If All You See…

…is an evil fossil fueled vehicle, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Cold Fury, with a post on Cocaine Bear…wait, what?

Read: If All You See… »

Many Grocery Store In Los Angeles Closing Over “Hero Pay”

There’s a price to pay when Government decides that Other People should spend their money in a manner than destroys businesses.  It’s very easy for Government to demand things, another for them to be put in play

Kroger will close 3 grocery stores following Los Angeles hazard pay mandate

unintended consequencesKroger announced it will close three Los Angeles grocery stores in May amid concerns about the city’s new hazard pay mandate, which requires large grocery and pharmacy stores to pay their employees an additional $5 per hour over a four-month span due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This is at least the third time this year that Kroger has declared plans to shut down locations in select cities, following local government decisions that force stores to increase hourly wages.

The company said Wednesday that the closures of the Los Angeles stores — two of which are operating as Ralphs and one as Food 4 Less — was a decision accelerated by the new pay requirement.

“It’s never our desire to close a store, but when you factor in the increased costs of operating during Covid-19, consistent financial losses at these three locations, and an extra pay mandate that will cost nearly $20 million over the next 120 days, it becomes impossible to operate these three stores,” a Kroger spokesperson said.

The Los Angeles City Council voted in late February in favor of the new hourly mandate by a margin of 14-1, as part of a trend among other West Coast cities that are requiring grocers to compensate employees at a higher rate during the pandemic.

Despite what appears to be a huge increase in gross earnings by grocery stores, the actual net earnings were way down, as operating costs were way up. Earnings for grocery stores have always been tight. COVID didn’t erase that, even with the binge purchasing. Mandating an extra $5 an hour for all employees is a massive increase in operating costs. And some stores have a smaller margin than others, especially in areas where theft is high

United Food and Commercial Workers International Union President Marc Perrone called Kroger’s actions on Wednesday “a cruel attack on essential workers.”

“Essential workers in grocery stores are putting their health at risk every day to make sure families can put food on the table and city leaders are stepping up to ensure they have the hazard pay they have earned,” Perrone said in a statement Wednesday. “Hazard pay is not just about recognizing the health risks grocery workers face, it’s about making sure that these essential workers have the support they need to keep our grocery stores safe for customers and ensure all our families have the food we need as the pandemic continues.”

Then let the city council pay for it. Perhaps they can use all that extra money they’re getting from Biden’s 100% partisan $1.9 trillion “COVID relief” bill. Perhaps UFCW International could reduce their union dues. Oh, they don’t want to do that? Huh. The LA Times notes

Kroger said pay bumps for workers will add an additional $20 million in operating costs over that period, making it “financially unsustainable” to keep underperforming stores in operation.

That’s rather a lot of extra costs during a short period of time, eh?

Denise Francis Woods, who ran for City Council to represent her South L.A. district last year, said closing the store on Slauson would cost locals their jobs and deprive the area of a needed grocery store.

Well, perhaps she shouldn’t have voted for the rule, because now, instead of making more money, the employees will make no money. She calls the area a food desert, there’s a Food 4 Less (that is staying open) several blocks away.

Read: Many Grocery Store In Los Angeles Closing Over “Hero Pay” »

United Nations: Say, You Countries Aren’t Spending Enough Recovery Money On ‘Climate Change’

Heck, too little of the current $1.9 trillion recovery bill actually goes to helping U.S. citizens. We don’t need more worthless money for ‘climate change’. But, hey, tell you what: I’m good with shifting the hundreds of billions earmarked with rescuing Democrat cities and states (which do not really need it), along with all the money for schools (which still have billions left from previous COVID bills), especially since so much of it is for 2022 and future years, and shifting it into R&D for better renewable power sources, including nuclear. And none of it should go to the moochers at the U.N.

UN: Too little of recovery spending fights climate change

Nations are spending unprecedented amounts of money to bounce back from the pandemic and the economic shock it triggered, but less than one dollar out of five spent so far will help fight global warming and heal nature, a new United Nations report says.

