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Thread: Had enough yet

  1. #3721
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    Charley Reese's final column for the Orlando Sentinel

    It was written back on February 3, 1984. He wrote his actual final revised column in August 2008, but you’ll swear it was written yesterday. Writing such as this is called beautiful because it’s brilliantly simplistic and simplistic writing is timeless. Reese died on 21 May 2013. He had been a journalist for 49 years.

    This is about as clear and easy to understand as it can be. The article is completely neutral, neither anti-republican nor democrat. Charlie Reese hit the nail directly on the head defining clearly who it is that in the final analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each one of us every day.

    545 vs. 300,000,000 People - by Charlie Reese

    Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

    Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

    Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

    You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.

    You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations.

    The House of Representatives does.

    You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

    You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

    You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

    One hundred senators, 435 congresspeople, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million who are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

    I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

    I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressperson, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash.

    The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

    Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

    What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

    The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes.

    Whoever is the speaker of the House is the leader of the majority party. He / she and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

    It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

    If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

    If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.

    If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan .. If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

    There are no insoluble government problems.

    Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.

    Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exist disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

    Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

    They, and they alone, have the power. They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses, provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...

    We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

    What you do with this article now that you have read it... is up to you.

    This might be funny if it weren't so true.

  2. #3722
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    Mid-term election results: More divisiveness and chaos in our future

    Like myself, the great majority of American voters are ‘moderates’, underserved and lied to by both political parties, the media, and the so-called expert pundits and analysts. Moreso than ever the voter had to choose between the lesser of two evils – too often candidates supported and influenced by the likes of Trump and Biden. Too often the candidates were weak right wing radical 2020 election deniers or radical left wing progressive socialists.

    God help us if Biden, Trump, or the brain dead Harris are 2024 endorsed candidates!

    Today’s conflicting media reports:

    Conservatives on Twitter tore into CBS News for finally admitting that the controversial Hunter Biden laptop—containing the personal files and shady business dealings of President Joe Biden’s son and foreign countries—is real.

    Over 10 million Ukrainians have fled the country since the start of the war, but those who stayed have already been pushed to the limits of their resilience. As winter sets in — with temperatures set to plummet and dwindling daylight hours — officials are warning of widespread shortages of energy and heat. The WHO warned that the situation facing millions of Ukrainians was “life threatening.” Daily life has become a test of survival for many, with basic necessities such as water, food and medical provisions becoming scarce. Russia has also continued to pound the country’s energy infrastructure; around 10 million people in Ukraine currently have no power as a result of Russian strikes on energy facilities over recent weeks.

    Trump’s win-loss record worse than he pretends.

    Even Democrats are voicing that fellow Democrats are not even close to understanding the border crisis.

    Under the umbrella of an initiative called Courage for America, progressive activists plan to establish a war room, begin media campaigns, hold events in targeted congressional districts and conduct other activities to emphasize what they see as the harms of Republican policies and counter the GOP's efforts to hamstring and tarnish the Biden administration with a barrage of investigations.

    The Courage for America effort, just one of the Democratic-allied campaigns springing up after the midterm loss of the House, will focus both on Republican policies on issues including entitlements, immigration, abortion rights, the environment and health care and on expected investigations the groups decry as politically motivated.

    Today's Republicans are worse than today's Democrats because of Trump and the cult he has created through lies, mass deception and old-fashioned circus trickery. The gradual chipping away of democratic norms and widespread loss of faith in traditional institutions began decades ago. But the Trump phenomenon gave form and function to a simmering, ambient anger among lower and middle-class white voters, whose grievances and resentments were affirmed by a man who had everything. He told them they were right, and that's all they needed to submit their loyalty.

    Pelosi - Not for a moment do I think all Republicans want to hurt democracy, but many have been terribly served by Trump. To my mind, there is no greater act of incivility than deception, and there is no greater deceit than the fabrication that Trump won reelection in 2020. The former president has mined that lie with such success that he'll never stop. But one must ask, what are the boundaries of his deceit? What lies is he willing to tell and to what end?


    What lies is Biden willing to tell and what policies to enact and to what end? Watched NBC’s Lester Holt today and not one segment was on the economy, inflation, crime, immigration, the border crisis, the Ukraine misery, the student loan debacle, or Hunter Biden. The reason more people are watching FOX kick mainstream media’s butt!

    If you think Dems are protecting the environment you’re a fool: Sean Hannity

    https://www.foxnews.com/video/6316041219112

  3. #3723
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    Fraudulent, specious campaign mailers: I’m shocked - NOT

    An interesting report considering we experience the same scenario every primary and election in Lancaster; disingenuous, scurrilous, deceitful, unidentified campaign mailers distributed with the intent to ruin an individual's character and integrity.

    Would that the same fate falls on individuals / political parties in Lancaster who have likewise issued such mailers and found success in duping unsuspecting recipients unaccustomed to recognizing no ‘sender’ was on the political hit piece and no basis in truth and for acceptance.


    Ronald Walker
    Chairman, City of Tonawanda Republican Committee
    November 22, 2022


    Tonawanda, NY- As we near the one-year anniversary of the passing of, Thomas Newman, who served the City of Tonawanda as First Ward Councilman beginning in 2018 and served as Chairman of the Republican Committee beginning in 2020 after which I was elected to succeed him after being nominated by his Widow Kerrie, as the City of Tonawanda Republican Committee Chairman.

    Our dear friend Tom was re-elected to serve the residents of the City of Tonawanda in November of 2021 after a very contentious race.

