Author: Californiacontrarian

From the git-go let me be clear. I do not own an electric vehicle nor do I have plans to buy one. Also let me be clear I do not make it a habit to read Politico, which leans strongly to the left politically. However, on 12/5/23 I came across an interesting and revealing Politico piece titled

“Congress provided $7.5B for electric vehicle chargers. Built so far: Zero.”

In other words the pie-in-the-sky plan to have EV charging stations everywhere is just not happening.

In a June study, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory projected the U.S. will need 1.2 million public chargers by 2030 to meet charging demand, including 182,000 fast chargers. To repeat …”not happening!”

From the Politico article …

“Congress at the urging of the Biden administration agreed in 2021 to spend $7.5 billion to build tens of thousands of electric vehicle chargers across the country, aiming to appease anxious drivers while tackling climate change. Two years later, the program has yet to install a single charger.

“Getting chargers up and running across the country is essential to reaching President Joe Biden’s goal of having half the vehicles sold in the United States be electric by the end of the decade — a key cog of his climate agenda. Americans consistently say the lack of charging infrastructure is one of the top reasons they won’t buy an electric car.”

In my opinion these government inspired EV mandates are a boondoggle that is destined to fail, and the lack of charging stations is only one of the reasons. When one thinks logically about the logistics of implementing such a nationwide program, to me it is apparent that it will be impossible north of the Mason-Dixon Line, because there is just not a consistent amount of year ‘round sunshine to provide the energy to power millions of EVs in the more northern parts of this country. Likewise until there is a feasible way to store the energy produced by solar panels, in northern states, EVs may run in the summer, but not in the winter.

Similarly, there is an urban-rural disconnect. In cities with a vertical population there is no possible way provide the electric fuel for all of the cars owned by those living in these high rise buildings. Furthermore in rural locales, conveniently spaced charging stations would be a must … and as Politiconotes, this is just not happening.

Here again I find myself agreeing with Donald Trump who has railed against subsidies for EVs and the infrastructure that powers them, arguing the market should dictate what type of car Americans drive. But he has also relentlessly attacked EVs for their range and the dearth of chargers — the issue Biden is aiming to solve with the infrastructure law funds, which not surprisingly is not happening!

12/12/23

The other day I heard an old song by Crosby, Stills, and Nash, titled “Teach Your Child.” By pure serendipity that same morning I had read an article on Townhall, titled, “Liberal Parenting Contributes to Mental Illness in Kids.”

It appears to me that there are ongoing societal mental health problems, and these issues seem to be worsening. The causes for this are multifactorial, but could one reason be the increasing number of liberal parents?

From Townhall:

“A widely ignored study from Gallup and the Institute for Family Studies shows that children who are raised in politically liberal households are more likely to suffer mental health problems than kids from conservative homes. 

In the study synopsis Parenting is the Key to Adolescent Mental Health, author Jonathan Rothwell focuses on different parenting styles and how they affect child development. The study then correlates these styles with political ideology and mental illness among children. 

The parenting style spread between liberal and conservative parents is not small. “Just 40% of liberal parents scored above average on the index, whereas 71% of very conservative parents and 56% of conservative parents did,” notes the report. Researchers also found that, “Very conservative parents are also somewhat more likely to report giving their child hugs and kisses every day. Generally speaking, political conservatism is associated with more responsive and discipline-oriented parenting.”

Could this outcome difference as far as the mental health of adolescents   be related to religion?

Still from Townhall::

“Perhaps unsurprisingly, political conservatives are more likely than liberals to identify as religious. Gallup released a study on politics and religion on September 1, 2023, and found that 81% of Republicans are Protestant or Roman Catholic, while 61% of Democrats similarly identified. The study also revealed that 26% of Democrats reported no religious affiliation at all compared with just 11% of Republicans.”

The increasing secularity of liberal Democrats suggests to me that perhaps they should listen to Crosby, Stills, and Nash, and teach their children … religion!

12/11/23

On Sundays I pay tribute to someone who deserves our praise. Levi Williams is such an individual. 

