likely to occur in DeSantis’s hometown of Dunedin, Fla., sources familiar with the plans said.

A DeSantis spokesman declined to comment on the timing for an announcement. The news on a launch next week was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

While no article has a named source, this is a case where it’s most likely true. So now you have

(Newsweek) In a post on Truth Social, the former president said that DeSantis has “zero chance” of gaining the White House, despite the governor attempting to increase his name recognition with appearances across the country over the past few months.

And

(NY Times) Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida all but declared his presidential candidacy on Thursday afternoon, telling donors and supporters on a call that only three “credible” candidates were in the race and that only he would be able to win both the Republican primary and the general election.

“You have basically three people at this point that are credible in this whole thing,” Mr. DeSantis told donors on the call, organized by the super PAC supporting him, Never Back Down. “Biden, Trump and me. And I think of those three, two have a chance to get elected president — Biden and me, based on all the data in the swing states, which is not great for the former president and probably insurmountable because people aren’t going to change their view of him.”

Who’s right, and who’s wrong? I’ll say again, I just do not think Trump can win in 2024, even against Biden. Even without Democrat cheating, the electoral college math is just not in his favor. It doesn’t matter how many votes he got in 2020, things have change. The constant whining about 2020, the legal actions against Trump will hurt, there are too many who are just over him. Democrats seem to be over Biden, but, they really cannot get rid of him. Trump spends too much time bashing Republicans. Sure, people were surprised in 2016. This is not 2016. Hey, anything can happen. I just do not think he can win the White House, and if citizens are voting against him, they may vote against Republicans in the House, Senate, and even state elections.

Their policies are similar, but, DeSantis is less bull in a china shop, more focused on policy, and doesn’t sit around and bash Republicans. We’ll have to see how it goes.

Read: Reports Say Ron DeSantis To Enter Race On May 24th »

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‘Climate Change’ And Land Use, But, Mostly Land Use, Shrinking Lakes

By William Teach May 19, 2023 – 7:15 am

Another bit of climate doom. Yes, this is mostly caused by humans, and to some degree, mostly natural climatic changes, but, it is not global, and mostly goes to things like land use

Climate change, humans shrinking lakes by trillions of gallons a year, study finds

Climate change‘s hotter temperatures and society’s diversion of water have been shrinking the world’s lakes by trillions of gallons of water a year since the early 1990s, a new study finds.

A close examination of nearly 2,000 of the world’s largest lakes found they are losing about 5.7 trillion gallons (21.5 trillion liters) a year. That means from 1992 to 2020, the world lost the equivalent of 17 Lake Meads, America’s largest reservoir, in Nevada. It’s also roughly equal to how much water the United States used in an entire year in 2015.

Even lakes in areas getting more rainfall are shriveling. That’s because of both a thirstier atmosphere from warmer air sucking up more water in evaporation, and a thirsty society that is diverting water from lakes to agriculture, power plants and drinking supplies, according to a study in Thursday’s journal Science.

Authors also cited a third reason they called more natural, with water shrinking because of rainfall pattern and river runoff changes, but even that may have a climate change component. That’s the main cause for Iran’s Lake Urmia to lose about 277 billion gallons (1.05 trillion liters) a year, the study said.

First off, the climate is always going to change. No need to invoke witchcraft for this. During the last glacial age the Mediterranean was barely present, with the Atlantic Ocean being so low. When it ended, the Atlantic rose, water was released from glaciers, and the Med became what it is today. The land use and diversion of water is the primary cause.

The article uses as their primary example the loss of water from the Aral Sea. Well, even Warmist NASA said the primary cause was water diversion. But, the great thing about propaganda is that a story like the above is being broadcast and repeated throughout the media, with no pushback, no journalistic skepticism, so, who’s going to look for the truth?

Read: ‘Climate Change’ And Land Use, But, Mostly Land Use, Shrinking Lakes »

Posted in AGW Scaremongering, Global Warming | 1 Comment | Trackback URL

NYC’s Citizens Are Decidedly Unhappy About The City’s Plans For Illegals

By William Teach May 19, 2023 – 7:00 am

This is a hell of a thing. I thought all the Progressives in New York City were very supportive of illegal immigration, and happy with their status as a sanctuary city. That they really wanted to help out all these poor, downtrodden refugees from Mexico, Central America, and South America. No?

