Month: July 2024

Last week when I referred to “incompetence” in those who are supposed to be in charge, I was told by a reader that I shouldn’t be so harsh as all humans make mistakes.
However on 7/29/24 I read two seemingly unrelated stories that on further reflection summarize the incompetence of those who are supposedly in charge of our government. For the second time I want to emphasize the word “incompetence.”
The first incredible piece of news was an ABC interview of the local Butler, PA SWAT team. The spokesman for the SWAT team said that they had no communication with Secret Service prior to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. They were supposed to meet them upon arrival and it never happened.
Hmmm!
The second story from PJ Media:
“More than three-fourths of all personal income tax from American taxpayers will go directly toward paying off the interest on our massive and ever-burgeoning national debt. FAIRtax reported the sobering data on July 20, explaining, “Interest Payments on U.S. National Debt Will Shatter $1,140,000,000,000 This Year – Eating 76% of All Income Taxes Collected.” Yet politicians from both parties only increase instead of restricting government spending. We are headed for a national financial catastrophe of epic proportions.”
From Twitter:
Peter St Onge, Ph.D has an excellent 3:47 video going into the details of why this is a cruel joke on the American people. And also on Twitter … Elon Musk: ‘America is headed for bankruptcy fyi.’

So there you have it! 76% of taxes paid by Americans are going to service our debt. What do we get for the other 34%? … an incompetent, or worse, Secret Service that failed to communicate with the local Butler, PA SWAT team!
OMG!
Hmmm!

7/31/24
californiacontrarian

Right now the liberal Main Stream Media (MSM) is somehow trying to dispute that Kamala Harris was ever the “Border Czar” despite multiple past referrals to her as such in/on the same MSM.
Now although she was never formally designated as the EV Czar, perhaps those of us who prefer the freedom of choosing what kind of car we want to purchase and drive should shift our focus to “Kamala, the EV Czar.”
From The Washington Free Beacon:
“During her 2020 presidential campaign, Harris vowed to implement climate policies ensuring 50 percent of all new passenger vehicles sold are EVs by 2030 and 100 percent are EVs by 2035, an archived copy of her campaign website shows. She also backed a mandate requiring all new vehicle purchases for corporate fleets, transportation networks, and heavy-duty vehicles be electric by 2030.
Months after she announced in January 2019 that she would run for president, Harris also cosponsored the so-called Zero-Emission Vehicles Act, a bill that was later modified to include language mandating 43 percent of car sales are electric by 2027 and 100 percent are electric by 2035.”

Granted that while it is unlikely that I will be around by 2035 and it is also extremely unlikely that I will be driving in 2035, I still want the freedom to drive the type of car that I desire, and that is only one reason the I will not vote for the “Kamala, the EV Czar.” Apparently I am not alone.

A poll conducted earlier this month by Remington Research Group on behalf of the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, which opposes EV mandates, found that 59 percent or more of likely voters in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin oppose bans on gas-powered cars in their states, which will likely determine the winner of the election.
Larger majorities in those states reported that a candidate’s position on stopping bans on new gas cars would be an important factor in their vote.
“This new polling underscores what we have been hearing from the American people of all political stripes for months—that they do not want the government banning gas cars, mandating electric vehicles or imposing regulations that restrict access to the types of cars that best meet a family’s needs and budget,” American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers president Chet Thompson said at the time.

Soon the MSM will be denying that Kamala was ever gung-ho on EV mandates … reminiscent of what those in charge were doing in George Orwell’s “1984.”
7/30/24
www.californiacontrarian.com