For background, Levi Williams originally from Canyon Lake, Texas is a college football quarterback at Utah State University (USU). His college career began at University of Wyoming, and in 2021 he transferred to USU where his college career was not memorable until the last game of this year’s regular season in which he led the USU Aggies to a thrilling double-overtime win over the New Mexico Lobos. He had 351 total yards, including 153 yards carrying, and accounted for a staggering five touchdowns against the Lobos. Even after he botched a snap in the second overtime, the junior quarterback picked it up and ran 13 yards for the game-winning score. His performance in that game was so remarkable that Williams was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week and one of eight Manning Award Stars of the Week. That Saturday win also brought the Aggies’ record to 6-6, making them bowl-eligible.

From BlazeMedia:

Though listed as a junior as far as football eligibility Williams has already graduated from USU. On the Monday following the thrilling overtime victory Levi Williams announced that he intends to begin Navy SEAL training shortly after the Aggies’ bowl game.

“It’s something that took a lot of thought and consideration,” he said. “I love football and it’s so great, but I knew eventually it was going to come to an end. With the timeline of training and stuff, it just works out perfectly to end it this year.”

Williams, whose mother and grandparents also served in the military, added that patriotic fervor played a significant part in his decision. “I just want to be in a spot where I can protect this great country, where we get to play football with the freedom to do that,” he said. “I think this is the best country in the world. So I’d like to keep it that way and protect it as long as I can.”

Rather than shy away from the challenge, though, Williams seems to embrace it, as well as the opportunity to serve alongside other devoted patriots. “What I love about [the SEALs’] ethos and their motto is that no one guy is better than the other.

“It takes all of them to complete a mission.”

Kudos to Levi Williams, and good luck in his next career.

12/10/23

“We’re going to see more and more of these cases,” said Charles LiMandri. What kind of cases is he referring to? And who is Charles LiMandri?

For starters he is a very prominent San Diego-based lawyer whose firm represents “detransitioners.” LiMandri continued, “These lawsuits are rightfully a huge threat to the ‘gender-affirming care industry’ because they are exposing the dark side of a dangerous agenda that is hurting an untold number of vulnerable teens.”

On 12/523 Valerie Richardson of The Washington Times reported  that an increasing number of people have “detransitioned” or stopped identifying with “transgenderism.” 

These “detransitioners” include Soren Aldaco, Chloe Cole, and Prisha Mosley. All three “were prescribed drugs and underwent breast removals in their teens to adopt [a male] identity and later realized they preferred” being women. 

Richardson continued, “They are suing the medical professionals who signed off on puberty blockers, hormone therapies and surgeries. They accuse the physicians of rushing them into gender-reassignment treatment as a fix for their mental health problems without adequate screenings or warnings about the long-term physical and psychological risks.”

One of the three, Soren Aldaco, is autistic.I was surprised to learn that according to a recent study, “people who identify as ‘transgender’ or ‘non-binary’ are three to six times more likely to have autism than people who do not.”

Are these situations in which a psychiatric problem was treated with surgery?

As best I can tell there are no long term studies of the natural history of transgenderism. Should these individuals be treated while still in their teens, or is it best to wait until the individual is old enough to decide, or is it best to do nothing?

There are a number of issues that need to be addressed with these cases. All three of these girls underwent transgender treatment when they were teens, and at that age should not have been able to make an informed decision to proceed. So where were the parents? Realistically, the parents of these girls likely have no experience with this sort of problem, and in fairness to Chloe’s parents not surprisingly supposedly  succumbed to the ultimatum: “would you rather have a dead daughter or a live son?” To me this is an example of a medical practitioner unfairly putting the ultimate guilt trip on the parents … if this is what was actually said.

Mark my words, these cases will be blockbuster cases one way or the other. If any one of the three is settled or won by the protagonists, there will be an unending deluge of additional cases brought by unhappy de-transitioners, and this could go on ad infinitum!! 

It’s only a matter of time!

Stay tuned!

12/9/23

I do not often comment on medical issues, and I do not recall commenting on something of a medical nature coming out of Japan. However when I read a study conducted by the University of Tsukuba in Japan and published in GeroScience, I immediately thought of Joe … Joe Biden, that is.

From Epoch Health:

“The Japanese study sought to discover natural compounds that could improve age-related cognitive decline. Considering that roughly two out of three Americans experience some degree of cognitive restriction by the time they reach 70 years of age, maintaining brain health is often a significant and valid concern as we age.”

On a practical sense everyone who pays attention realizes that Joe Biden is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. The question is whether it is too late for the results of this Japanese study to help Joe B.

