Had enough yet

[Lee Chowaniec]

What is sad Buffy is that this man is a clear and present danger not only to America’s best interests but to the world as well. Sadder yet is that Biden has minions parroting and supporting his asinine policies and the inept / demented man as well.

Almost daily he is advocating a position that is ridiculous, embarrassing, and tone-deaf to the problems average Americans are facing. He keeps telling us he doesn't give a damn that we can't afford gas, all we have to do is start to believe him. Biden is counting on Americans being "stupid" enough to believe Vladimir Putin's "price hike" left them with "no choice" to turn to clean energy. In recent weeks, Biden has shifted blame from the war in Ukraine and Vladimir Putin to oil companies as the reason why gas prices keep rising.

On Monday he suggests that high gas prices will be a "good" opportunity to make a fundamental turn" to clean energy. Yellen parroted the same on Sunday.

86% of the country profess the country is headed in the wrong direction. Biden’s favorable number is the worse in history at this time in office and the Dems think they can win by attacking Trump. The ‘red wave’ is coming, and the Republicans are finally starting to put a plan together knowing they will inherit this mess.

The morons in office and the radical left are the existential threat to America’s democracy. 86% of American’s are seeing who created the mess in real time. They are not buying into the spin and disinformation.

[buffy]

On Monday he suggests that high gas prices will be a "good" opportunity to make a fundamental turn" to clean energy. Yellen parroted the same on Sunday.

The morons in office and the radical left are the existential threat to America’s democracy.

On September 6, 2019, at a New Hampshire campaign stop, candidate Joe Biden took questions from the audience. That was when a 24-year-old environmental activist asked him, “How can we trust that you’re going to act on climate change — on the climate crisis — if you’re still attending fundraisers that fossil fuel executives are attending?”

The candidate approached the questioner and took her hand.

“Kiddo,” Biden replied, “I want you to just take a look, I want you to look into my eyes. I guarantee you, I guarantee you, we are going to end fossil fuel and I am not going to cooperate with them.”

With this bit of theater, Biden reiterated his clear intention to put America on what he has described as an “irreversible path” to so-called green energy. Or, as he pledged in the Democrat presidential debates, under his regime, there would be: “No more subsidies for the fossil fuel industry. No more drilling including offshore. No ability for the oil industry to continue to drill period.”

Joe Biden in 2020: "No more subsidies for the fossil fuel industry. No more drilling including offshore. No ability for the oil industry to continue to drill period. It ends." pic.twitter.com/90MVJevPmv

— Dan O'Donnell (@DanODonnellShow) March 8, 2022

On his first day in office, Biden issued an executive order requiring federal agencies to revoke President Trump’s official acts, which had made the United States energy-independent and a net exporter of fossil fuels. Among other things, Biden canceled the Keystone XL Pipeline, designated large areas of federal lands as national monuments on which no drilling would be allowed, halted all oil and natural gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and increased the regulatory costs of American fossil fuels by imposing a “carbon metric” to measure the purported social costs of energy production.

One week later, Biden issued another executive order which sought an end to the “international
financing of carbon-intensive fossil fuel-based energy while simultaneously advancing sustainable development and a green recovery.” Among other things, Biden halted new oil and gas leases on public lands and offshore waters and called for increased prosecution of purported “environmental justice” violations.

On February 19, 2021, the Biden regime rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement, which inhibits and imposes burdens on American carbon-based energy producers even as it advantages similar production in Communist China and Russia.

On March 15, 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission sought public comment on a proposed rule to require businesses to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions as part of the regime’s plan to determine the “social costs” of carbon usage and concomitantly burden investment in oil and gas production.

In August 2021, the Biden regime attempted to further its fossil fuel eradication program by nominating Saule Omarova to be Comptroller of the Currency. She is a 1989 graduate of Moscow State University, which she attended on a Lenin Personal Academic Scholarship. As Comptroller, she would have regulated over 1,200 nationally chartered banks with assets of approximately 14 trillion dollars. But, during her Senate confirmation process, a video surfaced of her declaring that she wanted coal, oil and gas businesses to go bankrupt in order “to tackle climate change.” She proposed bringing this about by “starving them of their sources of capital.”

Biden nominee Saule Omarova saying the quiet part out loud. On the oil, coal and gas industries:

"We want them to go bankrupt if we want to tackle climate change." pic.twitter.com/luMR2HEMK9

— American Accountability Foundation (@ExposingBiden) November 9, 2021

Although Omarova’s nomination was ultimately blocked by Senate Republicans, it is noteworthy that the Biden regime attempted to install her at the very heart of our financial system, where she could have wreaked havoc on the carbon-based energy sector.