    Tom prided himself on his honesty and integrity as Councilman and as then Chairman of the Republican Committee, which I wholeheartedly plan to continue.

    During a City wide campaign he guided his candidates to not lower the high standards he had set. While Tom was running for re-election; a mailer was distributed within the First Ward that personally attacked Tom and his family. Tom and his wife suffered almost unbearable emotional stress, and high anxiety because of this. The mailer that was distributed clearly lacked the “Paid for by…” footer. The residents of the First Ward saw through this disingenuous and mis-information mailer, and overwhelming supported Tom Newman in his bid for re-election. Shortly after his re-election, Tom passed away in December of 2021.

    On October 21, 2021, a complaint was filed with the New York State Board of Elections, Division of Election Law Enforcement (DELE) against the City of Tonawanda Democratic Committee (CTDC) and the Erie County Democratic Committee (ECDC). DELE investigated that complaint. “The piece was nothing but a slanderous attempt to ruin a man’s character and reputation in a community that he contributed to and loved,” said Ron Walker.

    “The New York State Board of Elections, Division of Election Law Enforcement determined that the City of Tonawanda Democratic Committee was personally responsible for circulating this mailer”, added Ron Walker.

    The Erie County Democratic Committee is led by Chairman, Jeremy Zellner, (City of Tonawanda Resident), also another familiar name on the Erie County Democratic Committee is Vice-Chair and current City of Tonawanda Democratic Committee Chair; Gayle Syposs. “These two are responsible for this hit piece that was circulated in our city. Tom and his family suffered a great deal of emotional pain and suffering after this mailer was sent. “This type of politics has no place in our city. That style of politics goes on at the national level and has no place in our close-knit community, personal attacks may have been popular 40 years ago. But it sure isn’t what our residents deserve or will tolerate now, and nor will I,” says Ron Walker.

    The DELE thoroughly investigated this matter and decided that 103 pieces of campaign materials without any attribution were apparent violations of NYS Election Law, Section 14-106 (2). Each violation where a person knowingly fails to identify, any political communication shall be subject to a civil penalty up to one thousand dollars or up to the cost of the communication, whichever is greater.” said Ron Walker.

    As a result of the violations, DELE and Erie County Democratic Committee settled on a $10,000 civil fine. Erie County Democratic Committee was responsible for paying the $10,000 fine for their blatant disregard to Election Law. “Tom stood for what was right and honest. He deserved to be treated with respect.”

    “Our community has every right to know the findings of this investigation and will stand up against this kind of Big city politics, in our little City. Being that the ECDC was responsible for the mailing and whereas the CTDC was contacted and chose to condone it, and blatantly ignore it, is why, at this time, I am requesting the public apology from Mr. Zellner and Ms. Syposs, to, first and foremost, the Newman Family, also to the City of Tonawanda Republican Committee, and to the citizens of the City of Tonawanda. I know for sure Tom wouldn’t let his committee send anything like this out, and neither will I,” Mr. Walker said. “That’s not the type of politics our great city deserves.”

  4. #3724
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    A blessed Thanksgiving

    Never expecting to go to any gathering this year without politics being discussed, I was fortunate to spend Thanksgiving with family and friends without any mention of politics. It was a gathering focused on recognizing the importance of being fortunate in spending another holiday together, giving thanks for health and the resources we do have, and not fixating on the issues and ills facing the world. A desire to return to normalcy.

    No deliberation on inflation or the increased cost of the dinner as all shared in its expense.

    No deliberation or concern because some radical environmentalist holds the meal contributes to climate change.

    No deliberation on delaying celebrating Christmas together because of fear of catching some disease as the individuals in the group are responsible enough to not attend indicating ill symptoms.

    No mention of anything political as the individuals in this gathering are informed and astute enough to not trust either political party, the media, social media outlets, etc.

    Just an old-fashion, pleasant Thanksgiving. Hope you enjoyed the same!

  5. #3725
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    Biden is feeling good and confident: Why?

    Despite the Democrats losing the House, with failing domestic and foreign policies, impending personal and family future investigations Biden is smiling and exuding confidence that the country is on the right track – despite 75% of the country expressing otherwise.

    With Amazon workers on strike in 30 countries, a looming rail strike (where he spiked the ball and said he had influenced an agreement between the company and unions, a country no longer energy independent but with an administration catering to adversarial countries in lieu of their providing us oil at exorbitant cost, he takes no blame.

    While 60% of American families voice they are living paycheck-to-paycheck, 20% are falling behind on paying rent and energy bills, inflation is still at a record high, as is violent crime, Biden and his media lackeys continue to blame Trump or Putin’s war.

    The border is secure says he and his stooge Mayorkas. We have to pay $100 billion to poor and developing countries because of the climate damage we have caused. China is considered a developing country and contributes zero to the fund. Are we stupid or what?

    Biden pontificated during the mid-term election that the soul of the nation was on the ballot, as were democracy and free speech. His student loan forgiveness attempt was usurpation of power he did not possess. His recent comment and position on Musk’s Twitter investment says much about Biden’s hypocrisy on democracy and free speech.

    Biden was asked during a rare press conference, in reference to Twitter’s new owner, whether he thought Elon Musk was a threat to national security. With a pause and a smirk, the president said that topic was “worthy of being looked at.”

    With those words, Biden made it clear that if you even seem to oppose his politics, your private life will be under the direct scrutiny of the state. Despite his constant prattle about saving our democracy, Biden seems to think he’s running an authoritarian police state.

