LA Times Editorial Board Comes Out Against Prop 30, Taxing The Rich To Subsidize EVs

A slight bit of sanity. Also, nowhere in this piece do the members of the LA Times editorial board mention if they’ve bought EVs themselves

Endorsement: No on Proposition 30

There is probably no climate program in California that is more urgent than the transition to zero-emission vehicles. Transportation is the state’s largest source of planet-warming and health-damaging emissions by far. We will not meet our obligations to reduce pollution unless we move quickly to build the charging infrastructure and replace the tens of millions of gas- and diesel-fueled vehicles on our roads with electric cars, trucks, buses and other zero-emission models. But they remain too expensive and out of reach for many residents and businesses.

Of course, the big problem here is that it’s not voluntary, the Elites are forcing the citizens to engage in this scheme. But, don’t cry for them, they vote Democrat, so, they get the authoritarianism they asked for

The question, then, is how to pay for this estimated $150-billion clean-vehicle transformation?

Proposition 30 on the November ballot would do it by raising taxes on the rich to pay for electric vehicles and charging stations. While it may be tempting to put the burden on the rich — again — for one of California’s top priorities, voters should say no. Proposition 30 has too many flaws. It’s bankrolled by one special interest and it doubles down on an unsustainable funding model.

Yeah, another tax the rich scheme, which would add another 1.75% on top for those making $2 million or more. It doesn’t seem to go after businesses, though, not that I can see.

California already has the highest state income tax rate, at 13.3%, and voters have already raised taxes on the wealthiest residents to pay for education and mental health services. Proposition 30 would push the top-earner rate to 15.05%, which is much higher than other states, most of which have income tax rates in the single digits. The state’s dependence on wealthy residents’ income, which is often tied to investments and the stock market, creates tremendous instability in the budget. Revenues sharply rise and fall with Wall Street, leading to feast-or-famine cycles. It doesn’t make sense to pin another priority on such a volatile funding stream. Proposition 30 could also drive investors who fund high-risk technologies out of the state.

Wait, it would drive investors out even more? Huh. It would also drive out business owners and lots of rich folks. More of them.

There’s some concern that Proposition 30, which would generate between $3 billion and $5 billion a year, could send EV prices higher. Because of the supply shortages affecting the car market recently, some economists warn that an influx of additional vehicle incentive money could be pocketed by car dealers and manufacturers through higher prices. Proponents argue those concerns should fade as automakers ramp up production to comply with requirements that manufacturers sell increasing percentages of zero-emission vehicles, starting with 35% in 2026 of new car sales until they reach 100% by 2035.

For one thing, if there are subsidies the price of goods will go up, along with discounts disappearing. For another, there may just be a new paradigm in vehicle sales post-COVID, where there are not as many cars on lots. We’re hearing it may end up being that dealers have a 10 day supply, instead of months and months worth of cars. Don’t have what you want? Wait for something in shipping or build status. If they think they’re going to get those billions, well, look at how well the cap and trade scheme is working. And the marijuana scheme. Both are seeing way, way less than anticipated in tax revenue. But, hey, this is the state which started a bullet train scheme, which not many would ride. The initial cost was $33 billion. It’s now over $105 billion. And still not operational.

Read: LA Times Editorial Board Comes Out Against Prop 30, Taxing The Rich To Subsidize EVs »

Could DeSantis Or Abbott Be About To Send Migrants To Delaware?

If so, he can choose from Wilmington or Rehoboth Beach, places Biden has houses

Delaware, White House preparing for potential migrant flight to arrive near Biden home

Biden Brain SlugDelaware officials and the White House said they are monitoring for the potential arrival of planes of migrants and illegal immigrants expected from Florida and/or Texas on Tuesday.

“We’re aware of the reports and continue to prepare for the possibility of migrants arriving in Delaware unannounced,” Democratic Gov. John Carney’s director of communications, Emily Hershman, told Fox News Digital. “Our teams at [Delaware Emergency Management Agency] and [Delaware Department of Health and Social Services] are working with community organizations and other partners to make sure that migrants who arrive here have the support that they need.”

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also acknowledged the reports.

“Yes, we’ve … we have received word of the flights. And, yes, we are coordinating closely with state officials and local service providers who are prepared to welcome these families in an orderly manner as they pursue their asylum claims,” Jean-Pierre told reporters.

The News Journal, based in Wilmington, Delaware, reported that the governor’s office and community groups were mobilizing to Georgetown, Delaware, for the possible arrival of migrants at Delaware Coastal Airport. According to the newspaper, at least one plane was expected to take off from Texas and stop over at Bob Sikes Airport in Crestview, Florida, before heading to Delaware on Tuesday afternoon.

Neither DeSantis nor Abbott would confirm anything. There are all sorts of reports and hypothesis and crystal balls, looking at charter flights. I see some saying it’s happening, others saying it’s going to NJ, others saying it’s cancelled. I guess we’ll see.

(The Hill) Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday said Republican governors’ efforts to transport migrants from the southern border to northern Democrat-led cities is showing “well-to-do blue enclaves” the reality of the U.S.-Mexico border crisis.

“Out of desperation, a few governors along our southern border are now giving some Democrat-run states and cities just a tiny, tiny taste of what border communities have been enduring, literally, for years,” McConnell said on the Senate floor.

“These well-to-do blue enclaves are finally witnessing the smallest fraction of the challenges that open borders have forced on working-class communities all across our country.”

Liberals are very unhappy when they’re forced to practice what they preach.

Read: Could DeSantis Or Abbott Be About To Send Migrants To Delaware? »

Climate Today: Manchin’s Side Deal, Biden Hosing Native Americans, Silly Celebs

It’s not just hardcore leftist Democrats looking to spike Manchin’s deal

Republicans are threatening to tank Manchin’s pro-oil bill over ‘bad blood’ from climate deal

The federal government is nearing the end of its fiscal year, which means Congress is scrambling to put together a stop-gap spending bill designed to last until they can pass a budget (or longer-term funding extension). The Senate appears likely to add $12 billion in funding for Ukraine’s war effort and about $6 billion more in disaster relief funds, while Republicans have essentially rejected President Biden’s requests for $22 billion for COVID-19 needs and $4.5 billion to fight monkeypox.

As a sidebar, how about we use that $12 billion for Puerto Rico?

But “the Hill’s central drama as Congress sprints to finish its work before the midterms” involves Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) as-yet-unreleased legislation to speed up permitting on energy projects, including West Virginia’s Mountain Valley natural gas line, Politico reports.

Progressives are “already balking” at the measure, “a key cog” in the deal Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) hatched to pass this summer’s Democratic climate, health care, and tax package, Politico reports. And now, even though “construction of energy projects is a longstanding core GOP goal,” Republican senators are threatening to sink the legislation, arguing “they were under no obligation to cough up perhaps a dozen or more votes that Democrats need to get Manchin’s vision done.”

Democrats say Republicans are exacting revenge on Manchin for his deal with Schumer — and Republicans don’t really disagree with that assessment.

“Given what Senator Manchin did on the reconciliation bill, [it’s] engendered a lot of bad blood,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told Politico. “There’s not a lot of sympathy on our side to provide Sen. Manchin a reward.” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) criticized the Democrats’ “corrupt deal.”

How are you feeling about that deal for your vote now, Joe? We’ll see how the people of West Virginia vote the next time you’re up for election.

Biden admin sides against Native Americans in crackdown on oil leasing near Indigenous site

The Biden administration is expected to soon finalize a rule banning oil and gas leasing near a Native American historical site despite heavy opposition from local Indigenous leaders, who say the administration’s rule would prevent them from collecting royalties on their land.

The rule, which the Department of Interior (DOI) announced in November 2021, would implement a 20-year moratorium on federal oil and gas leasing within a 10-mile radius of the Chaco Culture National Historical Park located in northwest New Mexico. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said the rule, which would amount to a withdrawal of 336,000 acres of public lands from mineral leasing, would protect the environment and “rich cultural legacy” of the region.

“We’re not destroying anything — we are Native Americans ourselves. Nobody is destroying the park,” Delora Hesuse, a Navajo Nation citizen who owns allotted land in the Greater Chaco region, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “The oil companies sure aren’t destroying the park. And they have new technology.”

“It just seems like they are listening more to the environmentalist people,” she continued.

It would put a lot of money in the pockets of the Native Americans, but, climate cult doctrine is more important to Biden

Priyanka Chopra Jonas Says the World Is at ‘Critical Point’ During UN Speech About Climate Change

Priyanka Chopra Jonas is addressing the climate crisis.

In a speech shared by the United Nations via YouTube on Monday, the Quantico star discussed some of the world’s most significant issues, including climate change, during her appearance at the 2022 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) opening remarks.

“We meet today at a critical point in our world, at a time when global solidarity is more important than ever,” the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador shared. (snip)

“We have that plan, the UN sustainable development goals — a to-do list for the world,” she explained. “These goals were created hand in hand with people around the world in 2015; together we have an extraordinary opportunity to change the world that we live in.”

“We owe it to our people, we owe it to our planet,” she said.

Gotta love massive climahypocrites telling us we’re doomed as they run around the world on private fossil fueled jets and in big limos, consuming way more than the average world citizens, and creating plans for Other People.

Read: Climate Today: Manchin’s Side Deal, Biden Hosing Native Americans, Silly Celebs »

If All You See…

…is an Evil fossil fuels machine, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Flopping Aces, with a post on why those who question the 2020 results are being attacked.

Read: If All You See… »

“Funny” Guy Stephen Colbert Freaks Over DeSantist Sending Illegals To Uber Rich Martha’s Vineyard

DeSantis and Abbott should pick another high-toned and fancy to-do liberal enclave. Hey, maybe to Stephen Colbert’s city

Stephen Colbert Wrecks ‘Gaping’ A**hole Ron DeSantis With A Brutal Fact-Check

Stephen Colbert tore into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for “kidnapping” migrants and flying them to Massachusetts for a political stunt.

And that’s not all.

“It turns out it was way worse than we imagined because he actually abducted them from Texas,” Colbert said. “For a guy who acts so concerned about borders he doesn’t seem to know where his state ends.”

DeSantis claimed the migrants were“intending to come to Florida.”

Colbert didn’t buy it.

“C’mon,” he said. “No one intends to go to Florida.”

Really?

Plenty of Democrats escaped to Florida all throughout the strict COVID mandate period. Anyhow, Colbert, because he’s a comedian on a late night show, called DeSantis an asshole. I don’t see him offering to room some illegal aliens himself

(Fox News) The number of migrant encounters at the southern border rose to over 200,000 in August, as the border faced an increase in migrants coming from Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba, which officials said was driving a “new wave of migration” across the Hemisphere.

There were 203,598 encounters on the border, a slight increase from the 199,976 encountered in July and lower than the 209,840 encountered in August last year.

Of the 203,598, officials said 157, 921 were unique migrant encounters, with the rest attributed to those who had multiple encounters with officials and had been expelled or deported.

Colbert is freaking over 50 Venezuelan illegal aliens being sent to Martha’s Vineyard? Of course, he’s playing to his base, because Republicans, excluding those with Trump Derangement Syndrome, do not watch at all. In the real world, Independents and ultra-moderate Democrats are seeing the hypocrisy of Democrats in sanctuary areas not wanting the icky working class illegals around.

When does Colbert call Biden an asshole for shipping migrants all around the country in the dead of night?

Read: “Funny” Guy Stephen Colbert Freaks Over DeSantist Sending Illegals To Uber Rich Martha’s Vineyard »

Bummer: Climate Cult Kids’ Lawsuit Thrown Out Of Court

We all know that this suit, like almost all the others, are really being done by the adults, using kids as human shields

Kids’ climate change lawsuit tossed by Virginia judge

st greta carA Virginia state judge has tossed a lawsuit filed on behalf of 13 young people who claim a state law that promotes fossil fuel development violates their constitutional rights, finding the government is immune to the kinds of arguments made by the kids.

Judge Clarence Jenkins Jr on Friday rejected the lawsuit, which was filed earlier this year by Our Children’s Trust (OCT), a nonprofit law firm that advocates on environmental issues.

The kids, ranging in age from 10 to 19, claimed a law that directs the state to maximize exploration and development of coal, oil and gas resources violates their constitutional right to life and liberty. The youth argued the policies result in increasing greenhouse gases, which hasten climate change and put their future and wellbeing at risk.

Jenkins said the state can’t face those claims in its own court system since state law shields the government from lawsuits alleging harms.

Too bad the judge couldn’t just say “this is very silly, it doesn’t violate your right to life and liberty.”

The plaintiffs said they will appeal. Nate Bellinger, an attorney at OCT representing the young people, said the judge’s decision could have serious consequences for any plaintiff challenging government policy.

The state policies are “doubling down, maximizing fossil fuels in the midst of this climate crisis,” he said.

The judge should have asked the kids if they’ve given up their own use of fossil fuels and made their lives carbon neutral

The suit is one of five pending cases filed by OCT for youth plaintiffs against state governments across the country, arguing policies promoting fossil fuel development violate their constitutional rights. A case filed in Montana is set to become the first to go to trial next summer.

So, basically astroturfed, finding a bunch of young dupes.

Read: Bummer: Climate Cult Kids’ Lawsuit Thrown Out Of Court »

Odds Are On A Big Fed Rate Hike This Week

The Brandon economy is just doing super, right?

The biggest Fed rate hike in 40 years? It could be coming this week.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and times are, arguably, increasingly desperate. The persistence of high inflation might force the Federal Reserve to resort to the biggest increase in a key U.S. interest rate in more than 40 years.

After another dismal U.S. inflation report, economists at the brokerage Nomura Securities on Tuesday became the first on Wall Street to predict a full-percentage-point increase in the Fed’s benchmark short-term rate.

“We continue to believe markets underappreciate just how entrenched U.S. inflation has become and the magnitude of response that will likely be required from the Fed to dislodge it,” the economists at Nomura wrote in a report to clients.

The last time the Fed made such a drastic move was in the early 1980s — another period marked by sky-high inflation.

The previous hikes were .75. A full point would be huge, which could stall most big purchase loans, effecting everything from automobiles to homes to business loans

In August, the consumer price index rose a scant 0.1%, largely because of another big drop in energy prices. And the annual pace of inflation slowed a bit to 8.3% from 8.5%.

But that was virtually all of the good news. The cost of almost everything rose last month, including food, rent, clothes, furniture, cars, medical care and so forth.

So, pretty much everything that’s necessary for life.

Read: Odds Are On A Big Fed Rate Hike This Week »

LA Times: Citizens Must Demand Government Implement Small Solutions

I told you the LA Times was a on a big roll with the climate crisis scam. Here’s another (Yahoo piece here)

Op-Ed: Climate change is a big problem. Citizens must demand many small solutions

The world is on fire. The flames are hard to see, because we hide them so well. But you can hear them — in the whine of jet engines as planes streak across the sky, in the rumble of power plants as they send electricity surging over power lines, in the purr of your car engine as you drive to work.

Every person living in a well-off country contributes to the conflagration. When you and your neighbors turn on your lights at night, a coal- or gas-burning power plant somewhere will most likely increase its fuel use — just a smidgen — to supply the electricity.

Sherman Potter Bull Cookies

Many people are trying to help, in their own ways — perhaps by buying a Prius or an electric car, recycling diligently, installing smart thermostats, eating less meat, maybe contributing money to an environmental group. These actions are important, but by themselves they are not enough. The world will not be saved by conscientious “green consumers” who decide, one family at a time, to drive less or install solar panels on the roof. The problem is just too big for that.

Instead, we all need to become “green citizens.” We need to focus, together, on a relatively small number of public policies that can, over time, bring about sweeping change.

Strange how this always comes to Government Authority, eh? Especially since most of these “green consumers” aren’t.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 passed by Congress will help by using tax subsidies to make clean energy more affordable, which should speed the construction of wind and solar farms, hasten the switch to electric cars and much more. But Congress did not clear away many of the obstacles that are slowing change. And a lot of those issues are under the control of state and local governments.

This means much of the work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will need to be done by local leaders, spurred on by their citizens. A prime example is the need to improve our building codes.

Buildings are one of the nation’s largest sources of carbon dioxide emissions. It will be impossible to meaningfully slow global climate change without cleaning up America’s buildings, and the way to do it is to subject them to new rules.

As if housing costs in California aren’t high enough already. And there’s’ lots and lots on government building codes

Too many Americans feel paralyzed by the climate crisis. It is a daunting problem, but the idea that we as citizens can do little about it reflects a poverty of imagination. If you’re tired of feeling helpless with a sense of impending doom, put on your marching shoes and make some political demands.

Yes, yes, let’s empower government with more dictatorial controls.

Read: LA Times: Citizens Must Demand Government Implement Small Solutions »

If All You See…

…is a cloudless sky from too much carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Da Techguy’s Blog, with a post on the danger of the Democrats SAFE-T Act in Illinois.

Read: If All You See… »

Brandon Finally Catches On That COVID Is Over

He and the people in his administration are still going to push everyone to get a booster, though

Biden says ‘the pandemic is over’ even as death toll, costs mount

U.S. President Joe Biden said in an interview aired on Sunday that “the pandemic is over,” even though the country continues to grapple with coronavirus infections that kill hundreds of Americans daily.

“The pandemic is over,” Biden said during an interview conducted with CBS’ “60 Minutes” program on Wednesday on the sidelines of the Detroit auto show, an event which drew thousands of visitors.

“We still have a problem with COVID. We’re still doing a lotta work on it. But the pandemic is over. If you notice, no one’s wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape. And so I think it’s changing.”

The toll of the COVID-19 pandemic has diminished significantly since early in Biden’s term when more than 3,000 Americans per day were dying, as enhanced care, medications and vaccinations have become more widely available.

We noticed it was over for most Americans months and months ago. We were done with all the restrictions, the closures, the forced masking, all that long ago, especially when we saw all the big wigs refusing to wear masks. When we saw the Elites playing Mask Theater, where they’d put it on for the cameras and then take it off. When we saw Biden and his people walk up to the podium and take the mask off, despite Biden’s EO requiring the wearing of masks inside federal buildings. Dare I say it was officially done on Super Bowl Sunday 2022, with all the big wigs blowing off the mask requirements?

But nearly 400 people a day continue to die from COVID-19 in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Biden spent more than two weeks isolated in the White House after two bouts with COVID-19, starting in July. His wife Jill contracted the virus in August. Biden has said the mild cases were a testament to the improvements in care during his presidency.

Remember, more people died from COVID under Biden in the same time frame as died under Trump, despite all the vaccines and knowledge. And people like Biden got Wuhan flu multiple times

I guess she didn’t get the message. She did get COVID, though.

(The Hill) As a result, the Biden administration has focused its messaging on the importance of getting vaccinated and receiving booster shots to increase immunity, as well as the wide availability of of antiviral pills and other forms of treatment for those who contract the virus.

Immunity? Immunity is with the measles and polio shots. This is more like the shot (unfortunately) for the flu, where, maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t, but, if you get it, the symptoms will probably be more weak or moderate. How many times have people gotten it and said “thankfully I’m vaxxed and boosted”?

I will say, I still attempt to avoid shaking hands and keep my distance when possible. I wash the heck out of my hands, but, I do that anyhow. Some people are just nasty.

Read: Brandon Finally Catches On That COVID Is Over »

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