Category: Uncategorized

Typically I read Jeff Childers’ Coffee and Covid every morning. Moreover,  because I not only find him to be entertaining but also agree with most everything he says, I often read him before I read anything else in the morning. However, on 2/7/24 o found myself disagreeing with his opinion on something from ABC-7 Chicago: “Mental health: California county becomes 1st in US to declare loneliness as public health emergency.

He seemed to be mainly ridiculing the all Democrat San Mateo Board of Supervisors because they were both Democrats and San Mateo County is in California. However, I was disappointed because other than mocking this Northern California county board, he had nothing to say about the ‘L’ word, “loneliness.”

Is loneliness a problem in the US? If so how big a problem? 

If someone is a lawyer, like Jeff Childers, who interacts with multiple different people on most days, then loneliness is probably not much of a problem. Likewise, if someone is married and has a wife and children to go home to every evening like Mr. Childers does, then being alone at night could well be a blessing. Similarly, since most lonely individuals are not middle-aged extroverts, like the Coffee and Covid author, maybe keeping an open mind on this issue would be beneficial.

Personally, I am basically a conservative extrovert, but do recognize that loneliness is a major issue, especially in older individuals whose friends and spouse may have died, and who live not close to their family.

While I rarely agree with Democrats, perhaps the San Mateo Board of Supervisors is on to something with reference to the ‘L’ word.

2/8/24

I remember two dances back when I was younger. I really liked The Stroll, and in fact can still do it. The Limbo, on the other hand, is a different story. It wasn’t really a dance, per se, but it did have a song by the same name. As perhaps you can recall the catch phrase of the song was, “How low can you go.”

Recently I opined on the disastrous financial situation in the state of California, but the financial situation in many of California’s big cities is equally worrisome, and getting worse … how low can they go? While the state of California has some options to alleviate its deficit, the large cities do not have the same options. 

From a recent piece by Allysia Finley in the WSJ:

As awful as the budget outlook is in Sacramento, it may be worse for cities across the state, which have few options other than to cut essential services or raise taxes. 

The city manager in Sacramento recently suggested patching a $50 million budget gap by taking longer to fix potholes and broken street lights.

San Diego projects a $172 million budget shortfall. ‘Without a new major ongoing revenue source, significant budget cuts to programs and services will be needed to address the city’s structural budget deficit,’ a Dec. 5 budget report stated.

Los Angeles City Administrator Matthew W. Szabo recently warned of a $400 million deficit owing to rising labor costs and lower-than-expected tax revenue. ‘The identification of new revenue sources is one strategy that the City must embrace in order to become more resilient,’ Mr. Szabo wrote in a Jan. 19 report to the City Council.

The trouble is, taxpayers in La La Land are as maxed out as those in the rest of California. San Francisco faces a nearly $800 million deficit despite having imposed several new taxes in recent years, including one on the gross receipts of businesses whose highest-paid manager earns more than 100 times the median compensation of its San Francisco-based employees.”

The deficits in these cities is getting deeper, and question is similar to that in The Limbo … How low can they can go?”

2/7/24

I awoke this morning thinking about pendulums. Later in the morning I realized that thinking about pendulums is a strange thing to think about … or is it? Pendulums are nature’s way to bring things back back towards the center, and in everyday life pendulum-like action is a way of bringing rationality back toward the center.

In baseball and football many teams start off saying that the goal is to make it to the World Series or to the Super Bowl, but a few weeks into the season, this changes to “making the playoffs,” as rationality-pendulum kicks in.

Today my pendulum question involves Electric Vehicles. When is the EV-rationality pendulum going to kick in? Right now those on the left are mandating that all vehicles need to be electric by the year, XXXX. Anyone who thinks rationally knows that these prospective dates for all EVs  are going to be impossible to achieve, and I think that we are starting to see the beginnings of a pendulum swing.

From IssuesInsights:

“The latest indication is the sharp drop in prices for used EVs.

A report from iSeeCars.com, a search engine for auto buyers, found that the average price for all cars declined 5% in 2023 compared with 2022.

But the resale price EVs plunged 33%.

“Even with this dramatic decline in prices, it took 40% longer to sell an EV in 2023 than it did the year before. Used gas-powered cars, in contrast, sold 10% faster than they did in 2022.

“This combination of lower prices and slower sales suggests EVs have hit a market demand threshold that will be difficult to break through,” said Karl Brauer, iSeeCars executive analyst.

“But it’s not just the used EV market that is cratering. iSeeCars found the same trends with new EV sales. The time it took to get an EV off a dealer’s lot more than doubled in 2023. It now takes roughly three times as long to see an EV than a conventional car, despite price cuts and Biden’s huge EV tax credit.”

Hertz scaled back its plans to add more EVs to its rental fleet, citing high repair costs and declining resale value. German-based rental car company Sixt said it’s phasing out Tesla rentals from its fleets because of reduced resale value.

“So, let’s sum up: New EVs aren’t selling, despite massive government subsidies. Used EVs aren’t selling. People who own EVs often give up on them and switch back to gas-powered cars.”

To me this is the beginning of the pendulum swinging. How far and how long will it take for this EV-pendulum to swing back towards rationality?

I think it depends on the next election. If the Republicans win, rationality will resurface and the pendulum swing will accelerate. If the Dems win, the elites will continue to override the will of the people, and the present pendulum swing will be aborted.

2/6/24

I recently came across something sent to me by Carl DeMaio who is running for State Assembly here in California. He is trying to get a Voter I.D.proposition on the next ballot. I have always liked DeMaio’s ideas, and thus thought that it would be appropriate to copy what he recently sent to me. 

From Carl DeMaio:

“Have you been watching what’s happening at our border? I have several alarming facts to share with you on how bad the situation is:

• Millions of illegal immigrants flowing in every year.  Here in San Diego County, CBP has released over 75,000 illegal immigrants on to San Diego county streets since September and we have no idea where they are now!

• Most of the illegal immigrants coming across are military-aged men and have not been vetted on their past criminal history

• Over 200 terrorist watch list suspects have been detained since January 1, 2023 – and who knows how many others are crossing without detection!

There is a crisis at the border. Politicians from BOTH political parties have failed us!

That’s why this week I will be unveiling a California Border Security Initiative and demanding action on three emergency actions:

1. Deploy the California National Guard immediately to the border as Texas has done.

2. Immediately repeal the California Sanctuary State law that allows criminals to remain in the US without deportation

3. Repeal the recently-approved welfare programs for illegal immigrants for free taxpayer-funded heath insurance and free legal services

I am also redoubling our campaign efforts to qualify and pass my proposal for a California Voter ID Law!  

As long as the border is not secure, and as long as our voter lists are not properly maintained, we need to require Voter ID! It is just common sense!”

Anyway, like I said, I mostly agree with what Carl DeMaio says, and I agree with him on this.

Will any of the above things happen here in California? … No, not until hell freezes over, and with global warming, probably even longer!

2/5/24

As I do every Sunday, today I am writing about a true hero. Today it is Jimmie Sinatra.

From Epoch Bright:

Jimmie Sinatra grew up in Lakewood, Ohio, and bought a house with his wife in the area in 1995. That same year, he invested in his first snowblower. Soon, he upgraded to a Craftsman snowblower that he can walk behind and has been maintaining the prized apparatus ever since.

Why is Jimmie Sinatra an unknown hero? … well for years he has been clearing snow from his neighbor’s sidewalks.

Initially, only his immediate neighbors knew that he was helping clear snow for the neighborhood, and those living further down the street had no idea about it. However, over the years, a couple of people have noticed his handiwork and have asked if he could clear their driveways, too.

At 81-year Jimmie Sinatra has been clearing snowy sidewalks in his neighborhood for over 20 years. He refuses to accept cash donations, insisting he loves the snow and helping his neighbors. Now he is helping 34 neighbors!

“I don’t ask for money, I don’t ask for anything, I just do it to help the neighbors,” Mr. Sinatra said. “It’s something for me to do. I enjoy it, that’s all. I enjoy helping people.”

At the age of 81, Mr. Sinatra has his own health problems. In May 2023 he was diagnosed with stage four chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema in both lungs. He has trouble breathing so he wears a scarf to keep warm and carries an inhaler when he leaves the house to clear snow.”