As Crisis Grows, All of New York’s Migrant Plans Are Met With Outrage

Since tens of thousands of migrants began arriving in New York City last year, the administration of Mayor Eric Adams has searched for one place after another to house them: hotels, parking lots, a cruise ship terminal and a pair of giant tents on Randall’s Island among them. Almost every idea has caused an uproar.

Now, the daily stream of migrants feeding the crisis has doubled in size in recent weeks, city officials say. As many as 700 migrants are arriving each day in the city — up from less than half that number since the expiration last Thursday of Title 42, a Trump-era policy that allowed immigration officials to expel some border crossers back to Mexico.

Whoa, whoa, I thought the Credentialed Media was telling us that the number of border crossers wasn’t that bad?

With no clear solutions at hand, the city turned to shelter some migrants in public school gyms starting last week. That plan, like many others before it, was almost immediately met with outrage — not only from activists and human rights groups, but also from public school parents and the ranks of everyday New Yorkers.

Why would the activists and human rights groups (ie, mostly white liberal do-gooders who refuse to get their own hands dirty) be against housing the illegals? Is it because they do not want them in their own areas? Well, of course. Same with Democrat voting, illegal alien supporting NYC residents. It’s fine when the illegals are Over There, not in their own areas

That new influx of arrivals has forced the Adams administration to contend with new layers of what was already a humanitarian and economic crisis that the city had spent $1 billion addressing so far, and may cost as much as $4.3 billion through June 2024, according to Williams-Isom. It has strained Adams’ relationship with not only New Yorkers but with President Joe Biden.

Surely NYC liberals would be willing to pay more in taxes and fees to cover this, right?

The arrival of migrants has tested left-leaning cities around the country in particular. In addition to New York, many of the migrants are ending up in places like Chicago, Denver and Washington, D.C., where leaders have sought to emphasize that they are welcome, while at the same time warning that the large numbers of newcomers are straining services.

They’re welcome in theory, not in practice.

On Tuesday, protesters gathered outside P.S. 172 in Brooklyn, one of the schools whose gym was designated as emergency housing for migrants. Some protesters arrived as early as 3 a.m., when they believed migrants might begin to arrive.

Gabriela Vizhnag, 50, the mother of a third grader, said she was “not racist or anti-immigrant” because she had immigrated from Mexico. But she opposed the plan to house people in a school gym with no available showers and only two bathrooms.

“It is not good for the children and it is not humane for the migrants,” she said.

These illegals dealt with worse on their trek to the U.S. border. And, it’s a nice excuse, but, really, the NYC residents do not want them messing up their city.

Activists and legal groups have called on the city to focus on helping people find permanent housing, but New York is in the grip of a long-running housing crisis, and its voucher program has been plagued with troubles.

Are these folks ponying up money and making their own homes available to house the illegals? No, they want Other People to pay, and the illegals to be far away. Seriously, all these Democrats let them in in mass numbers but they never thought what to do with them once they were here.

Read: NYC’s Citizens Are Decidedly Unhappy About The City’s Plans For Illegals »

Posted in Democrats, Illegal Immigration | 7 Comments | Trackback URL

Surprise: Judge In Climate (scam) Lawsuit Linked Plaintiff’s Lawyers

By William Teach May 18, 2023 – 3:18 pm

No, no, this is totally not a scam

Top State Judge Handling Climate Lawsuit Worked With Environmental Group Tied To Plaintiffs’ Lawyers

The Chief Justice of Hawaii’s Supreme Court, who is hearing Honolulu’s lawsuit against oil and gas companies for climate damages, has worked with a D.C-based environmental group that has close ties to the plaintiff’s attorneys.

Honolulu’s lawsuit against Sunoco, Shell, Chevron and other companies is one of many lawsuits cities have filed against energy companies in an effort to extract alleged damages for the firms’ contributions to climate change; the Supreme Court declined to hear these lawsuits in April, pushing them back to state courts—meaning Honolulu’s case is now squarely before Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald. However, on May 9, Recktenwald disclosed that he engages in “educational presentations relating to environmental, energy, and natural resource issues” and has worked with the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), a group which routinely collaborates with environmental activists.

ELI co-founded the Climate Judiciary Project, which developed a climate science and law curriculum for judges handling environment litigation, and has worked closely with individuals who have consulted for or been employed by the environmental activist legal firm representing Honolulu in its lawsuit, Sher Edling LLP.

“Judges are supposed to not only be impartial, but to maintain the appearance of impartiality so that the public can have faith in their rulings,” Rob Schilling, Executive Director of Energy Policy Advocates, a nonprofit that works for transparency in energy policy, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “It appears that the judge may have attended (or even presented at!) seminars organized for those on one side of this type of case. Those on the other side were not permitted to present their view, and the seminar took place outside of the courtroom and outside the protections provided by the rules of evidence.”