In addition to the above, the Biden regime has imposed scores of punitive anti-fossil fuel measures which have — as intended — drastically driven up the cost of domestic oil and gas energy.

Under President Trump, the United States was energy independent as it produced 12 million barrels of oil per day. On Trump’s last day in office, the average price of a gallon of gasoline was $2.38.

As a direct result of the Biden regime’s assault on the fossil fuel industry, domestic daily production has dropped to 11 million barrels of oil and the average cost of a gallon of gasoline has more than doubled to $5.67.

Similarly, over the past year, the cost of diesel fuel has more than doubled to $5.81 per gallon. This has caused dramatically increased transportation expense for goods of all types and has become a major contributing factor in driving up the cost of living.

In short, the Biden regime’s assault on fossil fuels combined with its reckless infusion of trillions of fiat printed dollars into the economy has produced ruinous inflation which is hammering the middle and working classes and destroying small businesses. Given this thoroughly predictable and seemingly intentional result, one is prompted to ask just what is the regime’s endgame?

In Martin Scorcese’s The Irishman, there is a scene based on real life in which Jimmy Hoffa (played by Al Pacino) explains to members of the Teamsters Union the power that they have over the nation.

“If you got it,” Hoffa thunders, “a truck brought it. If you got your food, your clothing, your medicine, fuel for your homes, fuel for your industries, a truck brought it to you! And the day our trucks stop, America stops!”

Hoffa was stating a fundamental and inescapable fact which, according to Attorney General Robert Kennedy, made him the most dangerous and second most powerful man in America next to the president.

Thankfully Hoffa never carried through with his implied threat to shut down America. But what Hoffa never did, Joe Biden and the operatives who pull his strings and feed his teleprompter are well on their way to accomplishing. Which raises the question of whether they are so ideologically committed to their climate change agenda and socialist beliefs that they would be willing to completely tank the economy in order to reach the Green Promised Land and, in the process, fundamentally transform America?

It is important to understand that the potential for disaster goes far beyond consumers’ pain at the pump, the skyrocketing cost of transporting goods, and inflation. The regime’s agenda is producing even more worrisome effects.

For example, in recent testimony before the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, a representative of the nonpartisan Pennsylvania Farm Bureau stated that the rising cost of diesel fuel has reached the point where farming “is very close to being a sinking ship” which may well affect not only the cost of food but its very production. “We are teetering on the edge right now,” he added.

He testified that diesel fuel is a “huge, huge expense for farmers.” When asked about the possibility of food shortages, he responded, “If farmers cannot [afford to] get crops out of the ground, then there is not food on the shelves.”

Will this witness prove to be the canary in the coal mine? Are we, in fact, headed for food shortages? If so, what further disruption and societal instability will result?

Will there be an increased spread of rolling blackouts such as those which have already occurred in California and Texas due to the lack of sufficient reliable coal-fired energy plants? What effect would such blackouts have on manufacturing and industrial output? How would reliance on expensive and intermittent solar and wind energy affect America’s ability to economically compete with Communist China and other nations that obtain their energy from fossil fuels?

How far is the Biden regime willing to go, and what will be the economic and societal consequences? No one knows. But, based on the results so far, it appears that America’s toboggan ride to government-created economic chaos and widespread societal instability has only just begun.
https://knowledgeisgood.net/2022/06/...-energy-jihad/

[Lee Chowaniec]

Today’s important news – maybe not!

Another media day in As the Stomach Turns.

ABC News laments that fewer Black children will be aborted if Roe is overturned

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ab...2b288f9d317e9c

Again, this is all being said to justify a procedure that ends a human life, and disproportionately ends Black lives. Around 79% of Planned Parenthood abortion mills are located within walking distance of minority neighborhoods. In 2012 and 2013, more black children were aborted than born in New York City. This is what the activists Flaherty quotes would have you think is good and necessary. Their version of "reproductive justice" necessarily entails that Black lives do not matter, but they'll never wrap their heads around the fact.

Border agent discipline

Four national Border Patrol chiefs and five other top-ranking officials who served under the previous three presidents on Tuesday sent a letter, obtained exclusively by the Washington Examiner, to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in which they shared serious concerns about a report that DHS agency Customs and Border Protection is planning to punish agents involved in the incident despite outcry that the agents are not guilty of any wrongdoing. The letter is significant because it is from nonpartisan career officials, not political nominees, or politicians.