    Despite Musk’s having followed the law, Biden, on a whim, wants to change the game. Suddenly, and after years of Twitter and other social media having significant foreign investors, a normal and transparent voluntary transaction is a potential “threat to national security.”

    We stand now at a place where the federal, local, and state governments consume and redirect more than a third of what Americans work hard to produce, and where the burden of regulations is an additional quarter of our economy. Put differently, out of your five-day workweek, two days are there just to feed the government.

    This isn’t the free society and free market our Founders envisioned, where the government serves the people. This steady fall into a controlled society has been the playbook of the Left—a callous shortchanging of most families to concentrate power and money in the hands of a well-connected few.

    The Biden administration has acted with reckless irreverence toward our institutions and continued the intentional chipping away of the rule of law. The administration increasingly has weaponized the federal government against the American people.

  6. #3726
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    Shrinkflation: Paying more for less

    As someone raised in a mom & pop store and doing the grocery shopping for some time, this is a report I have been waiting for some time. Most of shoppers are well aware of product shrinkage and paying the same, or more in price, but there are those that don’t understand the added inflation to that reported.

    Meet the Man on a Mission to Expose Sneaky Price Increases

    https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/26/c...-products.html

    Edgar Dworsky has become the go-to expert on “shrinkflation,” when products or packaging are manipulated so people get less for their money.
    A few weeks ago, Edgar Dworsky got a promising tip by email. “Diluted cough syrup,” read the message, accompanied by a photo of two packages of syrup with a curious difference: The new one appeared to be half the strength of the old one.

    Mr. Dworsky gets emails like this frequently, alerting him to things like a bag of dog food that discreetly shrank from 50 pounds to 44 pounds. A cereal box that switched from “giant” to “family” size and grew about an inch taller — but a few ounces lighter. Bottles of detergent that look the same, but the newer ones come with less detergent.

    He has dedicated much of his life to exposing what is one of the sneakier tricks in the modern consumer economy: “shrinkflation,” when products or packaging are subtly manipulated so that a person pays the same price, or even slightly more, for something but gets less of it.

    He writes about shrinkflation in everything — tuna, mayonnaise, ice cream, deodorant, dish soap, etc. One recent Mouse Print report explored toilet paper shrinkflation. “Virtually every brand of toilet paper has been downsized over the years,” Mr. Dworsky wrote, documenting more than a decade of toilet paper shrinkage.

    Lately, Mr. Dworsky has had his work cut out for him. With inflation at a 40-year high, business owners have been increasingly shrinkflating their products in an attempt to hide price increases.

    It’s difficult to catch shrinkflation, he said. But if he’s lucky, he can find examples in stores when new inventory arrives, putting newer and older packages on the same shelf side-by-side. Mr. Dworsky also looks out for clues like “New and improved” on packaging. But most importantly, he examines the weight. “Look at the products you buy all the time, note what the net weight is,” he said. “When you go back to the store, double check that it’s still the same as your last bag, box or bottle.”

    Mr. Dworsky worries that consumer advocacy is a dying profession and gets frustrated at how hard it is to uncover these examples. “There’s kind of almost a resignation that these are so difficult to find,” he said. “It takes someone with an eagle eye.”

  7. #3727
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    What’s a few billion here or there, right Joe

    Got to pay off those voters you suckered into voting Democrat, right Joe. If you lose in the courts, well, you can once again pass on the blame to the Republicans – or to Trump who started the loan payback at the start of the pandemic. But you declared the pandemic over, right Joe.

    America is once again being lied to and played! Thank God Biden just spent so much time and effort saving our democracy.

    Biden’s student loan deferment will cost taxpayers $40 billion

    https://www.newsbreak.com/news/28394...k2OTUyMjc5ODE=

    The Biden administration is again deferring repayment of student loans until President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness executive action makes its way through the courts, but a new analysis found that decision will cost taxpayers billions of dollars in unpaid interest.

    The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget released the analysis, which said Biden’s changing the repayment restart date from Dec. 31 until 60 days after litigation is decided will cost tens of billions of dollars in lost interest collection.

    “We estimate extending the pause for 60 days beyond June 30, 2023, would cost $40 billion – the equivalent of 18 months of the Pell Grant program,” the group said. “That would bring the total cost of the student debt pause to $195 billion; continuing to extend the pause through the end of 2024 would increase the total cost of the pause to $275 billion. Every month the pause is extended costs the federal government $5 billion, due mainly to lost interest collection.”

    Biden said in a video posted to Twitter last week that “it isn’t fair to ask tens of millions of borrowers eligible for relief to resume their student debt payments while the courts consider the lawsuit.”

    “I'm confident that our student debt relief plan is legal,” Biden said. “But it’s on hold because Republican officials want to block it.”
    Critics have said the student loan forgiveness significantly increases the deficit and helps more affluent Americans significantly more at the expense of less educated, poorer Americans.

    “With inflation at a 40-year high and unemployment near historic lows, there is absolutely no justification for extending the student debt pause yet again. The pause was put in place as an emergency measure early in the pandemic. As the President has repeatedly pointed out, the pandemic recession is long over,” Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget President Maya MacGuineas said. “Whether or not the courts allow the Administration to unilaterally cancel $10,000 to $20,000 per person of student debt should have no bearing on whether we should collect the debt that is currently owed. Why are we continuing to cancel billions of dollars of interest for wealthy doctors and lawyers?”

