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From my friends at Power Line Blog:
The Charges Against Justice Clarence Thomas
Justice Thomas has been a problem for the political left since he was nominated. The trumped-up charges against him did not work, and the Democrats were not able to deny him a seat on the Supreme Court as they had done to Robert Bork in 1987. Now, the Democrats want him investigated for vacationing with a friend and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wants him impeached. So what exactly is going on?
On Friday, The Epoch Times reported:
After a news report highlighted luxurious vacations Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas allegedly accepted from a wealthy friend, Thomas said he was advised he didn’t have to report the trips. In a new statement, Thomas denied any wrongdoing and vowed to follow new reporting requirements imposed on the federal judiciary.
Thomas’s critics in Congress promptly seized on the report last week of the vacations, suggesting it raised the appearance of impropriety.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) demanded that the justice be impeached, saying his actions evidenced an “almost cartoonish” level of corruption. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee’s panel on federal courts, called for an independent investigation of the justice, who has long been a target of the left.
Whitehouse and other critics also say that justices whose spouses are involved in political activism, like Thomas, whose wife, Ginni Thomas, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, is active in conservative politics, should have to recuse themselves from involvement in cases related to that activism. Despite pressure, the justice declined to recuse himself from the various challenges to the disputed 2020 presidential election that made it to the Supreme Court.
Billionaire businessman and Republican Party donor Harlan Crow, who made the gifts to Thomas, has reportedly not had any business before the Supreme Court, so any allegation of a conflict of interest rests on weak grounds.
Nor is it clear if Thomas violated the judicial ethics code by not declaring the vacations. Legal experts say the code does not apply to the Supreme Court. The court has said in the past that the justices voluntarily adhere to the ethics guidelines.
Crow reportedly said the trips with Thomas and his wife were “no different from the hospitality that we have extended to many other dear friends.”
The article notes that he probably was not required to report the vacations:
“As friends do, we have joined them on a number of family trips during the more than quarter century we have known them,” the justice said.
“Early in my tenure at the Court, I sought guidance from my colleagues and others in the judiciary, and was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the Court, was not reportable.
“I have endeavored to follow that counsel throughout my tenure, and have always sought to comply with the disclosure guidelines. These guidelines are now being changed, as the committee of the Judicial Conference responsible for financial disclosure for the entire federal judiciary just this past month announced new guidance.
“And, it is, of course, my intent to follow this guidance in the future,” Thomas said.
Just another Democrat witch-hunt.
When The Article Has No Relationship To The Truth
On Friday, Hot Air posted a story about a recent article in the Miami Herald that totally mislead readers regarding an arrest. The article in the Herald claims that the 13-year-old son of Rebekah Jones was arrested over memes he posted. That is totally misleading. Ms. Jones claimed that her son was kidnapped by the police, yet the article contains a video of her sitting in the police station as her son is arrested by a Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Deputy for threatening to shoot up a middle school.
The article includes a screen shot of the case. The screenshot includes the following:
This is obviously a disturbed child. His arrest may have prevented a school shooting. He is not a victim. He is suffering the consequences of his actions.
If is a safe bet that if this child had shot up the school, the media would blame the gun. This is one of many reasons the mainstream media is never to be believed.
Please follow the link above for the rest of the story.
A Very Unsurprising Statistic
On Wednesday, Breitbart reported the following totally unsurprising information:
Felony suspects released without bail thanks to New York’s bail reform law are more likely to be rearrested for more felonies, including violent crimes, than suspects who were given bail before the law went into effect.
A study by researchers at John Jay College of Criminal Justice reviewed cases prior to the New York law taking effect and cases after the law was implemented where most suspects arrested for crimes are not required to pay any bail to be released from jail.
Overall, the study found that 47 percent of New York City suspects previously charged with felonies were rearrested for crimes — including more than 31 percent of whom were rearrested for felonies, more than 17 percent rearrested for violent crimes, and almost four percent rearrested for firearm charges.
…Of the more than 1,000 violent crime suspects reviewed by researchers, more than 72 percent were rearrested compared to fewer than 62 percent who were rearrested before the bail reform law.
Similarly, these violent crime suspects were rearrested for felonies at a more than 50 percent rate after being released without bail and rearrested for violent crimes at an almost 36 percent rate. Compare that to before the law when these suspects were rearrested for felonies at a 38 percent rate and a 24 percent rate for violent crimes.
The research on New York’s bail reform law echoes research in other states and cities that have nearly identical bail policies.
In Yolo County, California, for instance, 70 percent of suspects released without bail went on to be rearrested for additional crimes. Many of those suspects were rearrested for violent crimes like homicide, rape, kidnapping, robbery, carjacking, attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, and domestic violence.
Who would have thought that letting criminals out of jail results in more crime?
The Current Investigation Into The Events Of January 6th
On Thursday, Townhall reported the following:
Law enforcement agencies had at least 40 undercover FBI informants participating in surveillance work among defendants during the January 6 Capitol Hill protests.
Roger Roots, the lawyer for defendant American Proud Boys member Dominic Pezzola, filed a motion to reveal all undercover informants related to the January 6 case.
According to the filed document, several undercover law enforcement officers were at the Capitol that day, with at least 40 undercover informants or agents walking among them, which Roots claims were instigating trouble.
…On Tuesday, the government admitted that eight FBI confidential agents were embedded among the Proud Boys on January 6. Roots allege that the Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) agency had about 19 informants active at the time. In addition, at least 13 undercover plain-clothes DC Metro police agents were among the Proud Boys.
“When added to the 8 FBI CHSs now acknowledged by the prosecutors, this means that there were at least 40 undercover informants or agents doing surveillance among defendants on January 6,” Roots said, adding that the defense would have been “much more aggressive” in the initial trial if they would have known “the scope and scale” of January 6 undercover government scheme.
How many undercover agents does it take to incite a riot?
Some Highlights From The April 6 White House Press Briefing
It’s good to know that creative fiction lives. It’s not so good to know that it lives in the White House Press Briefing Room.
Below are parts of the transcript from the April 6 briefing:
…But while it was always the President’s intent to end that war, it is also undeniable that decisions made and the lack of planning done by the previous administration significantly limited options available to him.
President Biden inherited a force presence in Afghanistan of some 2,500 troops. That was the lowest since 2001. He inherited a Special Immigrant Visa program that had been starved of resources. And he inherited a deal struck between the previous administration and the Taliban that called for the complete removal of all U.S. troops by May of 2021 — or else the Taliban, which had stopped its attacks while the deal was in place, would go back to war against the United States.
…And just to remind: We continue to facilitate the safe departures of Americans from Afghanistan when they tell us they are ready to leave. And we have proudly welcomed nearly 100,000 of our Afghan partners and their family members to the United States. Many of these families left Afghanistan after the withdrawal, and they continue to arrive on a regular basis.
Scott Johnson at Power Line Blog also posted an article about the briefing. That article included two Twitter screen shots:
I am amazed.
Time to Unite
Author: R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D
The indictment of former President Donald Trump in New York (as well as several other potential indictments) represents a grave constitutional threat to America that must be answered in a way that crushes the Marxist Democrats. Anything less is not acceptable. Time to use a sledge hammer. The idea that one political party would use a fake criminal charge to destroy a political opponent from running for president, threatens our democracy and is right out of the Marxist play book. Any clear thinking American patriot should see this for what it is.
The question becomes what do we do about it? We must unite and fight back in a way that the Democrats will regret and reasserts the principles inherent to our Republic. How? We currently have Donald Trump leading in the polls for the Republican nomination by 20 to 30 percentage points over his nearest potential rival. The hammer blow will be struck when all current and potential candidates withdraw from challenging Donald Trump for the nomination. Ron DeSantis should agree to run as Trump’s Vice President. The other candidates should agree to take positions in the next Trump administration. A ticket with Trump and DeSantis will not only offer an unbeatable combination but will keep Republicans from fighting amongst each other in the primaries. There will also be a considerable saving of campaign funds which can then be used to fight the Marxist Democrats in the general election.
It is time for Republican politicians to stand up and recognize that our country is in extreme peril which is going to require extreme measures. The days of normal politics are over. We can only win if we fight as a team and put aside personal interests. DeSantis is the key. Trump has proven that he loves this country and has been willing to endure constant attacks from the Marxist Democrats, since he first came
down the elevator in Trump Towers in 2016.. He did not run for president for personal ambition but rather due to his unremitting love of this country. It is time for Ron DeSantis to demonstrate whether his love for America is strong enough to put aside his personal ambition for four years and be part of the team that saves our country. He could still go on and serve eight years as president in his own rite and go down in history as a true patriot.
