…is what could possibly be an oil rig, but, even if it isn’t, it is a reminder that oil for Other People is bad, you might just be a Warmist
The blog of the day is Victory Girls Blog, with a post on Dems showing that they just cannot move on from Trump.
Read: If All You See… »
Considering how much debt so many kids accrued in obtaining their mostly worthless degrees, how does this help?
Joe Biden supports ‘immediately’ canceling some student loan debt, penalizing American taxpayers
Former Vice President Joe Biden declared Monday that, as president, he would move to ensure that Americans with student loans have some of their debt “immediately” — by magic, apparently — wiped away.
Outstanding student loan debt currently stands at more than $1.5 trillion.
Biden was asked by a reporter on Monday whether student loan forgiveness is part of his economic agenda. Biden responded affirmatively, no doubt pleasing the Democratic Party’s far-left members.
“It’s holding people up,” Biden said of student loan debt, the New York Times reported. “They’re in real trouble. They’re having to make choices between paying their student loans and paying their rent, those kinds of decisions. It should be done immediately.”
Biden voiced support for a proposal from House Democrats that would forgive $10,000 of student loan debt per borrower.
“Immediate $10,000 forgiveness of student loans, helping people up there in real trouble,” Biden said, Fox News reported.
I guess that would be nice, but, what of the idiots who accrued $50K or more to get a degree in something ending in Studies or 5th Century Art or something? Let’s not forget that Democrats run most colleges and mostly set the costs of colleges. They’re they ones charging $200 for a text book that’s a quarter the size of a Steven King book which costs $30. And the ones teaching at colleges, pushing the kids into Victimhood for the loans they voluntarily signed, instead of working to pay for the degree or getting a scholarship.
House Democrats originally proposed forgiving $10,000 of student loan debt per borrower as part of their proposal for a second COVID-19 relief bill, which had a price tag of $3 trillion, making it the most expensive bill in history. The legislation was never considered in the Republican-controlled Senate because of its cost.
They scaled that back to only those who were “economically distressed” on the day before Trump declared the COVID emergency on March 12th, but, either way, is it any wonder that Republicans would not take the measure up?
Contrary to what progressives like Ocasio-Cortez claim, “canceling debt” is not something that actually exists. Lawmakers could remove a borrower’s liability for re-paying the debt, but the debt will be shifted onto someone.
In the case of federal student loans, the burden would be further shifted onto taxpayers.
Let’s not forget that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, ie, Obamacare, made the federal government as the backers of all student loans, at which point the student debt exploded. So, if they “forgive” the debt, the federal government is on the hook, which means taxpayers are on the hook. Where will the money come from? And what happens next? What of the people who are in college now, who will demand forgiveness? And you can bet that homeowners, car owners, boat owners, people with credit card debt, etc, will demand the same thing. Some might be tongue in cheek, some might be real.
Read: China Joe Up For Forgiving $10,000 In Student Loan Debt Per Student »
One thing to remember: for all the talk about how super awesome the Paris climate agreement was, virtually none of the the nations who signed it are keeping their commitments. For those who made commitments. And many of the commitments weren’t considered strong enough to comply with Paris. Heck, even France is not in compliance. Climate cultists can Blame Trump and the “lack of U.S. leadership”, but, did nations really need the U.S. to practice what they preach? If China Joe does rejoin the agreement, will the nations suddenly keep their commitments? Don’t count on it
India only country among G20 nations to meet climate change mitigation commitments
India is the only country among G-20 nations that is on track to meet its climate change mitigation commitments of 2 degrees Celcius under the 2015 Paris Agreement, said a report released by a coalition of 14 global thinktanks including TERI.
The development was flagged by Climate Transparency which examined the efforts of countries to combat climate change among the G20 nations.
According to the Climate Transparency report (CT) 2020 released on Wednesday, India’s actions on climate targets set under 2015 Paris Agreement makes it compatible to achieve curbs on global warming by 2 degrees Celsius.
The climate action tracker has put China in the ‘highly sufficient category’ despite its promise to become carbon neutral by 2060, according to a report in Times of India.
The CT report said that India has promised to reduce its emissions by 33-35 per cent and take action on energy, waste, transport and other sectors.
However, the report further said that India is not on the track to achieve the Paris climate agreement’s long-term goal of 1.5 Celcius target.
“India is the only country which is on track consistent to move the world to a 2-degree Celsius warming figure, though not a 1.5-degree warming future,” the Times of India report quoted TERI Director General Ajay Mathur as saying.