  8. #3728
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    Go figure

    If insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome, what do you call Democrat voters giving Biden a 73% approval rating, where the majority express a change of direction is needed, and where the majority don’t want to see him run in 2024? Trump haters? Played?

    U.S. President Joe Biden's public approval rating rose to 40% this week, boosted by increased support within his Democratic Party, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll finished on Tuesday.

    This week, Biden's approval rating rose 3 percentage points from 37% in a Nov. 21-22 poll. Seventy-eight percent of Democrats in the poll said they approved of his job in the White House, up from 73% in the prior poll. His support among Republicans held at 9%. This year, his approval rating drifted as low as 36% in May and June.

    The Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted online in English throughout the United States, gathered responses from 1,005 adults, including 453 Democrats and 365 Republicans. It has a credibility interval - a measure of precision - of 4 percentage points either way. Yet the majority of Democrats don’t want to see Biden run in 2024.

    The narcissistic, liar, gaffer Biden

    President Joe Biden hails unions at almost every turn, often declaring "unions built the middle class" and that his goal is to be "the most pro-union president" in U.S. history. Negotiations over a new contract between rail carriers and 12 rail unions go back three years. Members of eight of the unions voted to ratify a contract proposal that the Biden administration helped orchestrated in September, but four other unions rejected the deal.

    A rail strike or lockout could paralyze the economy by halting the shipment of many foods, particularly grain, and critical goods before next month's holiday season. With a Dec. 9 deadline approaching, Biden who spiked the ball in September saying he helped negotiate a seal is now calling on Congress to pass legislation to adopt the tentative deal reached in September.

    House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House will take up legislation Wednesday morning that would set a new contract to avoid a strike. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell agree the issue must be taken up "ASAP."

    Biden called for the legislation to reflect the contract that union leaders tentatively agreed on. It includes a 24% pay increase over five years, $5,000 bonuses, voluntary assigned days off, but only one paid day off. Currently, rail workers don't get any paid days off. Yet in 1992, the last time Congress intervened to stop a rail strike, then-Sen. Biden was one of six senators who voted against ending the strike.

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates a rail strike would result in thousands of factory workers being furloughed and losses of $2 billion daily from the economy. The flow of many foods, critical goods and raw materials would come to a halt, paralyzing the U.S. economy, and putting as many as 765,000 Americans out of work in two weeks, according to the White House.

    Ultimately, the president decided he couldn't risk more damage to a delicate economy – even if his decision disappoints his union friends.

  9. #3729
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    Biden has been to the border?

    White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre laughed while telling FOX correspondent Peter Doocy a lie that Biden had visited the border. Well, not lie according to her as he had drove by the border when he was vice-President going to a fundraiser. Only Trump, the Republicans, and right-wing media tell real lies. Biden and his cohorts just manipulate the narrative to justify falsehoods. And they do it openly while laughing and mocking those who question their BS!

    Biden has done an excellent job in securing the border and addressing the 107,000 fentanyl deaths as the result of illegal drugs entering our border from Mexico – NOT!. The coverup for the corruption and lying of this administration is astounding.

    Karine Jean-Pierre Busts Out Laughing After Fox Correspondent Peter Doocy Questions Biden Visiting Border

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...aa176bf4bd0e06

    MR. DOOCY: Thank you, Karine. Kevin McCarthy says that he invited President Biden down to the border. Has the President RSVPed? (Laughter.)

    MS. JEAN-PIERRE: To — (Laughs.)

    MR. DOOCY: Well, we know — we know the President has never been down to the border. The possible next Speaker says that he wants him to go with him. So, is he going to?

    MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, he’s been there. He’s been to the border. And since he took office —

    MR. DOOCY: When — when did he go to the border?

    MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Since he took office, the — President Biden has been taking action to fix our immigration system and secure our border. And that’s why, on day one, he put forward an immigration — immigration reform — a piece of legislation to deal with what is currently happening at the border.

    At a CNN town hall last year, President Biden told Anderson Cooper, “I’ve been there before, and I haven’t – I mean, I know it well. I guess I should go down. But the – but the whole point of it is I haven’t had a whole hell of a lot of time to get down.”

    The White House said a Biden motorcade drove along the border on the way to a campaign stop in 2008, which The Washington Post Fact-Checker column appraised this way: “The president was asked a question about when he would visit the border, and he responded that he has ‘been there before.’ It turns out it was a brief drive-by — not the kind of sustained visit that his critics are demanding. It’s almost like counting a refueling stop as a visit to a country. But it’s enough that we will leave this unrated.”


    Our democracy and free speech under Biden are safe, right? Biden tells us he has done more for the American people than any other president before him. Why do I have a tough time believing that?

  10. #3730
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    Biden administration called out for corruption and ineptness

    Payback is a bitch! For 6+ years the Democrats attacked and pilloried Trump at every level and with relish! With a Republican House majority and with Musk’s take over of Twitter Biden and the Democrats will face like treatment. And they are squealing like stuck pigs.

    The following reports are just a sample of what’s to come. Reports you will not find in the biased left mainstream media. This is just the beginning!

    Congress is shocked, shocked by the COVID fraud it created

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mark...2a4dbd1dd3a5b0

    Like Captain Renault in the gambling casino in “Casablanca,” congressmen are “shocked, shocked” by all the fraud spawned by the trillions of dollars in COVID handouts they approved.

    The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis issued a report Thursday blaming fintech firms for the pilfering of Paycheck Protection Program loans that began in 2020. But the real fraud is the illusion that members of Congress give a damn about plundering American taxpayers.