The top economies have laid out more than $14.6 trillion to date to rebound from last year’s crisis, with nearly $2 trillion of that aimed at long-term recovery. But only $341 billion — about 18% — of that COVID-19 economic recovery money is going to green spending and “building back better,” according to Wednesday’s report by the United Nations Environment Programme and Oxford University.

Build back better is part of The Great Reset, which is a push for Progressivism (nice Fascism) and corporatism control.

“It seems like the world is trying to put out a house fire with a garden hose, while a perfectly good hydrant is available just next door,” said report lead author Brian O’Callaghan of the Oxford University’s Economic Recovery Project. He said the report highlights missed opportunities, singling out Australia where only 2% of $130 billion in recovery spending is green-oriented.

The report focuses on long-term spending, such as on roads, buildings and energy projects, as opposed to quick relief, such as unemployment checks and other emergency relief to keep people and businesses afloat.

It’s very easy to spend Other People’s Money and yammer about saying “screw relief to people who are suffering”, eh?

Countries in a hurry often choose familiar economic methods instead of investing in “a sustainable inclusive future” which involves shifting the way society acts, said German environment minister Svenja Schulze.

Using a global pandemic, with all the accompanying misery and death, for government to take more power to control people.

If the world concentrates on clean energy spending it can come out of this crisis “definitely more able to deal with the abrupt shock that climate change demonstrably is imposing on our societies,” said International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. She said the world needs to “create more jobs and better economic opportunities by investing money in the right way, not the wrong way.”

So, then private companies can do so with their own money.

With 82% of the recovery spending not being green, it supports the status quo which is heading in the wrong direction in terms of the environment and income inequality, O’Callaghan said, adding that about 2% to 3% of the spending is actually “dirty,” boosting use of climate-damaging fossil fuel.

Is it O’Callaghan’s money? No? He, along with the rest of the Warmists, are welcome to invest their own money into so-called green projects. Heck, I triple do dare all the U.S. climate cultists to take their $1,400 stimulus checks and put them into something green. Buy a nice bike and ride it everywhere instead of taking a fossil fueled trip. Or something. Till then, shut up, you do nothing in your own lives, and take the UN with you, since they couldn’t survive without the money of nations who take it from people who work.

Read: United Nations: Say, You Countries Aren’t Spending Enough Recovery Money On ‘Climate Change’ »

CNN: Too Few Are Vaccinated, Another COVID Surge Just Weeks Away

You know, no Americans would be vaccinated if President Trump hadn’t initiated Operation Warp Speed. No Democrat said it could happen so quick, that it would be years before we had any sort of vaccine. First, though

This guy is not OK. He also has his mask, well, masks, since he sometimes wears two despite getting both shots of the vaccine (mine is scheduled for this afternoon), off. The Credentialed Media calls this a “stutter”, which was missing during his 8 years with Obama. And then Kamala went and spoke with reporters after passage of the $1.9 trillion so-called COVID relief bill (which spreads money overseas and has spend dates in the US for 2022, 2023, and beyond). Why is the VP speaking to the press, not Joe? Anyhow

A year after the pandemic was declared, still too few Americans are vaccinated to suppress the viral spread and experts say another surge could be weeks away

Biden Brain SlugMore than 29 million cases have been reported in the US since the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic one year ago.

The virus plunged America into grief and crisis. Several rounds of violent surges in infections prompted local and state leaders from coast to coast to order safety restrictions — in some cases, curfews — hoping to curb this invisible enemy’s spread. Waves of Covid-19 patients crippled healthcare systems. Spikes in deaths drove some communities to call in mobile units to support their morgues.

The US has lost more than 529,000 people to the virus, Johns Hopkins University data shows. It’s more than the number of Americans killed in World War I and World War II combined. And the death toll is rising by the thousands each week.

Now, the country is at a pivotal point.