Huh. How about that? Of course, India’s pledges are actually pretty weak. And to say China is in the “highly sufficient category” is a joke. Talk is cheap, and that is what both nations are mostly doing, talk, especially China. Regardless, that only one nation is considered on track for 2C shows the folly of the Paris Climate Agreement. If you pledge to reduce your fossil fuels usage in half and call that historic, but you only reduce it by 10%, is that still historic?
Read: Report: India Is The Only G20 Country To Meet Their “Historic” Paris Climate Agreement Commitments »
We can dissect the election ad nauseum. Yes, there were lots of, let’s just say, irregularities. Let’s also note that Trump did not help himself by creating enemies. He should have been battling the media and Democrats, not friendly fire with Republicans, and should have spent more time touting his achievements. Consider the way his spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany is able to battle White House reporters while also highlighting the reality. Somewhat TDS infused Ann Coulter is sorta right that Americans want Trumpism without Trump.
You know what they also do not want? Socialism, at least in large swaths of America.
‘I’m not a f—ing socialist’: Florida Democrats are having a postelection meltdown
It wasn’t just one bad cycle. For Democrats in Florida, Election Day 2020 was a tipping point in a long, painful buildup to irrelevancy.
After suffering crushing losses from the top of the ballot down, the state party now is mired in a civil war that could have profound consequences for future elections.
High hopes for gains in the state Legislature have given way to recriminations and finger-pointing. Florida Democratic Party Chair Terrie Rizzo is almost certain to lose her job, but no one has stepped up to claim her mantle. Prospective 2022 gubernatorial candidates, including state Rep. Anna Eskamani and state Sen. Jason Pizzo, are slinging blame. And redistricting, which could deliver Democrats into another decade of insignificance, is around the corner.
Even as Joe Biden heads to the White House, state Democrats know that President Donald Trump did more than just win in Florida. He tripled his 2016 margin and all but stripped Florida of its once-vaunted status as a swing state. His win, a landslide by state presidential standards, was built on record turnout and a Democratic implosion in Miami-Dade County, one of the bluest parts of the state.
“We have turnout problems, messaging problems, coalitions problems, it’s up and down the board,†said Democrat Sean Shaw, a former state representative who lost a bid for attorney general in 2018. “It’s not one thing that went wrong. Everything went wrong.â€
Perhaps it isn’t the messaging, but the message? Nah, because, seriously, what’s unpopular about raising taxes, taking citizen’s guns, defunding the police, kowtowing to Iran and China, instituting Government run health care, and so much more?
While Democratic losses were particularly devastating in Florida, the party fared poorly across the country at the state level. The timing couldn’t be worse. Political redistricting begins next year and Republicans in control of statehouses across the country will have a chance to draw favorable maps that will help their state and federal candidates for the next decade.
That’s what has gotten forgotten in all this: there’s no state where Republicans had control that they did poorly. Many of them saw Republicans gain more General Assembly seats, and even in Blue states there were gains. Of course, Democrats make all sorts of Excuses for the losses when they were expecting wins, because they can never accept that some people are smart enough to realize that Democrat policies are bad for their lives
The day after the election, nine state lawmakers who had survived the GOP rout met by phone to air grievances, according to Sen. Jazon Pizzo. Among those on the call were Pizzo, who also is considering a run for governor, Annette Taddeo and Rep. Joe Geller — a mix of centrists and liberals.
The group fumed over pollsters who failed to capture what was happening on the ground, complained about the party’s use of out-of-state consultants and questioned whether they hit back hard enough against Republican falsehoods.
“I’m not a f—ing socialist,†Pizzo later said in an interview. “My life is a manifestation of the American dream. I believe in free markets.â€
He may or may not be. As part of the Florida Senate, there’s still not a lot of information about him. He seems like a good guy, perhaps he is a centrist-Dem. But lots of his Comrades are Modern Socialists, otherwise known as Progressives (nice Fascists)
“We are a center-right state,†said Gwen Graham, another potential contender for governor who once represented a conservative congressional seat.
“There are so many wonderful young progressive leaders in this state, and I’m supportive of their passion and commitment,†she said in an interview. “I love their energy, but in the short term we need to elect a Democratic governor and need to be smart about 2022.â€
If you’re touting the Progressives, you are far, far left, and all you’re trying to do is pretend you aren’t one for political expediency.
Read: After Election Whooping, Florida Socialist Democrats Proclaim They “Aren’t F’ing Socialists” »
This puts a whole new spin on what could happen with Medicare For All (Single Payer), eh? It’s also amazing that a publically funded news outlet will come out and say that this is bad
More People Can Access Surgery. That’s Great For Them, Awful For The Planet
Add surgeries to the list of human activities making the climate hotter and more volatile.
