MCViewPoint

Opinion from a Libertarian ViewPoint

New York City Bans Natural Gas From New Buildings | ZeroHedge

Posted by M. C. on December 16, 2021

Good luck heating in winter with those solar panels that will no doubt be mandated on these new buildings.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/new-york-city-bans-natural-gas-new-buildings

by Tyler Durden

Authored by Charles Kennedy via OilPrice.com,

The New York City Council voted on Wednesday to ban the use of natural gas in new buildings in a bid to reduce the city’s carbon footprint.

“The bill to ban the use of gas in new buildings will (help) us to transition to a greener future and (reach) carbon neutrality by the year 2050,” said City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, noting:“We are in a climate crisis and must take all necessary steps to fight climate change and protect our city.”

Once it does, new buildings after 2027 will be heated by fossil fuel alternatives, most likely electricity, the report notes.The idea of moving away from gas is not new. In California, the city of Berkeley became the first to enact a ban on new natural gas hookups in new buildings back in 2019. New York was among the cities that have been considering the measure for a while now, along with Denver, Seattle, and San Francisco.For the proponents of gas bans, the benefits are clear and come down to lower carbon emissions. For the opponents, there are too many disadvantages, from the cost of switching a house from gas to electricity to the effect of more all-electric households on the grid.

“The intermittent nature of renewable sources like solar and wind necessitates another form of energy when the sun isn’t shining, and the wind isn’t blowing,” wrote the chief executive of the American Public Gas Association in an article commenting on the bans for Utility Dive.

State authorities seem to be against the measure in most of these places, but New York appears to be an exception. In New York City, heating, cooling, and electricity supply for buildings account for as much as 70 percent of carbon emissions, and supporters of the gas ban see it as a necessary step to reduce this amount.Yet opponents don’t see it this way.

“Eliminating the direct use of natural gas in homes and businesses would simply shift the use of natural gas from inside the home to powering an already overburdened electric grid through natural gas-fired power plants—if we’re lucky—and in some cases, coal-powered plants,” Dave Shryver from the American Public Gas Association said back in June this year.

Until now, the most populated U.S. city that has banned gas in new buildings is San Jose in California with about 1 million residents.However, as Reuters reports, New York’s move to all-electric buildings could mean a higher price tag for consumers using electricity for heat than those relying on gas. This winter, the average household in the U.S. Northeast is expected to pay $1,538 to heat their home with electricity, compared with gas at about $865.

Be seeing you

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

TSA Is Allowing Illegal Migrants To Board Commercial Flights Without Proper Identification, Texas Rep. Alleges | ZeroHedge

Posted by M. C. on December 16, 2021

The only thing the TSA is good at-becoming more worthless.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/tsa-allowing-illegal-migrants-board-commercial-flights-without-proper-identification-texas

Tyler Durden's Photoby Tyler Durden

It looks as though President Biden’s immigration crisis isn’t just on the ground anymore. That’s because it was reported this week that the Biden administration is allowing illegal migrants to board commercial flights across the United States without ID – all in the name of not being “racist”.Rep. Lance Gooden from Texas, who has been in the midst of investigation the TSA, made the relevation. His investigation was prompted by “whistleblower documents alleging an operation to move migrants across the country without standard documentation.”

Gooden’s correspondence with the TSA was reported by PJ Media this week. Gooden wrote to TSA Administrator David Pekoske this week, stating:  “We request clarification on the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) policies and procedures to protect the nation’s transportation systems and mitigate national security risks. I have serious concerns TSA is actively assisting illegal immigrants without proper identification travel throughout the country. Therefore, we are requesting TSA provide assistance in identifying and preventing the unprecedented flow of illegal immigrants into and throughout the United States and the role TSA has played in facilitating this influx of migrants.”He then asked the TSA: “What policies and procedures are in place to identify and screen Non-US/Canadian citizens who do not have documents issued by the U.S. government or passports?”Gooden’s office has only received an email response from the TSA so far, which reportedly states that  “it accepts alternate forms of identification including a Notice to Appear (NTA) in court” as documentation. An NTA is reportedly only issued after agents have “processed a migrant’s biometrics, taken photos of them, and run their fingerprints through immigration and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) databases,” the PJ Media report says. But Gooden says agents inform him that an NTA isn’t adequate ID, writing: “When I asked a border patrol officer about TSA allowing migrants to fly with no identification, they told me a Notice to Appear is not sufficient identification and they often have to take migrants at their word that they are who they say they are. TSA and non-profit groups are putting millions of Americans travelling for Christmas at risk by allowing these unknown and unvetted migrants to board planes and fly across the country.”The TSA fired back, saying that: “in coordination with its DHS counterparts, TSA has also identified alternate forms of ID for use in special circumstances at the checkpoint, circumstances such as non-U.S. citizens or non-nationals who do not have an acceptable form of ID. For travelers in normal circumstances who lack acceptable or alternate forms of ID, TSA calls the National Transportation Vetting Center (NTVC), which attempts to verify a traveler’s identity by using the individual’s information along with information from various government and commercial databases.”

