We Need More COVID Funding For Racial Equity Or Something

By William Teach March 29, 2022 – 10:30 am

There are hot takes, and then there are Hot Takes. This one rather highlights that COVID response is really all about politics, at least at this point

Covid funding inaction threatens fragile progress on racial, economic disparities

Racial and ethnic disparities in Covid-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths are likely to worsen if Congress does not soon approve billions in new pandemic funding.

Public health experts, lawmakers and health officials say the White House’s decision to scale back or suspend programs that provide free testing, treatments and vaccinations will disproportionately affect the tens of millions of uninsured Americans — a majority of whom are people of color.

The congressional stalemate threatens to upend the fragile progress that has been made since the early days of the pandemic when the federal government’s decision to make Covid interventions available to everyone free of charge temporarily helped level the playing field in a nation where access to health care is usually tied to employment and income and often correlated with race.

It’s so interesting that Democrats always think the worst of “people of color”, eh? It shows that Democrats will take advantage of any issue to push their politics

The Biden administration cautioned lawmakers in a meeting last week that without immediate new funding, the federal government will stop reimbursing doctors for testing, vaccinating and treating the uninsured. If a second booster shot is recommended for the general population, the government won’t be able to provide it free of charge. Disease surveillance will also be hampered, they warned, meaning public health workers won’t know about outbreaks or the emergence of new variants before they’re already widespread.

Why? They have plenty of money that was already allocated for HHS and other federal agencies, and state, county, and local agencies have their own money. This does rather show that the federal government should be taking less money from citizens, because they are too big and do not know the local areas. Federal taxation should be cut in half, at least, and the money should be moved to the states, who know their citizens better.

Oh, and

(Rollcall) The White House said Monday that it has about $300 billion in unspent COVID-19 funding but only about $60 billion that is unallocated as it warned lawmakers that it doesn’t have enough money for additional vaccination efforts unless Congress provides more relief.

The administration again requested that Congress provide $22.5 billion in supplemental COVID-19 aid without offsets. It said it would be difficult and controversial to repurpose the $60 billion.

Senate Republicans have pushed to repurpose existing funding.

So what are they doing with that $300 billion as it stands? Why would it be difficult and controversial to repurpose the $60 billion, which, accord to the laptop calculator, is more than $22.5 billion? Back to original

But if the federal government can’t subsidize a potential fourth dose of the vaccine it could be a “disaster” for the state’s uninsured population — nearly half of whom are non-white, though people of color make up just about a third of the population — said Scott Harris, Alabama’s state health officer.

“If a second booster dose is approved soon and there’s no money for booster doses, then we’re just creating just another health disparity on the basis of our funding policy,” Harris said. “That’s just a really sad situation.”

A Kaiser Family Foundation analysis published Friday found that without more funding, the government could be short more than 118 million doses if a new booster is recommended for Americans of all ages. If there is a shortage, experts expect people of color will lose out to those better able to take time off work to hunt for an appointment or travel farther to find a dose.

White Progressives sure do think little of black people, eh?

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Oops: British Government Looking For Ways To Tax EV Users

By William Teach March 29, 2022 – 7:15 am

Since EVs are successful(ish) in the U.K., road user taxes have gone done. No good deed goes unpunished, eh?

Electric vehicles’ success is a headache for the Treasury

Electric vehicleWhen Rishi Sunak announced a temporary cut of 5p a litre in fuel duty in last week’s Spring Statement, electric vehicles were probably not at the front of the chancellor’s mind. He was focusing on the vast majority of road users who experience “pain at the pump” from spiralling petrol costs. Yet the accompanying fiscal outlook from the Office for Budget Responsibility, the independent watchdog, noted that more than one in 10 cars sold in the UK last year were electric; by 2027, it forecast the proportion would rise to 59 per cent — double its forecast only six months ago. Consumer appetite for electric vehicles has consistently run ahead of the OBR’s estimates.

This poses a headache for the exchequer because of the importance of revenues from fuel duty and vehicle excise duty, neither of which electric car owners have to pay. Together, they raise about £35bn a year. The OBR forecasts the higher share of electric car sales alone will reduce motoring tax revenues by £2.1bn by 2026-27. It also assumes Sunak will be able to keep his promise to reverse the 5p cut in fuel duty — which may well prove over-optimistic.