Again from Epoch Health:

“Researchers found that trigonelline significantly improved spatial learning and memory in aged mice. It was also found to support multiple pathways within the nervous system, decrease inflammation within the brain, and increase neurotransmitter levels.

“Previous studies have shown that trigonelline promotes the regeneration of cells within the neurons of the brain. This suggests that trigonelline can not only help sustain brain health but even improve it. At the same time, it inhibits the formation of certain byproducts which may cause neurological cell death. These two functions ultimately result in better memory capacity and improved cognition by preserving brain cells and supporting their optimal functioning as we get older.”

At this point you are probably admitting that you have never heard of trigonelline, and I admit that prior to reading about it yesterday, I also was clueless about trigonelline.

“Trigonelline is a naturally occurring compound found in various plants. A byproduct of Vitamin B3 (also known as niacin), trigonelline is often found in high levels in coffee beans, and in the Japanese radish.”

Since the Japanese radish is not readily available, perhaps Joe should drink more coffee … or perhaps eat more coffee flavored ice cream! 

Actually I think that Joe is well beyond that point. It is very doubtful that Joe’s brain function can be helped by drinking more Joe.

12/8/23

“The economy, stupid” is a phrase that was coined by James Carville in 1992. It is often quoted from a televised quip by Carville as “It’s the economy, stupid.” Carville was a strategist in Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 U.S. presidential election against incumbent George H. W. Bush.

With the Presidential election now less than a year away, how is the economy doing? More apropos how are the voting citizens doing? Anyone who is not an elitist is probably aware that Biden’s inflation is a killer! Even though inflation is not as bad as it was last year, it is still continuing ongoing inflation. The politicians can tell us that things are now under control, but those of us who are living in this inflation spiral, know that things are not under control. 

From Fox Business:

“Since January, 2021 groceries are up 20%, electricity is up 24%, gas is up 48%, and fuel/heating oil is up 75%.

Furthermore 61% of Americans reportedly living paycheck-to-paycheck, 

Inflation, mortgage rates over 7% and credit card APR’s north of 20% have pushed all income brackets into living paycheck to paycheck, according to a new survey from LendingClub Bank.

Many of these individuals are able to survive by using their credit card more and more, as Americans are putting the tab of the debt-driven inflation on the credit card because they can’t afford the cost of living, so credit card debt has now surged past $1 trillion.

To make the overall national situation even worse, from BlazeMedia:

Along with the $33.7 trillion in federal debt, we have a record $17.29 trillion in household debt, $12.14 trillion in mortgages (nearly double the pre-housing-crash peak in 2007), and a shocking $1.6 trillion in auto loans.”

From the Epoch Times:

President Biden is at a critical moment in his re-election bid with Election Day less than a year away and poll after poll shows the majority of Americans disapprove of how he has handled the economy. 

Bankrate’s recent survey has revealed that about 9 out of 10 Americans say the economy will play a pivotal role in who they vote for in the 2024 presidential election.

And to top it off … the U.S. poverty rate saw the largest one year increase in history!

If what James Carville said over thirty years ago is as true now as it was in 1992 -> good riddance, Joe Biden!

12/7/23

californiacontrarian

On 11/25/23 I wrote a piece about a recent article from the cardiology journal, Circulation, which dealt with the persistence of Covid vaccine induced myocarditis. Someone commented that I was overlooking all of the good that ensued from this vaccine … how many lives were saved, etc. The problem with that position which focuses on how wonderful the Covid vaccine was, has to do with the age of the recipients. Was the vaccine beneficial for everyone? Was it mainly beneficial for those over 65?  At this point I would agree that the vaccine was a good thing for older folks especially those with underlying medical issues. However, the mandating of Covid vaccines for those in the military … nonsense! The mandating of Covid vaccines for college students … even more nonsensical! Why? Because the overall mortality of Covid was related to age.

Look at the Covid mortality in these different age groups:

Age                        Mortality

20-29 years old     0.012%

30-39.   “.   “.           0.032%

40-49.   “.     “.         0.078%

50-59.   “.     “.         0.174%

60-69.  “.      “.         0.394%

70-79.   “.      “.        0.936%

80-89.  “.      “.         2.65%

 Certainly no logical person can say that the risk of dying from Covid was the same for a 25 year old as with an 85 year old. Did the Covid vaccine significantly save lives? Yes, but only in certain age groups. 