“Surgical, obstetric, and anaesthesia care is one of the major contributors to climate change within the health sector,” according to an article published this month in The Lancet scientific journal by doctors and researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. They worry that the climate impact of current surgical practices will get worse as lifesaving procedures become accessible to the 5 billion people around the world, mostly in low- and middle-income countries, who currently can’t get them.
“We do need to get more people surgical care,” says Dr. Aaron Bernstein, co-author of the article and interim director of the Center for Climate Health and the Global Environment at Harvard University. “But if we do it in a model that has been developed in rich countries, it will break the climate — and we can’t afford that.”
So, I guess we’ll have to do surgeries like they do in 3rd world shitholes from now-on, eh?
The article zeroes in on surgical care because it’s the most energy- and waste-intensive specialty in health care. Operating rooms can consume three to six times more energy per square foot than elsewhere in a hospital, according to another Lancet study. That’s because heating, ventilation and air conditioning in operating rooms run on high even when no patients are in them. The article says that if hospitals ventilated operating rooms only when they were occupied, this would significantly reduce energy consumption. (snip)
Bernstein says it’s “absolutely” possible to increase access to surgical care without “breaking the climate,” despite challenges. For example, biomedical devices should be labeled with their energy-efficiency ratings, like refrigerators and TVs are, Wilburn suggests.
Tell you what: let’s practice this on Believers in anthropogenic climate change, especially the grand high poobahs. Oh, and we can start with the people at the Lancet. They’re good with, right?
“Sometimes wealthy countries tend to think that our approach is best,” Sheehan says, “when oftentimes, there is something to be learned from countries that are working with [fewer] resources.”
Right, right, because we’d all rather practice medicine like in 3rd world shitholes, right?
Read: Bad News: More People Have Access To Life Saving Surgery Which Is Bad For Climate Crisis (scam) »
…is an area flooded due to extreme rain from carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist
The blog of the day is Raised On Hoecakes, with a post on an unworthy “historical” event.
Read: If All You See… »
China Joe is going to learn that all these super-leftist Progressive (nice Fascist)/Modern Socialist groups are going to be Demanding he does the stuff they demand
Left-wing group linked to AOC pressures Biden to remake economy
A left-wing group with ties to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is pressuring President-elect Joe Biden to use executive orders for liberal policies to revive the economy — including the Green New Deal — when he takes control of the White House in January.
New Consensus sent Biden a seven-page manifesto Wednesday suggesting that he become the Franklin Delano Roosevelt of the 21st Century, mobilizing the massive government machinery at his disposal to fix the nation’s creaky infrastructure and limping manufacturing sectors amid the coronavirus pandemic while creating sustainable jobs of the future.
New Consensus was founded by Saika Chakrabarti, who served as Ocasio-Cortez’s controversial campaign manager for her initial run for office and as her first chief of staff in Congress. The brash-talking former confidante left AOC’s office amid claims he skirted campaign fundraising rules.
The group’s press spokesman, Corbin Trent, was formerly AOC’s communications director for her congressional office and initial campaign.
The group’s manifesto calls on Biden to tap the Federal Reserve to provide trillions of dollars in low-interest loans directly to businesses and projects. They noted that former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama leaned on the Fed to lend trillions to banks during the 2008 financial recession.
The group said Biden should require the Fed to return to its mission of developing the US economy by empowering regional regional banks to invest in their local economies.
Of course, we know that the Fed and those banks (which will end up being big banks) will only be allowed to give certain groups certain loans for certain things
In order to prevent the money from being misused for speculative trading or stock buybacks, the plan recommends the next president create a National Development Council that would be tasked with setting criteria for sound investments and turning Biden’s Build Back Better program into reality.
See?
Biden could use his executive authority to direct funding to build new mask factories to address COVID-19 and steer money into the auto industry to convert to 100 percent electric cars while building the charging stations necessary to make the choice possible, New Consensus said.
I don’t think we have a problem with companies, small to big, turning out masks at this point. They’re everywhere. People don’t really want 100 percent electric cars. Will we be forced to drive them?
A release summarizing the manifesto said of Biden: “He could upgrade millions of homes to be more energy efficient. He could make sure small businesses in every single Congressional district throughout the country get access to the capital they need to thrive.
Didn’t they try that with the Stimulus while Biden was VP and in charge of making sure the Stimulus ran correctly? And it failed?
The manifesto calls on Biden to help “scale up†the green industries of today and tomorrow evenly across all regions of the country– including solar panels, wind-turbine generators and 6G networks, life-extension and space exploration, among others.
6G? 5G hasn’t even been fully developed. Will the Government control 6G?
The New Census memo is yet another example that activists and thinkers on the left intend to hold Biden accountable for his campaign promises. Ocasio-Cortez and other progressives are holding Biden’s feet to the fire on cabinet hires.
Joe might be too busy fending off the leftwing nuts to actually get anything done. If he does surrender, he can easily kiss the House goodbye in 2022, and it will destroy any talk of “unity.”
Read: Left Wing Groups Want To Hold China Joe Accountable To Remake Economy »
I love when Democrats pander to their unhinged base, then the base demands satisfaction. Democrats pandered over 9/11 Trutherism, the Iraq War, and so much more, and it always comes back to bite them
A young Ugandan climate activist’s challenge to Joe Biden
“We are going to hold him accountable if he doesn’t fulfill [his] promises.â€For 24-year-old Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate, climate change is not an abstract concept — it’s personal. She witnesses the impact of it on her country every day.
“I have seen it in my country, I have seen how the changing weather patterns have destroyed homes, have destroyed farms, destroyed businesses, and left people with nothing,†Nakate said. “And that is what I want to change.â€
In January 2018, after educating herself about the seriousness of the environmental issues facing her community, Nakate began staging climate strikes every Friday to raise awareness. Her efforts appeared to have paid off when the Arctic Basecamp, a team of researchers and scientists, invited Nakate to participate in a workshop with other climate activists in Davos, Switzerland, during the World Economic Forum in January 2020.
Wait, wait, we’re now listening to climate cultists from other countries to tell our president what to do? One who takes long fossil fueled trips from Uganda to the Arctic and Switzerland?
Nakate recently wrote a letter to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, asking them if they were serious about their commitment to fixing the climate crisis and expressing her desire for a clean, sustainable, and equitable planet. Nakate’s letter gained a lot of international support, but it also opened her up to the worst online trolling she ever experienced.
I spoke with Nakate about her work as a climate activist; what she wanted Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and the rest of the world to know by reading her letter; and how she remains strong in the face of Twitter trolls. (big snip)
Jariel Arvin
And now that he’s won?Vanessa Nakate
There was a ray of hope that this is something that could actually happen now that he has been elected president, and we hope to see that when he actually is sworn in and he actually gets to the White House. We hope to see that he fulfills his promises.And of course, we are going to hold him accountable if he doesn’t fulfill those promises.
Jariel Arvin
And how will you do that, how will you hold him accountable?Vanessa Nakate
By speaking up. By striking. By protesting. By writing letters. Because I feel like we need to do everything we can to ensure that the leaders treat this as a crisis.
So young people without jobs are going to strike? Like they’ve been doing? Scary stuff, scary stuff. Perhaps they should be demanding that China Joe and Kamala Harris practice what they preach and give up their own use of fossil fuels.
Maybe all these people from other countries can piss off and mind their own business. Perhaps worry more about the conditions in their own countries. The climate change scam is the last thing Uganda should be worried about. Uganda is still one of the poorest countries in the world. Economic freedom is low. Medical conditions, housing, food, water, etc, yeah, it is a 3rd world shithole. Vanessa is one of the elites of the country, who’s able to focus on silly stuff.
Read: Young Climate Cultists Plan To Hold China Joe Accountable »
This sounds exciting with winter coming
Reserve an igloo for safe, warm outdoor dining experience in Durham
Pop-up outdoor dining experiences are on the rise as restaurants continue to navigate through the pandemic.
With cold winter weather on its way to the Triangle, one Durham business has gotten creative to keep customers coming.
Unscripted Hotel has redone its popular rooftop in Durham especially for social distance. Small groups can gather inside an ‘igloo’ to stay safe. The hotel hopes the winter wonderland experience will draw customers during the winter months.
“Having this piece, having the igloos, has really kind of helped keep us more afloat,†said Matthew Whiteheart, Unscripted general manager.(snip)
The six igloos spread out on the patio are meant to isolate guests from other groups while also keeping them warm. They can fit up to 10 people safely and have windows for air ventilation.
“We allow 30 minutes in between each igloo transition. We sanitize them. We have electrostatic sprayers. We’re wearing masks. All those types of things we have taken to heart to make sure we’re doing this right,†added Whiteheart.
I don’t blame the hotel for doing this, or others and bars and restaurants, but, let’s face it, this is silly. You aren’t allowed to be inside the hotel to eat but you’re allowed to be inside the igloo because the igloo is outside? What sense does that make? It apparently makes sense to Government, so they have to do things like this.