"We collectively believe and point out that the statements made by the President and Vice President predictively prejudged the desired outcome of the investigation and may therefore influence the case. Stating outright that there will be consequences presumes the result of an investigation," the letter states. "We ask that you and the deciding official ensure a fair and impartial review of the facts as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) moves through this process."

White and male media blamed for Harris’s dismal approval rating

Vice President Kamala Harris's low approval rating is not the product of her time in office, but rather her portrayal in a "white and male media," according to MSNBC's Joy Reid. The white, male media will not let Harris, whose approval rating sits at 41%, put her personality on display, Reid said in an interview published Sunday.

Recession

While Biden declares a recession is not inevitable, two thirds of polled economists say we're headed for a recession in 2023. (Money Talks News)

Jesse Watters reveals liberal privilege's benefits in full

Jesse Watters explained the liberal privilege that enabled television host Stephen Colbert to get away with inciting an insurrection in Tuesday's opening monologue of "Jesse Watters Primetime."

https://www.foxnews.com/media/jesse-...-benefits-full

[Lee Chowaniec]

Left bias media outlets all in for Biden

Regardless how bad you may be struggling through this unfavorable economic climate to put food on the table and pay your bills, remember Biden’s innocence in all the crisis we are going through, forget your hardship as voting Republicans into office would lead to a real threat on our democracy and wellbeing! So say the Biden media lackeys. The media tries to sell Biden’s message to America as Biden cannot! Americans are not buying it,

MSNBC, WaPo, ABC figures warn voters against gas prices influencing their vote in November

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opini...374ec50fb09403

Associate Professor of Business and Economics at The King’s College and Fox News contributor Brian Brenberg criticized the media’s messaging as "a desperate attempt to deal with a problem they know is going to be pinned" on Democrats.

"By pleading with voters to not let inflation affect their vote, the media is essentially asking people to ‘please ignore everything that affects your life on a daily basis,’" he said, citing the high costs of groceries, travel, gas, and electricity impacted by inflation and energy policies.

The economics expert said media pundits who won't acknowledge that President Biden's anti-oil rhetoric and promises to end fossil fuels have negatively affected energy costs are engaging in a "willful denial of reality."

Flynn said the media shouldn't be flippant about so-called "kitchen table issues."

"America always votes their pocketbook," Flynn said. "At the end of the day, you know, what they disparagingly call kitchen table issues are real issues to American because it affects their daily lives. Listen, people elect leaders so their life improves, not so it can get worse… The American people are smart. They see this as a facade. They see, you know, the media trying to make excuses for this administration."

Some liberal media outlets and Democrats have defended Biden energy policies and tried to sell the public in recent months that there was hope on the horizon for the economy.
In December, CNN host Don Lemon and reporter Matt Egan hyped a government forecast that suggested gas prices would fall below $3 in 2022, touting how Americans were going to get "some relief" at the pump.

"The media should be holding the administration’s feet to the fire on that with data, not with an ideological agenda but on data, on the facts. They’re not doing that," he blasted.
"So voters therefore have made up their own minds. They have determined what cause and effect is going on here, and you’re seeing that in the polls," he said.

[Lee Chowaniec]

Why a ‘red wave’ is coming

Biden creates a hole and just keeps digging. Biden’s poll numbers are indicative of his ineptness, his failure to recognize his policies have been failures, and the inability to right the ship. The country is 30 trillion in debt, higher unemployment and a recession are predicted by two-thirds of economic experts and Biden wants to spend more.

Biden playing into Putin’s hands / gas tax gimmickry

https://video.foxnews.com/v/63083392...hp1ec_10,hp1ec

[Lee Chowaniec]

It’s everyone’s fault but Biden’s

We are being told by the president, his administration, and media lackeys that he can do remarkably little to fix prices that are set by global markets, profit-driven companies, consumer demand and aftershocks from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the embargoes that followed. The underlying problem is a shortage of oil and refineries that produce gas.

An oil industry meeting with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to lower gas prices and boost domestic oil supplies was constructive, but did not produce a major breakthrough, administration and industry officials said Thursday.

Biden, like many others on the left, has made no secret that he wants to end all fossil fuels, especially oil. Noting that pump prices are increasing even above the cost of crude oil, the president wants answers. The fact is, the U.S. refining industry has lost about 1 million barrels per day of refining capacity over the last few years, and with the return of demand post-pandemic, there is a supply crunch.

