Surprise: Socialism In Bolivia Causes Bread Shortage

By William Teach November 29, 2025 – 10:30 am

This has never happened in a Socialist Paradise, right?

(AP) Venezuelans scrambled to stock up on toilet paper Thursday as fears of a bathroom emergency spread despite the socialist government’s promise to import 50 million rolls.

After years of economic dysfunction, the country has gotten used to shortages of medicines and basic food items like milk and sugar but the scarcity of bathroom tissue has caused unusual alarm.

Oh, wait, sorry, that was Venezuela from 10 years ago

(11Alive) Farmer Luis Garcia has coped with many of the shortages that plague his economically distressed nation: toilet paper, shampoo, sugar. But the latest scarcity is more than Garcia can swallow. Beer.

Oops, also from Socialist Venezuela in 2016

Bolivia’s bread shortage highlights subsidy reform challenge

Shortages of Bolivia’s state-subsidized marraqueta bread roll are creating an early test for newly elected President Rodrigo Paz, as dwindling wheat ?supplies and rising costs squeeze bakers and frustrate consumers.

The frustration from bakers and buyers highlights the political ?risks for Paz, who aims to unwind the subsidy-heavy economic model of his socialist predecessors without angering a population accustomed to ?state support.

Bakers said delays in government-imported flour and other shortages make it difficult to meet demand for the iconic roll, whose price has been fixed for 17 years under the previous socialist government.

Bolivia imports about three-quarters of its wheat, mainly from Argentina.

Customers also complained that the marraqueta, which sells for the equivalent ?of 8 U.S. cents, ?has shrunk to 60 grams (2 ounces), down from 100 grams two years ago. Some shoppers queue for hours.

NYC should be fun under Mamdani, which imports pretty much everything, right? The bread lines should be illuminating.

Years of state-led policies and nationalization under the previous leftist government deterred ?foreign investment and strained public finances in Bolivia, a major producer of natural gas and grains, and the country is now facing one of its worst economic crises in decades.

State-run food agency EMAPA halted flour supplies in September because the government could not pay suppliers on time.

On the flip side, Bolivia is attempting to make moves away from their Socialist (hungry) Paradise, we’ll see if it makes a difference. It’s hard to do when your citizens have become dependent on the government for everything. Might have to simply tear that bandage, which has seen fibers become embedded in the wound (I had that happen with a bad knee scrape one time), right off.

Read: Surprise: Socialism In Bolivia Causes Bread Shortage »

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Supreme Court To Hear Lawsuit Against PRC Over Climate (scam) Disclosure Rules

By William Teach November 29, 2025 – 7:00 am

I’m not sure how I feel about this case being adjudicated at the Supreme Court

Supreme Court Asked To Upend Pollution Rules

California’s sweeping new climate-disclosure mandates have triggered an escalating legal battle now arriving at the U.S. Supreme Court, with business groups asking to temporarily halt two state laws—Senate Bill 253 and Senate Bill 261—that require large companies operating in California to report their greenhouse-gas emissions and climate-related financial risks.

The emergency appeal argues that forcing companies to issue these disclosures violates the First Amendment, setting up a high-stakes dispute over the boundary between state transparency rules and protections against compelled speech.

California’s first-in-the-nation climate disclosure laws have triggered a high-stakes Supreme Court battle that could reshape the reach of state climate policy and the scope of corporate First Amendment rights.

At issue is whether companies can be required to publicly report their emissions and climate-related financial risks, or whether such mandates amount to unconstitutional compelled speech.

The outcome could determine how much climate information businesses must reveal to the public, whether states retain authority to demand transparency on environmental and financial risks, and how far corporations can go in using free-speech claims to block regulatory oversight—setting a precedent with sweeping implications for climate accountability nationwide.

I’m not really buying the 1st Amendment thing, this is really not about free speech or religion or anything else in there. Or in California’s version in their Constitution. But

Opponents argue these disclosures are not mere factual reporting requirements but compelled ideological speech.

The filing further characterizes the laws as part of “California’s open campaign to force companies into the public debate on climate issues and pressure them to alter their behavior.”

