Bipartisan Warmonger Coalition Wants Biden To Send F-16’s To Ukraine

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

Ukraine already has fighter jets, about 81, comprised of Russian made Sukhoi Su-27 and Mikoyan MiG-29. What, exactly would giving them F-16s do, considering they would need to spend months and months training to use them?

Democrats, Republicans join up to urge Biden to send F-16s to Ukraine

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pressing President Joe Biden directly to send F-16 warplanes to Ukraine as the fight against Russia’s invasion enters its second year.

Five House members argued modern jets — which Kyiv has sought, but the administration has so far not agreed to — “could prove decisive for control of Ukrainian airspace this year” in a Thursday letter to Biden obtained by POLITICO.

“The provision of such aircraft is necessary to help Ukraine protect its airspace, particularly in light of renewed Russian offensives and considering the expected increase in large-scale combat operations,” the lawmakers wrote.

The letter was organized by Maine Democrat Jared Golden. Also signing on were Democrats Jason Crow of Colorado and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania and Republicans Tony Gonzales of Texas and Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin.

Russia has over 900 fighter jets, most of them multi-role, along with 121 bombers and 197 close air support, plus all sorts of others. Did these 5 war mongers consider that the Ukrainian air force would still be overwhelmed if Putin decided to truly involve Russia’s air force? Did they consider that Ukraine, once they actually received the F-16s and were trained, might decide to use them for direct strikes inside Russian borders?

The lawmakers contend that fighters — either the Lockheed Martin-manufactured F-16 or something similar — would give Ukrainian forces greater capability than ground-based artillery provided by the U.S. and other nations.

“F-16s or similar fourth generation fighter aircraft would provide Ukraine with a highly mobile platform from which to target Russian air-to-air missiles and drones, to protect Ukrainian ground forces as they engage Russian troops, as well as to engage Russian fighters for contested air superiority,” they argued.

If this is their argument, it’s a piss poor one, which fails to truly explain how the Ukrainian air force could operate in a theater where their numbers would be overwhelmed by Russian forces, and would simply escalate the conflict. And where Russia could become peeved that U.S. made fighter jets supplied to Ukraine where attacking Russian troops, bases, and planes.

And, who maintains them? It takes about 25 people per plane to do so, and 16 hours of maintenance per hour of flying. And then you need all the weapons, which are different from what is loaded on the Russian made jets. Will we be supplying them, too? And, from that link about the number of Russian jets

As we’ve already discussed regarding the establishment of a NATO-enforced no-fly zone over Ukraine, advanced Russian air defense systems like the S-400 Triumpf have an operational range of around 250 miles. That means Ukrainian fighters would need to engage air defense systems inside Russia and potentially even Belarus in order to take control of their airspace (as multiple Ukrainian officials and pilots have championed as part of the request for these fighters). Otherwise, these air defense platforms could continue to shoot down Ukrainian jets that strayed too close to Russian territory.

But Russian air defense systems aren’t the biggest reason Ukraine would need to send its newly-gained F-15 and F-16 fleets into Russia—the biggest reason is that most Russian airstrikes are launched by aircraft that never leave Russian airspace.

Well, this is just a wonderful idea, right? If you want to push towards WWIII.

Read: Bipartisan Warmonger Coalition Wants Biden To Send F-16’s To Ukraine »

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Could Ending Fossil Fuels Actually Hurt The Environment?

By William Teach February 18, 2023 – 7:15 am

I’m skeptical of studies like this, just as I am with pro-climate cult ones. I’ve said many times that I am not a big fan of fossil fuels, which do damage the environment as pollutants, air, sea, and land. That said, a big thing to remember is that the environment is different from the climate scam.

Going black, not green: Curbing US oil, gas production would hurt the environment, report finds

Environmentalists seeking to halt U.S. oil and gas production in the name of combating climate change are undermining their own agenda and risking greater damage to the planet, according to a new report.

The Institute for Energy Research (IER) released a paper showing that the U.S. is the most environmentally friendly major energy producer and arguing that, like it or not, because petroleum products are here to stay, limiting U.S. production would have a devastating effect on the environment.

There have been vast strides over the past 50+ years in making fossil fuels cleaner (though, I don’t buy the clean coal thing). I noticed a lot of pollution from motors in the waterways back during the days of growing up at the beach, and this has gotten much better over the years.