He has repeatedly talked about ending the fossil fuel industry as the primary way to reduce emissions. When the president of the United States promises the extinction of entire industry classes, investors notice. Any prudent company would consider the government’s regulations in making investment decisions, particularly since refineries require huge upfront investment and long pay-back periods.

Let’s hope the companies bluntly tell the president the truth: They are reducing capacity largely because of bad public policies that he supports.

Biden has already released one million barrels of oil a day from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and rallied allies to release their own reserves. He called Wednesday for a three-month suspension of the 18.4 cents-a-gallon federal tax on gas and the 24.4 cents-a-gallon federal tax on diesel fuel. If the gas savings were fully passed along to consumers, people would save just under $3 for a 15-gallon fill-up of gas.

Americans are hurting from bad government policies and divisiveness sustained politicos more interested in advancing their agendas and best interests over that of the country’s. America is broken and needs a fix.

America needs to cut its loses

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...0656446944b912

[Lee Chowaniec]

Inflation, seniors, and Social Security

Social Security is a program that millions of Americans depend on to help make ends meet every month. The 2022 Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) was a hefty 5.9%. Unfortunately, inflation is at an 8.6% rate and projections indicate that high rate will remain for some time. Seniors are burning through their savings at an alarming rate (if they have any) and fear for the program’s sustainability in the future is of equal concern.

The average Social Security check for retired workers was $1,666 as of April 2022. Average, where many recipients receive less and where the average rental is now $1,800 per month, and where energy, food and gas prices are soaring.

Is someone, anyone in Congress paying attention to the hardships Americans are enduring? “Make America Great Again,” “Build Back Better,” my ass! I don’t recognize my country anymore!

Could a $2,400 Pay Raise for Social Security Recipients Be on the Way?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/reti...163caf1a3883be

U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced the Social Security Expansion Act (SSEA) in both houses of the U.S. Congress on June 9, 2022. This legislation seeks to keep Social Security solvent through 2096. But it goes beyond just keeping the program going.

The SSEA would boost benefits for current and new Social Security beneficiaries by $200 per month, or $2,400 per year. Individuals wouldn't have to wait until their full retirement age under the bill, either. Anyone who turns 62 would be eligible for the increase.

Where would the money come from to pay for the additional costs of the SSEA? Wealthier Americans would foot the bill.Currently, Social Security taxes are paid only on the first $147,000 of earnings. DeFazio and Sanders want to change this. Their bill would also apply the tax on any income of more than $250,000. A fact sheet on the proposed legislation stated that "over 93% of households would not see their taxes go up by one penny." One key thing to note about the bill is that it leaves a "doughnut hole" in place. Any income between $147,000 and $250,000 would not be subject to Social Security taxes.

The prospects for passage of major Social Security reform could become even more difficult after the November elections. However, political leaders will likely feel the pressure to bolster the federal program at some point, even if benefit increases aren't in the mix.

In an interview with CBS News, Martha Shedden, president of the National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts, stated, "I'm confident changes will be made." Shedden added, "I don't know if this is the bill that will pass, but there is more and more movement on it."

[Lee Chowaniec]

Renewable energy vs. fossil fuels? It's a false choice.

Society should double-down on renewable energy investments specifically because of petro-dictators, says venture capitalist and early renewable energy investor John Doerr. The "epic transition" to renewable energy will continue and be as significant for the economy as the internet, Doerr says. As a result of the current geopolitical situation, society should recognize the need for more sources of energy, and especially the need for more sources of clean energy. "It's a false choice. We've got to do both," Doerr said.

What we've learned from the Russia-Ukraine war is that the world is still very heavily dependent on carbon energy, and right now, the world is scrambling to get more carbon energy. The world is realizing you can't go to carbon-neutral policies overnight; it will take a while.

The most immediate change that can be made in the energy transition is not about creating new renewable technology or producing more hydrocarbons but to cut methane emissions leaks and wasted and flared methane. It is a productive hydrocarbon, but we are just tossing it into the air like it is just a free and open sewer.

Pledges have come from the large oil companies to put in place better and more effective caps and controls on their wells, as well as a project called Climate TRACE, which brings together 50 nonprofits to pool real-time data on emissions around the world, like Google Earth, a kind of map you can track of carbon emissions and specifically focus on methane as a first and most potent gas.