Do individuals in positions of authority have an obligation to admit when they have been wrong? Ideally speaking the answer should be ‘yes,’ but as we all are aware, this happens very rarely. Take for example Janet Yellen telling us that inflation was only going to be temporary! Because she is the Secretary of the Treasury, we would have expected that she would know what she is talking about. However, she could not have been further off base as inflation continues, now many years later. Did Janet Yellen ever apologize or recant her wildly wrong prediction about inflation? … Err, not that I am aware of!
So again back to my original question … Do individuals in positions of authority have an obligation to admit when they have been wrong?
My answer would be, “yes, if they are honest.”
And this gets me to J.D. Vance and his criticisms of Donald Trump many years ago. Vance called himself a “never-Trump guy” in 2016, but his perception of Trump transformed and he endorsed the Republican nominee for president in 2020. The vice presidential nominee issued a formal apology in 2021 for his previous statement about Trump.
Are you listening, Janet Yellen?! … A formal apology!
I think that J.D. Vance is an honest guy and I think he is a good choice. Pollster Frank Luntz appears to agree, but for a different reason. He said on 7/28/24 that former President Donald Trump’s selection of Republican Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as his vice presidential candidate could be crucial to winning the election.
From the Daily Caller:
Trump picked Vance as his running mate, and has stressed the senator’s dedication to “fight for the worker.” Luntz, on “Inside Politics,” said Vance appeals to “paycheck to paycheck voters,” who he described as “the most important segment of the population” for the election.
“J.D. Vance comes from the background that Trump’s focusing on, so he’s credible. And he’s got the language because this is how he grew up,” Luntz said. “To me, the most important segment of the population, the one that makes or breaks, are these paycheck to paycheck voters, people who have jobs, they’ve been working, they may not be college graduates and they’re struggling. And it represents one-fourth of the American electorate. Normally, they vote Democrat over Republican by about two to one. Trump brought it to three to two, even closer. That segment, if they break for Harris, she’s the next president. If Trump can keep them, he’s the next president.”
“J.D. Vance appeals to them because … it’s who he was. It’s not a segment we talk about. It’s not a segment we see. I get them in focus groups because I go out to these states, but they are really suffering,” he continued. “The economy is not doing well for them. These are not shareholders, these are not people who have a cushion. If they get fired or one check doesn’t work, they could lose their homes, they could lose their cars. And we are very sympathetic towards them as a country. Watch, because I think that’s going to be the focus going forward.”

It seems to me that while Kamala Harris will appeal to those without a paycheck and to the coastal elites, I agree with Luntz that J.D.Vance will appeal to those living from paycheck to paycheck.

7/29/24
californiacontrarian.com

On Sundays I talk about individuals who deserve our praise and respect. The following is from upworthy.com

Shariya Small was a fourteen year old who delivered triplets in a hospital in Indiana, and her nurse Katrina Mullen took note. Small’s babies were premature, born at just 26 weeks, when the average gestation for triplets is 33 weeks, according to ReproductiveFacts.org. Due to their early birth, the babies, Serenitee, Samari and Sarayah, had to stay in the NICU at Community Hospital North in Indianapolis for more than five months, according to Today.com.
During their time in the NICU, Mullen noticed the young mom visited her babies alone, not appearing to have much of a support system. “She’d be there alone for days at a time sitting at her babies’ bedside,” Mullen told Today.com.
Eventually, Mullen gave Small her phone number before the babies were discharged from the hospital. It quickly became apparent that Small did not have a support system, as she called Mullen often asking for advice. Out of concern, the nurse went to visit Small an hour away, where she was living with a family member.
The condition of the home was concerning enough, but Mullen became even more worried when she saw how thin Small’s son Samari was. It turns out he had to be admitted to the hospital, which prompted a visit from Child Protective Services, who determined that Small and her three infants would need to enter foster care. She gave the social worker Mullen’s information and things began to fall into place.

To make a long story short Shariya Small was adopted by Katrina Mullen, and thus Katrina Mullen became an instant grandma to three toddlers.
To make this story even better, Shariya finished high school and is now in college studying sociology.

7/28/24

The following is part of my attempt to provide my readers with some interesting medical updates.
Today the topic is Dengue Fever. Perhaps, one might ask, “Why, as isn’t Dengue something that occurs only in tropical or subtropical locales?”
I had always thought that this mosquito transmitted illness basically occurred in only certain locales in the Americas … notably in South America and Central America. But then the other day, I read something which surprised me.
From the Epoch Health:
“Nearly 250 people have been infected with dengue fever, a virus spread by mosquitoes, in three northeastern U.S. states, according to data provided by federal health officials.
So far this year, New York state has reported 143 cases, and New Jersey has reported 41 cases, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data released last week. Massachusetts has also reported 59 cases.The only other U.S. state with locally transmitted cases so far this year is Florida, with nine cases. Puerto Rico has reported more than 1,700 dengue cases this year, CDC data show.
“Dengue, which is sometimes referred to as ‘breakbone fever,’ is caused by a virus transmitted by a type of infected Aedes species mosquito’s bite.
Symptoms usually start between four and 10 days after being bitten by a dengue-infected mosquito, according to the Mayo Clinic. It generally causes a high fever of 104 degrees Fahrenheit and can include several other symptoms.
That includes muscle, bone, or joint pain, vomiting, nausea, pain behind the eyes, swollen glands, and a rash. In some cases, the symptoms can become life-threatening in what is known as “severe dengue,” dengue hemorrhagic fever, or dengue shock syndrome, according to the Mayo Clinic website.”