The article continues getting deeper and deeper, with other Hawaii judges involved, and none of them seem to have any intent to recuse themselves. But, you know what? I want them to rule against the energy companies, so that the companies say “good riddance” to Hawaii. Let’s see the state be able to operate without fossil fuels. How will that work for all the autos, airplanes, helicopters, and boats? How will all the goods come to Hawaii? Will tourists want to have to bike everywhere, and live with minimal power? Hawaii produces very little in the way of food other than fish for mass consumption. Hawaii will quickly become a 3rd world nation without fossil fuels and tourists will say “nope. I’m not spending all that money to visit.”

But, every experiment needs an experimental group, right?

Read: Surprise: Judge In Climate (scam) Lawsuit Linked Plaintiff’s Lawyers »

Posted in AGW Socialism, Global Warming | 3 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach May 18, 2023 – 1:00 pm

…is horrible summer heatsnow, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Not A Lot Of People Know That, with a post on the scam that is COP28

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 4 Comments | Trackback URL

Immigration Today: Child Dies In Biden’s Care, Adams Wonders Where Biden Is

By William Teach May 18, 2023 – 10:30 am

This is the second death of an illegal in a week, the other being a 17 year old, who’s suddenly not considered a child. Just imagine how the press would handle this if Trump were still president. The Blamestorming. AOC and other Democrats would be crying on Twitter, instead of ignoring this

8-year-old migrant girl dies in U.S. Border Patrol custody, officials say

An eight-year-old migrant girl died in federal U.S. custody on Wednesday after crossing the southern border with her family, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials.

The migrant girl died after experiencing a “medical emergency” inside a U.S. Border Patrol station in Harlingen, Texas, where she was being held with family members, CBP said in a statement Wednesday. The girl was pronounced dead at a local hospital, the agency added.

In its statement, CBP said the agency was investigating the death, and that it planned to disclose “additional information” later on. Congressional officials were also notified of the death Wednesday.

The girl’s death marks the first known death of a migrant child in Border Patrol custody since the Trump administration, when several minors died, including because of flu infections.

Last week, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials disclosed the death of a 17-year-old migrant teen from Honduras who was being housed in one of the department’s shelters for unaccompanied minors in Florida. HHS is also investigating that death, which officials said likely stemmed from an epileptic seizure.

The “1st since Trump.” Can you guess what name appears nowhere in this CBS News article? That’s right, Biden. This repeats throughout the Credentialed Media, from the NY Times to Washington Post and so on.

U.S. border officials transfer migrant children to HHS if they cross the southern border without parents or legal guardians. In March, a four-year-old girl from Honduras described as “medically fragile” died in HHS custody, but her death was not reported until last week.

So, not the first death, just 1st in CPB’s custody. Think a bitter deeper on this: why are parents sending a 4 year old across the border solo? Who’s incentivizing non-US citizens to do this? That would be Democrats.

Meanwhile

NYC mayor at a loss over Biden’s absence as cities bear brunt of migrant crisis: ‘Good question’

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the surge of illegal migrants that is flooding New York and other cities “should not be happening,” calling it a national problem that needs “a national solution.”

“Where the heck is the president of the United States?” a morning show host on “Good Day New York” asked Adams in an interview to discuss the migrant crisis.

“That is a good question. And I think we all should be asking, why is this happening to a city that was turning itself around and will continue to do so?” Adams replied.

“This should not be happening to New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, in the other big northern cities, and really shouldn’t be happening to El Paso or Brownsville, Texas,” he went on. “No cities should be [carrying this] burden. This is a national problem, and it needs a national solution.”

The answer is simple: go back to the old laws which state if you’re caught crossing the border illegally or residing in the US illegally (either from entering illegally or overstaying your Visa) you will be deported immediately. No years long wait to see a judge, no being released on your own recognizance,  no hearings, nothing. You will be detained, any money and property you have will be seized to pay for your deportation, and you will be sent packing. You won’t be getting free college, schooling, medical care, housing, food, clothes, money, etc. If you want to apply for asylum you do that outside the U.S. and wait.

Read: Immigration Today: Child Dies In Biden’s Care, Adams Wonders Where Biden Is »

Posted in Illegal Immigration, Joe Biden | 6 Comments | Trackback URL
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