Electric cars are unaffordable for many Americans. Biden is trying to impose them anyway

Unaffordable for many not only now but likely in the future. While Biden’s oil production policies created much of today’s high gas and energy costs, he continues his commitment to dramatically increase the number of zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) on America’s roadways, especially electric cars. Biden’s policy forcing manufacturers to produce zero-emissions vehicles will raise the cost of owning and driving a car, hurting lower- and middle-income families the most.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...c85954e8d30c68

[Lee Chowaniec]

A G-7 plan to curb fuel prices and Putin

How can it miss, it is the brainchild of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen!

A survey by Quinnipiac University earlier this month found that more Americans, 51%, disapproved of Biden’s response to the Russian invasion than those who approved of it, 40%. Pessimism over high fuel and food costs could lead to falling support for Ukrainian aid.

National security experts from both political parties argued, like Biden, that if Ukraine cannot beat back Russia, then NATO, and the United States, could end up in a confrontation with Putin's military.

Biden sought to get G-7 leaders on board this week with a proposal to cap the price of Russian oil to tamp down inflation and keep Putin from selling to buyers who are willing to pay more. Leaders were getting closer to an agreement near the end of three days of closed-door talks, but many of the details of the plan were yet to be worked out.

U.S. Urges New Tactic to Curb Putin’s War Machine and Lower Fuel Prices

https://worldnewsera.com/news/u-s-ur...r-fuel-prices/

Mr. Biden has pressed his counterparts to support the oil price cap plan floated by Ms. Yellen, and European leaders have warmed to the idea as they have grown to understand how it might work in concept.

Ms. Yellen is an economist by training, and her idea rests on an economist’s logic: that countries will seek to pay as little as possible for a crucial commodity like oil, regardless of where their leaders stand on the Ukraine war.

It also rests on an idea that might seem jarring to anyone who watched Mr. Biden and allies target Russian oil exports soon after the invasion. Instead of seeking to drive Russian oil off the world market, the price cap would try to keep Moscow’s oil exports flowing — but at a cut rate.

Comment

Yellen’s plan? How can it fail? Sarcasm!

America supplies the armament, NATO the standby troops. Sounds fair, right?

We’ve got them right where we want them, right? Russia is the one suffering, right? Not America, certainly not Ukraine!

But the most novel — and, administration officials said, possibly the most consequential — move came from the G7 meeting, where leaders were nearing an agreement in principle to adopt price caps on Russian oil, restricting the cash flow to the Kremlin.

Despite the sanctions imposed so far, Russian oil revenue has grown this year along with soaring fuel prices, while consumers around the world have faced mounting pain at the gasoline pump. As Russia’s sales to the West have dropped, its sales to China and India have grown.

The United States has banned Russian oil imports, but they were small, and the embargo by Europe, historically Russia’s biggest customer, has not yet taken effect. Any price caps would not interfere with those bans.

[Lee Chowaniec]

Most say nation on wrong track, including Dems: AP-NORC poll

While both political parties and their media propogandists lie, distort, misinform, the public to malign each other’s agendas and best interests, it is America’s best interests that are being adversely impacted. Be it inflation, the overall economy, the border crisis, Putin’s war, Afghanistan, abortion rights, gun control, surging crime, whatever, it is still inflation and that holds reign and causing voters most concern and the belief that the country is heading in the wrong direction and that Biden cannot be held harmless.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...12df2c8d857b90

WASHINGTON (AP) — An overwhelming and growing majority of Americans say the U.S. is heading in the wrong direction, including nearly 8 in 10 Democrats, according to a new poll that finds deep pessimism about the economy plaguing President Joe Biden.

Eighty-five percent of U.S. adults say the country is on the wrong track, and 79% describe the economy as poor, according to a new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The findings suggest Biden faces fundamental challenges as he tries to motivate voters to cast ballots for Democrats in November’s midterm elections. Even among Democrats, 67% call economic conditions poor.

The poll shows only 39% of Americans approve of Biden’s leadership overall, while 60% disapprove. His approval rating fell to its lowest point of his presidency last month and remains at that level. The Democratic president gets hit even harder on the economy, with 69% saying they disapprove of him on the issue. Among Democrats, 43% disapprove of Biden's handling of the economy.

Just 14% say things are going in the right direction, down slightly from 21% in May and 29% in April. Through the first half of 2021, about half of Americans said the country was headed in the right direction, a number that has steadily eroded in the past year.

The national dissatisfaction is bipartisan, the poll shows. Ninety-two percent of Republicans and 78% of Democrats say the country is headed in the wrong direction. Since last month, the percentage of Democrats saying the country is headed in the wrong direction rose from 66%.