A major hurdle for the Brandon administration, according to IER, is that global efforts to curb oil and gas production haven’t lessened the world’s reliance on fossil fuels for energy — petroleum products are entrenched in modern society to such a degree that fossil fuels and modernity have become all but inseparable.

“Nearly every facet of modern developed economies requires petroleum products and natural gas to function and provide the comfortable lifestyles that citizens of developed countries have come to expect,” the report states. “These resources are necessary for agriculture, heavy industry, transportation by all modes — road, rail, air, or ship — and a great number of the products that we take for granted. They’re ingrained in almost everything.”

As a result, the report continues, efforts to reduce or eliminate oil and gas production in developed countries will simply shift production to other countries in order to meet global demand that’s not going away.

In other words, if the U.S., the world’s largest producer of both oil and natural gas, reduced its production significantly, other energy producers — such as China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia, among others — would likely pick up the slack, thereby not leading to any drop in global fossil fuel use.

One day the Earth will be able to transition away from most use of fossil fuels for energy and transportation, but, good grief, do the climate cultists and extreme enviros realize how much is made with fossil fuels? This site provides a partial list of 144 of about 6,000 products. Someone is going to produce it, and a lot of these nations will be a lot less careful about being as environmentally responsible as possible.

Oh, and it would probably skyrocket the cost of all the goods.

Read: Could Ending Fossil Fuels Actually Hurt The Environment? »

Posted in Energy, Environment, Global Warming | 16 Comments | Trackback URL

Bidenconomy: A Bread Shortage Is Coming

By William Teach February 18, 2023 – 7:00 am

This is causing people to make their own bread. Not because they had lots and lots of time on their hands while locked down in 2020, but, because of the availability of goods

With a possible bread shortage on the horizon, TikTokers are turning to bread makers to bring home the dough

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, life seems forever-altered by rising food costs and shortages. Household staples like eggs and lettuce have taken a hit, with prices skyrocketing as these once-common products become more scarce. Now, bread may be the next kitchen must-have to fly off grocery store shelves and increase in price.

The Consumer Price Index reports that, in the last year alone, bread prices have already risen by nearly 15%. Now, people are turning to an old friend — the tried-and-true bread maker — to bake fresh loaves at home and avoid rising costs and the lack of bread on store shelves.

Alex C., who lives in western Idaho and prefers to keep her last name anonymous for privacy reasons, says she hasn’t bought bread from a store in months. She took to TikTok, where she posts as @its.me.alexc, to share her bread-making journey, and was surprised to find a whole community of people doing the same as her.

I have to interrupt. “Bread making journey”? Stop that. It’s sill, very silly. This whole silly stuff of everything being a journey these days bugs the ever-loving crap out of me. You’re just making bread. It’s not a journey. Rant off

In addition to the simplicity and savings a bread maker offers, it provides peace of mind. “You don’t have to worry about the store running out of your favorite bread when you can just make it at home,” says Alex C., who recently shared her go-to homemade bread recipe on TikTok. “I also think a lot of people are starting to open up to the realization of what is in products we buy from the store, such as bread, and it’s not good things. We’ve forgotten about a loaf of bread from the store in our cupboard for several weeks and it doesn’t even have any mold on it — that’s scary. I love knowing every single ingredient I’m feeding my family.”

Also, like with most TikTok stuff, it’s all stuff that other people came up with. It’s not new. Stop portraying it as if you came up with it. Regardless, there is actually a bread shortage. There were also shortages in 2020-2022, due to productions that had nothing to do with Russia invading Ukraine (and wouldn’t have really made a difference in U.S. bread productions.) Many products have been ended or seriously scaled back, especially in the no-name/lower price products. I barely ever see Walmart brand bagels and English muffins anymore, going back to 2020. Just a month ago you could get 2 fresh baked donuts there for $1.49. Now they’re $1.99.

How bad could it get? Good question. What’s Biden doing? Nothing. Well, maybe trying to create WWIII.

Read: Bidenconomy: A Bread Shortage Is Coming »

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Climate Cult Cheers NY Moving One Step Closer To Ending Fossil Fueled Power

By William Teach February 17, 2023 – 3:00 pm

Is there any real difference between the Democratic Socialists Of America and the climate cult?

Socialists cheer Dem state’s climate bill mandating fossil fuel shutdown: ‘Will transform New York’

Send the kids out in the cold weather to clean them off

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) celebrated after the New York State Senate passed a sweeping climate bill Wednesday evening, bringing it one step closer to being enacted.

The state’s Senate passed the so-called Build Public Renewables Act in a near party-line vote of 37-22 with two Democrats, Sens. John Mannion and Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, voting against the bill and no Republicans voting in favor of it. The legislation, which now moves to the New York State Assembly for approval, would give the state-run power authority greater ability to build renewable generation and mandate fossil fuel plant shutdowns.

“With the passage of the Build Public Renewables Act in the Senate, New York took a vital step toward the sustainable and pro-worker future our state needs,” the DSA’s New York City chapter said in a statement Wednesday. “We’ve been proud to work with labor and working class New Yorkers across the state to fight for this bill, which will transform New York into a global model for clean public power.”

“Today’s vote is a welcome signal that the State Senate, unlike Governor Hochul and her allies, is committed to an energy transition that benefits workers, guarantees we build the clean energy grid we need, and creates an energy system that serves New Yorkers — not shareholders,” the statement continued.

It would end the use of natural gas for power, which a lot of New Yorkers outside NYC and the major metropolitan areas rely on for heating and other needs. Solar panels won’t work when they’re covered with snow, wind turbines won’t turn when they are frozen. Not too mention the huge tracts of land that have to be used, including being clearcut, to put up the panels and wind turbines. Who wants to bet that the same people voting for this Act have not given up their own use of fossil fuels?

But, hey, if NY wants to go the way of California

Energy expert sounds alarm over California power grid: ‘Stressed to the limit’

As California leaders continue to push a renewable energy agenda, one state policy expert is sounding off on the pricey costs and lack of infrastructure that could bring the Golden State’s electric grid to the brink of collapse.

“The California power grid is stressed pretty much to the limit,” California Policy Center co-founder and senior fellow Edward Ring said on “The Big Money Show” Tuesday. “Our ability to import energy as well as our ability to generate energy from renewables just isn’t there, the storage isn’t there or the transmission lines as well.”

Ring, along with other energy experts, have warned California’s power grid faces years of potential blackouts as state politicians prematurely push a renewable energy transition.

Consumers would likely take on a “ridiculous” burden, he further argued, while noting it will be “incredibly expensive” to generate enough wind and solar energy supply.

Well, hey, the majority of Californian’s voted for this, so, they should just shut their mouths and suck it. Same with New Yorkers. Of course, Californians and New Yorkers are abandoning their respective states in droves. Those who voted for the Modern Socialist/Climate Cult madness either need to stay there, or don’t even think about pushing this cult crap in their new states.

Read: Climate Cult Cheers NY Moving One Step Closer To Ending Fossil Fueled Power »

Posted in Energy, Global Warming | 2 Comments | Trackback URL

Texas Sues, Calling $1.7 Trillion Omnibus Unconstitutional

By William Teach February 17, 2023 – 10:30 am

Of course, by the time the suit makes it through the courts a goodly chunk of the money will have already been spent

Texas attorney general sues Biden admin, claims $1.7T budget was a ‘stunning violation of the Constitution’

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against President Joe Biden and his administration for allegedly breaking the Constitution in order to swiftly pass a trillion dollar spending package.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, claims that Biden unlawfully signed the Democrats’ $1.7 trillion omnibus package into law in December because it was not legally passed in the House.

Only 201 members were present when the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 was voted on by the House of Representatives in December 2022, and with half the members absent, the required quorum was not met, Paxton’s lawsuit argues.

The Constitution requires that a quorum of members of the House of Representatives be present for the lower chamber of Congress to conduct any business, as stated in the lawsuit.

“Nowhere does the U.S. Constitution authorize the House to pass trillion-dollar bills when more than half the members are in their homes, vacationing, or are anywhere physically other than the United States Capitol Building,” said Attorney General Paxton in a press release.

“Our Founders would be turning over in their graves if they could see how former Speaker Nancy Pelosi used proxy voting to upend our constitutional system.”

While there were enough votes, with the final tally being 225-201, only 201 were actually present to physically vote. There must be a quorum present in the House. There wasn’t, hence, the bill was unconstitutionally passed. But, will it matter? Many courts ignore the text of the Constitution, and, by the time it would get to the Supreme Court the money would be gone. But, it might put Congress on notice that they need to follow the Constitution.

Read: Texas Sues, Calling $1.7 Trillion Omnibus Unconstitutional »

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Guy Who Wants To Force Americans On To Trains Mentions How Often They Derail

By William Teach February 17, 2023 – 7:15 am

Kinda weird, doing back to back posts on the Ohio train derailment, but, this goes more to ‘climate change’ (and incompetence)

Buttigieg notes Ohio getting ‘particularly high amount of attention,’ while trains derail ‘1000’ times a year

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg emphasized to Yahoo! Finance Live the large number of train derailments in this country while the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, has gotten the most “attention.”

Buttigieg continues to face backlash after he was slow to discuss the train derailment causing toxic chemicals to pollute the East Palestine and the surrounding region. He finally addressed the disaster on Monday night, 10 days after the train crashed.

Buttigieg was asked by Yahoo! Finance about what the Transportation Department is doing.

“Look, rail safety is something that has evolved a lot over the years, but there’s clearly more that needs to be done because while this horrible situation has gotten a particularly high amount of attention, there are roughly 1,000 cases a year of a train derailing,” he said.

Is Pete right? Actually, he undercounted them

(The Hill) From 1990, the first year the BTS began tracking derailments and injuries on a yearly basis, to 2021, there have been 54,539 accidents in which a train derailed. That’s an average of 1,704 derailments per year.

Dude! In 2022 they came off the tracks 1,044 times, and, really, back in 1975 there were 6,328 derailments. But, even 1,000 is pretty wild. How often do you hear about them? Unless there is a lot of damage or someone is killed, it’s not even really news. And, in my business, which uses trains to ship pretty much every vehicle, I’ve never heard of it happening. I tend to read NJ.com, mostly going for Devils and Giants news, but, I’ll see the other stuff, plus the NY Times and NY Post, yet, I almost never see anything about derailments.

That said, this is an administration which is chock full of climate cultists who want to force Everyone Else into taking mass transit and out of fossil fueled vehicles and planes, including trains, lite rail, high speed trains, and metros. Sure, there are way more auto accidents, but, there are way more cars. Rail doesn’t seem all that safe, to go with it taking a heck of a lot longer to get anywhere.

Read: Guy Who Wants To Force Americans On To Trains Mentions How Often They Derail »

Posted in Global Warming | 11 Comments | Trackback URL

Good News: Brandon Denies Emergency Assistance For Ohio Train Disaster

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

Biden is totally into accountability

Biden administration vows accountability over train derailment as Ohio senators press for action

Which means he’s going to blame Everyone Else. Which, in fairness, the derailment isn’t his fault. The garbage response is, especially since Los Federales have huge control over railroads, for better or worse

Biden admin turns down Ohio’s request for disaster assistance after toxic derailment

The Biden administration turned down a request for federal disaster assistance from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine in the aftermath of the train derailment in the state earlier this month that led to a large release of toxic chemicals.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) told Ohio’s state government that it was not eligible for disaster assistance to help the community recover from the toxic spill, Dan Tierney, a spokesperson for DeWine, told Fox News Digital on Thursday. Tierney explained that FEMA believed the incident didn’t qualify as a traditional disaster, such as a tornado or hurricane, for which it usually provides assistance.

“The DeWine Administration has been in daily contact with FEMA to discuss the need for federal support, however FEMA continues to tell Governor DeWine that Ohio is not eligible for assistance at this time,” DeWine’s office said in a statement earlier in the day. “Governor DeWine will continue working with FEMA to determine what assistance can be provided.”

FEMA isn’t really offering details on why, and, perhaps it isn’t covered, though, of course, FEMA always seems to pony up for just about everything. And Biden doesn’t seem to be particularly engaged to ask Congress to help out.

Read: Good News: Brandon Denies Emergency Assistance For Ohio Train Disaster »

Posted in Current Affairs, Joe Biden | 6 Comments | Trackback URL

Who’s Ready For The “Doom Loop” From Climate Apocalypse?

By William Teach February 16, 2023 – 4:08 pm

The cult induced fearmongering just never stops. Say, I wonder when the Washington Post will stop using fossil fuels to run their whole operations?

Beware a climate ‘doom loop,’ where crisis is harder to solve, report says

Sherman Potter Bull CookiesThe devastating effects of climate change on Earth could become so overwhelming that they undermine humanity’s capacity to tackle climate change’s root causes, researchers warned Wednesday.

They are calling it a “doom loop.”

The self-reinforcing dynamic, outlined in a report jointly published Wednesday by two British think tanks, warns of a spiral effect: Governments risk expending so much money and attention on merely coping with the impacts of climate change that they neglect efforts to reduce global emissions, exacerbating the crisis.

“We’re pointing to a potential situation where the symptom of the climate and ecological crisis — the storms, the potential food crises, and things like this — start to distract us from the root causes,” report author Laurie Laybourn, an associate fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research think tank, said in an interview. “You get a feedback that starts to run out of control.”

Obviously, the Washington Post reporter did a reporter’s job and was skeptical, asking tough questions, demanding that the doomsaying “scientists” prove their allegations. Let’s see them

…

Oh, I guess not

The report’s authors do not believe that climate change has already triggered a global “doom loop” that is irreversible, but warn that in some places the dynamic could begin to take hold.

“We could get to the point where societies are faced with relentless disasters and crises, and all the other problems that the climate and ecological crisis is bringing, and will increasingly distract them from delivering decarbonization,” said Laybourn.

Meh. The zombie books I read have much better plots and are more believable.

Read: Who’s Ready For The “Doom Loop” From Climate Apocalypse? »

Posted in AGW Scaremongering, Global Warming | 5 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

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

…are trees dying from too much carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is 357 Magnum, with a post on the Democrats catch and release policy and the MSU shooting.

Read: If All You See… »

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

Bidenflation: People Putting Of Medical Care Over Rising Costs

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

I love this NY Times article, because the word “Biden” appears exactly zero times despite being the president. Now, just imagine how many times Trump would have been blamed if he was still in office

Higher Bills Are Leading Americans to Delay Medical Care

Megan Swanson has warily watched the erosion of her family’s savings as inflation chips away at a reserve for emergencies.

I’ve been reliabily informed by People In Charge that inflation isn’t harming people

She often postpones any regular doctor’s appointments, including her yearly dermatology appointment, even though annual skin checks are typically recommended for residents of sunny Florida, where she lives in Naples with her husband and their three children.

“Each month we are seeing our costs go up, but not our bank account,” she said. (snip)

Rising out-of-pocket costs are weighing heavily on the scale, pushing aside tests or procedures when troublesome symptoms emerge. And these days, the grocery list (and even the price of eggs) feel more pressing to many families. While some people avoided seeking medical care during the worst of the pandemic, worried about the risk of infection or unable to get an appointment because hospitals and doctors were overwhelmed, now many are finding that inflation and the uncertain economy have thrown up another barrier.

“We are starting to see some individuals who are putting off some care, especially preventive care, due to the costs,” said Dr. Tochi Iroku-Malize, the president of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the chair of family medicine for Northwell Health in New York. Choosing between going to the doctor or paying for rent and food, “the health issue is no longer the priority,” she said.

Remember, some un-named guy is getting inflation under control. In fact, it’s that previous guy’s fault according to the People In Charge

The inability to afford medical tests and treatment, a perennial concern in the United States, began emerging as a much more striking issue last year. Nearly four of 10 Americans said they had put off care in 2022 because of cost, the highest number since Gallup started asking people about delaying care more than 20 years ago. The percentage reporting they or a family member delayed health care because of cost rose to 38 percent from 26 percent in 2021.

Probably Trump’s fault, right?

With the prices of prescription drugs, hospital stays and other treatments expected to increase significantly this year and next, some doctors expect families to have an even harder time affording medical care. A recent report from the Commonwealth Fund found that 29 percent of people with employer-based coverage were underinsured, because they had such high out-of-pocket costs even with insurance. The coming roll back of health coverage under the state-federal Medicaid program will very likely lead many people to become uninsured.

And what, exactly, is Biden doing? The New York Times doesn’t bother asking, just tells us how bad things are

The cost of treatments is also likely to rise next year as hospitals, many of whom reported losses in 2022, will raise their rates, said Sean Duffy, the co-founder and chief executive of Omada Health, a company in San Francisco that provides virtual care and coaching to people with chronic health conditions like diabetes. The company’s employees were already starting to see an increase in patients wrestling with how to pay for medicine and healthy food.

Welcome to Bidenflation.

Read: Bidenflation: People Putting Of Medical Care Over Rising Costs »

Posted in Economy, Healthcare, Joe Biden | 7 Comments | Trackback URL
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