Brandon Finally Catches On That COVID Is Over

By William Teach September 19, 2022 – 10:30 am

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 »

Posted in Bat Soup Virus, Joe Biden | 19 Comments | Trackback URL

Bummer: Driving An EV Doesn’t Make You Pro-Environment Or Something

By William Teach September 19, 2022 – 7:00 am

The Los Angeles Times is on a roll. After spending a lot of time saying how great EVs are, now they keep pushing pieces saying EVs are bad (non-paywalled at Yahoo)

Commentary: Driving an EV does not make you pro-environment

When I started driving an electric vehicle in 2018, I became part of the problem.

Not for the reasons cited by EV critics during the recent heat wave, when the state asked that electric cars not be charged during peak demand. That prompted howls of “I told you so” from those who think the electrification of everything from home appliances to cars is a left-wing pipe dream, especially in light of California’s mandate requiring 100% of all new vehicle sales to be zero-emission by 2035.

Nor am I part of the problem because of the worries expressed ad nauseum by EV skeptics, few of which have much merit. (lots of that stuff – snip past it)

And that’s part of the problem. In the end, an electric car is still, well, a car — and mass car ownership has devastating environmental consequences beyond tailpipe emissions.

I became part of this car culture in 2018, after The Times moved from downtown L.A. to El Segundo. Until then I was a dedicated transit commuter and even held out for months after The Times’ relocation. But five hours a day on buses and trains eventually got to me, so I leased a Nissan Leaf.

See, all cars are bad. But, Paul Thornton never does say that he’s stopped driving his Leaf. Weird, that.

But electric vehicles, like gas-powered cars, require vast expanses of concrete and asphalt for automotive use. This paving over of entire regions has turned neighborhoods into heat sinks that soak up energy from the sun during the day and release it at night — not exactly what we want in an era of accelerating climate change.

That’s called the Urban Heat Island effect, and, while man caused, is not global and has nothing to do with greenhouse gases.

And electric vehicles, like gas-powered cars, force their drivers to sit in the same traffic jams as everyone else, often on freeways that required the bulldozing of long-established, minority communities to be built. In Downey, locals are fighting a highway expansion plan that would displace residents from more than 200 homes. I haven’t asked, but something tells me “yeah, but more electric cars” wouldn’t convince those residents to give up fighting for their homes.

Of course there’s a raaaaacist component.

And what kind of systemic change would that be? Build out a big public transit system (L.A. is trying), and make it free, reliable and safe. Subsidize the purchase of electric bikes, which make it easier to commute longer distances on devices that use considerably less power and road space than electric cars. Think more of what people in neighborhoods need than what people driving through those neighborhoods want.

But, not for Warmists like Paul. Just for the Other People.

Read: Bummer: Driving An EV Doesn’t Make You Pro-Environment Or Something »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming | 14 Comments | Trackback URL

Brandon Admin Looks To Create A “Digital Dollar”

By William Teach September 19, 2022 – 6:45 am

What possible issues could arise from the Government holding your money? And you won’t really have a choice

Sounds reasonable

unintended consequences(Yahoo News) The Biden administration is moving one step closer to developing a central bank digital currency, known as the digital dollar, saying it would help reinforce the U.S. role as a leader in the world financial system.

The White House said on Friday that after President Joe Biden issued an executive order in March calling on a variety of agencies to look at ways to regulate digital assets, the agencies came up with nine reports, covering cryptocurrency impacts on financial markets, the environment, innovation and other elements of the economic system.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said one Treasury recommendation is that the U.S. “advance policy and technical work on a potential central bank digital currency, or CBDC, so that the United States is prepared if CBDC is determined to be in the national interest.”

Oh, a central bank controlled by unelected bureaucrats, ones who usually seem to be hardcore Progressives (nice Fascists). They certainly wouldn’t have any power to see exactly what you spend, how you spend it, limit your spending, blacklist Wrongthink individuals and companies, or anything else, right?

Why a ‘Digital Dollar’ Is a Really Bad Idea

…

Any digital currency that uses blockchain technology can technically be called a “cryptocurrency.” But, as Bitcoin influencer and content creator Layah Heilpern has aptly explained, Bitcoin has unique properties that make it valuable. Namely, it is both permissionless—anyone can use it and can use it how they want—and decentralized, meaning there’s no central authority that can control the currency.

This latter part is especially important. Because no one can increase the supply of Bitcoin beyond its predetermined mining schedule, no one can arbitrarily erode its value like the US government has done with the dollar through money-printing.

In fairness, they do this with non-digital money printing. Might it be easier with digital?

Of course, if a “digital dollar” was just kinda useless, that wouldn’t be the end of the world. But it’s much worse than that. While a central bank digital currency would offer none of the benefits of Bitcoin, it would offer governments new, unprecedented ways to control citizens. To call the idea rife for abuse is an extreme understatement.

After all, a central bank digital currency would allow the government to track your every purchase. It could also be easily used to restrict purchases.

The out of touch, insulated, elitists in government would never do something like that, right?

For example, imagine a future government deciding that gasoline must be rationed in order to address climate change. Your “digital dollars” could be made to stop working at the gas pump once you’ve purchased a certain amount of gasoline in a week. In this way, a central bank digital currency would open up new avenues for the government to assert control over our everyday lives. It would make our wealth and incomes less truly our own.

Nah, they’d never do that, right?

(Real Clear Markets) A Fed CBDC would make it hard for private citizens to avoid financial snooping by the government in every aspect of their financial lives. Moreover, suppose, as one would expect, that that the Fed’s CBDC siphoned large deposit volumes from private banks. The Fed would have to invest in financial assets to match these deposit liabilities, which would centralize credit allocation in the Federal Reserve, politicizing credit decisions and turning the Fed into a government lending bank. The global record of government banks with politicized lending has been dismal. A digital dollar could therefore undo more than a century of central bank evolution, which has usefully divided the issuer of money from private credit decisions. In the process, a digital dollar would subject private banks to vastly unequal and inevitably losing competition with the government’s central bank.  Finally, a CBDC would make it easier for the central bank to expropriate the people’s savings through negative interest rates.  For these reasons, a CBDC may fit an authoritarian country like China, but not the United States.

Just another Big Government idea from the Brandon admin.

Read: Brandon Admin Looks To Create A “Digital Dollar” »

Posted in Economy, Joe Biden | 9 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach September 18, 2022 – 1:20 pm

…are horrible plastic stools made from fossil fuels, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Real Climate Science, with a post on lies, damned lies, and climate statistics.

It’s shorts week!

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 15 Comments | Trackback URL

Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

By William Teach September 18, 2022 – 9:01 am

Patriotic Pinup Peter Driben

Happy Sunday! A gorgeous day in the Once and Future Nation Of America. The Sun is shining, the geese are honking, and the NY Giants are perfect so far this season. This pinup is by Peter Driben, with a wee bit of help.

What is happening in Ye Olde Blogosphere? The Fine 15

  1. Sultan Knish discusses the coming outlawing of the Republican party
  2. White House Dossier covers John Kerry wanting Africa to implement his climate goals
  3. The Feral Irishman has cofeve memes for your Sunday coffee
  4. The First Street Journal says it’s the job of parents to raise their kids, not teachers
  5. The Gateway Pundit covers 850 teachers and aids being fired for failing to comply with vax mandate in NYC
  6. The O.K. Corral features the newest flavor of potato chips
  7. The Other McCain covers the Mayor Of Crazy Town USA
  8. The Right Scoop notes DeSantis is obliterating fundraising records
  9. This ain’t Hell… covers the Army seeing a big drop in qualification and test scores
  10. Weasel Zippers highlights all the Democrats who denied the 2016 election results
  11. Green Jihad notes the cost of a new Tesla battery
  12. Jo Nova discusses Facebook sending your messages to the FBI if you vote the wrong way
  13. Not A Lot Of People Know That covers Manchester having to shut down by 2027 due to their carbon budget
  14. Watts Up With That? features government denying people access to energy
  15. And last, but, not least, 357 Magnum notes that it’s not racist if a Democrat says it

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

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

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

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

Read: Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup »

Posted in Patriotic Pinup | 11 Comments | Trackback URL

NY Times: American Democracy Is In Crisis From Republicans Adhering To The Constitution

By William Teach September 18, 2022 – 7:00 am

Of course, this is playing to their unhinged, bat guano insane base, but, it is also reckless in that it whips those same barking moonbats into a frenzy towards violence (non-paywalled Yahoo version here)

‘A Crisis Coming’: The Twin Threats to American Democracy

The United States has experienced deep political turmoil several times before over the past century. The Great Depression caused Americans to doubt the country’s economic system. World War II and the Cold War presented threats from global totalitarian movements. The 1960s and ’70s were marred by assassinations, riots, a losing war and a disgraced president.

Riots? Like all the BLM/Antifa ones in 2020? Like Leftists declaring the CHOP zone of Seattle as no longer part of the United States? Taking over police stations? Invading people’s homes and businesses?

These earlier periods were each more alarming in some ways than anything that has happened in the United States recently. Yet during each of those previous times of tumult, the basic dynamics of American democracy held firm. Candidates who won the most votes were able to take power and attempt to address the country’s problems.

The current period is different. As a result, the United States today finds itself in a situation with little historical precedent. American democracy is facing two distinct threats, which together represent the most serious challenge to the country’s governing ideals in decades.

This should be good

The first threat is acute: a growing movement inside one of the country’s two major parties — the Republican Party — to refuse to accept defeat in an election.

J6, blah blah blah. No mention of Democrats still caterwauling over the 2000 election, saying Bush stole it with the help of the Supreme Court. And 2004, Diebold voting machines in Ohio. And Russia Russia Russia for 2016. Weird, right?

The second threat to democracy is chronic but also growing: The power to set government policy is becoming increasingly disconnected from public opinion.

The run of recent Supreme Court decisions — both sweeping and, according to polls, unpopular — highlights this disconnect. Although the Democratic Party has won the popular vote in seven of the past eight presidential elections, a Supreme Court dominated by Republican appointees seems poised to shape American politics for years, if not decades. And the court is only one of the means through which policy outcomes are becoming less closely tied to the popular will.

Does it need mentioning that we are not a Democracy, ie, mob rule, at the Federal level? That 1. the minority has safeguards from majority tyranny, and 2. we have a Constitution which sets the rules, regardless of public sentiment? Unless that majority can get an Amendment through the process. Or that Democrats will sue when the majority votes, such as California’s ban on gay marriage? And gay marriage bans in other states?

Two of the past four presidents have taken office despite losing the popular vote. Senators representing a majority of Americans are often unable to pass bills, partly because of the increasing use of the filibuster. Even the House, intended as the branch of the government that most reflects the popular will, does not always do so because of the way districts are drawn.

Hmm, that seems to be denying the rules as laid out by the Constitution for presidential election.

“We are far and away the most countermajoritarian democracy in the world,” said Steven Levitsky, a professor of government at Harvard University and a co-author of the book “How Democracies Die,” with Daniel Ziblatt.

That’s a good thing. The Minority has rights and safeguards. The same Constitutional rules the NY Times is whining about as the second threat keeps Democrats from getting run over in Republican run states. Anyhow, it is a long, wackadoodle piece, ending with

The makeup of the federal government reflects public opinion less closely than it once did. And the chance of a true constitutional crisis — in which the rightful winner of an election cannot take office — has risen substantially. That combination shows that American democracy has never faced a threat quite like the current one.

Yes, the bureaucracy is heavily Democratic Party voters, well above the Republican/Independent/Democrat split. They do not serve the country, they serve their Beliefs. And, as the comment at the Yahoo piece with the most upvotes notes

The biggest threat to the American Democracy is the people that are elected to serve in the House and Senate that do not do the job of representing the people that elected them while at the same time setting themselves up as a pseudo-aristocracy whose only goal is to remain in power. If they would start doing the jobs they were elected to perform there would not be this amount of frustration and dissatisfaction.

Things we could do

  1. Repeal the 17th Amendment, allowing state general assemblies to appoint senators to represent the will of the state, ambassadors to the federal government, as intended. They will do what their states say, not what the big money donors.
  2. Term limits for Representatives. Eight years
  3. Federally elected positions and appointed administrators will not be allowed to trade stock while in office. Period. No trading stock for any federal employee if it is related to the agency they work for
  4. Balanced budget amendment
  5. Those running for the House may not take in more than 10% of their campaign donations from outside of their district. How does it help the people of that district when a goodly chunk comes from outside?
  6. Allocation to federal agencies will be based on what the agencies need, not what they want, reducing overspending, just like at private sector companies
  7. No more allowing cost over-runs when contracting something, unless the agency requests it. If the contractor is running late and over-budget, tough. Fulfill your contract, eat the money.
  8. Fed govt needs to stop funding everything local. Which gives them power over the towns and cities. Such as all the money to police depts, giving the feds power over the police
  9. Lower taxation. Money should be going to your town and state, not so much to feds

Reduce the power of the federal government, returning it to the states. And cities. Where it belongs. People would not need to care that much what is going on in D.C., but, in their town halls and general assemblies. Which are closer to The People. This is not what Progressives, like the folks at the NY Times want. They want a massively powerful federal government which can mandate how citizens live their lives. Yet, they never seem to realize this will apply to their own lives.

Read: NY Times: American Democracy Is In Crisis From Republicans Adhering To The Constitution »

Posted in Constitution, Wonky Media | 30 Comments | Trackback URL

Climate Cultists Already Advocating Moving On From EVs

By William Teach September 17, 2022 – 3:00 pm

They’re super excited to force Other People onto buses, trains, and bikes. Of course, one major thing missing is Michael Schneider, founder of Streets for All, explaining how he only uses mass transit and bikes (also available at Yahoo News not behind paywall)

Op-Ed: Think bigger. Switching to electric cars isn’t enough

It might feel like the easy solution — just replace your gas-guzzling SUV with an electric SUV, and if everyone does that, eventually we’ll solve climate change. You can see why California regulators decided last month that by 2035, all new cars sold in the state must be electric. After all, car exhaust is the single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in California, so surely switching gas-powered cars to electric ones will make a huge dent in fighting climate change.

Except it doesn’t. For starters, electric cars still pollute. They don’t have tailpipe emissions, but the process of producing and transporting them creates pollution. According to the International Energy Agency, the average gas-powered car will create 41.9 tons of CO2 emissions from the point it’s manufactured until it’s retired, in contrast to 21.1 tons of CO2 from an EV. In other words, while the average EV will pollute about 50% less compared with a gas-powered car, it’s still highly polluting.

There’s also pollution, and other harms, that come before the manufacturing stage, especially in the intensifying global competition to procure rare earth materials (concentrated in China) for EV batteries. In the past, we have often been dependent on the Middle East for oil. Do we want to create a future in which we’re again dependent on countries that may not be aligned with our values for required materials for our transportation system?

In fairness, Michael is correct, however, we would be cutting out the smog produced from internal combustion engines. To hell with CO2, cleaner air would be nice, right? Remember how nice it was for air quality during lockdown? Still doesn’t mean you should be forced into an EV, though

The second issue is power capacity. During the first week in September, California faced a historic heat wave, and alerts were issued asking EV owners to not charge their vehicles during peak times. And this is at a time when only 1.9% of cars operating in California are EVs. What happens when that number is 5%? Or 20%? Without a dramatic increase in power production from clean sources, it won’t be possible to supply power to all the EVs without ramping up use of coal and natural gas for electricity generation, increasing emissions from fossil fuels.

So, wait, EVs aren’t the solution? Weird. Has he told People’s Republik of California governor Gavin Newsom and President Brandon?

If all cars were electric, we would still spend a disproportionate amount of money building and maintaining car infrastructure, with little left over to build world-class high-speed rail, bus or bike infrastructure inside and between our cities. We would still have outdated parking requirements for developers — which drive up the cost of housing and aggravate sprawl. And because EVs typically weigh more than their gas-powered counterparts, and heavier vehicles wear down the road faster, we will need to spend even more money on maintenance over the long term.

Electric cars aren’t a panacea to solve climate change. They can be part of the solution, but a myopic focus on electric cars as the solution prevents us from seeing so many other ideas. We need a future with fewer cars (electric or not) and much more public transit and bike usage. We need a complete rethink of how we use our public space, and better infrastructure so people can take short trips without using a car.

And there we go, the climate cult is already pushing away from EVs. At least for you peasants.

Read: Climate Cultists Already Advocating Moving On From EVs »

Posted in Climate Cult, Global Warming | 7 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach September 17, 2022 – 1:00 pm

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

The blog of the day is Jihad Watch, with a post on an activist nutritionist saying eating right is raaaaacist.

Second photo below the fold, so, check out Pacific Pundit, with a post on MSNBC showing migrants thanking DeSantis for sending them to Martha’s Vineyard.

Read More »

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 6 Comments | Trackback URL

White House Says Surging Resources To Border Or Something

By William Teach September 17, 2022 – 10:30 am

Good thing we have a press that is going to press the Biden administration for answers, eh?

White House says it’s ‘surging’ resources to Texas to address migrant influx but offers no details

The Biden administration says it is “surging” resources to El Paso, where migrants with nowhere else to go are sleeping in the streets while they scrape together bus money or await immigration proceedings.

Pressed to say what the administration is doing to help migrants, with homeless shelters mostly overwhelmed in Texas’ sixth-largest city, the White House did not elaborate and deferred to the Department of Homeland Security, which did not respond to request for comment.

“They’ve been surging resources to the region and working to quickly decompress the area,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday.

Migrants not immediately expelled are screened and processed to have their asylum claims heard by immigration judges in removal proceedings, Jean-Pierre said.

Jean-Pierre should have been pressed to answer exactly what the Biden admin is doing. If your friend made a dubious claim, you’d press them, would you not? Or your kids? A coworker or subordinate? But, the media just lets it go, probably sent an email over to Homeland, then moved on. Nor did they ask how many are being allowed to hang in the U.S. vs immediate deportation. Nor should any be allowed to simply roam free and clear till their asylum claim hearing, which most will not qualify for.

Border Patrol Chief in El Paso addresses migrant concerns from law enforcement, lawmakers

…

El Paso Sector Border Patrol Chief, Gloria Chavez, said agents didn’t release any migrants into the streets.

Chavez said the Border Patrol is making changes to the way it’s handing this latest surge while they deal with a harsh reality.

“As the chief of the Border Patrol in this region, I don’t want to release people into the community. That is something that is not ok with us,” Chavez said. “The reality is that my central processing center is at capacity. I am holding right now, 2,700 people in a facility that is authorize to hold 1,040.

She explained the overflow lot is holding 500 people who are waiting to be processed at the moment.

Still no Kamala at the border to view an area overrun with migrants

During the intake, agents review fingerprints, photograph migrants for biometrics.

“We want to know who they are. If we have any criminals within these groups coming in, they are not going to be released into that community,” Chavez said.

Released? Why not immediately deported?

Congressman Tony Gonzales, who represents a portion of El Paso, shared his concerns about the surge.

“Right now, the Border Patrol is getting about 1,300 migrants a day and the city of El Paso is getting further behind,” Gonzales said.

Yet, Martha’s Vineyard declared an emergency over 50

Gonzales said a handful of Border Patrol agents are able to patrol the border due to the time spent processing migrants.

“On any shift, in El Paso, you have about eight Border Patrol agents in the field. Everyone else is processing. Essentially, there is nobody out in the field to cover this. Meanwhile there is no end in sight,” Gonzales said.

Does that look like a surge?

Read: White House Says Surging Resources To Border Or Something »

Posted in Illegal Immigration, Joe Biden | 11 Comments | Trackback URL

Brandon Really Excited To Push Floating Wind Turbines

By William Teach September 17, 2022 – 7:15 am

I can think of the perfect place for the first ones

Biden plans floating platforms to expand offshore wind power

The Biden administration on Thursday announced plans to develop floating platforms in the deep ocean for wind towers that could power millions of homes and vastly expand offshore wind in the United States.

The plan would target sites in the Pacific Ocean off the California and Oregon coasts, as well as in the Atlantic in the Gulf of Maine.

President Joe Biden hopes to deploy up to 15 gigawatts of electricity through floating sites by 2035, enough to power 5 million homes. The administration has previously set a goal of 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030 using traditional technology that secures wind turbines to the ocean floor. (snip)

The Biden administration “is all-in on making floating offshore wind a real part of our of our energy mix and winning the global race to lead in this space,” Granholm said. ”And that’s why we set this big, hairy audacious goal” of 15 gigawatts of floating offshore wind by 2035.

It’s not quiet deep water, but, how about

Think he’d be good with a bunch of floating wind turbines right there? Or regular ones? Or, will he try and block them like John Kerry and Ted Kennedy did for the Cape Wind project?

Understand, I’m not against this. I’m for it. I think it’s a great idea. We have to account for rough seas and storms and running the power lines, along with upkeep, but, sure, take advantage of the wind which is free without ruining the view. And not having massive concrete pads like for onshore ones. But, you know the Elite climate cultists will not want to see them. And, if they’d stop pushing this stuff because of ‘climate change’, they’d get more support.

 

Read: Brandon Really Excited To Push Floating Wind Turbines »

Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Joe Biden | 5 Comments | Trackback URL
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