Other

Economists at S&P Global Ratings on Monday warned the likelihood of a recession over the next year is increasing as the Federal Reserve continues its most aggressive economic tightening cycle in decades—becoming the latest experts warning about the potential implications of rising interest rates, which help ease prices at the expense of economic growth.

"As we inch toward potential recession, we expect the Fed's stronger action to slow hiring and raise unemployment," the economists wrote, cautioning that the central bank's "cure" for the U.S. economy "may feel worse than the disease."

New research suggests that the middle class is being hit harder by inflation than the very rich — or the very poor. If you’ve spent any time browsing for cars or even just filling up your gas tank, you’ll have a good idea why this is so.

Far from being “transitory” as policymakers initially expected, high inflation looks like it might instead be a defining feature of 2022 — and perhaps beyond. A whopping 96% of economists surveyed for a recent World Economic Forum report now expect American families to contend with “high” or “very high” inflation through the rest of the year. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February was a main catalyst for the gloomier outlook, throwing prices of energy and food into even greater disarray.

A double whammy for consumers as home and auto insurance rates are set to jump in tandem. There really doesn’t seem to be any good news about inflation for consumers on the horizon. Now, when they receive their homeowner and auto insurance renewal contracts this year, they’re likely to find their rates have risen significantly.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly how much rates will increase because they vary by location. But analysts generally estimate the average increase will range between high single-digit to low double-digit percentages. That may not sound like a lot, but analysts say this is just the beginning. Some expect such increases to come each year for the next few years.

We are up to our ass in snakes and led by an inept, dysfunctional Washington assemblage that instills no confidence and whose approval rating is lower than the president. With a recession likely, increasing unemployment resulting, threat of future food shortages, and lingering inflation, how can this not be foremost in voters' minds at the upcoming elections?

[Lee Chowaniec]

Liberal World Order, scary stuff

Biden says the economy is great. We just don’t know it or how good we have it. Americans must suffer for the greater good. Suck it up!

85% of Americans say our country is headed in the wrong direction. Only 39% of Americans say they are proud of America. Biden and the media claim Biden is not to blame for any crisis – the blame lies with Putin, the pandemic, and Trump.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/gr...57a2db486f83b8

Watch the entire 10-minute video segment - spot on!

[Lee Chowaniec]

It’s only going to get worse

High gas prices have started to beat down the ability of Americans to make purchases beyond their housing prices, clothing prices and fuel. Since consumer activity is over two-thirds of GDP, the entire U.S. economy is at risk of a recession, which may have already begun.

A family with an income of $40,000 probably does not have after tax income of more than $2,500 a month. Gas price increases can add a burden of several hundred dollars a month. At around $100 oil prices are predicted to go much higher and a recession is likely – if we are not already in one.

Biden continues to maintain Americans have it better than what they believe; that other countries are worse off. To combat inflation and rising gas prices that is creating great hardship for the poor and lower income families Biden is pushing the need for oil independence and the purchase of EV’s that will be out of the purchase range for the majority of Americans.
America is not the only country suffering hardships and clueless world leaders. So sad!

Gas Prices Around the World Threaten Livelihoods and Stability

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mark...5af58af738913d

But in many places, the leap in fuel costs has been much more dramatic, and the ensuing misery much more acute. Families worry how to keep the lights on, fill the car’s gas tank, heat their homes, and cook their food. Businesses grapple with rising transit and operating costs and with demands for wage increases from their workers.

In Europe, an over-dependence on Russian oil and natural gas has made the continent particularly vulnerable to soaring prices and shortages. In recent weeks, Russia has been ratcheting down gas deliveries to several European countries.

Across the continent, countries are preparing blueprints for emergency rationing that involve caps on sales, reduced speed limits and lowered thermostats.

As is usually the case with crises, the poorest and most vulnerable will feel the harshest effects. The International Energy Agency warned last month that higher energy prices have meant an additional 90 million people in Asia and Africa do not have access to electricity. Expensive energy radiates pain, contributing to high food prices, lowering standards of living and exposing millions to hunger. Steeper transportation costs increase the price of every item that is trucked, shipped, or flown — whether it’s a shoe, cellphone, soccer ball or prescription drug.

“The simultaneous rise in energy and food prices is a double punch in the gut for the poor in practically every country,” said Eswar Prasad, an economist at Cornell University, “and could have devastating consequences in some corners of the world if it persists for an extended period.” In many places, livelihoods are already being upended.