Could it be that Dengue has become more frequent in some parts of the U.S. because of the increased numbers of individuals now in the U.S. from South and Central America?
Health officials say some people can experience no signs or just minimal symptoms of a dengue infection. Nonetheless, these people carry the Dengue virus and thus when they are bitten by a mosquito, this same mosquito can then transmit the Dengue virus to someone else …etcetera, etcetera.
Hmmm!

7/27/24

At this point perhaps a rhetorical question … but will Kamala Harris actually be the Democrat’s nominee for President? To me it appears that her honeymoon period is already not going well even though it has just started. Ergo, this leads me to suspect that she may not be the nominee. In fact there are multiple reasons why I have this suspicion.
First off why would Joe Biden immediately endorse her after he was forced out and “decided”to no longer seek the nomination? Basically, it appeared to me as well as to many others that after the “border czar” kerfuffle, that he did not give her any further responsibilities, which was a sign that he didn’t think highly of her. Could it be that Joe was p.o.-ed that many Dems were turning against him, and endorsed Kamala as a form of sweet revenge, knowing that she cannot beat Trump.
Second, at this point Obama has not come out with an endorsement of her. Could it be that he also feels that she cannot beat Trump. Is Michelle waiting in the wings?
Third, many of the new polls show that she is not doing well on multiple fronts. One would think that because she is now honeymooning, that she should have a bump in the polls. But that is not happening, and as the American people discover how far left her views are, her polling will only get worse.

Furthermore on 7/24 in a 220-196 vote, the House passed H. Res. 1371 introduced by House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) with the support of all present Republican lawmakers — plus six Democrats seeking to look tough on the border amid Democrat disarray and an illegal alien crisis thanks to their own party’s policies.
To me these six are in essence saying that they cannot win re-election with Kamala on the ticket. I predict in the next few weeks prior to the Dems convention that there will be more concerns about the harm that might come to other Dems on the ballot if Kamala is at the top.
In general, I have not spoken to a single Republican that is not confident that Trump will thoroughly defeat Kamala. The Dems are well aware of what the new polls are showing.
So again I ask, “will Kamala Harris actually be the Democrat’s nominee for President?”
Hmmm!
7/26/24
californiacontrarian

Once again as I often do, let’s start out with “let’s be clear.”
Right now since we are in the Kamala honeymoon period, let’s be clear that we should be announcing that Kamala Harris is a San Francisco radical leftist. According to GovTrac, her Senate voting record is more liberal than Bernie Sanders, the Democratic Socialist from Vermont.
What are some of her actual policies?
In the past she has called the 16-24 age group … “stupid,” while at the same time advocating that sixteen year olds be allowed to vote.
She wants to decriminalize the illegal crossing of our border, while advocating for legal representation and health care for illegals. These opinions while being the “border czar” and yet never getting close to the actual border!
She was all-in for cancelling the Keystone Pipeline, and was also all-in when it came to cancelling offshore drilling and fracking! Kamala, where is our energy going to come from?
Likewise she is all-in for EV-school buses even though they have been proven to be unreliable and expensive.
I could go on about her wanting to ban plastic straws and the consumption of red meat, but at this point, I think that everyone gets the idea.
To me when someone says that no logical person could be this far off base, Kamala Harris immediately pops into my head.
As far as foreign policy is concerned the fact that she chose to speak to a sorority instead of attending Netanyahu’s speech to a joint session of Congress says it all.
Let’s be clear … Kamala Harris is a left wing nut-job!