One way to help balance the books might be to remove the subsidy regime, which has already been scaled back over the past decade and is now capped at a £1,500 grant on electric cars costing less than £32,000 — helpful support for EV sales. This would be foolhardy. The EV market is still in the nascent stages of growth, and government support to improve uptake will be warranted for some time yet.

The Commons transport select committee last month recommended considering road user charging as a like-for like replacement for fuel duty. This would involve monitoring all cars in the UK and charging according to the distance they drive, factoring in the type of vehicle used, and congestion. Some economists like this idea as a way of charging motorists proportionately for the public cost of building and maintaining roads. As the committee cautioned, however, any road charging mechanism should entirely replace fuel duty and vehicle excise duty rather than being added to them, and should not result in motorists paying more.

The government creates the problem by requiring these types of vehicles, then whines about the loss of revenue, so, finds new ways to get the money, which can be problematic for those who are over-reaching their budget when buying an EV.

And all being done for a scam.

Read: Oops: British Government Looking For Ways To Tax EV Users »

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Oh, Good, Biden Trots Out $5.8 Trillion Budget

By William Teach March 29, 2022 – 7:00 am

In fairness, it won’t go anywhere. Even his Democrat Comrades in the House and Senate will simply shelve it. But, it does show his priorities in the face of inflation and other bad economic news

Biden unveils $5.8 trillion budget proposal with tax hikes, spending boosts

President Biden on Monday unveiled ambitious proposals to reduce the nation’s deficit over the next decade with tax hikes targeting the wealthy, while outlining boosts for military and domestic programs as part of a $5.8 trillion plan to fund the government for fiscal 2023.

The White House says that the fiscal 2023 budget, which includes a tax hike on billionaires and other reforms, would reduce the deficit by over $1 trillion over the next 10 years.

“Budgets are statements of values, and the budget I am releasing today sends a clear message that we value fiscal responsibility, safety and security at home and around the world, and the investments needed to continue our equitable growth and build a better America,” Biden said in a statement on the budget’s release.

Notably, the sweeping request avoids specific funding requests for Biden’s signature domestic policy proposal, Build Back Better, and instead includes a deficit neutral reserve fund as a placeholder for a future agreement between the administration and Congress.

“Because those discussions with Congress are ongoing, the budget does not include specific line items for investments associated with that future legislation,” Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young told reporters on a call Monday morning previewing the president’s request.

In other words, it’s not so much a budget offering, but, a placeholder for whatever they want to do with massive amounts of taxpayer funds.

The budget also includes robust funding for domestic law enforcement programs, including $30 billion for state and local law enforcement, crime prevention, and community violence intervention programs and $1.7 billion for a Justice Department firearm trafficking strike force. Biden has showcased his support for law enforcement as he seeks to counter Republican efforts to paint Democrats as soft on crime.

Ah, but this will come with caveats, with more control over local and state law enforcement by the feds.

Biden proposes $3.3 billion to support clean energy projects and $18 billion for climate resilience programs.

Payoffs for “green” groups.

The budget also includes a corporate tax rate hike from 21 percent to 28 percent, which could prove a tough sell in the Senate given previous resistance from key moderates like Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.).

Raising taxes on businesses always works out great, right? No complaining, moderate Dems and #NeverTrumpers. This is what you wanted when you decided mean tweets were worse than sound fiscal policy.

Read: Oh, Good, Biden Trots Out $5.8 Trillion Budget »

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Biden: Why, Yes, I Do Want Regime Change In Russia

By William Teach March 28, 2022 – 7:07 pm

First he said it, then his administration pulled out the industrial strength mops for cleanup, and now

Will we get another round of “the Biden administration does mean what Biden says”?

(Fox News) Biden insisted he is not “walking back” his comments, seeking to separate his wish for Putin not to be leading Russia from an official policy that would seek to remove him.

“I was expressing my outrage at the behavior of this man,” Biden said, calling the Russian president’s behavior “outrageous” and that his comments about him were “more an aspiration than anything.”

“He shouldn’t be in power,” Biden added. “People like this shouldn’t be ruling countries, but they do, in fact. They do. But, doesn’t mean I can’t express my outrage about it.”

“I’m not walking anything back. The fact of the matter is, I was expressing the moral outrage I felt toward the way Putin is dealing and the actions of this man, which is just brutality,” said Biden.

“But I want to make it clear: I wasn’t then, nor am I now, articulating a policy change. I was expressing the moral outrage that I feel, and I make no apologies for it,” he added.

Does Biden, a guy who’s been in Government since taking office as a Senator in 1973, a guy who was picked to be Obama’s VP due to his vast (snicker) foreign policy experience, who pimped that same experience for the 2020 election, understand how this whole Presidenting thing works? A president doesn’t get to simply express moral outrage when dealing with the leader of a nuclear weapons armed nation.

Read: Biden: Why, Yes, I Do Want Regime Change In Russia »

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Who’s Up For Climate Justice With Electric Vehicles?

By William Teach March 28, 2022 – 3:00 pm

This rather screams “these things are just too damned expensive” at this time

Electric vehicles for everyone? Climate justice programs help people of color, low-income Americans get moving

Key Points

• Low- and moderate-income communities and people of color have had less access to electric vehicle information and to electric vehicles.

• Non-profits and governments are providing funds and support and establishing programs to provide electric transportation to more Americans, from subsidized electric vehicle ride-sharing to electric bicycles.

• Experts say it’s important for everyone to have access to electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions and help fight global warming.

That’s not a good start. Ride sharing because too expensive. Putting people on electric bikes because they cannot afford an EV.

High gasoline prices, increased electric vehicle marketing, concerns about climate change and billions in clean transportation funds in federal infrastructure legislation are driving increased interest in electric vehicles among consumers. Low-income Americans and people of color are more likely to have been left out of the conversion conversation but a growing number of programs like the one in St. Louis are hoping to change that, with subsidies, programs and other initiatives aiming at making the vehicles more accessible to all.

Funny how these uber-leftists always think blacks are too poor to buy a vehicle. What’s the word for that attitude?

Electric vehicles only constituted a little less than 4% of new car sales last year, but that’s double the 2020 number. Even with that growth, electric vehicles and especially charging stations are still much more likely to be seen in wealthier areas – affluent white males made up a disproportionate number of early adopters – compared with low and moderate-income neighborhoods. The vehicles also have made less of an inroad among communities of color, activists say.

Yes, there are more sold, because richer folks are getting them. Also, Why In The F*ck are activists involved? Can’t they just get real jobs?

Cutting emissions requires everyone’s participation

Finding ways to provide access and opportunity in lower-income neighborhoods is necessary to the ultimate goal of overall electrical conversion, said Jeff Allen of Forth, the Oregon-based non-profit that is working on the St. Louis SiLVERS program.

“If this only works for people who have multiple cars in a private garage and lots of flexibility, then it doesn’t work. Because we have to replace all the cars,” Allen said. “And the things that are barriers for historically underserved communities are barriers for everybody to some extent. It’s just more severe, more obvious. If you can figure out ways to address them” there, it will help solve problems other places “and you’re going to scale things up a lot faster.”

Or, you can Fark off, mind your own business, and stop trying to force everyone to comply with your cult beliefs.

Anyway, it’s a very long piece, enjoy the socialism and stuff.

Read: Who’s Up For Climate Justice With Electric Vehicles? »

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If All You See…

By William Teach March 28, 2022 – 1:00 pm

…is champagne which will be decimated due to ‘climate change’, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Bunkerville, with a post on Brandon reinstating fines on automakers over CAFE standards.

Read: If All You See… »

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Biden’s Polling Continues To Drop, Hits 40% In NBC Poll

By William Teach March 28, 2022 – 10:30 am

See, Trump polled because he said/Tweeted Mean Things, but, got things done for citizens which the media refused to broadcast. Biden polls low because he’s pretty much incompetent, clueless, and even intentionally doing things bad for citizens

Biden’s approval falls to lowest level of his presidency as Democrats fearfully eye midterms

Amid Europe’s largest land war since World War II, 7 in 10 Americans expressed low confidence in President Joe Biden’s ability to deal with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a new NBC News poll, and 8 in 10 voiced worry that the war will increase gas prices and possibly involve nuclear weapons.

And during the nation’s largest inflation spike in 40 years, overwhelming majorities said they believe the country is headed in the wrong direction and disapproved of the president’s handling of the economy.

Those are some of the major findings of the new national NBC News poll, which found that Biden’s overall job approval rating had declined to 40 percent, the lowest level of his presidency. The survey also found that Republicans enjoyed a 2-point lead in answering which party should control Congress ahead of November’s midterm elections.

So, if it’s just a 2 point GOP lead, it means that the poll either oversampled Democrats, or Biden’s really polling a lot lower. The poll has 55% disapproving

The poll was conducted March 18-22, before the president’s overseas trip, where he met with NATO allies, visited with U.S. troops in Poland and delivered a major speech about Russia’s war in Ukraine.

I wonder how Americans will react in following polls after all the gaffes?

But what stands out in the poll is that the public hasn’t yet rallied around Biden as a result of the war in Ukraine, said Horwitt, the Democratic pollster.

“One thing that has not happened — at least yet — is a rally-around-the-flag reaction with Joe Biden’s job rating increasing. The potential for that to occur could still happen if America becomes more directly involved, but at this stage it is not there.”

All Brandon’s done is put sanctions on Russia. I suspect if he gets America more directly involved he’ll drop further. Most do not want anything to do with getting into WWIII.

The erosion in Biden’s approval rating has been across the board among key demographic groups, including Black respondents (from 64 percent approve in January to 62 percent now), women (from 51 percent approve to 44 percent), Latinos (from 48 percent to 39 percent) and independents (36 percent to 32 percent).

“You cannot get down to the low 40s in presidential approval unless you have strained your own base,” said McInturff, the GOP pollster.

It takes hard work to get there, kinda like having a 432 credit score.

Seventy-one percent of Americans said they believe the nation is headed on the wrong track, compared to 22 percent who said they believe it’s headed in the right direction, which is unchanged from January’s poll.

Trump only hit those numbers during COVID

Sixty-two percent of respondents said their family incomes are falling behind the cost of living, 31 percent said they’re staying even, and 6 percent said their incomes are going up faster than the cost of living.

Great news, Joe’s not concerned in the least. This is your problem.

Read: Biden’s Polling Continues To Drop, Hits 40% In NBC Poll »

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State Of Washington Looks To Ban Most Fossil Fueled Vehicle Sales By 2030

By William Teach March 28, 2022 – 7:00 am

If elected Republicans had any brains, any fighting spirit, they’d submit legislation requiring all lawmakers, the governor, appointed and elected executive office officials, and their staffs to be banned from using fossil fuels for travel

Washington state plans to ban most non-electric vehicles by 2030

electric vehicleWashington state plans to ban most non-electric vehicles by 2030, according to a newly signed bill by Gov. Jay Inslee.

The bill says that all vehicles of the model year 2030 or later that are sold, purchased, or registered in the state must be electric.

“On or before December 31, 2023, the interagency electric vehicle coordinating council … shall complete a scoping plan for achieving the 2030 target,” it reads.

The bill covers a lot of transportation issues in the state and is a part of a larger $16.9 billion transportation package called “Move Ahead Washington,” which Inslee described as a way to create more efficient transportation options.

Too make it clear. any 2030 model and beyond that is publicly or privately owned passenger vehicles and light trucks must be electric (section 415 page 88). As in ones that run strictly on batteries or hydrogen technologies. Hybrids would not qualify, even plugin hybrids.

If this is so important why wait 8 years? Why doesn’t Inslee start right now for himself?

Also included in the transportation package is funding for four new hybrid-electric ferries, thousands of electric vehicle charging stations, 25 transit electrification projects across the state, as well as free fares for riders 18 and younger on public transportation systems, according to a Medium post the governor wrote on Friday.

Average citizens of the state will soon find themselves only able to take the bus. How many will leave the state? What’s the chance that those in the eastern part of the state start pushing really, really hard to break away from the unhinged climate cult part of the state? For the rest, well, you voted for this, now you get to see how this works when moving from theory to practice.

Read: State Of Washington Looks To Ban Most Fossil Fueled Vehicle Sales By 2030 »

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Biden To Trot Out “Billionaires” Tax Or Something

By William Teach March 28, 2022 – 6:45 am

Democrats trotted this idiocy out last September, and it went nowhere, and a big part of this is un-Constitutional. Also, it’s not just on billionaires

From the link

President Biden will propose a new 20 percent minimum tax on America’s wealthiest households as part of his fiscal 2023 budget, according to a White House fact sheet released on Saturday.

The White House said that the “billionaire minimum income tax” Biden will propose would apply to the top 0.01 percent of American households, or those worth more than $100 million. More than half of the revenue raised by the proposed minimum tax would come from households worth more than $1 billion, according to the fact sheet.

“President Biden is a capitalist and believes that anyone should be able to become a millionaire or a billionaire,” reads the fact sheet describing the tax proposal. “He also believes that it is wrong for America to have a tax code that results in America’s wealthiest households paying a lower tax rate than working families.”

Did you notice that this billionaires tax starts at $100 million?

The new proposal would require wealthy households to pay 20 percent in taxes on their “full income,” including standard taxable income as well as unrealized income like gains from stocks.

It will be interesting to see the way this works. It would, first, have to essentially disallow deductions in the tax code that bring the taxable income level to below 20% of what they made that year, as well as increasing the capital gains tax. The big part is the quiet part, though: unrealized income. Do Bill Gates and Elon Musk have access to their billion plus? No. Quite a bit of that is on paper. Until they “cash out”, if you will, it’s unrealized. If your house is work $200K, it is an unrealized asset. Would you like to be taxed on it? You aren’t until you sell it.

And the last time they brought this up, it was pointed out it was un-Consitutional, and there have been court rulings on this. Even the Washington Post noted back then the problems

To start, not all assets are as easy to value as publicly traded stocks. Privately held companies, such as Charles Koch’s Koch Industries, are notoriously difficult to value. Rare but valuable items are even more difficult to fix an annual price. Someone who owns a Leonardo da Vinci or Picasso artwork likely paid more than $100 million for it at auction, but it’s almost impossible to assess what a unique work of art would sell for at the end of each tax year. Billionaires are precisely the people with the motive and the means to hire the best tax lawyers to fight the Internal Revenue Service at every step of the way, surely subjecting each tax return to excruciatingly long and expensive audits.

And to sue over this law. Not that it will pass. It’s questionable if the Democrats will even try in the House, where they can pass it easily. Getting it through the Senate is iffy. Especially since politicians, including Democrats, are beholden to uber-rich folks. Lets say that it manages to be deemed Constitutional: where does all that unrealized income go? How quick do this rich folks move their assets out of the U.S. and stop investing in the U.S.? Why build a resort here in the U.S., for instance? On paper, it might be worth $50 million, but, only generates $1 million of realized income yearly. Who wants to pay on that property as unrealized, when they could build in another country? How many businesses do not get built? How many small businesses would no longer get seed money?

If Congress does have that power, however, it will only be a matter of time before lawmakers apply the tax to ordinary Americans. Anyone who owns a house or has a retirement account has unrealized capital gains. Billionaires get all the attention, but the real money is in the hands of the broader public, as the collective value of real estate and mutual funds dwarfs what the nation’s uber-wealthy hold. The government would love to get 25 percent of your 401(k)’s annual rise, and our nation’s massive annual deficits and cumulative debt means it will need that money sooner rather than later.

That’s what they really want, and Democrats have talked about going after 401(k)s before. Most likely, Brandon is just trying to whip up his unhinged base, because Dems have been taught that the Rich are evil and should have their earned money taken and given to the base.

Read: Biden To Trot Out “Billionaires” Tax Or Something »

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If All You See…

By William Teach March 27, 2022 – 1:00 pm

…is horrible heat snow because Other People keep having children, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Irons In The Fire, with a post on having a hard time generating sympathy.

It’s clearing out the folder week.

Read: If All You See… »

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