Last month, Mr. Biden proposed suspending the tiny federal gas tax to reduce the sting of $5-a-gallon gas. And Mr. Biden and other leaders of the Group of 7 this past week discussed a price cap on exported Russian oil, a move that is intended to ease the burden of painful inflation on consumers and reduce the export revenue that President Vladimir V. Putin is using to wage war.
(Comment: I am sure Putin will play along – Sarcasm)


The existential threat to this country’s democracy and wellbeing is at hand today, the result of Biden foreign and domestic policies, media propaganda, the radical left and woke crowd, and the morons in Washington! 85% of Americans see a country headed in the wrong direction, but unfortunately and have the formidable and distasteful task of voting for the lesser of two evils.

To those living paycheck-to-paycheck, struggling to put food on the table, are you setting money aside to buy that EV the government will force you to purchase one day? Repurpose your home heating system? Or just considered expendable?

[Lee Chowaniec]

‘No mow’ May

At a time of inflation, high gas and energy prices, a declining economy, where 56% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, a climate and border crisis, we are subjected to a media report on environmentalists proposing a ‘no mow month of May’ to preserve habitat and food sources for bees, butterflies, birds and other creatures that carry pollen among plants, declaring, "Every little bit helps”.

Persnickety, NOT! About 2% of the country's land area is maintained lawn. Most communities, in fact, have codes that require cutting of grass and weeds once it reaches a certain height - not only for aesthetic reason but to eliminate pests and varmints like rodents. Incredibly we have politicians actually giving serious thought to allowing front yards to go un-mowed.

More homeowners informally participated this spring in this international campaign. And, at the urging of environmental advocates and conservationists, more local governments are officially backing or considering adopting the No Mow May movement. Advocates say putting off the first mowing of the year into June preserves habitat and food sources for bees, butterflies, birds, and other creatures that carry pollen among plants. "Every little bit helps.

Un-mowed lawns, however, spur a lot of complaints from persnickety neighbors. That's why some officials are weighing only allowing grass to grow for the month in backyards, not front yards. Or they may require the posting of No Mow May signs, so that others on the street – and code enforcement officers – can distinguish between official participants and inattentive property owners.

"I love the idea because it saves on fuel for running your gas mower. It cuts down on noises. It helps wildlife and pollinators. And I think it's OK to go the month of May without mowing," Williamsville Trustee Eileen Torre said at a recent Village Board work session.

The notion of the well-manicured, lushly green lawn is deeply planted in the American consciousness. Americans water, mow and chemically treat tens of millions of acres of grass – about 2% of the country's land area, by one estimate. Most communities, in fact, have codes that require cutting of grass and weeds once it reaches a certain height.

In Williamsville, Code Enforcement Officer Tim Masters asked the Village Board to come up with a plan. "I don't see how we can be asked to send grass violations to property owners because it is a nuisance, and another resident right down the street simply puts a sign in their yard and claims they are participating in No Mow May," Masters wrote.

Bondi said about half of the 18 or so homes on her street took part in No Mow May this year. "Some people, it really only got to be maybe 6 or 8 inches," she said. "And other people really looked like they had a meadow."

"I love the idea because it saves on fuel for running your gas mower. It cuts down on noises. It helps wildlife and pollinators. And I think it's OK to go the month of May without mowing." – EILEEN TORRE, WILLIAMSVILLE TRUSTEE

[Lee Chowaniec]

Happy Independence Day – or not

There isn’t much optimism in the country right now, with an eye-popping 85 percent of voters saying in a recent survey that things are going in the wrong direction. The following report spells out reasons why America has lost pride in its country.

Why national pride is evaporating in America

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...ce507555a9713c

Just 39 percent of Americans are extremely proud of their country, according to a recent Gallup poll. For context, the same poll taken in 2011 had that number at 69 percent.

So how exactly did so many of us become so pessimistic? Is the United States really so different today than it was 11 years ago? What has changed?

For starters, when kids are being taught in schools and the culture that America is an inherently racist country, that message is going to stick with some, unfortunately.

Many have also lost trust in our institutions. Americans of all political stripes are increasingly distrustful of government, for example. Pew Research found that just two in 10 Americans say they trust the government in Washington to do what is right “just about always,” down from 77 percent during the Kennedy administration.

Regarding trust in other institutions, the divide falls more along party lines. Just 13 percent of Democrats trust the Supreme Court, per Gallup, while 39 percent of Republicans say they trust the high court.