7/25/24
californiacontrarian

How many of you believe everything that is coming out of the White House? Perhaps better stated, “how many of you believe anything that is coming out of the White House?”
Did Joe Biden just recently have Covid?
Granted to some this may seem like a dumb question, but let’s stop and examine a few things first before we answer, “of course, he had Covid.”
First, he is seen walking around without a face mask after the diagnosis had been made. For those who have been hard and fast about how wonderful and necessary face masks are in preventing Covid, why would JB not be wearing one?
Could it be that this Covid diagnosis was just a convenient way to keep Biden in “isolation” and thus hidden and out of sight?
Why was Biden’s dropping out of the campaign done the way that it was? … On Twitter!!! For a President to make a historical statement on Twitter is beyond believability. Certainly a statement to the American people from the Oval Office would be the more acceptable way to make such an announcement.
On 7/23/24 J.B.’s voice was heard communicating with Kamala Harris during a Harris presentation. Why was only his voice heard? Although I am not usually a conspiracy theorist, with the precision of AI these days, could this not have been an AI construed version of Biden’s voice? Why was there not a live Zoom video feed of him speaking?
And finally there have been reports that while Biden was in Las Vegas, he suffered some sort of neurological event, and that he was very close to being transported to the hospital. Certainly, that does not sound like Covid. Did he have a TIA (transient ischemic attack)? [Recall that since he does have atrial fibrillation and does take blood thinners, a TIA is something which happens to someone with this diagnosis.]
Is this whole scenario believable?
Hmmm!

7/24/24
californiacontrarian

It’s been a few years now, and auto makers are finally reverting to making cars that consumers want to buy. My question is, “What took them so long?”
After the initial surge of EV buying by those few who could afford them, makers of EVs are now finally waking up:
From Townhall:
“Ford has done a complete reversal on its plans for an electric sport-utility vehicle plant in Canada so it can focus on what consumers actually want: more combustion engine heavy-duty pickup trucks.
In an announcement, Ford said it would invest about $3 billion to expand Super Duty production on one of the company’s most profitable and in-demand vehicles, including $2.3 billion for retooling a plant in Ontario originally intended to be the EV manufacturing hub, with the rest going toward facilities in the U.S. and Canada.”

From the NYT:
“The shift in consumer sentiment is now forcing many automakers to pull back on aggressive investment plans, and pivot, at least partly, back to the internal-combustion engine vehicles that still account for most new car sales and a large share of corporate profits.”
My question to Ford and other makers of EV trucks … why did it take you so long to figure out something that to many of seemed like common sense according to Sutton’s Law.
( Willer Sutton, a bank robber reputedly replied to a reporter’s inquiry as to why he robbed banks by saying “because that’s where the money is.”)
As Axios notes, Ford’s latest move is not hard to figure out given that Ford’s EV unit lost $4.7 billion last year while the Ford Pro commercial business raked in $7.2 billion.
7/23/24
californiacontrarian

Because things, especially bad things, often occur in threes, I admit that I was somewhat hesitant to write the following. Is the third shoe going to drop? First of all from Mark Levin: “How the hell does a guy,” who has “not even [a] military background” or “law enforcement background” mange to “get access to a building which is a staging ground for local police and Special Ops” carrying something as big as a rifle.” Similarly, how does this young kid get access to a nearby roof with a clear shot at Trump without the Secret Service spotting him? And finally why was the FBI so quick to say that the shooter acted alone? There are basically only two simple answers. Either the Secret Service and the FBI are incompetent … or there is some funny stuff (intentionality) going on. Likewise, how is it that days after this boondoggle, this headline from Bloomberg: “A Routine CrowdStrike Update Crashed the World’s Computers” Again unfortunately we are left with the same simple choice. CrowdStrike or somebody at CrowdStrike is incompetent … or there was some funny stuff (intentionality) going on. From C&C: “Google Whistleblower and senior developer Zach Voorhies yesterday posted the CrowdStrike crash error log, which can be easily found in internal computer files if you know where to look. And then Zach diagnosed the error, which appears to be the most basic kind of C++ programming mistake. The gist is that the error pushed by the so-called “Global IT Security” company bringing down the world’s critical infrastructure was so basic that it tends to suggest either grotesque, DEI-levels of incompetence or intentionality.” Napoleon once said, “Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence.” So here again we are faced with the same choice … either incompetence or some funny stuff (intentionality) was going on. I have my suspicions … You all can make your own individual choices. Hmmm! 7/22/24 californiacontrarian