    PPP was enacted in March 2020 and eventually provided $800 billion in loans to more than 11 million businesses. Congress designed the program to carpet-bomb the nation with federal tax dollars.


    ‘Biden Team’ Requested Twitter Scrub Scandalous Hunter Biden Info Days before 2020 Election

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...696d7fd7479a31

    In an email dated October 24, just days before the 2020 presidential election, the Biden campaign reportedly demanded that Twitter scrub information critical of Hunter Biden from the site, according to a jaw dropping release of “The Twitter Files” by new CEO Elon Musk. Twitter staff forwarded a request from the “Biden team” to remove five tweets in particular.

    “More to review from the Biden team,” the message, from the first installment of the documents analyzed by journalist Matt Taibbi, read. “Handled,” was the reply.
    Three of the tweets, from since-suspended accounts, featured scandalous graphic images of the president’s son posing with his genitalia exposed, according to archives, which were leaked from the laptop that the New York Post first uncovered. In one image, Hunter Biden’s nudity is blotted out by red digital paint.


    Oil industry exec rips Biden's 'willy-nilly' energy policy, warns of another 'major' crisis in next few weeks

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mark...696d7fd7479a31

    As the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) falls to "dangerously low" levels, the American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Mike Sommers issued a warning to the Biden administration that a negligent plan to restore it could trigger another economically painful oil crisis.

    "The Strategic Petroleum Reserve, unfortunately, has become the strategic political reserve. And we have grave concerns about how it has been so politicized. This is for emergency purposes, not to lower gasoline prices during a time during a political season," Sommers said on "Mornings with Maria," Friday. "But I think doing this willy-nilly and doing it in a way that that doesn't make sense for the market we're in, we could be dealing with another major oil crisis here in the next few weeks."

    The Biden administration has attempted to convince Americans that the President has issued a surplus of drilling permits throughout the U.S., however, they fail to recognize the difficult and tedious process of issuing a drilling permit, Sommers pointed out.

    During a press conference Monday, the Pentagon's spokesman John Kirby argued that the President has issued 9,000 permits for drilling on U.S. federal lands, saying there are "plenty of opportunities" for oil and gas companies to drill. Sommers quickly refuted this declaration.

    "This is such a myth, and it's been debunked multiple times, but the administration continues to use it. They make it seem like as soon as you get a lease that you can start drilling on that property. That wouldn't be the environmentally sound thing to do. You have to do a lot of prep work before you actually produce on those federal leases, including getting multiple permits," he argued.

  11. #3731
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    Is Trump plain out ‘bat****’ or working with the left?

    In a column for the highly conservative Hot Air, Republican speechwriter David Strom expressed his disgust at Donald Trump's call for "the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution" because he thinks the 2020 election was stolen from him. As Strom sees it, the former president -- whom he believes has previously flirted with destroying his political career -- finally committed "political suicide" and will never recover.

    The columnist noted that the country faces a myriad of problems and that the former president seems oblivious about anything that doesn't involve him and talking about throwing out the Constitution is beyond the pale. Americans are done with 2020. Old news. Both election fraud and January 6th are in the rear-view mirror politically. So politically Trump is tossing a grenade into the country that few people want to see explode.

    Then there’s the Nick Fuentes, Kanye West's white supremacist association, Trump’s refusal to say he had lost the 2020 election, his involvement as insurrectionists were storming the Capitol in protest of Joe Biden's certification, the mishandled classified-documents library at Mar-a-Lago, and continuing meanspirited opponent attacks – even within his own party against those who would dare to opine a differing narrative.

    This man continuing as the recognized Republican Party leader / spokesperson will destroy any chance of his party being successful in 2024. Fortunately, many of his loyalists are seeing through his bizarre actions and are realizing the old man should be put out to pasture. Recognizing not only that Trump enhances the Democrats chances of winning in 2024, but questioning whether his actions are intended to that end.

    On the other hand, we have another fossil who walks around telling the nation he has done more for their wellbeing than any other president. Really? Continuing inflation, an energy crisis, crime, a border crisis, an unending Ukraine war costing tens of thousands of deaths / atrocities / hardships and billions of U.S. dollars, 107,000 American fentanyl deaths, increasing suicides / deaths, etc. Thank you, Mr. President, you made this.

    We are so screwed!

  12. #3732
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    Climate Change: Transition and consumer costs

    An excellent climate change report by the Buffalo News making the public aware of the nuances, consumer obligations and transition costs / issues of clean energy.

    A plan to phase out use of fossil fuels in NY homes is nearing approval. Here's what that means - Matt Glynn, Buffalo News

    Sweeping proposals to change how New York residents heat their homes and operate appliances are nearing the finish line. The Climate Action Council is scheduled to meet Dec. 19 to approve the final version of a plan to meet the state's ambitious climate goals over the next two decades. The 22-member council will then forward its recommendations to Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Legislature.

    The recommendations include phasing out the use of natural gas in homes and commercial buildings across New York to promote energy efficiency and cleaner air. The state is aiming to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030, and 85% by 2050.

    • Starting in 2025, newly built homes in the state would not be allowed to install equipment powered by oil, natural gas or propane for heating, cooling, and hot water.

    The plan instead would require homes to install a zero-emission system like a heat pump, which is more energy efficient, but costs more than a conventional heating system. The target date was initially the start of 2024 but was pushed back by one year.