Meanwhile, right down the road in Raleigh
Raleigh City Council on Tuesday moved to cancel any special events through March 31, 2021.
By that time it will have been more than a year since the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the United States, forcing stay-at-home orders and causing almost a quarter-million deaths. The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is known to spread through close contact, and as it spread, events like concerts, festivals and parades have been canceled worldwide.
No festivals, no concerts, no parades. Interestingly, there is the gun and knife show at the state fairgrounds this weekend, but, then, Raleigh cannot ban anything on state property. Let’s go out to Oregon
Some lawmakers are criticizing Oregon’s limits on group activities so close to the Thanksgiving holiday while proponents of the measures stay quiet on the nightly riots in Portland involving hundreds of people.
Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, ordered a two-week freeze that includes limiting indoor and outdoor gatherings to no more than six people from no more than two households in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
“For the last eight months I have been asking Oregonians to follow the letter and the spirit of the law and we have not chosen to engage law enforcement,†Brown said Friday. “At this point in time, unfortunately, we have no other option.â€
Violators could face up to 30 days in jail, up to $1,250 in fines, or both, the Oregonian reported. Brown said she would work with state police and local law enforcement to encourage Oregonians to comply with her mandate.
But
In Oregon, you can be jailed for having too many people over for Thanksgiving.
But if you want to riot and loot in Portland, no sweat!
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) November 16, 2020
Read: Who’s Up For Dining In An Igloo Outside Due To Bat Soup Virus? »
Last time I checked, China Joe has not been inaugurated as POTUS yet. Heck, he won’t even be the president-elect till all the electoral college votes are cast in December. But, like most authoritarians, he expects you to comply
Joe Biden on Thanksgiving Gatherings: 5 People, 10 Maximum ‘Socially Distanced, Wearing Masks’
Former Vice President Joe Biden suggested that Americans limit their gatherings on Thanksgiving and adhere to coronavirus protocols in their private residences, citing experts who, according to the former vice president, recommend gatherings of “five people, maximum ten people†who are “socially distanced, wearing masks.â€
Biden, whom the media have declared president-elect, detailed his view on holiday gatherings during a Monday press conference in Wilmington, Delaware, urging Americans to adhere to the advice of “health experts.â€
“What is your message to people who are considering, for example, getting together with their families and others for Thanksgiving? Would you urge people to reconsider their plans?†a reporter asked.
“Here’s what I would do. Let me tell you what health experts have said to me,†Biden began.
“They strongly urge that, if, in fact, we’re going to have Thanksgiving with anyone, that we limit it to maximum, maximum, they suggest five people, maximum 10 people, socially distanced, wearing masks, and people who have quarantined,†he explained.
Mind your own business, Joe. But, Democrats think they know how to run our lives, and are happy to tell us how. And force us how.
“Save lives. Look, I just want to make sure that we’re able to be together next Thanksgiving. Next Christmas. I mean it is an international crisis. It’s an international health crisis,†he said, adding that the world is “at war†with the Chinese coronavirus.
Wait, it’s an international crisis? Huh. For all that we hear, this is all the fault of Donald Trump. Meanwhile
President-elect Biden calls on Congress to ‘pass a COVID relief package like the HEROES Act’
President-elect Joe Biden called on Congress to pass a stimulus bill in its lame-duck session, one that is similar in size and scope to legislation the Democratic-controlled House originally passed in May.
“Right now Congress should come together and pass a COVID relief package like the HEROES Act that the House passed six months ago,†Biden said at a press conference on Monday. “Once we shut down the virus and deliver economic meat to workers and businesses, then we can start to build back better than before.â€
Two versions of the HEROES Act have passed the House. The most recent $2.2 trillion version of the bill was passed in October and an earlier $3.4 trillion version was passed in May. Both were held up in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Both were so full of left-wing priorities, most of which had nothing to really do with COVID relief, so, yeah, they were not passed. Nor did the House take up what the Republicans in the Senate were offering. This is the reason it is super important to keep the Senate if Joe does get installed.
All posts here are my views. None represent my employer. If ye can prove me wrong, so be it. Ye can rant and rave at me, but be mostly polite to any other commentors. I will put up with quite a bit, but be mostly respectful to others.
NOTICE In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C., section 107, some material on this web site is provided without permission from the copyright owner, only for purposes of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of federal copyright laws. These materials may not be distributed further, except for "fair use" non-profit educational purposes, without permission of the copyright owner.
Pirate's Cove by Pirate's Cove is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