The Chamber and its partners assert that the mandates go beyond standard corporate reporting practices.

They argue that the laws require businesses to adopt California’s preferred framing of climate responsibility.

Still doesn’t seem like a free speech issue, but, it sure seems as if the PRC is requiring specific conduct from companies. But, let’s be honest, Government requires many things from companies. Hell, remember that government requires the use of Everify. Does that violate the free speech rights of hard left companies that support illegal aliens?

It should be interesting how this comes out. I gotta say, though, if the companies do not like the intrusive, waste of time cult rules they should leave the PRC in the same way I say fossil fuels companies should get out.

Read: Supreme Court To Hear Lawsuit Against PRC Over Climate (scam) Disclosure Rules »

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PRO Sues Feds Over Cutting SNAP For Immigrants

By William Teach November 29, 2025 – 6:45 am

They say legal, but, what they mean are illegal/fake asylum seekers in the People’s Republik Of Oregon

Oregon sues feds, saying USDA’s new SNAP guidance cuts legal immigrants

Oregon is suing the Trump administration over changes to the nation’s food assistance program, arguing that new federal guidance unlawfully blocks certain groups of legal immigrants from accessing food aid.

Twenty-one other states joined Oregon in filing the lawsuit Wednesday in federal court in Eugene, arguing that the U.S. Department of Agriculture overstepped its authority when it issued an Oct. 31 memo telling states to cut off benefits for people who have long been eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

The dispute centers on changes Congress made in July through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which limited SNAP eligibility for certain noncitizens in temporary immigration categories.

In the lawsuit, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and the other Democratic attorneys general said the USDA memo goes further than what Congress approved and effectively blocks many lawful permanent residents from the SNAP program even though they qualify under the law.

Those include refugees, asylum seekers and people admitted under humanitarian programs once they obtain a green card and meet the program’s income and residency rules.

So, now we’re supposed to feed every person who streams into the US and makes claims? People who do it the right way when apply for citizenship or a work visa must show that they can take care of themselves and are ineligible for government assistance. That’s the terms.

Remember, most of those claiming asylum are, in fact, illegal aliens.

Read: PRO Sues Feds Over Cutting SNAP For Immigrants »

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UK EV Driver’s To Be Taxed Per Mile Driven

By William Teach November 28, 2025 – 4:04 pm

Get an EV, they said, you’ll save the planet and save money they said. Then, reality intrudes

Electric vehicle owners to face pay-per-mile tax

Electric vehicleA new tax for electric and hybrid vehicles has been announced by the chancellor in the Budget.

From April 2028, electric car drivers will pay a road charge of 3p per mile, while plug-in hybrid drivers will pay 1.5p per mile, with the rates going up each year with inflation.

The new tax is about “half the fuel duty rate paid by drivers of petrol cars”, according to the government’s independent forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

Drivers will pay the charge based on how many miles they drive from April 2028.

Motorists will have their mileage checked annually, typically during their MOT as is already the case, or for new cars, around their first and second registration anniversary, the Treasury said.

Payment will be integrated into the existing Vehicle Excise Duty system that is administrated by DVLA.

Under the measures, an electric car driver clocking up 8,500 miles in the 2028-29 financial year is expected to pay about £255 – about half the cost per mile that petrol and diesel drivers pay in fuel tax.

So, you should be paying £0, but, nope, the Powers That Be realized that EVs drive on roads and roads need to be maintained and do not pay a fuel tax, so, they’ll get you one way or the other. Here in NC, and many other states, the yearly registration is vastly higher than with gas and hybrid vehicles, erasing a goodly chunk of the savings for driving an EV. I 100% understand the reasoning with a need to maintain roads, but, seems rather shady to promise all those savings then yank them away. Especially when the UK government is doing all they can to force Citizens into EVs.

All new cars will have to be electric or hybrid from 2030, when a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars comes into force. But some in the industry argue this new tax could make electric cars less appealing.

The OBR said the new charge was “likely to reduce demand for electric cars as it increases their lifetime cost”.

Huh.