    • From 2030 onward, once owners of existing homes reach the point where they need to replace their fossil fuel-powered systems and appliances, they would need to install a zero-emission system instead.

    The proposed changes would radically alter the way New Yorkers heat their homes, cook their meals, and wash their clothes. In many cases, meeting the new rules would require costly and extensive upgrades to heating systems and duct work.

    And skeptics also question whether the state will be able to increase its electricity supply fast enough to meet the steep new demands that the rules would impose on the power grid. Plans call for regulations stemming from the Climate Action Council's draft recommendations to be implemented by the start of 2024. Hochul, state lawmakers and state agencies will be involved in that process next year.

    "This is ultimately going to impact every New York household and business, I think in a positive way," said Conor Bambrick, director of climate policy for Environmental Advocates NY. "It's not going to all going happen immediately. It's going to happen over time."

    But business groups and utility officials question where all the additional power will come from, and how those investments will be paid for.

    "There are aspirational goals, and then there's the practical realities of delivering energy to everybody that needs it reliably and affordably," said Donna DeCarolis, president of National Fuel's utility business and a Climate Action Council member. "That's what we're going to have to work through."

    As the recommendations move toward the next step, debate continues about the impact of the plan on homeowners, businesses, the power grid, and the economy.

    Conversion requirement

    Homeowners and businesses that rely on natural gas or oil would have to switch to zero-emission appliances like furnaces, stoves, dryers, and hot water heaters, beginning in the not-too-distant future.

    They wouldn't be mandated to change over all those appliances in 2030. Rather, the conversion would happen as each fossil fuel-powered appliance reaches the end of its lifespan and is replaced, starting in 2030.

    "It's not that they immediately have to replace all their appliances," Bambrick said. "As the gas appliances age out, they will look to adopt newer, zero-emitting appliances."

    Michelle Hook, executive director of New Yorkers for Affordable Energy, acknowledged that all those appliances won't have to be replaced at once. But she said the cost of making those conversions – along with installing support systems in a home – will add up over time. "That's still a huge chunk of change if it's spread out over five or seven years or so," she said. Whether homeowners will have access to incentives or grants to help cover the cost of those conversions to zero-emission appliances is not yet clear.

    "The importance of having this plan in place is it allows us to map things out and look into the future to see what programs, what incentives have to be in place to allow households to make these transitions," Bambrick said.

    There's also debate over the operating cost of using electricity instead of natural gas to power appliances, especially in a colder part of the state like upstate.

    About 90% of the homes in the Buffalo Niagara region are heated by natural gas – a fuel source that despite the steep price increase in heating costs this winter is generally much less expensive to heat with than today's conventional electric heating systems.

    Allison Considine, senior representative for the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign in New York state, said advocates are focusing first on the opportunity to electrify all-new buildings, "where cost savings are greatest."

    "For existing buildings and homes, grants and incentives can help ensure that over the next 10 years, people have access to funding to replace their existing, failing gas appliances with a new, all-electric option, when they would need to be replacing that appliance anyways," she said.

    Powering up

    Utilities such as National Fuel have raised concerns about the state's ability to generate enough electricity to meet the increased demand.

    National Fuel – whose natural gas utility business would be threatened by the proposed changes – has called for the state to embrace an alternative strategy that includes a mix of renewables and natural gas, rather than completely phasing out natural gas. Thus far, that idea has not caught hold.

    DeCarolis argues the state should also take into account the variations across regions. "You might need different solutions to work in a colder climate like we have (in Western New York), and one where we have a greater usage of natural gas and the gas system than other parts of the state," she said.

    Under the Climate Action Council's plan, the state will need to generate a much larger supply of electricity than is available today, in order to power homes, buildings and vehicles.

    The New York Independent System Operator, which manages the state's power grid, said in a recent report that by 2030, about 20 gigawatts of additional renewable power generation – a 54% increase from the state's current generating capacity – must be in service to support the state's energy policy target of 70% renewable generation.

    And by 2040, between 111 gigawatts and 124 gigawatts of total generating capacity will be needed to support the climate law's mandate of an emissions-free grid, roughly three times the current capacity of 37 gigawatts, according to the New York ISO.

    "The New York ISO remains committed to maintaining reliability as our grid transitions to a clean energy future," said Rich Dewey, president, and CEO. "The scale of new resource development needed to satisfy system reliability and policy requirements within the next 20 years is unprecedented."

    DeCarolis said the gap between current capacity and future demand must be addressed. "We have to make sure the resources for electrifying at the wholesale grid level and the local level are there before we would be requiring somebody to electrify their heat," she said.

    Dottie Gallagher, president, and CEO of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, said the business group does not dispute that climate change is real. Rather, she said, the question is how to generate enough additional electricity and the cost of those investments.

    "We are 100% in favor of advancing clean energy and pro-climate legislation," Gallagher said. "That is not the issue here. The question is about how we could go about it, and it's realistic, and that we can continue to operate and not put New York at a disadvantage competitively and create chaos and uncertainty for every business owner in the state."

    Bambrick said the plan sets the targets and allows sufficient time to meet the need for additional power generation.

    "It's not like we're flipping a switch," he said. "We're developing a plan. It's going to be put in action over years, to ensure we do it successfully and ensure we protect the reliability and affordability."

    Considine said the plan shifts the focus to generating additional power to renewable energy and away from fossil fuels.

    "We're looking at this over a 10-, 20, 30-year time horizon," she said. "We're seeing a ton of renewable energy that's in the pipeline right now."