Case numbers, after plateauing at high levels, may be beginning to decline again, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a White House briefing on Wednesday. Average hospital admissions and Covid-19 deaths were also down over the past week, she added.

So far, almost one in 10 Americans have been fully vaccinated — a number that is still too low to suppress the spread of the virus. And some experts have warned another possible surge could be weeks away, fueled by a highly contagious variant spreading across the country.

Thank you for the vaccines, President Trump. The NY Times looks to have given Trump credit along with Biden. Biden deserves none. He didn’t do anything. This all started under Trump’s leadership and guidance.

What will help now, while the country works to boost its vaccination numbers, are the precautions that have been touted by officials for months: face masks, social distancing, avoiding crowds, washing hands.

And it’s especially crucial, according to experts, that Americans heed this guidance, even as more governors announce it’s time to begin loosening Covid-19 restrictions and paving the way for a return to normal. Experts have highlighted we’re not there just yet.

In other words, the “officials” want people kept locked down, because it’s a lot easier to condition citizens to bow to authority when they aren’t trying to express freedom. How long will the keep the “doom is just around the corner” going?

Read: CNN: Too Few Are Vaccinated, Another COVID Surge Just Weeks Away »

Climate Scam Today: Bill Gates Sounds Alarm On Bitcoin, Allergy Season Maybe Possibly They Think Longer, Youngsters Suing

Let’s start with Excitable Bill, who’s developments use massive amounts of energy all around the world

Bill Gates Sounds Alarm On Bitcoin’s Energy Consumption–Here’s Why Crypto Is Bad For Climate Change

As bitcoin pushes toward new highs, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates is sounding an alarm on the cryptocurrency’s strikingly high carbon footprint–which is only bound to worsen as mainstream adoption of the world’s largest cryptocurrency soars as expected.

“Bitcoin uses more electricity per transaction than any other method known to mankind,” Gates told the New York Times in a recent interview, calling himself a “bitcoin skeptic,” and adding that “it’s not a great climate thing.”

Now tell us about the carbon footprint of all the computers using Microsoft Windows. Oh, and Bill’s CF for his mega mansion, private jets, and so forth

Is Climate Change Making Allergy Season Worse? These Scientists Think So

During allergy season, some unfortunate souls spend a disproportionate part of their time experiencing some or all of the above. In the US alone, more than 50 million people are allergy sufferers.

Now scientists say climate change could be causing allergy season to start earlier and last longer.

A team of researchers from institutions across the US has reviewed data relating to pollen trends from 1990 to 2018. The conclusions they came to were that pollen is present in the air 20 days sooner than it used to be and at significantly higher concentrations – as much as 21% up.

OK, compare this, if we’re doing science, to not only the rest of the Modern Warm Period, but previous Holocene warm and cool periods. Heck, how about during the slight cooling from the mid 40’s to the late 70’s. Seriously, there’s nothing unusual at all about a Holocene warm period having trees bloom earlier. Now, though, we have climahysteria

Young people seeking to change federal policy on climate change try new tactic

(a couple paragraphs of the kiddies losing their climacase)

Evidence in the case shows that federal officials’ “actions (or inaction), such as coal leasing, oil development, fossil fuel industry subsidies, and the setting of fuel efficiency standards for vehicles” are violating the youths’ rights, their lawyers said in a federal court filing in Oregon. The youths “merely seek justice for the injuries they are suffering at the hands of their government,” and a judicial declaration of illegality would be a major step forward, the filing said.

The lawyers also urged the Biden administration to abandon the “scorched-earth tactics” of President Donald Trump’s administration, which fought the suit for four years, and to negotiate a settlement “based on technically and economically feasible solutions to the climate crisis.”

I have an idea

Read: Climate Scam Today: Bill Gates Sounds Alarm On Bitcoin, Allergy Season Maybe Possibly They Think Longer, Youngsters Suing »

If All You See…

…is a horrible fence keeping people from migrating during climate doom, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Blazing Cat Fur, with a post wondering if we even have a republic anymore.

Read: If All You See… »

Biden Aid Says Pandemic Was Best Thing To Happen To Democrats

Hey, China Joe aid Anita Dunn was just saying what we all knew: Democrats were taking advantage of a worldwide pandemic and all the death and misery associated with it, making it worse for people in order to blame Trump

Biden Aide: Coronavirus Pandemic ‘Best Thing That Ever Happened’ for Democrats

A top aide to President Joe Biden described the coronavirus as “the best thing that ever happened to him,” according to a recently released book.

The book, Lucky: How Joe Biden Barely Won the Presidency, details how Biden adviser Anita Dunn made the remark in private to a campaign “associate.”

The book’s authors, Jonathan Allen of NBC News and Amie Parnes of the Hill, said Dunn’s comments were what “campaign officials believed but would never say in public.”

Dunn’s comments were first reported by the Guardian after the paper obtained an early release copy of the book.

An experienced Democrat campaign operative, Dunn also worked as a public relations guru for disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.

Dunn joined the Biden administration as a senior adviser after playing a similar role on his 2020 campaign.

We all know that one of the reasons for Democratic Party elected officials in cities, counties, and states ramped up the authoritarian COVID rules was to make people miserable so they could Blamestorm Trump and get Biden elected. In fairness, it worked (maybe, sure seemed like lots of election issues). The other being because they’re authoritarians. They didn’t care about the pain and suffering of Americans. How often did we see them breaking their own rules? How often do we see Biden breaking his own rules right now?

Read: Biden Aid Says Pandemic Was Best Thing To Happen To Democrats »

After Taking Long Fossil Fueled Flight, John Kerry Urges Top Polluters To Genuflect To Climate Cult

Unsurprisingly, no media members took photos of John Kerry landing his private jet nor disembarking. That would be bad optics, but, how did he get to England? He surely didn’t use a sailing ship, and hyper climate cult outlet the BBC won’t mention it

Climate change: Kerry urges top polluters to cut emissions now

US climate change envoy John Kerry has urged the world’s top 20 polluters which create 81% of emissions between them to reduce CO2 immediately.

He was speaking after meeting Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other senior UK figures in London to plan two upcoming international climate summits.

He praised the UK for phasing out coal, and for its “ambitious” climate goals.

But he told BBC Newsnight that the UK – along with other major nations – must deliver their proposed emissions cuts.

“China, the US, Russia, India, the EU, Korea, Japan and others all have to be part of this effort,” he said. “Twenty countries. Eighty one percent of the emissions.”

Brits have been burning peat moss and wood to supplement the loss of power from doing away with coal (I’ll note again, I’m not a fan of coal) and having to rely on unreliable solar and wind, particularly when it is cold. UK power costs have skyrocketed over the past 15 years as the nation, or at least the nations leaders, joined the climate cult.

Asked during the interview whether the UK should be planning a controversial new coal mine in Cumbria, he replied: “The marketplace has made a decision that coal is not the future.

In this case the marketplace he refers to is The Government.

On Tuesday, climate diplomacy sees him in Paris and Brussels for talks with European leaders, who have been praised for their recent target to cut emissions 55% on 1990 levels.

Did he take a pure electric vehicle, a bus, or a train to Paris and Brussels? Or hop back in the fossil fueled private jet for quick trips to those two cities?

Leaders are wrestling with gloomy news from China, whose recent five-year plan takes tiny steps to decarbonisation.

But they will be heartened by President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package agreed by the Senate, which will support “green” economic growth.

Wait, I thought the $1.9 trillion was about COVID relief? No?

Yes, climate hypocrisy matters, especially when it’s a major league bigwig telling people they will be forced to comply.

Read: After Taking Long Fossil Fueled Flight, John Kerry Urges Top Polluters To Genuflect To Climate Cult »

Good News: Rising Influx Of Migrant Children Being Held In “Jail Like Facilities”, But Not By Biden Admin

Someone at the NY Times has done what Rush always called a random act of journalism, and managed to get an editor to approve publication

From the article

Thousands of migrant children are backed up in United States detention facilities along the border with Mexico, part of a surge of immigration from Central Americans fleeing poverty and violence that could overwhelm President Biden’s attempt to create a more humane approach to those seeking entry into the country.

The number of migrant children in custody along the border has tripled in the past two weeks to more than 3,250, according to federal immigration agency documents obtained by The New York Times, and many of them are being held in jail-like facilities for longer than the three days allowed by law.

The problem for the administration is both the number of children crossing the border and what to do with them once they are in custody. Under the law, the children are supposed to be moved to shelters run by the Health and Human Services Department, but because of the pandemic the shelters until last week were limiting how many children they could accommodate.

The growing number of unaccompanied children is just one element of an escalating problem at the border. Border agents encountered a migrant at the border about 78,000 times in January — more than double the rate at the same time a year ago and higher than in any January in a decade.

Oh, see, it’s a problem for the Biden admin, whereas when Trump was the president it was racism and he’s a Nazi for holding the kids. In cages. Like Obama. But, now they are “jail-like facilities.”

But his approach — to broadly reopen the nation’s borders to vulnerable children with what he hopes will be a welcoming contrast to Mr. Trump’s erection of legal and physical barriers — is already at risk from the grim realities of migration patterns that have roiled the globe for years. Sensing a change in tone and approach after Mr. Trump’s defeat, migrants are once again fleeing poverty, violence and the devastation left by hurricanes and heading north toward the United States.

You can pretty strikethru everything starting with “fleeing” and write “streaming towards free stuff courtesy of the Democratic Party.” But, see, the Department Of Homeland Security, which runs the “concentration camps” via sub-agencies like Customs and Border Patrol and knows about all the “migrants” caught at the border, isn’t part of the Biden admin (?)

So, is there like some other Executive Branch? Or, is the Legislative Branch in charge? How do reporters not call this mule fritters out? Even if they’re on Biden’s side, this has to go against any shred of professionalism they have and a need to not be treated like complete idiots by Psaki. You’d think.

Read: Good News: Rising Influx Of Migrant Children Being Held In “Jail Like Facilities”, But Not By Biden Admin »

Twelve States Sue China Joe Over Climate Scam Order

I was hoping every single one of these GOP AGs would have dared Joe to give up his own use of fossil fuels

12 Republican-led states sue President Biden over climate change order

Twelve Republican-led states Monday sued President Joe Biden over his first executive order aimed at climate change, alleging he lacked the constitutional authority to implement new rules about greenhouse gases.

The federal lawsuit, led by Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt of Missouri, argues Biden violated the separation of powers clause in the Constitution because Congress, not the president, has the power to regulate.

On his first day in the White House, Biden signed Executive Order 13990, directing federal agencies to calculate the “social cost” of greenhouse gas pollution by estimating “monetized damages” to inform future federal regulations. This includes changes in net agricultural productivity, human health, property damage from increased flood risk and the value of ecosystem services.

But the 12 states that are plaintiffs say assigning such values is a “quintessentially legislative action that falls within Congress’s exclusive authority.” They also say the economic ramifications of the order will be disastrous.

“If the Executive Order stands, it will inflict hundreds of billions or trillions of dollars of damage to the U.S. economy for decades to come,” the suit reads. “It will destroy jobs, stifle energy production, strangle America’s energy independence, suppress agriculture, deter innovation, and impoverish working families. It undermines the sovereignty of the States and tears at the fabric of liberty.”

Republican state attorneys general from Arkansas, Arizona, Indiana, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah joined the suit.

Nope, nothing on Joe practicing what he preaches.

Read: Twelve States Sue China Joe Over Climate Scam Order »

Pirate's Cove