Be seeing you

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Omicron ‘Shocker’: It’s Mostly Hitting The Vaxxed

Posted by M. C. on December 16, 2021

A couple of weeks into the Omicron hysteria – where Europe has gone full totalitarian out of fear – some uncomfortable (for the lockdowners) truths are emerging: early data shows that Omicron is infecting those who are “fully vaccinated” at a much higher rate than the unvaccinated. “Experts” say that a third shot of the same stuff will do the trick, but amid the ongoing collapse of Biden’s vax mandates in the US, the uptake is understandably anemic. Also today: Segregation in Denver, Amtrak ditches vax mandate, and NY counties tell the vax-mandating governor to take a hike.

Be seeing you

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

Tucker: This is how dumb CNN is

Posted by M. C. on December 16, 2021

“Joe Biden has served his purpose”

Be seeing you

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

Watch “Airline CEOs: Masks Add Little If Anything To Safety” on YouTube

Posted by M. C. on December 16, 2021

CEOs of Southwest Airlines and American Airlines testified before Congress this week that forcing people to wear masks on board their planes does little if anything to prevent spread of the virus. As predicted, Dem Members freaked out after hearing this blow to their deep faith. Also today…Cornell University closes again after new outbreak…among fully vaxxed. Navy begins booting unvaxxed sailors. South African health authorities can’t figure out why US and Europe are locking down again over Omicron.

https://youtu.be/dbnMeibIouI

Be seeing you

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

An open letter: why I’m leaving the cult of wokeness by Africa Brooke

Posted by M. C. on December 16, 2021

If there’s one thing I’m NOT afraid of, it’s being ‘cancelled’.

​

If being cancelled means me living in integrity as a human being who thinks for themselves, CANCEL ME TODAY!

​

I repeat; I am not afraid.

​

What I’m truly afraid of is existing in a world that forces me to submit to an ideology without question, otherwise I’m to be shamed (or pressured to shame myself) and cast out of the community.

​

A world that tells me that because I inhabit a black body; I will forever be oppressed and at the mercy of some omnipresent monster called ‘whiteness’.

​

That because of the colour of my skin; I am a victim of an inherently racist system by default – and me rejecting the narrative of oppression means that I am in fact, in denial.

​

How empowering!

​

*You know, as someone that comes from Zimbabwe, a country where the general population is truly oppressed, it perplexes me that oppression is now being worn as an identity piece in most parts of the West, especially by those who claim to be ‘progressive’*

​

What I’m truly afraid of is existing in a world that forces me to consider the colour of my skin and my gender (and that of others) at every fucking turn, instead of living by Martin Luther King’s teachings and prioritising the content of mine and other people’s character.

​

I dread the prospect of a world where context, nuance, critical thinking, meritocracy, mathematics, science, and rationality are considered tools of ‘white supremacy’, and the rule is that you’re not allowed to question or argue this senseless statement – especially if you’re white.

​

A world that is conditioning you and I to believe that we will always be trapped in some weird hierarchy because of our race, our genitals, our physical abilities, our neurodiversity, our sexuality, and our politics.

​

And that if we do not agree on every single thing, it’s a sign that we are interacting with an enemy – or at the very least, someone to be wildly suspicious and judgmental of…instead of another complex human being worthy of being seen and heard.

​

I wish this world I’m speaking of was just a figment of my imagination, but we are already inside it. Our suitcases have been unpacked here for quite some time.

​

This absolutist, authoritarian world is being fiercely crafted under the guise of ‘social justice’, and I want no parts in this. I AM OUT.

​

As someone that, politically speaking, leans left on most things (although I’m neither left or right) – the current state of affairs and this push for obedience at all costs is NOT what I signed up for.

​

I never signed up to be hit over the head with disempowering narratives that tell me that I need to refer to myself as a ‘person of colour’ (how is this different being called a ‘coloured’ person?), a minority, a marginalised person, and BAME (UK version of BIPOC).

​

I cannot stand any of these terms.

See the rest here

Be seeing you

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

In Indonesia Visit, Blinken Vows US Will Expand Military Power in Region to Counter China – News From Antiwar.com

Posted by M. C. on December 16, 2021

…including the extension until 2026 of a maritime cooperation pact that calls for more naval drills between the US and Indonesia.

Indonesia? Likely to counter those naval drills China has with Panama.

https://news.antiwar.com/2021/12/14/in-indonesia-visit-blinken-vows-us-will-expand-military-power-in-region-to-counter-china/

by Dave DeCamp

During a visit to Indonesia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US would expand military and economic partnerships in Asia to counter China.