Furthermore, that is before any vaccine side-effects are considered.

From the Epoch Times:

In the past two years, there has been a notable surge in the number of cardiac arrest cases in Victoria, Australia. From 2021 to 2022, cases increased by 5.8 percent compared to the previous year, reaching a historical high. These numbers have sparked public concerns about the potential side effects of vaccines.

According to the annual report from the Victorian Ambulance Cardiac Arrest Registry, 6,934 cases were recorded from 2020 to 2021, representing a 2.5 percent increase compared to the previous year and marking the highest number of cardiac arrest events in the state at that time. However, within the short span of one year from 2021 to 2022, the number of cases surged to 7,361 incidents—a new historical high.

According to the Australian COVID-19 vaccine tracking website, CovidBaseAU, as of Sept. 1, 2023, 97.53 percent of individuals aged 16 and above in the country have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

“A study published in May of this year indicated that myocarditis (with an overall incidence rate of around 1.62 percent) has been identified as the most common cardiac event following COVID-19 vaccination.”

Cardiac arrest occurs in practically all age groups. If it occurs in someone over 65 y/o, it can be tragic or it can be a blessing. However, a cardiac  arrest in a young person is almost always a tragedy, especially if it is due to a Covid vaccine that he/she probably didn’t need.  At this point no one denies the causal relationship between the Covid vaccine and subsequent myocarditis. However, perhaps the more pertinent issue in these individuals is “will they be paying for a long time?”

12/6/23

The strength of anything is determined by its weakest link. The literal meaning of this proverb is that the strength of a chain is limited to that of the weakest link in the chain. Even if the other links on the chain are strong, the chain will break when the weakest link fails. This proverb can be applied to a variety of situations, and now can it can be applied to Biden’s EV mandates.

You see there is a problem with the EV mandates … the consumers are not buying the BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles). Surely, there are multiple reasons for this, but it is becoming evident that this is the weak link in the EV mandate chain. The auto makers have been inordinately compliant to Biden’s BEV dictums. Why? … perhaps they are seeing what the DOJ is doing to the NYC mayor after he complained about something. Be that as it may, the auto manufacturers are losing billions because just like lead balloons, BEVs are not just flying off the car lots. Finally someone has had the guts to suggest to President Biden that he needs to change his tune. In fact not one, but rather 3700 who know what they are talking about.

From Daybreak Insider:

“The group of 3,700 dealerships, which collectively sell every major brand of automakers in the U.S., said in a letter to Biden that his push to make two out of every three new cars sold by 2032 to be electric was highly unrealistic. While there were good options for people wishing to buy electric vehicles, “the reality, however, is that electric vehicle demand today is not keeping up with the large influx of BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicle) arriving at our dealerships prompted by the current regulations.”

From the Daily Wire:

“Mr. President, no government agency, no think tank, and no polling firm knows more about the automobile customer than us,” the letter continued. “Some customers are in the market for electric vehicles, and we are thrilled to sell them. But the majority of customers are simply not ready to make the change.”

The dealerships cited numerous reasons that consumers do not want electric vehicles, including their high cost, the lack of garages for home charging, the lack of access for public charging, the loss of driving range in hot or cold weather, and the “dramatic loss of range” when towing. “Reliable charging networks, electric grid stability, sourcing of materials, and many other issues need time to resolve,” the letter said. “And finally, many people just want to make their own choice about what vehicle is right for them.”

Hmmm! It sounds like Mr. Biden was asleep on the day one of his teachers talked about how “you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink!”

12/5/23

Although this was initially written years ago it still holds true today.

Where I Come From

Alan Jackson is one of my favorites. I like many of his songs, but I especially like “Where I Come From.” Over and over in the chorus is the refrain “where I come from,” XYZ. That song in addition to a poem that was recently sent to me, got me to thinking, “where is the country that I thought I came from?”

That poem written by a fifteen year old in Minnesota starts off as follows:

Now I sit me down in schoolWhere praying is against the ruleFor this great nation under GodFinds mention of Him very oddIf scripture now the class recites,It violates the Bill of Rights

It goes on for another twenty-six lines, but here’s the stanza that captures the gist:

It’s ‘inappropriate’ to teach right from wrong.We’re taught that such ‘judgments’ do not belong.We can get our condoms and birth controls,Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,No word of God must reach this crowd

I thought that it was well written and on the money, but more importantly it got me to thinking . . . “What’s happening to our great country?” Or perhaps more to the point and pertinent . . . “What’s happening to our great country under of guise of ‘freedom’?”  What is happening to the country “where I come from?”

I do not want to be perceived as standing up in a pulpit, but to me it seems that “our country is slowly being undermined by evil.” I know, strong words, and perhaps I ought to rephrase it . . . “Our country is slowly being undermined by evil disguised as “freedom.”

I hear “Nonsense! Give me some examples.”

If one questions what happened in the last election, he/she is deemed a conspiracy theorist. The fact that there were many strange occurrences in many different states are pushed aside . . . “everyone deserves to have their vote counted,” without mentioning what the term ‘everyone’ actually means. Although not verbalized precisely by some . . . “it’s okay to cheat in elections because . . . err, yada, yada, yada, something to do with everybody having the “freedom” to vote. Where I come from cheating is wrong and to sanction it as ‘okay’ is evil.

It’s okay to riot in the streets and destroy property because protest is one of included freedoms that we have. If one tries to replace ‘protest’ with  ‘peacefully protest’ in the conversation, then he/she opens him/herself to woke criticism. From where I come from wantonly destroying the property of others is wrong. To sanction it as ‘okay,’ is evil.

Where I come from killing is wrong. A few years back when ISIS was killing, raping, and pillaging innocents, most thought that they were evil. However taking the life of an innocent fetus is “okay,” because a woman has the freedom to decide what to do with her body. To that I ask, “When does a fetus become a person and thus have the same freedoms that everyone else has?” Perhaps at conception, but certainly when it has a heartbeat. Where I come from, if it has a heartbeat, it is certainly alive.

Does a fictional Supreme Court Justice in “The Keneally Chronicles” think in the same way? BTW “The Keneally Chronicles” is available on Amazon both where you come from and where I come from!

12/4/23

Last week two important things occurred on the same day in the political world that you might not have noticed.

The first involved statements by Tucker Carlson on a Roseanne Barr’s podcast. He finally admitted what many of us have long suspected: He’s voting for Donald Trump in 2024.

From Align:

“I became an active Trump supporter when they raided Mar-a-Lago. That can’t stand,” Carlson told the comedian. “I agree with Trump on a lot, but even if I disagreed with Trump on a lot, I’d still be a Trump supporter … because you cannot allow the president of the United States to use the Justice Department to knock the front-runner out of the race.”

For Carlson, the issue is “bigger than Trump, it’s bigger than Biden.”

‘It’s a question of ‘Do you want to live in a free country with a functioning justice system?’ I’m voting for Trump, and if they convict him, I will send the max donations, and I’ll lead protests,’he said.”

Now grated Tucker Carlson is not a politician, but what he says does carry a lot of weight with the general populace. I think Carlson is correct. The 2024 presidential election is a referendum on what type of country Americans want. It is much more than just about the two candidates.

The second interesting thing that happened was the Gavin Newsom/ Ron DeSanctis debate. No, I did not watch this obvious ratings play by Fox, but it appears that it can be summed up in just a few words … “DeSanctis by a TKO!”

From Townhall:

“Gov. Ron DeSantis did not waste any opportunity during the highly promoted debate on Fox News with Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday to highlight the many reasons people are leaving California for Florida.

“So, I was talking to a fella who had made the move from California to Florida, and he was telling me that Florida is much better governed, safer, better budget, lower taxes, all this stuff, and he’s really happy with the quality of life,” DeSantis said during “The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate” on Thursday. “And then he paused, and he said, ‘You know, by the way, I’m Gavin Newsom’s father-in-law.” 

Kenneth Siebel Jr. and Judith Siebel, Newsom’s in-laws, purchased a home in Naples in 2020.”

DeSantis then finished off Newsom when he then displayed a print-out of the ‘poop map’ app for San Francisco.   

“That is what has happened in one of the previous greatest cities this country has ever had. Human feces is now a fact of life,” DeSantis said.”

Like I said, “DeSantis by a TKO!”

After his debate fiasco, only the most over the line liberal could have come away thinking that Newsom is a viable presidential candidate. So when Biden backs away, who is going to be the sacrificial lamb to be forced to run against Trump?

12/4/23