Read: UK EV Driver’s To Be Taxed Per Mile Driven »

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If All You See…

By William Teach November 28, 2025 – 1:00 pm

…is the world killing fridge all your leftovers are in, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Watts Up With That?, with a post on replacing BBC “journalists” with ChatGPT.

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You Holding On To Your Old Tech Is Hurting The Economy

By William Teach November 28, 2025 – 10:30 am

Oh, yeah, this is definitely your faul

Researchers: Americans Holding on to Old Tech Devices Is Hurting the Economy

Americans are holding onto their smartphones and other devices longer than ever, but researchers claim this trend comes with a hidden cost to the economy.

CNBC reports that in recent years, Americans have been clinging to their aging smartphones, computers, and other electronic devices for extended periods. While this may seem like a financially prudent decision on an individual level, experts warn that the collective impact of this trend could be detrimental to the economy as a whole.

According to a recent survey by Reviews.org, the average American now holds onto their smartphone for 29 months, a significant increase from the 22-month average in 2016. This trend is not limited to individual consumers; businesses are also holding onto outdated technology for even longer periods to delay the expense of device rollouts.

Experts claim that lost productivity and inefficiency are the unintended consequences of people and businesses clinging to aging technology. Cassandra Cummings, CEO of New Jersey-based electronics design company Thomas Instrumentation, explains that older devices were engineered when internet speeds were much slower, and they often struggle to keep up with the faster speeds available today. This can lead to networks throttling back their speeds to accommodate the slowest devices, resulting in entire sections of networks running slower than they would if all devices were up to the newer standards.

Wait, 29 months? An extra 5 months over the typical 2 years people are charged monthly for that new phone? That’s it? Which is just 7 months more than the previous average? Phones are a lot more expensive than they were in 2016, and, really, do they do much more? The processors might be slightly faster and the cameras better, but, the tech is really not all that much of a step up, in the same way computers are not really that much different than 9 years ago.

I have a Samsung Galaxy S20 FE purchased Christmastime 2020. It works fine. The battery is still fine. The processor is more than fast enough for what I do. I couldn’t care less about a better camera. 4K would be nice for the screen, but, very little is 4K. Otherwise, it would actually be a downgrade, since phones still do not have a replaceable battery (one of the main reasons I switched from iPhone to Android long ago), and most Androids no longer take a memory card, especially the higher end ones. I have over 1200 songs on the card, plus, that is where I store photos and certain documents I secure with a passcode. Even a movie. What benefit does a new one have, other than getting a $25 plus charge on my bill monthly?

If it works, why change it? My JVC receiver is from around 1987. Still works perfect, though, can’t hook to TV, since new TVs do not have red/white/yellow out anymore. Washer and dryer from 1994 work fine. Heck, while not tech, a cheap Carlos acoustic guitar from early 80s still plays fine. I have a Chorus foot pedal I rarely use and a tuner pedal which I do from mid-80s that work fine. Knock on wood.

I’ve replaced my laptops every couple of years, because the hard drives started dying. Hopefully the current will last longer with a solid state HD. It really isn’t all that much faster than the desktop I had around 2005. Just slight improvements in things like the number of cores. And less expensive solid state hard drives. I could seriously go down the rabbit hole, but, nah, just remember, this is all your fault.

Read: You Holding On To Your Old Tech Is Hurting The Economy »

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Climate Cult Is Dying In Canada As Cabinet Minister Quits Over Oil Expansion

By William Teach November 28, 2025 – 7:00 am

But, can you ever kill it off?

Carney loses Cabinet minister over pipeline push

A prominent member of Mark Carney’s Cabinet quit Thursday in protest of the Liberal government’s decision to roll back Canada’s environmental policies and clear the way for a new oil pipeline.

Steven Guilbeault, a Trudeau-era climate minister, resigned in a statement on social media.

He said while he is leaving Carney’s team of ministers, he will remain a member of Parliament within the Liberal caucus.

On Thursday in Calgary, Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed an agreement that paves the way to boost oil production, advance new pipelines and overhaul controversial energy laws that were a hallmark of then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government.