In a speech titled “a Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” Blinken outlined the Biden administration’s strategy to counter China, emphasizing strengthening cooperation with regional countries.

“Threats are evolving, our security approach has to evolve with them. To do that, we will lean on our greatest strength: our alliances and partnerships,” Blinken said. “We’ll adopt a strategy that more closely weaves together all our instruments of national power — diplomacy, military, intelligence — with those of our allies and partners.”

Even though an increased US military presence in the region makes a conflict with China more likely, Blinken claimed the strategy was meant to preserve peace and to defend the so-called “rules-based order,” which essentially means the US-led global order. He also claimed the US does not want countries to choose between Washington and Beijing but slammed China for what he called “aggressive actions.”

During the visit, Blinken signed three memorandums of understanding with Indonesia’s foreign minister, including the extension until 2026 of a maritime cooperation pact that calls for more naval drills between the US and Indonesia.

China denounced Blinken’s comments and said the US was intentionally stoking conflict in the region. “[The US] should be a promoter of dialogue and cooperation in the region instead of a saboteur that drives wedges between regional countries and undermines regional solidarity and cooperation,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.

Be seeing you

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »

Biden’s efforts to appease Israel on Iran have failed on all fronts – Responsible Statecraft

Posted by M. C. on December 16, 2021

It’s not the nuclear deal that’s the problem for Tel Aviv, but the very idea that Washington and Tehran would reach any detente at all.

What Israel doesn’t want they won’t get.

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2021/12/12/bidens-efforts-to-appease-israel-on-iran-have-failed-on-all-fronts/

Written by
Trita Parsi

The New York Times Friday published an important analysis of ongoing U.S.-Israeli tensions over Washington’s efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which had succeeded in curbing Tehran’s nuclear program. As helpful as it is in understanding where things stand between Washington and Tel Aviv, however, the article misses a more fundamental takeaway from recent developments: Biden’s immense efforts to appease Israel in hopes of tempering the latter’s opposition to the JCPOA have not only failed but were likely based on faulty assumptions and were thus a mistake from the outset. 

Diverging Israeli and American views on the JCPOA is nothing new. But senior officials on the Biden team thought President Obama could have handled the Israelis better by coordinating more closely with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and actually heeding some of his hawkish advice. This belief, however, is unfounded.

The fundamental question is this: Are Israel and America’s views on a negotiated settlement with Iran ultimately reconcilable or not? Was there— and is there now — a way to clinch a lasting deal with Iran on its nuclear program that also satisfies Israel? 

The answer lies in understanding that the details of the deal are not the real problem. It’s rather the very idea of Washington and Tehran reaching any agreement that not only prevents Iran from developing a bomb, but also reduces U.S.-Iran tensions and lifts sanctions that have prevented Iran from enhancing its regional power. 

Many of Washington’s partners in the Middle East worry more about a U.S.-Iranian rapprochement and its geopolitical implications — a likely tilt in the regional balance of power in Iran’s favor, especially given the widespread perception the United States is eager to extricate itself from the neighborhood — than Iran’s nuclear advances. “So long as the United States works to contain Iran’s political influence and undermine its economy,” I wrote in Foreign Affairs in February, “the balance of the region will artificially tilt in favor of these states — a tilt that their own power cannot sustain.” 

Indeed, Obama’s fruitless efforts to persuade Washington’s regional partners and their allies in Washington to go along with the JCPOA had demonstrated that no amount of deference or consultation could change their categorical opposition to a deal with Iran. To the great frustration of some former Obama officials who had gone through this experience, the Biden team thought they could square this circle.

In December 2020, Obama’s deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes publicly implored Biden not to repeat this mistake: “I plead with [Biden],” he said on the PodSaveAmerica podcast. “Do not think there is any ounce of good faith that will be coming your way from Bibi Netanyahu, from MBS, and from the Tom Cottons of this world. These people have no interest in a deal. They’ve never had an interest in a deal,” he declared. “How many times do we have to go through this play? This is in the hands of the Biden people to say: ‘We don’t need to listen to these people.’”

But Biden chose to listen to them. Instead of returning to the JCPOA in the first days and weeks of his administration, critical time and effort were spent trying to persuade Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE to get onboard with diplomacy. 

See the rest here

Be seeing you

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

What a 40-Year Inflationary Peak Is Doing to Your Wages | The Libertarian Institute

Posted by M. C. on December 16, 2021

https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/what-a-40-year-inflationary-peak-is-doing-to-your-wages/

by Ryan McMaken

According to new data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, price inflation in November rose to the highest level recorded in nearly forty years. According to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for November, year-over-year price inflation rose to 6.8 percent. It hasn’t been that high since June 1982, when the growth rate was at 7.2 percent.

November’s increase was up from October’s year-over-year increase of 6.2 percent. And it was well up from November 2020’s year-over-year increase of 1.13 percent.

infla

This surge in price inflation comes only a week after Fed chairman Jerome Powell backtracked on earlier comments dismissing the threat of price inflation and suggested previous attempts to define recent inflation as “transitory” weren’t quite accurate. Declaring last week that it was “a good time to retire the word,” Powell continued his pivot to addressing the danger of inflation “becoming entrenched.”

It’s unclear to what degree inflation might already be entrenched, but year-over-year growth in the CPI has been over 5 percent for the past six months—and on a clear upward trajectory.

At the same time, inflation is taking a bite out of workers’ purchasing power. November’s numbers on average hourly earnings suggest that inflation is erasing the gains made in workers’ earnings. During November 2021, average hourly earnings increased 4.8 percent year over year. But with inflation at 6.9 percent, earnings clearly aren’t keeping up:

earnings
Source: BLS: Table B-3. Average hourly and weekly earnings of all employees on private nonfarm payrolls; Consumer Price Index.

Looking at this gap, we find that real earnings growth has been negative for the past eight months, coming in at –2.1 percent year-over-year growth for November 2021. November was the eighth month in a row for negative growth in earnings.

earn
Source: BLS: Table B-3. Average hourly and weekly earnings of all employees on private nonfarm payrolls; Consumer Price Index.

Moreover, according to the Conference Board, U.S. salaries are growing at a rate of approximately 3 percent this year.

Combined with November’s unemployment rate of 4.2 percent, November’s inflation growth puts the US misery index at 10.82. That’s the highest level since June of this year, and similar to the misery index levels experienced when the unemployment rate surged in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.

misery

In addition to CPI inflation, asset-price inflation will likely continue to be troublesome for consumers as well. For example, according to the Federal Housing and Finance Agency, home price growth has surged in recent months, with year-over-year growth now coming in at 16.4 percent.

Don’t Expect Much from the Fed

See the rest here

Be seeing you

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

You will NEVER be “fully vaccinated” – OffGuardian

Posted by M. C. on December 16, 2021

It’s time everyone realised they are chasing an intentionally impossible goal that will be pushed back over the horizon, forever.

https://off-guardian.org/2021/12/14/you-will-never-be-fully-vaccinated/

Kit Knightly

Yesterday, in a statement to Parliament on the UK’s planned “vaccine passport”, Health Secretary Sajid Javid admitted the NHS Pass would require three shots for you to be considered “fully vaccinated”.

“Once all adults have had a reasonable chance to get their booster jab, we intend to change this exemption to require a booster dose,”

While many of us predicted this would be the case, it is the first time any British politician has actually said it out loud, and in front of parliament too.

This incredibly cynical “evolving definition” of “fully vaccinated” is not a new phenomenon, and is not isolated to the UK either.

Israel changed their definition of “fully vaccinated” to include the booster months ago. New Zealand’s ministry of health is “considering” doing the same, as is Australia.

The EU isn’t far behind either, with proposals in place to make travel dependent on having a third dose.

The US hasn’t formally adopted a new definition yet, but you’d have to be blind not to see the signs. Just yesterday the LA Times headlined:

Should the definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ be changed to include a booster shot?

An article on Kaiser Health News asks the same thing.

Tony Fauci is quoted in the Independent as saying it’s only a matter of time before the definition is updated:

“It’s going to be a matter of when, not if” getting a booster shot will be considered being “fully vaccinated,” Dr Fauci said.

Opinion pieces are already appearing asking “is it safe to hangout with the unboosted”?

(This headline was so unpopular, the Atlantic changed it only a couple of hours after it was published, and even the archived version appears to have been scrubbed).

All in all it seems pretty clear that, by the time 2022 rolls around, most of the Western world will require three shots in order to qualify as “fully vaccinated”.

It’s also clear that this won’t stop at three. Already, just last week, Pfizer were claiming they may need to “move up the timeline” for a fourth vaccine dose.

This change is being blamed on Omicron, with articles warning the “new variant” can “hit” the vaccinated. Fortune reports:

Omicron is making scientists redefine what it means to be ‘fully vaccinated’ against COVID

So, the third (and maybe fourth) doses are (allegedly) for Omicron…but that model can extend to perpetuity. In order to go to five, six or seven they’ll only need to “discover” more “new variants”.

It will just keep going and going.

But there is good news in all this, every time the powers-that-shouldn’t-be change the rules in the middle of the game, it’s a chance to knock people out of their media-induced hypnosis.

There are promising signs that millions of already-vaccinated will reject the booster. We can build on that.

So tell your single and double jabbed friends, try to open their eyes to the path they are starting down.

They may consider themselves “fully vaccinated”, but the government doesn’t, and never will.

Be seeing you

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »