People’s Republik Of California Looking To Try Passing Universal Healthcare

The last time California bandied this about, they learned that it would cost at least twice the current budge of the state, and there was no real way to pay for it. There would be a hundreds of billions shortfall. Also, while a majority support universal healthcare in theory, when it comes to seeing taxes and such going up only around 42% supported this. Democrats never give up on their ideas, though, because this is not about taking care of people, it’s about controlling people

Democrats propose California universal healthcare, funded by new income, business taxes

California would enact a sweeping, first-in-the-nation universal healthcare plan under a proposal unveiled Thursday by a group of state Democratic lawmakers, providing health services to every resident and financed by a broad array of new taxes on individuals and businesses.

Though some of the policy details of the ambitious plan were laid out last year, the way to fund it had not been determined. The proposal, now laid out in separate pieces of legislation, faces significant hurdles in the coming months — first at the state Capitol, with opposition from groups representing doctors and insurance companies, and then possibly at the ballot box, as voters would have to approve the taxes in an amendment to the California Constitution.

They didn’t know how to pay for this in 2017, and they still have little idea

Assembly Bill 1400 would create “CalCare,” a system governed by an independent board of directors that promises access to any doctor, regardless of network, and a wide variety of medical services. The new entity would push to bring payments to providers more in line with the costs of care and would seek to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs. The plan includes long-term care coverage and services for senior citizens and disabled people, and would remove barriers based on a patient’s immigration status.

And would see doctors and medical facilities heading for other states.

The plan’s proposed tax increase might present the most difficult political hurdle: As a constitutional amendment, it would require a supermajority vote in both the state Senate and Assembly and then ratification by voters in either the June or November statewide election. While Democrats have held a supermajority of seats in both houses for the better part of a decade, they have rarely found enough support within their ranks for a broad-based tax increase.

The constitutional amendment would impose a new excise tax on businesses equal to 2.3% of any annual gross receipts in excess of $2 million. A new payroll tax would also be created, equal to 1.25% of total annual wages and collected from businesses employing 50 or more people. An additional payroll tax would be required for employers with workers earning more than $49,900 a year.

Good luck with that. Remember this oldy but goody from the Obamacare era?

“I was laughing at Boehner — until the mail came today,”

Waschura said, referring to House Speaker John Boehner, who is leading the Republican charge to defund Obamacare.

“I really don’t like the Republican tactics, but at least now I can understand why they are so pissed about this. When you take $10,000 out of my family’s pocket each year, that’s otherwise disposable income or retirement savings that will not be going into our local economy.”

“Of course, I want people to have health care,” Vinson said. “I just didn’t realize I would be the one who was going to pay for it personally.”

Personally, I think California should give it a whirl. You can’t have an experiment without an experimental group. And anyone who voted Democrat in the state should not be allowed to escape to another state.

Read: People’s Republik Of California Looking To Try Passing Universal Healthcare »

Shocking: Driving Around In An EV Is Not That Convenient

Even in a much smaller nation like the U.K. things are tough. This reminds me of one of the reviews of the Chevy Volt, where it was very cold and the driver didn’t want to turn on the heat in order to save charge, with her toes freezing

I drove an electric van cross-country for a month. It was cheaper than a normal car, but the challenges showed how far EV travel has to go.

Electric vehicleI want to get an electric vehicle one day. The reduced environmental impact and lower cost are appealing — but their range and the process of charging make me anxious to take the plunge, even as EVs go farther and charging points become more common. AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson said in February that most EV drivers were still not taking overnight trips away from their home-charging setup.

If people are afraid to take their average $54,000 vehicles on an over night trip, we, that’s rather a problem, eh? In fairness, people probably didn’t drive their Model T’s and such too far over a hundred years ago

By chance, I got the opportunity to have a monthlong test drive and experience what relying on an EV to travel long distances is really like.

In my day job as a TV and events presenter, I had to drive with a colleague around Britain working at food events. When my client offered me an electric Volkswagen ABT Transporter, I jumped at it.

The ABT had a range of only 80 miles, so my trip required numerous charges during the day and constant planning. Each morning, rather than setting a location in a GPS and simply setting off, we’d have to map the route via fast-charge points, individually checking each point against recent Google reviews to ensure they were in service.

Also, in fairness, that’s rather short for range. It also, get this, costs around $51,000 U.S. Yikes! It’s also a van.

Apps like PlugShare and Zap Map allowed for route planning. User-sourced data theoretically allows drivers to see which charge points are out of service or in use, but even using this information I found issues with one in four of the 36 charge points I visited over the month.

At some charge stations, these apps showed there was a free charging point because there were several. But at one, it turned out to be only possible to charge one vehicle at a time.

This wasn’t an isolated incident. We had to wait at times for a charge point for up to 45 minutes. Repeatedly doing this could add hours onto a longer journey.

You could fill your tank in under 10 minutes and be back on the road. You could also get a hybrid. I was seriously considering the Honda Accord Hybrid Sport, but, the leasing isn’t that good yet, and, a Civic Hatchback EXL is about $4k less.

Anyhow, there were lots of problems, and, really, do you want to plan every darned trip that much? When I drive north to see the parents, my only plan is to get gas before or after Baltimore, because I don’t want to stop anywhere near that dangerous city. That’s all I need to worry about. If I want to get off 95 to get food or use the bathroom, no worries.

Elsewhere in EVs

Chevy unveiled its cheapest electric model yet, a $30,000 crossover SUV

The automaker took the wraps off of its upcoming Chevrolet Equinox EV, a small electric SUV that will cost around $30,000 in its base configuration. The Equinox EV will bring another low-cost, electric option to the country’s most popular vehicle segment: compact SUVs. (snip)

GM didn’t offer many details about the Equinox EV. The SUV will be available in both fleet and retail versions, have RS and LT trims, and use GM’s new Ultium battery platform. Judging by the photos GM shared, we can see that the Equinox EV will have a large touchscreen and a second driver-facing display. A slim light bar stretches across the SUV’s front end.

The big one is the range. How much will you get for $30,000? A Civic hatch EXL (I ordered mine in Meteorite Gray) gets 31/29/35. With a 12.39 gallon tank, that’s an average range of 433 miles. My Accord Sport does about that with an average of 32 and a bigger gas tank. I don’t have to worry about finding a gas station. The Civic is $28460, with leather, sunroof (don’t care), remote start, seat heaters (don’t car), blind spot monitor, power seat, and more. And will hold a heck of a lot more value than a Chevy, regular or EV.

But, everyone is trying to get in on this trend, including Sony, regardless of whether there is consumer demand, which there really isn’t. And, lots of outlets are now saying how bad EVs will be in the cold and snow, like when everyone was stuck in northern Virginia. And this is all to deal with an imaginary, made up problem.

Read: Shocking: Driving Around In An EV Is Not That Convenient »

SCOTUS To Hear Oral Arguments On Biden Vaccine Mandates Today

Once again, I whole-heartedly recommend getting vaccinate. I have, and I got the booster, and I have a reminder to check on getting another booster in April. I prefer to be protected, and, if I get it, know it will most likely be mild. Others can make their own f’ing decisions

Vaccine mandates: The ‘big question’ at the heart of a Supreme Court challenge

The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled on Friday to hear oral arguments on emergency applications for and against the Biden administration’s right to enforce two vaccine mandates that impact roughly 100 million U.S. workers, and that, for now, remain in legal limbo.

The in-person arguments, rarely granted to handle emergency applications, will address a narrow issue: whether the states and business groups seeking to invalidate the mandates as unconstitutional can keep them from being carried out until courts determine the legality of the mandates themselves.

“The big question in both cases is whether the federal government has the authority to impose such a sweeping requirement, whether the government followed the appropriate due process procedure, and whether the government overreached by imposing rules that are going to strain businesses already struggling with major staffing shortages,” Harry Nelson, founder and managing partner of health care law firm Nelson Hardiman, said about the broader constitutional issue. (snip)

The administration’s authority to direct private business to require vaccination policies has been mired in litigation brought by Republican-led states, as well as business groups. Court orders in those cases, some allowing and some denying enforcement during their pendency, have shown enough inconsistency to get the high court’s attention.

The mandates’ challengers say that in directing OSHA and CMS to adopt vaccination requirements, the Biden administration overstepped its executive authority. Congress never delegated that power to the executive branch, they argue.

Has the Legislative branch been granted the power to pass a law which would allow vaccine mandates, and did Congress pass a law on any Constitutional authority that grants the Executive branch the power to implement mandates? I’m betting one question will be on why it’s only on companies with 100+ employees.

I guess we will see.

Read: SCOTUS To Hear Oral Arguments On Biden Vaccine Mandates Today »

Your Fault: Climate Crisis Emergency Doom Threatens Florida Strawberries

It’s certainly the fault of AOC and Eric Swalwell, along with other Blue state Dems, who took long, fossil fueled trips to Florida

What climate change means for Florida strawberry farmers

climate change joke

Florida’s strawberry harvest is underway. Farmers are facing challenges due to climate change, but researchers are trying to help them adapt.

Vance Whitaker grows strawberries for a living, but he’s not a farmer. He’s an associate professor of plant breeding at the University of Florida IFAS extension service in Wimauma. When it comes to temperature changes, he says strawberries are resilient.

“We have so much temperature variability within a single season in Florida, because the season starts around Thanksgiving and goes, to around Easter or beyond,” he said.

Whitaker says the real climate threat to strawberries is more rain. A wetter growing season means the crop will be more vulnerable to fungal diseases. So, he’s working to create strawberries that will thrive in a wetter climate.

Doesn’t it, you know, rain a lot in Florida?

As for this current season, Whitaker says it’s a wonderful time for strawberries, thanks to warm days and cool evenings.

Oh, phew, it’s not all doom and gloom. Thanks to your Evil appetite for cheeseburgers Florida is warm during the day and cool at night during the growing season!

Really, though, it goes to show how cult-like the media is. Why was this necessary? The weather in Florida is always variable. Big whoop.

Read: Your Fault: Climate Crisis Emergency Doom Threatens Florida Strawberries »

If All You See…

…is a sea circulation system that is shutting down because Other People won’t buy EVs, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Victory Girls Blog, with a post on Dems jumping ship after seeing the polls.

Read: If All You See… »

Politicized DOJ Will Go After People Who Weren’t Even At J6 Mostly Peaceful Protest

This will probably be about the only January 6th post I do. It wasn’t that big of a deal. Democrat Elites and their compliant media, though, think it’s the Worst Thing Ever

Garland says “the actions we have taken thus far” on January 6 rioters “will not be our last”

Attorney General Merrick Garland marked the one-year anniversary of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol with a sweeping defense of the Justice Department’s investigation, hinting that prosecutors’ mission to hold organizers accountable could include charging those not physically present at the U.S. Capitol during the riot.

“The actions we have taken thus far will not be our last,” Garland said Wednesday, addressing staff members gathered in the Justice Department’s Great Hall for the publicly broadcasted speech.

“The Justice Department remains committed to holding all January 6th perpetrators, at any level, accountable under law — whether they were present that day or were otherwise criminally responsible for the assault on our democracy.” He added, “We will follow the facts wherever they lead.”

Not even physically present. It’s a witch hunt at this point. This is all primarily political for Garland and the Democrats, something they think will help them for the mid-terms, a way to whip up their unhinged moonbat base, and a way to hide their extremist agenda. But, also, consider: the same DOJ is not going after all those who attacked federal buildings during the BLM/Antifa riots, particularly the one in Portland. They know who a lot of these people are, because they were arrested for being there and committing crimes, then released. Many were arrested and released, with charges dropped, multiple times.

The piece is as dumb as you think

Trump haters and extreme leftist will be having orgasms over this.

Read: Politicized DOJ Will Go After People Who Weren’t Even At J6 Mostly Peaceful Protest »

Climate Crisis (scam) Could Lead To Power Outages And Higher Bills Or Something

This is the climate cult per-emptively finding ways to Blame ‘climate change’ when the initiatives the cult institutes skyrockets power bills and causes blackouts and brownouts

Climate change could lead to power outages, higher power costs on west coast of US

Two new studies led by a North Carolina State University researcher offer a preview of what electricity consumers on the West Coast could experience under two different future scenarios: one where excessive heat due to climate change strains power supplies, and one where the grid shifts toward renewable energy while the climate follows historic trends. In both cases, they found power costs and reliability remain vulnerable to extreme weather.

“The impacts of climate change and extreme weather events on the grid, mostly in the form of drought and heat waves, are going to get worse under climate change,” said Jordan Kern, assistant professor of forestry and environment resources at NC State. “Even as the West Coast grid moves away from fossil fuels toward wind and solar, these extreme weather events will still impact system reliability and the price of power.”

Published in the journal Earth’s Future, the two studies project future power supply and demand under separate scenarios. In the first study, researchers used computer models to simulate the impacts of climate change on the current power grid in California and the Pacific Northwest. They evaluated the grid’s price and reliability under 11 different climate scenarios between 2030 and 2060, drawing on multiple scientific models for how the climate would change under a “worst-case scenario” of fossil fuel emissions, and another less severe scenario.

Computer models. So, garbage. But, they both predict doom. Even if there’s lots and lots of “renewables” the price is going up and reliability down. Just like we’ve seen in California now.

Read: Climate Crisis (scam) Could Lead To Power Outages And Higher Bills Or Something »

Fauci Says Don’t Be Complacent With Omicron, Keeps Scaremongering Going

It’s really hard to determine whether the people in the federal government, especially Fauci, are being serious or whether they’re just trying to keep the gravy train going, enjoying the power trip, the notoriety, being wined and dined by the compliant media

U.S. can’t be complacent on Omicron despite reduced severity -Fauci

The United States cannot be complacent about the Omicron variant of the coronavirus despite signs of its lower severity compared to the Delta variant, top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said on Wednesday.

The variant’s reduced severity might be overridden by the volume of cases arising from its increased transmissibility, Fauci said at a White House briefing.

“(Omicron) could still stress our hospital system because a certain proportion of a large volume of cases, no matter what, are going to be severe,” Fauci said.

Wasn’t that the reason for the initial lockdown, to stop the spread and keep the hospitals from being over-run, even though most weren’t? He is right that Omicron is pretty darned infectious, as I know of more people who’ve gotten Omicron since the week before Christmas till now (heck, 4 notifications for work went out on Tuesday) than people I know who actually got COVID from Feb 2020 till that week. None of them are serious, though, and a couple are already back. But, Fauci can’t give up the doomy talk, because it’s all he knows.

Germany could reduce COVID isolation periods to keep country running

Germany is considering shortening COVID-19 self-isolation periods over fears that critical services could grind to a halt as the highly infectious Omicron variant takes hold, a health ministry plan showed on Wednesday.

Workers in critical sectors, such as hospitals or electricity suppliers, would be able to end their isolation after five days, provided they test PCR negative for the virus, under the draft proposals being sent to regional leaders. The current isolation period is 14 days for everyone.

For the general population, the isolation period would be reduced to seven days with a negative PCR test, according to the draft document prepared for the leaders, who will meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday to discuss how to respond to the spread of the Omicron variant.

So, it’s not based on science, but, economic need? Huh. Meanwhile, the People’s Republik Of California extended their indoor mask mandate to February 15th. Looks like someone wasn’t happy about that

Swalwell pulled an AOC, and like a lot of other Democrats, who are fine pushing Other People to be restricted and masked, but, not themselves, so, they go to the free and open Red state of Florida.

Read: Fauci Says Don’t Be Complacent With Omicron, Keeps Scaremongering Going »

Climate Cult Wants To To Eat “Climatarian”

Or, they could simply mind their own business instead of trying to force Other People to eat a certain way

What is the Climatarian diet? Foods you can eat to minimize your carbon footprint in 2022

If your New Year’s resolution is to help combat climate change, the food you eat could make a big difference.

It’s not. And, for most Warmists, it’s not, except to agitate. They won’t actually do anything themselves

A Climatarian diet focuses on reducing your carbon footprint with plant-based, locally sourced produce, according to nutrition app Lifesum.

Increased carbon emissions are drastically changing our planet, including rising temperatures and sea levels, which contribute to more heatwaves, drought and storms, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. A Climatarian diet has the potential to not just help the planet but also improve your health, according to Dr. Alona Pulde, a family practitioner specializing in nutrition and lifestyle medicine at Lifesum.

And what do they recommend?

  1. Lentils and beans
  2. Local and seasonal fruits and veggies
  3. Whole grains
  4. Nuts and seeds
  5. Chicken

And what do they not want people to eat?

  1. Beef and lamb (I can deal without lamb. Beef? Piss off)
  2. Palm oil (this, yes. Palm oil is bad for the environment, causes massive defoliation and clearcutting, along with destruction of species. Interestingly, palm oil was meant to be helpful to reduce carbon footprints.
  3. Farmed fish
  4. Coffee (good luck with that)
  5. Sugar (piss off)

Most of this used to be called eating responsible to be healthier, now the climate cult has appropriated it.

Read: Climate Cult Wants To To Eat “Climatarian” »

If All You See…

…is a wonderful, Progressive big city which will soon be swamped by sea rise, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is The Other McCain, with a post on Dems continuing their J6 insanity.

Read: If All You See… »

Pirate's Cove