The deal is the clearest signal yet Carney is steering the Liberal government toward a more industry-friendly energy policy — a shift significant enough to trigger the resignation of a key Cabinet minister from Quebec. The prime minister has vowed to make Canada an “energy superpower” to grow the economy and spur investment. Carney said Thursday that President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods and the uncertainty they’ve created will wipe C$50 billion from the Canadian economy.

Getting rid of fossil fuels in snowy, overcast, rainy Canada for their winters and replacing it with solar and wind doesn’t work. There are many places which are far apart and require fossil fuels to get their. EVs do not work well in cold weather. Let’s also not forget that Trudeau was a bit proponent of the Keystone pipeline which would have moved shale oil from Canada to the U.S.

“Despite this difficult economic context, I remain one of those for whom environmental issues must remain front and center,” Guilbeault said in his statement. He had most recently served as minister of identity. (snip)

“Over the past few months, several elements of the climate action plan I worked on as Minister of the Environment have been, or are about to be, dismantled,” he said in his statement. “In my view, these measures remain essential to our climate action plan.”

His and his fellow Liberals, but, what do the citizens of Canada really want? Do they ever ask? Do they ask why Steven takes long fossil fueled trips, like to Belem, Brazil?

Read: Climate Cult Is Dying In Canada As Cabinet Minister Quits Over Oil Expansion »

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Meltdown Coming: Trump Admin To Re-Examine Green Cards From 19 Countries

By William Teach November 28, 2025 – 6:45 am

Caterwaul incoming

U.S. immigration agency launches re-examination of green card holders from 19 countries ‘of concern’

President Donald Trump has directed the federal agency that oversees legal immigration to the U.S. to conduct a sweeping review of green card holders from what the administration calls countries of concern, the head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said Thursday.

“At the direction of @POTUS, I have directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern,” USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said Thursday afternoon in a statement on X.

Edlow said that protecting the country “remains paramount” and that “the American people will not bear the cost of the prior administration’s reckless resettlement policies.”

Asked for details on which countries are considered “of concern,” USCIS pointed to a June presidential proclamation listing 19 countries “considered deficient with regards to screening and vetting.” Afghanistan is one of the countries on the list, which also includes Haiti, Iran and Venezuela.

From that proclamation

I have determined to fully restrict and limit the entry of nationals of the following 12 countries:  Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.  These restrictions distinguish between, but apply to both, the entry of immigrants and nonimmigrants.

I have determined to partially restrict and limit the entry of nationals of the following 7 countries:  Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.  These restrictions distinguish between, but apply to both, the entry of immigrants and nonimmigrants.

A goodly chunk of these people are not compatible with American society, with a 1st World nation. And there really needs to be full restrictions on immigrants from many Islamic nations, as well as limiting visitor visas from those nations. And, now, of course, you will see Democrats defend people from those countries, simply due to TDS. They won’t even consider the policy or think about it.

Read: Meltdown Coming: Trump Admin To Re-Examine Green Cards From 19 Countries »

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If All You See…

By William Teach November 27, 2025 – 2:21 pm

…is a world killing turkey causing heat waves, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Moonbattery, with a post on America hating educators going unhinged on Thanksgiving.

Read: If All You See… »

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Happy Thanksgiving!

By William Teach November 27, 2025 – 10:30 am

But, how dare you eat turkey!

Mixing Thanksgiving with climate justice: forget the turkey, pass the foraged plants

Ever thought to eat what is commonly considered an invasive weed?

That’s exactly what this group of nine Bay Area residents did recently, nibbling away at bright green nasturtium leaves under the guidance of Linh Hoang, who hosted “A New Thanksgiving” at the Lake Merritt Pergola in collaboration with Sunrise Movement Bay Area.

Eyes lit up and eyebrows rose as the sharp, radish-like flavor of the leaves burst onto tastebuds.

The event combined a potluck dinner with lessons about edible plants that can be found growing in sidewalk cracks and neighborhood parks around Oakland. For Hoang, it was an opportunity to connect Indigenous practices of foraging to the work of climate justice, and to address deep-seated myths surrounding the holiday.

Go away. Leave the rest of us alone.

A holiday classic

Read: Happy Thanksgiving! »

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