What a blow this would be to the Marxist Democrats. Wishful thinking? Perhaps…
Chutzpah At Its Best
On Tuesday, The Federalist posted an article about the mantra we have been hearing recently by members of the Democrat party–the claim that “no one is above the law.” Really?
The article notes:
Lock Donald Trump up, or don’t lock him up, but don’t tell me that “no one is above the law.” It’s one of the most ludicrous fantasies peddled by the left.
Plenty of people are “above the law.” James Clapper, who lied under oath to Congress about spying on the American people, is above the law. John Brennan, who lied about a domestic spying operation on Senate staffers, is above the law. Unlike Trump advisor Peter Navarro, Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder was never going to be handcuffed and thrown in prison for ignoring a congressional subpoena. He is above the law.
Trump’s 2016 opponent, Hillary Clinton, is also above the law. The then-Secretary of State set up a private server in her home to circumvent transparency surrounding her slush-fund foundation. She sent 110 emails containing marked classified information, and 36 of those emails contained secret information. Eight of the email chains contained “top secret” information. Every one of those instances was a potential felony punishable with up to ten years in prison.
…When Hillary’s husband, also above the law, perjured himself under oath, Democrats argued that puritanical conservatives were only pursuing Bill because of some trumped-up charge over “sex.” Using that logic, Trump’s campaign finance charges related to Stormy Daniels’ “hush money” are also about sex. This is different because Trump is the boogeyman, and everyone knows he’s guilty of something. The important thing is getting that mug shot.
Don’t worry, though; former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says, “Everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence.” By “everyone,” she means Republicans.
Please follow the link above to read the entire article. We have become like the frog in the pot of warm water. While we are enjoying the warm water, the heat is being turned up. By the time we realize that the water is too hot, we will be cooked. It’s time for even those who have Trump Derangement Syndrome to wake up and see what is happening.
This Is Actually A Game-Changer
Many of us were disappointed at the mid-term elections in North Carolina. Governor Cooper has been very free with his veto pen, and things that needed to be done were routinely vetoed. It was hoped that the Republicans would achieve a veto-proof majority in the state legislature, but that didn’t happen. Well, never give up.
On Wednesday, American Greatness reported the following:
In North Carolina, a Democratic state lawmaker officially switched her party affiliation to Republican, thus giving the GOP a supermajority in the lower chamber of the state’s legislature.
According to RedState, State Representative Tricia Cotham (D-N.C.), who was first elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives last November from the newly-created District 112, is expected to formally announce her switch to the Republican Party on Wednesday. Her switch will give the GOP control of 72 seats in the 120-seat chamber, exactly 60 percent of all seats, thus putting the party over the threshold of a supermajority that they fell one seat short of in the 2022 elections. The party currently holds a similar 60 percent majority in the State Senate, with 30 out of 50 seats in the upper chamber.
As Axios further reports, Cotham’s switch would give the North Carolina GOP “a veto-proof majority in the middle of the legislative session and a clear runway to enact their agenda despite opposition from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.”
The article reports some of the political changes in North Carolina in recent years:
Then, in 2022, the GOP picked up two seats in the state house and another two seats in the state senate. Most crucially, last November saw Trump-endorsed Congressman Ted Budd (R-N.C.) win the open race for the state’s U.S. Senate seat, by a margin of 3.2 percent against Democrat Cheri Beasley.
While the North Carolina GOP has enacted its veto override against Governor Cooper before, Cotham’s switch solidifies their majority and now all but guarantees that the party can pass laws without Cooper’s signature.
According to North Carolina Public Radio, part of the reason for Ms. Cotham’s switch to the Republican party was the fact that she felt as if she were treated unfairly by the Democrats. That should be a reminder to all of us to treat each other with the respect and care that we ourselves expect.
From my friends at Townhall:
Laws Have Consequences
On Tuesday, Stephen Moore posted an article at Townhall about the current employment situation in America.
The article notes:
A policy question these days that has befuddled federal lawmakers is why so many millions of people have not returned to the workplace in the post-COVID-19 era. The labor force participation rate among employable adults is near a record low today. There are at least 2 million to 4 million employable adults who could and should be working but aren’t.
Very few people with even minimal skills can credibly say they can’t find a job. Employers report some 10 million job openings. Small business owners say their biggest problem is finding competent workers. There are many explanations for why so many people aren’t working — fear of COVID-19, the skills mismatch, more people taking early retirement, and so on. But a major factor is that the federal government is back to doing what it did in the 1970s and 1980s. The welfare state today is paying people not to work — even a single hour.
That problem went away in the 1990s after many states, such as Wisconsin and Michigan, began reforming their welfare systems with work requirements. Then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) and the Republican Congress in 1996 passed a historic bipartisan welfare reform bill that President Bill Clinton signed into law.
The article reports on the results of the passage of that law:
Few laws in the last half-century have had such stunning success. Here is a quick summary of the impact, as reported by Brookings Institution welfare expert Ron Haskins:
No. 1: Caseloads declined by 60%, and the number of welfare recipients fell to its lowest level since 1969.
No. 2: Between 60% and 70% of those leaving welfare got a job.
No. 3: The child poverty rate fell every year between 1994 and 2000 because parents were working.
No. 4: The federal government saved more than $50 billion (almost $100 billion in today’s dollars).
During the Covid pandemic, the work requirements were removed.
The article concludes:
America is a rich nation, and we should absolutely have a safety net so that those who fall on tough times, lose a job or become disabled — and that happens to almost all of us at some point in our lives — do not go hungry or homeless or suffer from deprivation.
But welfare is supposed to be temporary and a hand-up, not a handout. The goal of welfare was to end poverty, not perpetuate it.
House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-MO) said that restoring work for welfare requirements is “a top priority” of his panel. It should be a top priority for our country. Let’s make work, not welfare, pay.
Let’s put the work requirement back into welfare.
First Our Gas Stoves, Now Our Light Bulbs
Somehow I don’t believe that our Founding Fathers even intended to have the government tell us what kind of stoves we could cook on or what kind of light bulbs we could use. They never dreamed that Americans would tolerate the amount of government overreach we currently tolerate.
On Tuesday, The Washington Examiner reported:
Is there any better way of showing how out of touch you’ve become with your own country than turning the screw on average citizens who are already struggling to afford to feed their families by forcing them to buy … expensive lightbulbs?
This is the Biden administration’s latest act of environmentalist genius: ban incandescent lightbulbs and force people to use only LED bulbs.
The Department of Energy finalized these plans back in April 2022, and full enforcement will begin on Aug. 1, 2023. From that date onward, you’ll be using LED lightbulbs whether you want to or not and whether you can afford them or not; LED bulbs are up to three times more expensive than other soon-to-be-illegal options.
Last year, the Department of Energy, headed by Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, celebrated this legislative agenda with every green buzzword imaginable.
The article notes the savings claimed by the Biden administration:
“Once these light bulb rules are in place, DOE expects consumers to save nearly $3 billion per year on their utility bills,” the Department of Energy said . “In addition to delivering significant cost savings for households, schools, and businesses, these energy efficiency actions also advance President Biden’s climate goals. Over the next 30 years, the rules are projected to cut carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons — an amount equivalent to the emissions generated by 28 million homes in one year.”
But the article fails to mention:
With more than 140 million customers in the electric utility industry, the collective $3 billion of so-called savings amounts to … $21.43 per customer, per year.
…Banning bulbs is just one part of 100 other acts of government overreach that will (supposedly) save families $100 every year. Excuse me if I don’t shriek with gratitude as President Joe Biden “saves” us a few dollars every year while he continues to fuel inflation, which has caused energy prices alone to skyrocket by almost 40% since his first day in office.
This talk of “savings” comes straight from the same deceitful logic used by Biden when he claimed to have lowered inflation. Instead, inflation was going up, but not as quickly. That’s like declaring yourself a firefighting hero after setting your neighbor’s house on fire because the flames aren’t spreading as fast as before.
But the cherry on this particular cake? Those who will suffer most are those who always suffer most: poorer people already brought to their knees by Biden’s economic agenda.
Hold on to your wallets, I suspect that this is only the beginning.
All The Speeches In The World Won’t Make Up For Bad Policies
On Monday, The Conservative Review posted an article about manufacturing in America.
The article reports:
U.S. manufacturing reached its lowest point since the start of the pandemic, according to a report released just as President Joe Biden embarked on a tour of U.S. factories to tout his promise to boost the industry.
On Monday, the Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index reached its lowest point, 46.3, since May 2020, Reuters reported. Excluding the pandemic recession, the index, known as PMI (Purchasing Managers’ Index), was at its lowest point since 2009.
PMI is a tool for identifying economic trends in the manufacturing and service sectors based on business conditions at hundreds of major companies. A PMI below 50 indicates decline.
The article concludes:
The Biden administration has made its taxpayer-funded push to build a “clean energy economy” a central part of its plan to boost U.S. manufacturing. But critics have questioned the billions of dollars invested in green energy companies, which have enriched left-wing billionaire megadonors to the Democratic Party along with Chinese manufacturers that source materials for the firms.
The two things that the Trump administration did to bring manufacturing back to America were to lower the tax rate on corporations and to supply dependable and relatively inexpensive energy. President Biden has undone both of those policies. It should also be noted that the minerals needed to create green energy at imported–the Biden administration has blocked the mining of these minerals in America. Even if America were able to switch over to green energy, green energy is not as reliable as fossil fuel and right now it is considerably more expensive. Spain and Germany both attempted to convert to green energy and had to return to fossil fuel to avoid bankrupting their countries. If we continue down the road the Biden administration is taking us down, President Biden will eventually bankrupt America.
A Get-Out-The-Popcorn Moment
On Sunday, The Daily Wire posted an article with an interesting twist of the indictment of President Trump.
The article reports:
Leaked details about Donald Trump‘s indictment are grounds for criminal charges, a top official from the former president’s administration said on Sunday.
John Ratcliffe, a former U.S. congressman and federal prosecutor who served as Trump’s final director of national intelligence, reacted to reports that Trump faces around 30 counts related to business fraud as part of the investigation led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
“The only felony of which we can be certain to come out of this Alvin Bragg prosecution in New York is the felony committed either by DA Bragg himself or someone on the grand jury that he’s using for this perversion of our justice system,” Ratcliffe told “Sunday Morning Futures” anchor Maria Bartiromo.
“The accused, Donald Trump, and his lawyers, don’t know what’s in this sealed indictment. But for the past, what? Seventy-two hours, the American public has been discussing supposedly 30 or 34 felony counts,” he added. “Leaking grand jury information is a felony. And so the only people capable of that would be Alvin Bragg’s team or members of the grand jury itself.”
…Ratcliffe isn’t the only person saying there could have been criminal leaks. Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz shared a similar view during an appearance on OANN, noting that such a violation of New York penal law could warrant up to five years behind bars.
Are we about to see another situation where Lady Justice takes her blindfold off? At what point do Americans wake up to the fact that the principle of ‘equal justice under the law’ supposedly guaranteed by our Constitution has been thrown under the bus?
This Is Not Good News For The American Economy
Remember when America was energy independent and gas was less than $2 at the pump? Those days are long gone, and if the Biden administration and OPEC have anything to say about it, we will never see them again.
On Monday, CNSNews reported the following:
Saudi Arabia and half a dozen other members of OPEC+ announced on Sunday that they plan to cut up to a combined 1.15 million barrels of oil a day from May until the end of 2023, calling the decision a “precautionary measure” aimed at ensuring market stability.
The unexpected move comes six months after a decision to cut production by two million barrels a day, also through the end of 2023, sparked a serious diplomatic spat between the Biden administration and the kingdom.
…“We don’t think cuts are advisable at this moment given market uncertainty – and we’ve made that clear,” Reuters quoted a U.S. National Security Council spokesperson as saying in response to Sunday’s announcements.
The announcements by the various oil producers made clear that the new cuts were additional to those announced last October, when OPEC+ agreed on a reduction by two million barrels a day until the end of 2023.
That decision, shortly before the U.S. midterm elections, came despite Washington’s appeals for OPEC+ to increase supply. The administration responded bitterly, portraying the move as one that would hurt U.S. interests and benefit Russia’s war in Ukraine.
President Biden warned of “consequences” and White House and State Department officials said the administration would consult with Congress after the midterms and look to “recalibrate” the 70-plus year relationship with Saudi Arabia.
President Biden needs to realize that no one is listening to him. He has undermined the power of America on the world stage to the point where no one cares what he says. The only real way to avoid the economic crisis that this production cut will create is to resume ALL American drilling immediately. Those involved in the extreme environmental movement need to realize that if they crash the American economy, their movement will lose a lot of support and economic clout. America needs to be energy independent for national security purposes and for geopolitical purposes. If we do not turn the Biden administration’s energy policies around quickly, we are in danger of failing as a nation.
This Isn’t A New Strategy
The deep state has been around for a while. I just finished reading The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe by Donald H. Wolfe. I was genuinely shocked by some of the behavior of J. Edgar Hoover, John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Frank Sinatra, and a lot of other people. J. Edgar Hoover consistently broke laws in his surveillance of American citizens and was never held accountable. The activities of some of our leading political figures of the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s were routinely kept hidden from the public with the cooperation of the media. There really isn’t anything new under the sun.
As shocking as the indictment of President Trump is, that is a political trick that has been done before in a presidential campaign.
On Monday, The Federalist reminded us:
But in evaluating whether Bragg’s charges against Trump are politically motivated, it’s worth remembering that Trump is the second major GOP presidential candidate in less than a decade that has been indicted by a local Democratic district attorney. And in that case, involving former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, the prosecution was redolent of corruption and naked attempts to harm Perry’s national political ambitions.
In 2014, Perry was indicted on two felony charges. The first charge was abuse of official capacity, and the second was coercion of a public servant. Perry’s crime was using the veto power granted to him in the Texas Constitution.
What happened was this: Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, a Democrat, was convicted of drunk driving and incarcerated. Working from the Travis County DA’s office, Lehmberg managed the state public integrity unit, a legal office responsible for rooting out public corruption. After she refused to resign her position following a fair bit of criticism over the fact that a person in charge of rooting out public corruption should not be known for being convicted of a crime, Perry threatened to veto the public integrity unit’s $7.5 million budget and eventually did veto the budget.
So the Travis County DA’s office, the very same office where Lehmberg worked, convened a grand jury and indicted Perry. It wasn’t difficult; aside from the old saying that prosecutors could get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich, Travis County is where “the People’s Republic of Austin” is located. It’s a notoriously liberal enclave where it is easy to find a jury politically hostile to Perry, who was an otherwise popular three-term GOP governor.
The outcome was predictable:
As for the charges against Perry, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals eventually dismissed the charges against Perry in a 6-2 ruling. The abuse of official capacity charge was dismissed on the grounds that it violated the separation of powers in the state constitution. It was always the case that Perry had wide latitude and authority to issue a veto in this instance. “The governor’s power to exercise a veto may not be circumscribed by the Legislature, by the courts, or by district attorneys,” noted the ruling by Judge Sharon Keller of the Court of Criminal Appeals.
The second charge, coercion of a public official, was dismissed on the grounds that it was a violation of the First Amendment to say the governor could not threaten to lawfully wield power on the grounds he was intimidating other public officials.
Unless they are stopped, the Democrat party will continue with using the court system to interfere in elections.
From my friends at Townhall:
The Government Giveth And The Government Taketh Away
On Friday, The Epoch Times reported the following:
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced Friday that it would propose rules that would make it more difficult for a number of new electric vehicles (EVs) to qualify for tax breaks, according to a news release.
Starting April 18, the IRS will enforce a domestic sourcing requirement for minerals and components used in EV batteries, the agency said. Analysts say that a number of new EVs won’t qualify for a clean vehicle tax credit of $7,500 that was implemented under the Inflation Reduction Act that was passed last year.
…To qualify under the new rules, the IRS said that an EV must have a battery capacity of at least 7 kilowatt hours, have a gross vehicle weight of fewer than 14,000 pounds, be “made by a qualified manufacturer,” and those vehicles have to go through a final assembly in North America. The vehicle also has to be new and the seller has to report “your name and taxpayer identification number to the IRS for you to be eligible to claim the credit,” the release said.
It also said there are price and income caps, including $55,000 for sedans as well as $80,000 for trucks, vans, and SUVs. A list of EV manufacturers was placed on the IRS website.
The article concludes:
John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, told the outlet that he believes only few of the 90 or so electric vehicles that are on sale in the United States will be eligible for the tax credit starting next month.
“Some EVs will certainly qualify for a partial credit. Given the constraints of the legislation, Treasury’s done as well as it could to produce rules that meet the statute and reflect the current market,” he warned to Reuters.
How many of us can afford to pay upwards of $55,000 for a vehicle? What is behind this push for electric vehicles and the gradual phasing out of gasoline-powered vehicles? The automobile is a major part of American life.
According to House Grail:
In 2017, the average US household owned 1.88 cars. The average US household consisted of 2.54 people which means the average American owns 0.74 cars, although this includes children that would have been too young to drive.
If approximately 75% of the population are old enough to drive, then the driving population owns 0.99 of a car each, on average.
What would be the impact of ending the sale of cars with gasoline engines and replacing them with cars the average American cannot afford? The impact would be the loss of individual freedom. Trips to the grocery store to pick up one or two items would be a thing of the past. Trips would have to be carefully planned. How often would families be able to get together? The family is the building block of our society, what happens when family dinners on holidays are no longer possible?
The push for electric cars is a sham. It is a reach for further government control and less freedom for Americans. Putting cars out of the financial reach of average Americans is not a good idea.
Considering Some State Laws, This Actually Makes Sense
On Sunday, The Daily Wire reported the following:
NBA officials and the National Basketball Players Association reached a new tentative labor agreement over the weekend that no longer penalizes athletes for using marijuana and removes the substance from the league’s drug testing program.
Both parties reached the new seven-year Collective Bargaining Agreement early Saturday morning, which still needs players and team governors to ratify the deal before becoming official.
Recreational use of marijuana is legal in twenty-one states, and medical marijuana is legal in many others. To prohibit athletes from using something that may be legal in their home states makes no sense. I disagree with the legalization of recreational marijuana, but banning the use of a substance that is legal in many states makes no sense.
The article notes:
Aside from changing its position on marijuana use, The Athletic details other negotiations in the tentative agreement, which include allowing NBA players to promote and/or invest in betting and cannabis companies, sign non-gambling endorsement deals with sports betting companies and invest in teams in NBA and WNBA teams via an NBPA-selected private equity firm — among other terms.
According to the outlet, the reversal would go into effect this summer through the 2029–30 season if both parties do not opt out by the end of the 2028–29 season.
The article concludes:
“The Band-Aid has been ripped off in the sports world,” Durant said. “It’s kind of an undercover thing that players use cannabis and use it throughout when they’re actively playing.”
Former NBA players, including Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Allen Iverson, have also been open about their cannabis use, according to Insider.
NBC Sports reported the National Football League reduced potential penalties for marijuana three years ago in a similar deal but did not completely exclude testing for the substance as more states started to legalize cannabis for recreational use — creating a conflict between the league and the law.
It will be interesting to see if this decision impacts the quality of play in the NBA. I do suspect that marijuana might be useful in dealing with the kind of pain that professional athletes deal with. Masking that pain might result in better athletic performance, but it also might result in further damage to whatever is causing the pain. Again, it will be interesting to see what impact this decision has on the National Basketball League during the upcoming season.
Does Anyone Actually Believe That The United Nations Is A Positive Force For World Peace?
On Sunday, Hot Air reported that due to the normal rotation of leadership, Vladimir Putin has now become the president of the United Nations Security Council.
The article reports:
The United Nations Security Council rotates new members in as the president of the council on a monthly basis. This month it was Russia’s turn, making Vladimir Putin the president. While this was no doubt an annoyance to most of the NATO allies in the UN, it was particularly bothersome to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski. Last night he took his complaints to the press, describing the move as “absurd and destructive.” He pointed out that a five-month-old child had been killed by a Russian missile strike only the day before. His Foreign Minister joined him in protesting the situation, calling it “a slap in the face to the international community.” But the position is almost entirely ceremonial and it’s unlikely that Putin will be showing up for any meetings in the near future.
The article also notes:
Look at the current membership of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Some of the most autocratic nations guilty of massive human rights abuses are seated there, including China and the United Arab Emirates. (And Russia, of course.) Other examples abound throughout the entirety of the UN.
But how likely is it that Vladimir Putin will actually show up to gavel a meeting into session? Keep in mind that the International Criminal Court recently issued an arrest warrant for Putin over war crimes committed in Ukraine. The court isn’t technically part of the UN, falling under the Assembly of State Parties, but it runs pretty much in parallel. Wouldn’t the other members of the council feel obligated to slap some handcuffs on Putin if he showed up?
That would make for an interesting wrinkle in this story. If anyone had the audacity to actually arrest him, Russia would almost certainly retaliate, potentially expanding the conflict to dangerous levels. Then again, Putin may be counting on everyone being aware of that possibility. While it seems unlikely, he might just show up to prove a point.
Let’s kick the United Nations out of New York City and turn the building into affordable housing!
Bias?
On Friday, Newsbusters posted an article about the mainstream media reporting on the indictment of President Trump.
The article reports:
Shhh! Nothing to see here! The Big Three (ABC, CBS, NBC) networks continue to bury the Hunter Biden probe and the growing scandals surrounding the Biden family’s corruption, including the House Oversight Committee’s revelations that Hunter, the President’s brother Jim and Hallie Biden (widow of son Beau) received payments from a Chinese energy firm — something President Joe Biden firmly denied.
However, their voracious appetite for covering the various investigations (Stormy Daniels, Mara Lago documents, January 6th) surrounding former President Donald Trump remains unsatiated.
Beginning with the House Oversight Committee’s breaking of the Hallie Biden news through the evening of Trump’s indictment, MRC analysts tracked the glaring double-standard.
Over 14 days (March 16-March 30) ABC, NBC, CBS filled their evening, morning and Sunday roundtable shows with over 272 minutes (4 hours, 32 minutes, 56 seconds) of Trump investigation coverage compared to ZERO seconds spent on Biden family corruption stories. On average, network audiences saw almost 20 minutes per day of Trump investigation stories.
Please follow the link above to the article. It gives a few examples of news stories that broke recently about the Biden family corruption and how much media attention has been paid to those stories. It is aggravating that the information on Hunter Biden’s laptop showing drug use, prostitution, and emails indicating corruption is out in the public and no one has yet been held accountable, but President Trump has had his house raided and has been indicted. If most Americans watch the mainstream media, they are not aware of any of the questions of corruption surrounding the Biden family. I wonder if we will ever return to equal justice under the law.
Don’t Celebrate Too Soon
On Friday, Breitbart reported that a “Not Above the Law” event is planned for Boston on Friday. Actually, I think the rally should be named “Only some people are not above the law.” As I am sure everyone is aware, Bill Clinton paid more than $800,000 to Paula Jones. President Trump allegedly paid $180,000 to Stormy Daniels. If nothing else, that illustrates who had better negotiators.
The article reports:
The Scourge Of Fentanyl
On Friday, The U.K. Daily Mail reported that Joanne Marian Segovia, 64, the executive director of the San Jose Police Officers’ Association, has been charged with attempting to unlawfully import valeryl fentanyl, a synthetic opioid.
The article reports:
Starting in 2015, Segovia had at least 61 drug shipments mailed to her San Jose home from India, Hong Kong, Hungary and Singapore with manifests that listed their contents as ‘wedding party favors,’ ‘gift makeup,’ ‘chocolate and sweets’ and ‘food supplement,’ according to a federal criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday.
In at least once instance she is accused of using her work computer and address and the police union’s UPS account to ship the drugs within the U.S.
Tom Saggau, a spokesperson for the police union in San Jose, said Segovia has worked for the union since 2003, planning funerals for officers who die in the line of duty, being the liaison between the department and the officers’ families and organizing office festivities and fundraisers.
He said that federal officials informed the union last Friday that Segovia was under investigation and that no one else at the union was involved or knew about Segovia’s alleged acts.
The revelation shocked her colleagues, Saggau said.
‘We didn’t have any reason to suspect her,’ he said, adding that the union’s board of directors has pledged to fully support the federal investigation.
Federal prosecutors said that in 2019, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted a parcel being sent to her home address that contained $5,000 worth of Tramadol, a synthetic opioid, and sent her a letter telling her they were seizing the pills.
The next year, the CBP again intercepted a shipment of Tramadol valued at $700 and sent her a seizure letter, court records showed.
But federal officials didn’t start investigating Segovia until last year when investigators found her name and home address on the cellphone of a suspected drug dealer who is part of a network that ships controlled substances made in India to the San Francisco Bay Area, according to the complaint.
The article concludes:
Fentanyl has now infected almost every major city in America, turning once-thriving streets in New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia into wastelands.
Scenes of zombified addicts shooting up or smoking the drug in front of children increasingly becoming a part of everyday life.
Many people who die of overdoses do not know they are taking fentanyl and the drug has partially been blamed for America’s sharp decline in life-expectancy.
Experts have described the drop in life expectancy from 78.8 in 2019 to 76.4 in 2021 as ‘dramatic’ and ‘substantial’.
Officials in Washington state have said that they’ve run out of space in morgues and crematoriums as the drug tears through local communities.
We need harsh penalties for drug dealers and treatment programs for addicts. However, the problem with treatment programs is that they don’t work unless the person is willing to let go of their drug habit.
Posted by Act for America on Twitter:
