If All You See…

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

The blog of the day is The First Street Journal, with a post wondering if justice is a matter of color in Lexington.

As a sidebar, the gun on the lower left is actually the most dangerous of the four.

Read: If All You See… »

California Fast Food Workers Cheer As Governor Signs Bill That Will End Their Jobs

California elected Democrats are like the Hobbit trilogy. What should just be a fun, children’s adventure was turned into a massive, 3 part movie, adding in all sorts of things that were not necessary, changing parts of the actual plot, creating drama where it was not needed, inventing characters, and just trying to make it Epic, and, instead, making it rather not so good. They even screwed up Smaug, and Bilbo’s interaction with him. Dems took an idea of protecting fast food workers and made it very, very bad, because government just doesn’t know when to stop.

California signed off a landmark new law that could pave the way for a $22 minimum wage for fast-food workers. Here’s how the state’s fast food council will work.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed off a landmark new law that could pave the way for a $22 minimum hourly wage for fast-food workers in the state.

The bill allows the creation of a 10-member Fast Food Council at the state’s Department of Industrial Relations to set minimum standards for workers in the industry, ranging from wages and training to health and safety, and protection from discrimination and harassment. This would cover workers at chains including McDonald’s, Starbucks, Burger King, and Subway.

“For years, the fast food sector has been rife with abuse, low pay, few benefits, and minimal job security, with California workers subject to high rates of employment violations, including wage theft, sexual harassment and discrimination, as well as heightened health and safety risks,” the bill says.

Because it’s fast food. It’s a job. Meant for young folks to get some work experience and make a bit of spending money. And people who want a part time gig to pick up some easy extra dough. Job security? Please. Anything else could have been covered by a minimal piece of legislation, and, really, probably covered by existing legislation.

The Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act, which covers fast-food chains with at least 100 restaurants nationally, stipulates that the minimum wage set by the council for 2023 “shall not be greater than” $22 an hour. After that, it can be adjusted for inflation with increases of up to 3.5% each year.

To come into effect, at least 10,000 fast-food restaurant employees in the state would have to sign a petition approving the creation of the council.

The council would have to hold public meetings at least every six months and conduct a full review of the fast-food restaurant health, safety, and employment standards at least every three years and issue or amend standards as appropriate.

It would be made up of one representative from the Department of Industrial Relations, two representatives each of fast-food franchisors and franchisees, two representatives each of fast-food workers and of their advocates, and one representative from the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.

Will they vote for it? Or will they see this is a fast-track to unemployment, with the companies who have to follow this, which are mostly single ownership franchises or owned by small, local groups, deciding to replace a large number of workers with automation and technology? We’ve already seen a lot of them replacing employees with self-order screens and apps. And, this legislation will increase costs on businesses that already run rather lean, so, cut employees and increase prices, great idea in an already expensive state in the middle of a recession.

Restaurant workers have been quitting their jobs at record rates during the pandemic, with many citing poor wages, a lack of benefits, rude customers, long hours, and a lack of protection from the coronavirus.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the implications for workers and the public when a disempowered workforce faces a crisis in a sector with a poor history of compliance with workplace health and safety regulations,” the bills says.

Interesting, since it was Government that decided that fast food joints could stay open while regular restaurants were closed. And, yes, they’re disempowered. They don’t own the businesses. They don’t run them. They’re employees. They don’t have skin in the game.

Some franchisees, restaurant trade associations, and right-wing politicians have opposed the bill, questioning why it excludes chains with fewer than 100 restaurants and saying it will drive up menu prices.

It’s going to cause lots of problems, and drive many small business owners out of business. It will empower the lawyers in filing lawsuits, though.

Read: California Fast Food Workers Cheer As Governor Signs Bill That Will End Their Jobs »

17 States Considering Following California’s EV Mandate

What do their voters think? Will they go alone with this little scheme?

17 states weigh adopting California’s electric car mandate

Seventeen states with vehicle emission standards tied to rules established in California face weighty decisions on whether to follow that state’s strictest-in-the nation new rules that require all new cars, pickups and SUVs to be electric or hydrogen powered by 2035.

Under the Clean Air Act, states must abide by the federal government’s standard vehicle emissions standards unless they at least partially opt to follow California’s stricter requirements.

Among them, Washington, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon and Vermont are expected to adopt California’s ban on new gasoline-fueled vehicles. Colorado and Pennsylvania are among the states that probably won’t. The legal ground is a bit murkier in Minnesota, where the state’s “Clean Cars” rule has been a political minefield and the subject of a legal fight. Meanwhile, Republicans are rebelling in Virginia.

The Minnesota Auto Dealers Association says its reading of state and federal law is that the new California rules kick in automatically in the state, and it’s making that case in court as it tries to block them.

“The technology is such that the vehicles just don’t perform that well in cold weather,” said Scott Lambert, the trade group’s president. “We don’t all live in southern California.”

How is that one state can dictate how the other 49 act? Could this lead to lawsuits against the Clean Air Act for violating the terms of the 10th Amendment? What will many states do?

“We are not California. Minnesota has its own plan,” Gov. Tim Walz said in a statement. He called Minnesota’s program “a smart way to increase, rather than decrease, options for consumers. Our priority is to lower costs and increase choices so Minnesotans can drive whatever vehicle suits them.”

Amazing that the state must develop a plan to fight off the Big Government folks trying to take away consumer choices

Oregon regulators are taking public comments through Sept. 7 on whether to adopt the new California standards. Colorado regulators, who adopted California’s older rules, won’t follow California’s new ones, the administration of Democratic Gov. Jared Polis said.

Interesting with Colorado. What will the people of Oregon decide? They’ve shot down climate scam rules several times. Pennsylvania and Virginia are looking to divorce them from those rules.

Under federal law, by Lambert’s reading, states have to either adopt California’s rules in full or follow less stringent federal emission standards. He said they can’t pick and choose from parts of each. And that effectively means there’s a “ban on the books” in Minnesota for sales of new conventionally fueled vehicles starting with the 2035 model year, he said.

If EVs are so great, why aren’t all the people pushing for them driving them?

Read: 17 States Considering Following California’s EV Mandate »

Excitable Liz Cheney Says Trump “Inciting Violence” By Slamming FBI

Funny how The Respectable Republicans never seem to slam Democrats, eh? Did you see ones like Liz Cheney slam Biden for his Nazi like speech last week? Nope, she lauded him

Jan. 6 committee members say Trump’s calling the FBI ‘vicious monsters’ at a rally may constitute incitement

Members of the House January 6 committee said that former President Donald Trump’s criticisms of the FBI at Saturday rally may be a way of inciting his supporters to violence.

At the rally in Pennsylvania for GOP midterm candidates, Trump claimed the August 8 FBI raid at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida was part of a plot by his political foes.

“The FBI and the Justice Department have become vicious monsters, controlled by radical left scoundrels lawyers and the media who tell them what to do … and when to do it,” Trump said.

Rep. Liz Cheney, one of two Republicans sitting on the committee, said his shows Trump was deliberately seeking to stir violence.

“Trump is attacking law enforcement and yet again using language he knows will provoke violence. Only one group of Americans has a chance to diminish this danger — Republicans,” tweeted Cheney, who was recently ousted from her Wyoming congressional seat following a campaign by Trump.

“If my fellow Republicans fail to step up to stop this, they will share the blame for all that follows.”

According to The Principled Republicans, people are no longer allowed to speak out against the government, which is the exact main reason the 1st Amendment principle of free speech exists. It was not so people could call each other aholes, it wasn’t to beat up on pop stars, it was to criticize the government without fear of reprisal. But, for TPRs and their Democrat Comrades, they get Very Upset over anyone criticizing the Federal Government and deem them enemies of the state. Castro, Mao, Hitler, Chavez, and others would be very proud.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat on the January 6 committee, gave similar remarks in a Sunday interview with CNN.

When host Jim Acosta asked Lofgren if Trump’s comments constituted incitement, she said: “Well, potentially yes.”

There’s really not much in the 1st Amendment these people like, because it interferes with their plans.

Read: Excitable Liz Cheney Says Trump “Inciting Violence” By Slamming FBI »

A Warming World Is Causing Us To Change How we Dress Or Something

This is so horrible! We used to have to wear heavy clothes when we went ice skating and attended the carnivals on the frozen River Thames during the Little Ice Age, now (Yahoo non-paywalled version here)

Dressing for Hot: How a Warming Planet Is Changing What We Wear

Shirts made from the same polymer as plastic bags. Jeans infused with crushed jade. Garments constructed using computerized knitting for superior ventilation, or made with cooling technology designed for astronauts by NASA.

As climate change brings more intense heat waves, the next frontier in climate resilience is the clothing we wear, with innovations that promise to cool and dry the hot and sweaty masses. They could make life more bearable for construction workers, farmers, soldiers, and others who can’t retreat indoors as days and nights get hotter.

Clothing designed for heat is moving from a niche product into the mainstream, said Lorna Hall, director of fashion intelligence for WGSN, a company that tracks and forecasts consumer trends.

Niche? I live in North Carolina, and have been wearing that stuff for a long time. Wicking pants and shirts for that. I buy specific boxer-briefs (thanks to covid, my favorite brand is no longer available, have to use a different type) for it. A minor 1.5F increase since 1850 means nothing.

But the industry’s response to rising temperatures also illustrates the challenges of adapting to climate change. The most promising options tend to be the most expensive. Consumers must navigate confusing or questionable claims. And improvements in one area almost always entail trade-offs elsewhere.

Here’s a look at some of the garments already available, and others on their way — and what they reveal about the challenges of dressing for a warming world.

They go into all sorts of things, like wearing shorts to work (I wish). Undoing a button. Wearing booty shorts. Some of you might want to hold off on this. Oh, BTW, if the world is warming so badly why do so many women wear leggings/yoga pants when it’s 98 outside?

In some cases, making clothing better suited to heat can exacerbate other climate problems.

One of the most breathable natural fibers is cotton. But growing enough crop for 1 pound of cotton fiber requires almost 350 gallons of water in a good year, according to data provided by the Agricultural Research Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The best type of cotton for heat is often called Pima or Egyptian cotton, which makes garments that are thinner and lighter. Yet growing Pima requires even more water than lower-quality cotton, according to the USDA — in some cases, twice as much.

That trade-off between breathability and sustainability is a conundrum, said Sara Kozlowski, vice president at the Council of Fashion Designers of America, an industry group.

It’s always climate doom with these cultists.

Read: A Warming World Is Causing Us To Change How we Dress Or Something »

If All You See…

…is a disappearing shoreline from sea rise, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Newsbusters, with a post a liberal on MSNBC saying Biden’s speech didn’t include blacks and Native Americans.

Read: If All You See… »

Chicago Mayor Freaks Out Over More Bused Illegals, Calls It “Manufactured Human Crisis”

Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot seems a bit upset over the continued busing, but, not much over something like

Chicago shootings: 46 shot, 7 fatally in Labor Day weekend violence across city, police say

Just another weekend in the Democratic Party run city of Chicago

Mayor Lori Lightfoot lashes out at Texas Gov. Abbott after 50 more migrants are bussed to Chicago

More migrants arrived in Chicago from Texas on Sunday and Democrat Mayor Lori Lightfoot once again slammed Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, saying he is using them as human pawns.

The migrants arrived in the Windy City after Abbott sent two buses carrying migrants to Chicago last week. Abbott said he will continue to bus migrants to sanctuary cities until the federal government secures the southern border.

Lightfoot said that while she welcomes new residents, she has a problem with Abbott bussing the migrants to her city.

“My frustration comes from the actions of the governor of Texas,” she said at a press conference. “There could be a level of coordination and cooperation, but he chooses to do none of those things. Instead, he chooses to send human beings across the country to an uncertain destination. That’s unacceptable.”

You mean like how the Biden administration is sending border crossers all over the country on a constant basis, often on flights in the dead of night to cities that have zero choice and often do not know they’re there? Using groups that provide clandestine services to the CIA and NSA, who then use buses with the company names covered up?

“He is manufacturing a human crisis and it makes no sense to me,” Lightfoot said.

Right, right, it wasn’t Democrats who created the conditions where hundreds of thousands of people, not all of them from Central and South America, trek to the U.S. southern border to demand asylum (of which less than 10% will qualify), and the Biden admin has mostly left the border wide open. Many of them have criminal records, and U.S. law is rather explicit about denying them entry, per Title 8 Section 1325. If Democrats do not like having the illegals bused, well, they should work to secure the border. They should back the remain in Mexico policy. They should stop telling the migrants to show up.

There’s a very silly story also at Fox News about a rise in the thefts of Kias and Hyundais from a TikTok challenge, where states are suing the car manufacturers, rather than TikTok for allowing a “challenge” that is a telling kids to perform felonies. It includes this

Illinois authorities recently reported a 767% increase in Hyundai and Kia vehicle thefts in the Chicago area since the beginning of July compared to last year.

“Vehicle theft is up an astounding 767% due to an emerging TikTok challenge,” the Chicago Police Department’s 15th District said in an Aug. 24 community advisory. “This challenge is a play by play [sic] for young adults on how to steal both Hyundai and Kia vehicles. These automobile thefts are a crime of opportunity and can affect just about any member of the community.”

Where’s Lightfoot on these thefts?

Read: Chicago Mayor Freaks Out Over More Bused Illegals, Calls It “Manufactured Human Crisis” »

Your Fault: Flood Maps Out Of Date Because You Won’t Buy An EV

How dare you!

US flood maps outdated thanks to climate change, Fema director says

Flood maps used by the federal government are outdated, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or Fema, said on Sunday, considering a series of devastating floods caused by excessive rainfall induced by climate change.

Deanne Criswell told CNN’s State of the Union: “The part that’s really difficult right now is the fact that our flood maps don’t take into account excessive rain that comes in. And we are seeing these record rainfalls that are happening.”

Criswell was questioned about the situation in Jackson, Mississippi, where city water facilities failed in the aftermath of heavy flooding on the Pearl River, leaving residents without drinkable or usable water.

On Sunday, thunderstorms and heavy rain pounded parts of north-west Georgia, sparking flash floods. Local news reports showed roads under water and homeowners struggling. (snip)

Criswell said Fema would work with local jurisdictions “to help them better identify what their needs are and help them create better predictive models, because we have to start thinking about what the threats are going to be in the future as a result of climate change, so they can put the mitigation measures in place”.

Well, he could be correct, but, not because of climate crisis doom. Land use changes. Areas are paved over, others are stripped of all their trees for homes and business buildings, which changes what happens with the water from rains, turning areas that usually wouldn’t flood into ones that will. Or direct all that water downstream.

A 2020 study of flood risks by the nonprofit First Street Foundation that analyzed every property in the 48 contiguous US states found federal maps underestimated by 67% the number of homes and businesses in significant danger.

Doesn’t mean it’s due to Hotcoldwetdry. But, the cult has to fearmonger always.

Read: Your Fault: Flood Maps Out Of Date Because You Won’t Buy An EV »

Bummer: Democrats Seem To Still Be Avoiding Biden On The Campaign Trail

Shot

Fewer Democrats are calling for Biden to forgo a 2024 reelection campaign, buoyed by his legislative victories and falling gas prices: report

Chaser

Asset or liability? Biden’s momentum hasn’t led to new invitations on midterm campaign trail

During a trip to Wilkes-Barre, Pa. last week, President Joe Biden lavished praise on Pennsylvania’s Democratic Senate nominee John Fetterman, calling him “a hell of a guy” and “a powerful voice for working people.”

“He’s going to make a great United States senator,” Biden said.

But Fetterman, the state’s lieutenant governor, was not in attendance. The campaign said a pre-scheduled fundraiser forced Fetterman to miss the White House event on public safety.

Biden is a full-contact campaigner, known for hugging supporters, telling stories about life in Scranton, Pa., and giving fiery speeches about the little guy. But even as his once-floundering approval ratings improve, it’s unclear how often the president will be asked to join Democratic candidates in key states and congressional districts.

How many want his gaffes and ability to denigrate voters at their rallies? Him hugging and kissing little girls? Slurring his words, getting angry, losing track of what he’s saying? And, while his approval number has come up a bit, he’s still way underwater. Democrats are just avoiding the notion of him running in 2024, and the Compliant Media is refusing to ask politicians to answer the question on him running in 2024. Notice most pollsters are avoiding question on the economy and Biden’s handling of it

“If this were a couple of months ago, I think most Democratic candidates in a lot of these swing states would have been loath to be seen with him,” said David Cohen, a political science professor at the University of Akron. “Now, he’s not necessarily a huge asset for a lot of these campaigns, but he’s also not a drag on the ticket.”

Less than 70 days before the midterms, Biden is hitting the road with his first traveling blitz of the campaign season. This week, his schedule will collide with the itineraries of three Democratic Senate candidates in crucial races, testing whether they view him as a liability or strength to their campaigns.

Will Fetterman and Wisconsin Democratic Senate nominee Mandela Barnes be available? U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, Ohio’s Democratic Senate nominee, says he will be at an event at an Intel semiconductor manufacturing plant where Biden will be, but, time will tell. But, he’s also not asking Biden to campaign for him.

Still waiting for any reporter to ask Biden why he’s not traveling in an EV.

Read: Bummer: Democrats Seem To Still Be Avoiding Biden On The Campaign Trail »

If All You See…

…is a horrible carbon polluting beer, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Blazing Cat Fur, with a post on how wonderful Vancouver’s new electric fire trucks are working.

It’s MAGA week!

Read: If All You See… »

Pirate's Cove