    In an appearance at the Partnership in October, Hochul was asked about the state's ability to ramp up electricity generation.

    "Our team's very smart," she said. "They're not going to go forward without knowing that we have a real plan – not just pie in the sky, but a real plan how to deliver the energy that is required to take us to our energy and emission goals."

    Hochul's office in a statement on Friday said: "Governor Hochul recognizes all of the hard and diligent work of the Climate Action Council and looks forward to reviewing the final scoping plan."

    Economic impact

    Business advocates say switching to all-electric power will cause manufacturers' operating expenses to rise.

    The Partnership estimates its three times more expensive for manufacturers to run their operations on electricity than natural gas. And the business group notes that natural gas is an abundant resource commonly used in upstate New York.

    Hochul acknowledged that industrial customers will be impacted by the transition but emphasized the effect won't be instantaneous. "It's about a smooth transition, not an abrupt one," she said.

    Environmental groups say the plan will help kick-start more renewable energy business activity in the state, while also creating better air quality and health for residents.

    "Our entire economy is based on the use of fossil fuels," Bambrick said. "We are now transitioning to a zero-emission-based economy, and that's going to create a number of opportunities for new jobs, new industries here in the state, with New York sort of leading the way in building out the model here."

    Public awareness

    The Climate Action Council held a number of public hearings around the state, both in person and virtually, over the past year. But business groups say they believe most residents aren't aware of the changes that are coming.

    “One of the things we’ve learned as we start to engage with our key stakeholders and our legislators is, even many of them don’t understand the size and scope of what they’re asking businesses and residents to do between now and 2050," said Bryan Grimaldi, vice president of corporate affairs at National Grid. New Yorkers for Affordable Energy, a coalition of utilities, businesses, and unions, plans to conduct polling about the recommendations in January.

    "We're really trying to make sure we sit down with as many legislators as possible so they have a full picture, so they can't say, 'I didn't know, nobody told me that,' " Hook said.

    Hook noted the plan doesn't call for regulations to be implemented until the start of 2024, "so they do have a year to really dig in on this and see which pieces are most plausible."

  13. #3733
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    Harry Truman: When presidents were worthy of our trust, confidence, and admiration

    So unlike the two bozos considered likely candidates for the 2024 presidential election: lying, inept, narcissistic fossils former president Donald Trump and current president Joseph Biden.


    Harry S. Truman
    33rd president – 1945-1953


    Without a doubt one of our greatest Presidents. If you are in Key West, FL make sure to visit the Truman Museum. It is a great place to spend a day.

    Harry Truman was a different kind of President. He probably made as many, or more important decisions regarding our nation's history as any of the other 42 Presidents preceding him. However, a measure of his greatness may rest on what he did after he left the White House.

    The only asset he had when he died was the house he lived in, which was in Independence Missouri. His wife had inherited the house from her mother and father and other than their years in the White House, they lived their entire lives there.

    When he retired from office in 1952 his income was a U.S. Army pension reported to have been $13,507.72 a year. Congress, noting that he was paying for his stamps and personally licking them, granted him an 'allowance' and, later, a retroactive pension of $25,000 per year.

    After President Eisenhower was inaugurated, Harry and Bess drove home to Missouri by themselves. There was no Secret Service following them.

    When offered corporate positions at large salaries, he declined, stating, "You don't want me. You want the office of the President, and that doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the American people and it's not for sale."

    Even later, on May 6, 1971, when Congress was preparing to award him the Medal of Honor on his 87th birthday, he refused to accept it, writing, "I don't consider that I have done anything which should be the reason for any award, Congressional or otherwise."

    As president he paid for all of his own travel expenses and food.

    Modern politicians have found a new level of success in cashing in on the Presidency, resulting in untold wealth. Today, many in Congress also have found a way to become quite wealthy while enjoying the fruits of their offices. Political offices are now for sale.

    Good old Harry Truman was correct when he observed, "My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference!

  14. #3734
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    Trump is spinning out of control

    Trump is spinning out of control and the silence by fellow Republican Party members is deafening. The voters see this man as toxic and responsible for election loses since 2020. The party must move on without him!

    Marc A. Thiessen: With his call to ‘terminate’ the Constitution, Trump is spinning out of control

    https://www.spokesman.com/stories/20...inate-the-con/

    One of Donald Trump’s greatest achievements in office was his remaking of the American judiciary with the appointment of three outstanding Supreme Court justices and hundreds of lower court judges who defend the Constitution from the federal bench each day.

    But now, with just a few bizarre social media posts, Trump has repudiated that entire legacy.

    After the Supreme Court two weeks ago unanimously rejected his request to stop a congressional committee from obtaining his tax returns, Trump blasted the court, using the language of the left-wing critics who question the legitimacy of his judicial appointments. “The Supreme Court has lost its honor, prestige, and standing, & has become nothing more than a political body, with our Country paying the price…. Shame on them!” Trump declared on his Truth Social account – oblivious to the fact that these words could just as easily have been uttered by Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., or outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. If anything, the court’s actions in this case – and the refusal of any Trump judges or justices to embrace his election denial conspiracy theories – prove precisely the opposite: He appointed jurists whose only loyalty is to our laws and our Constitution.

    But apparently, loyalty to our laws and our Constitution is not the standard Trump seeks to uphold. Quite the opposite. In a rant without precedent in the annals of presidential rhetoric, Trump called this weekend for the “termination” of the Constitution. “A massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution,” he thundered, adding, “Our great ‘Founders’ did not want, and would not condone, False & Fraudulent Elections!”

    It’s time for Trump supporters to acknowledge a sad but undeniable truth: Trump is spinning out of control. Yes, his presidency was filled with historic accomplishments, and he was treated unfairly by his critics in Congress and the media. But since the election, something has snapped. He has descended into a spiral of conspiracy theories and personal grievances. He has surrounded himself with the political dregs. He dines with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, after the rapper made virulent antisemitic comments and Nick Fuentes, a notorious white supremacist – in a meeting that was apparently arranged by Milo Yiannopoulos, a former Breitbart editor who was purged for defending pedophilia. Trump blasts the Supreme Court justices he appointed because they will not do his bidding from the bench. And now, in calling for the termination of the Constitution and his reappointment to the presidency, he’s apparently lost touch with reality.

    Fellow conservatives, it’s time to move on – because Trump is unstable, and because he cannot win. With his behavior since losing office, Trump has made himself irreversibly toxic to swing voters. A new Marquette Law School national poll finds that his unfavorable rating has surged to 66% – with about one-third of Republicans and independents now viewing him negatively.

    The question is: Can Trump supporters see what Trump can’t? Democrats have now won three elections running against Trump. Will the GOP let them do it a fourth time? Republicans have a plethora of outstanding leaders who could step in and lead the conservative movement to victory in 2024. Trump is not one of them.

    If Republicans nominate this man, they will lose – and they will deserve to.

  15. #3735
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    Dump Trump, Biden too!

    Yes, Trump is off the rails and needs to be dumped, but the ‘big guy’ in charge and his spinless cohorts are deserving of a bigger trashing. Lies, deceit, suppression of free speech, corruption all in the name of ‘protecting our democracy’ is insidious and hypocritical.

    The week in whoppers: Biden’s job-creation lie, MSNBC’s Twitter-File denial and more

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opini...249dc2a20dad63

    We say: President Biden’s lies about jobs never end. The truth? Most of his “created” jobs merely replaced those lost during COVID. In January 2020, per Federal Reserve data, there were 152 million non-farm US employees. Last month, just 153 million. If he’d kept up with other presidents, there’d be millions more.

    MSNBC called Elon Musk’s release of the “Twitter Files” a “big flop. We say: If Musk released documents proving Joe Biden himself pressed the button to lock out Twitter accounts that shared The Post’s Hunter Biden story, MSNBC would no doubt pooh-pooh that as “manipulation,” too — and call it a “flop.” Yet the “Twitter Files” make clear: Democrats had enormous undue influence in getting the platform to squelch The Post’s reporting on Biden family corruption. That should be huge news.

    This claim: “The President . . . has taken action to secure our border and build a fair, orderly and humane immigration system.” — White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Tuesday

    We say: Border Patrol agents faced 2.4 million migrants last year, up 40% over Biden’s first record-breaking year. November set an all-time record, 73,000, for “gotaways” (those spotted but not apprehended by the Border Patrol). That’s securing the border?

    Trump just threatened to "terminate" the constitution. Send a military detachment to Mar-a-Lago, seize him, detain him in a stockade or brig, and try him in a military court. This is an open attempt at a Revolution to overthrow the government. — Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) December 3, 2022

    We say: Media personality Keith Olbermann might want to consider medication for his anxiety. Yes, Donald Trump’s suggestions about terminating rules, including in the Constitution, were truly idiotic — but not even close to “an attempt at a Revolution.” Meanwhile, Olbermann’s own suggestion, holding Trump in military detention, was equally idiotic. And unconstitutional.

    This claim: “Fiscal responsibility is very important to us in the Biden administration.” — White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, Monday

    We say: Sorry, but the absolute last thing President Biden and his team care about is “fiscal responsibility.” They’ve added nearly $5 trillion to the national debt through 2031, per the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget — on top of the trillions already slated to be added. Indeed, the Democrats’ massive spendfest since Biden took office, much of it charged to the nation’s credit card, is a key cause of US inflation.
    — Compiled by The Post Editorial Board

    Other

    Twitter’s suppression of Hunter Biden’s laptop isn’t a conspiracy theory — it’s a conspiracy.

    The U.S. has swapped WNBA star Brittney Griner for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan detained in Russia for four years remains in a Moscow prison.

    Twitter CEO Elon Musk has made public the second tranche of “Twitter Files” that point to the existence of secret blacklists which kept certain disfavored tweets from trending. Left and ‘woke’ crowd going bat****! Files show conservatives were blacklisted.

    President Biden announced Thursday he will pump $36 billion into a union pension plan to prevent drastic benefit cuts for pensioners, just a week after he signed a railroad labor deal opposed by several union organizations. The $36 billion will go to the Central States Pension Fund, which is for mostly Teamster union members. He can use public money to bolster a private underwater pension plan/

    Critics slammed President Biden on Tuesday after he claimed there were "more important things going on" in response to a question about why he wasn't visiting the southern border during his trip to Arizona. White House press secretary lied when she said Biden had been to the border during his presidential administration.

    360,000 student loan borrowers received $24 billion in forgiveness from fix to Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Supreme Court denies block of Biden’s Forgiveness plans, so why is it still on pause. Biden not only got votes for this but deceived students in thinking that their loans would be forgiven.

    And Biden and his media stooges continue to sell his accomplishments while inflation continues to rage, and a recession is predicted. And the delusional one continues to pontificate that he has done for his country in his brief time in office than any previous president.

    We are so screwed!

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