How about the media? Things are bleak on that front as well, except in reverse: Nearly eight-in-ten Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say they have “a lot” or “some” trust in national news organizations, according to Pew. Ask a GOP voter the same question, and the trust number is 43 points lower. Simple theory here: Conservatives believe the news is biased against them, while Democratic voter beliefs align with many outlets. The one-sided coverage of the Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade is a prime example of that.

On the question “Are you proud of the country?” the results even begin to fall according to party. Democrats top the list on this question, albeit with just 46 percent of those surveyed expressing patriotism. The number falls to only 36 percent when Republicans are asked the same question, followed by independents, who sit at just 29 percent.

The answers here may point directly at who is occupying the Oval Office. As you may have heard, President Biden is polling lower than any first-term president going back to Harry Truman. A Harvard University-Harris poll finds that just 29 percent of the country wants Biden to seek a second term.

So perhaps so few Americans are proud of their country not because their historical conception of America has changed but because of the current state of affairs, involving deepening political divides, sky-high inflation, rampant crime, and other ills.

Independence Day is nearly upon us. Hot dogs and baseball and fireworks will make it a festive day for many. But for many, the cost of filling up a gas tank or buying food for a barbecue will be significantly higher this time around. The evening news will feature stories that will continue to sow outrage and division.

Americans are known for their optimism, but things feel different lately, and for good reason. America has come back from these conditions before and will do so again. The question is: Will trust in our leaders and institutions come with it? That remains to be seen.

[shortstuff]

‘No mow’ May

At a time of inflation, high gas and energy prices, a declining economy, where 56% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, a climate and border crisis, we are subjected to a media report on environmentalists proposing a ‘no mow month of May’ to preserve habitat and food sources for bees, butterflies, birds and other creatures that carry pollen among plants, declaring, "Every little bit helps”.

Persnickety, NOT! About 2% of the country's land area is maintained lawn. Most communities, in fact, have codes that require cutting of grass and weeds once it reaches a certain height - not only for aesthetic reason but to eliminate pests and varmints like rodents. Incredibly we have politicians actually giving serious thought to allowing front yards to go un-mowed.

More homeowners informally participated this spring in this international campaign. And, at the urging of environmental advocates and conservationists, more local governments are officially backing or considering adopting the No Mow May movement. Advocates say putting off the first mowing of the year into June preserves habitat and food sources for bees, butterflies, birds, and other creatures that carry pollen among plants. "Every little bit helps.

Un-mowed lawns, however, spur a lot of complaints from persnickety neighbors. That's why some officials are weighing only allowing grass to grow for the month in backyards, not front yards. Or they may require the posting of No Mow May signs, so that others on the street – and code enforcement officers – can distinguish between official participants and inattentive property owners.

"I love the idea because it saves on fuel for running your gas mower. It cuts down on noises. It helps wildlife and pollinators. And I think it's OK to go the month of May without mowing," Williamsville Trustee Eileen Torre said at a recent Village Board work session.

The notion of the well-manicured, lushly green lawn is deeply planted in the American consciousness. Americans water, mow and chemically treat tens of millions of acres of grass – about 2% of the country's land area, by one estimate. Most communities, in fact, have codes that require cutting of grass and weeds once it reaches a certain height.

In Williamsville, Code Enforcement Officer Tim Masters asked the Village Board to come up with a plan. "I don't see how we can be asked to send grass violations to property owners because it is a nuisance, and another resident right down the street simply puts a sign in their yard and claims they are participating in No Mow May," Masters wrote.

Bondi said about half of the 18 or so homes on her street took part in No Mow May this year. "Some people, it really only got to be maybe 6 or 8 inches," she said. "And other people really looked like they had a meadow."

"I love the idea because it saves on fuel for running your gas mower. It cuts down on noises. It helps wildlife and pollinators. And I think it's OK to go the month of May without mowing." – EILEEN TORRE, WILLIAMSVILLE TRUSTEE

Lee, this post simply put a smile on my face. "No Mow May"--wow because I don't know, don't we have more pressing issues other than being preoccupied with mowing our lawns?? That is hilarious. These environmentalists are going too far, IMO. I actually like my lawn mowed, but who am I to express something like that. LOL This fuel savings idea(s) is getting out of control if you ask me.


Have a good 4th of July. I for one am very proud of my country, i just wish others felt the same way. Burgers & dogs today, Lee. Give my best to your wife.