The picture of him on Epoch Bright shows him dressed warmly while using his snow blower. What I noticed the most about that picture was his portable nasal oxygen!.

Jimmie Sinatra … a true hero!

2/4/24

As I have stated before I think there was something fishy about what occurred in and around the Capital on Jan 6. … Increased security was turned down! Hundreds of undercover agents in the crowd! Doors being opened as if to invite people in!

However, what I just read makes the situation even worse for those who were charged with various infractions.

It’s my understanding that in a fair trial, the accused has to be tried by a jury of his peers. If the jury pool is predominantly made up of individuals who have diametrically opposed political views compared to a defendant, does this satisfy the requirement about being judged by one’s peers? In general, I do not think that jurors should be asked about their political affiliation or who they voted for in the last election. However, here I am concerned with the jury pool in general. The results of a survey of potential Washington D.C.  jury pool participants was just released and the findings are deeply disturbing.

Is there a reason to think that the jury pool is biased against these Jan 6 defendants in the first place? 

An analysis published on Jan. 5 by the Associated Press shows that 1,241 people have been charged so far for their participation in the protests, which took place at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Of those, 905 have been convicted, 768 have been sentenced, and 322 are pending. Only one has been acquitted.

So far, over half of the defendants chose to have a judge decide their case rather than face a jury of Washington residents.

Of the 74 defendants who opted for a bench trial, 72 were convicted.

With the overwhelming number of guilty verdicts is it possible that the jury pool is a biased group even before they enter the courtroom?

Perhaps a survey could be taken. … sounds like a good idea, and so a survey was done.

(For the sake of clarity Edward Jacob “Jake” Lang, a Jan. 6 defendant from Newburgh, New York, who has been incarcerated in the D.C. jail for three years without a trial, is the one who commissioned the survey. It was paid for through donations to the January 6th Legal Fund to support Jan. 6 defendants.)

A survey (pdf) conducted by Triton Polling and Research between Jan. 1-8 and obtained exclusively by The Epoch Times reveals an extreme level of bias among potential jurors living in Washington toward anyone who participated in the protests at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

For those of you who wish to read about the results of this survey in detail, I need to refer you to the Epoch Times article on 1/25/24 by Patricia Tolson. 

What follows are the more egregious results of this survey.

Of the 422 “jury eligible residents” surveyed, 27.5 percent describe Jan. 6 protestors as “insurrectionists.” Others describe them as “criminals” (13 percent), “domestic terrorists” (14.9 percent), or “traitors” (11.6 percent).

The overwhelming majority also “strongly” (75 percent) or “somewhat agree” (14.4 percent) that former President Donald Trump is to blame for what happened, and 76.6 percent “strongly agree” that Mr. Trump’s supporters are racists.

Asked if they thought Jan. 6 was “an act of terrorism,” 63.6 percent said they “strongly agree.” Just 8 percent said they “strongly disagree.”

After informing survey participants that “the penalty for insurrection, treason, or committing an act of domestic terrorism is life imprisonment or death,” 26.9 percent said they “strongly agree” and 21.1 percent said they “somewhat agree” that those penalties would “be a fair punishment for anyone who participated in any of the events of January 6.”

“Regardless of what they did,” participants were asked if “anyone who participated in the events at the Capitol on January 6 should serve prison time.” Most (51.4 percent) said they “strongly agree” and 17.4 percent said they “somewhat agree.”

Most (68.6 percent) say Jan. 6 protesters should be “punished to the fullest extent of the law to prevent anything like this from happening again” and that “America is a safer place with them in prison” (40.1 percent).

Wow!!

Double Wow!!!!

No wonder the conviction rates are so one-sided. From my perspective, there is no way that any of these lemmings who were enticed to go into the Capitol can possibly get anywhere close to a “fair”trial. Actually the fact that Government prosecutors and judges insist there is no evidence to prove that they can’t get a fair trial in Washington is shameful!

Hopefully those who are already in jail because they were convicted by these “impartial” juries can use this survey to get their guilty verdicts overturned. For those who will not be successful and will remain in jail, hopefully President Trump will pardon them all.

2/3/24

The state of California seems to be circling the drain. Why do I say that? … actually there are multiple reasons why I am led to this conclusion.

First: California’s deficit is immense.

From California’s Legislative Budget Office:

California Faces a $68 Billion Deficit. Largely as a result of a severe revenue decline in 2022‑23, the state faces a serious budget deficit. Specifically, under the state’s current law and policy, we estimate the Legislature will need to solve a budget problem of $68 billion in the upcoming budget process.

Second, businesses are leaving California in droves, and Sacramento is either unaware of what’s happening or has chosen to ignore it.

– Chief Executive Magazine reports annually on the Best and Worst States for Business. Predictably, in their Best and Worst of 2023, California is ranked number #50 – again.

CEOs have solidified opinions about the welcoming top states, their assessment of the worst has ossified: No. 47 New Jersey, No. 48 Illinois, No. 49 New York and No. 50 California remain the same as in the 2022 survey.

What should be obvious is that when businesses leave, the employees go with them. These employees not only pay state income taxes, but also property taxes. This paying of taxes then cascades down to sales taxes, and so what looks initially to be the innocent movement of a small company turns into a big megillah as taxes are the revenue source for the state.

In addition, individuals, not affiliated with businesses are also leaving the state. Although the reasons are multi factorial, high taxes are high on the list. I personally know four individuals who have fled California for other locales (Florida, Missouri, Colorado, Nevada, and Tennessee). These individuals are all in one of the higher tax brackets, poof! … they are gone!

More than half of states have cut tax rates in the last two years, according to the Tax Foundation. This has set off big regional competitions. Colorado, for instance, adopted a 4.4 percent top rate on income, and Arizona slashed its rate to 2.5 percent, leapfrogging the rate cut to 5 percent that Utah adopted five years ago.

California’s income tax rate has been 13.3% for a decade, but effective January 1, 2024, the new top rate is an eye-watering 14.4%, Forbes reports.

Are you getting the picture? Sacramento certainly isn’t, and consequently the  circling of the fiscal disaster drain just continues!

2/2/24

Who bears the ultimate responsibility for the Department of Justice?

There is only one answer … the Executive branch of government. However that merely begs the question … Who is ultimately responsible for the actions of the Executive branch of the government? Again here there is only one answer. Since the President is ultimately responsible.for the Executive branch, the President is ultimately responsible for the Department of Justice and its actions.

Likewise, if the President denies any knowledge of something that the Department of Justice is doing or has done, then realistically there are only two possibilities. Either the President out of the loop, and the Department of Justice is acting independently, or the President is lying. Which is worse? 

If the President is clueless about what his Department of Justice is doing, I would think that most responsible individuals would view this as an abrogation of his presidential responsibility. Of course, it is possible that those who work at the Department of Justice are purposely keeping things from the President, but again this sort of dysfunction ultimately goes back to the President.

The other possibility is that the President is lying! If the President has repeatedly shown that he is an honest person, then this possibility is unlikely. However, if the President appears to have a penchant for not telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth to the American people, then the possibility that the President is lying goes up considerably. At this point, perhaps, we should recall the innumerable times that Joe Biden has said that he had no knowledge of and certainly no association with any of Hunter Biden’s business dealings! … Hmmm!

Now to the latest debacle in Georgia with DA Fani Willis and her probable paramour, Nathan Wade. To me the questionable actions of Fani Willis  will ultimately turn out to be the lesser of two evils for Democrats. Much more important will be the meetings between the prosecution (Willis/Wade, etc.) and the White House and the Department of Justice.

For example,

The special prosecutor appointed in the Trump case, Nathan Wade, had invoices submitted to the Fulton County District Attorney’s office that revealed he asked for reimbursement for at least two meetings with the White House counsel’s office while he was involved in the election interference case. Those meetings occurred in 2022 after he was named as a special prosecutor by Ms. Willis. … Hmmm!

Also in court on 1/27/24 Alex Bernick, a prosecutor from Willis’s office, was asked: “Is there something that’s actually in writing that shows communication between the office and the White House counsel?”

His answer was that there were two written letters from the White House Counsel’s office. … Hmmm!

It is also rumored that someone from the DA’s team travelled to the White House for discussions.

To me the ultimate question is whether Joe Biden was unaware that his team was actively participating in the prosecution of his political opponent, Donald Trump … or is Joe Biden lying?

Which is true? Which is worse?

2/1/24

Dear Justice Roberts,                            

From the beginning let’s be clear, whatever I am going to say should not be taken personally by you. However, because you are the Chief Justice, it seems fitting that you should bear more responsibility when a decision of SCOTUS goes awry.

Your (SCOTUS) latest decision about the barbed wire on the Texas border is merely a way of kicking the proverbial can down the proverbial road. Saying that the Federal Government can cut the barbed wire is like “dancing with your sister at the senior prom!” Saying that cutting the barbed wire is okay does not address the real problem on the Texas border. What was not addressed was the legality of Texas placing the barbed wire up in the first place. In addition what was not addressed was the illegality of the President opening the border to any Tom, Dick, Jose, or Mohammed that wants to come across.

Isn’t clear that your recent cursory ruling about who can or can’t cut the barbed wire is merely a delaying tactic to legal issues to come. For instance, it is okay for the Federal Government to ignore laws about preserving the integrity of our country’s borders?  Is it okay for a state government to then uphold the law when the Federal Government ignores it.? And then down the road what will happen when thousands of asylum seeking individuals do not show up for their hearings. If they are here with the blessing of the Federal Government, can they then legally be deported? If they came through where you allowed the Federal Government to cut the barbed wire, can they be deported?

Your inability to deal with the core issues here can only lead to a myriad of future problems. Just like your unwillingness to get involved with the legality of the 2020 election has led to many more legal issues, your “dancing with your sister” will not turn out well!

1/31/24

I recent.y wrote about the travails of EVs that are recently coming to the forefront. Tesla stock is down to about 190, having peaked at 296 last summer, and in the last month or so the stock price has dropped close to 30%. Hertz just sold about 1000 EVs, losing millions of dollars, because people did not want to rent them. Last month in Chicago there was chaos as the EV chargers were not working because of the very cold weather.

While this is bad news for electric autos, what is happening with electric buses (EBs)? Can the situation be any worse for EBs? … Yes it can! 

From Fox Business:

Cities from coast-to-coast are grappling with broken-down e-buses that cannot be fixed, are too expensive to fix, or they have scrapped their electric fleets altogether.

Officials in Asheville, North Carolina, recently expressed frustration that three of the five e-buses the city purchased for millions in 2018 are now sitting idle due to a combination of software issues, mechanical problems and an inability to obtain replacement parts.

Earlier this month, The Denver Gazette reported two of the four e-buses Colorado Springs’ Mountain Metropolitan Transit acquired in 2021 are not running. They cost $1.2 million a piece, mostly paid for by government grants. 

One of the large makers of electric buses, Proterra, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August. The company, founded in 2004, rose to become the largest e-bus company in the U.S., representing nearly 40% of the market prior to going belly-up.

Asheville’s interim transportation director, Jessica Morriss, told local outlet WLOS-TV it has been impossible to get parts since Proterra filed for bankruptcy last summer. However, Asheville – and several other cities – had problems with the company’s buses long before then.

And the beat goes on …

Still from Fox Business:

In 2020, The Philadelphia Tribune reported SEPTA’s entire $24 million fleet of Proterras had been pulled out of commission. A spokesperson for the transit agency would not get into the specifics of why the 25 buses – the third-largest fleet of all-electric buses in the U.S. at the time – were put on ice.

San Joaquin Regional Transit District in Stockton, California, the Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County in Reno, Nevada, and the Transit Authority of River City (TARC) in Louisville, Kentucky, were also struggling with Proterra buses sitting idle.

In Nov. 2022, WDRB-TV reported that TARC’s entire fleet of Proterra electric buses had not operated in two years. The outlet said $9 million had been shelled out for Louisville’s e-buses.

Note that other than Reno these cities do not have much in the way cold, Chicago-like weather. One can only imagine the disaster that electric buses would be in Milwaukee, Minneapolis, or Kansas City! 

The real life experiences with electric buses can only be referred to as another ‘BB,’ … ‘Biden Boondoggle!’

1/30/24