Why Are Things Unaffordable?
Posted By: DVC, 11/9/2025 1:12:06 PM
With the election of Zohran Mamdani as Mayor of New York, much conversation has been made of his appeal to “affordability.” As I’ve written previously, this is a noble conversation, but one that has been dishonestly framed (by Democrats and media) to date. [snip] First let’s look at the role that government has already played and its effect on affordability. What areas in the economy have seen the greatest increase in costs for the consumer? Education, housing, healthcare, and food. ronically, these are all areas of the economy that the government has interjected itself in the form of subsidies, regulations, government-backed loans, and transfer payments.
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We all remember mid-2020 through all of 2021 when every news channel, it seemed, had a running scoreboard with the daily infections and daily deaths allegedly caused by COVID-19, remaining pinned as a sidebar even when the stories being covered were wholly independent from the ‘pandemic’. [snip]
That publication went as far as quoting an In-Q-Tel employee, Luciana Borio, saying that the “CDC normally ‘gets the ball rolling’ with diagnostics because it has the expertise and the biosafety laboratories to handle dangerous novel level pathogens. In-Q-Tel was the “first government-sponsored venture capital firm” chartered by the Central Intelligence Agency.
Why Are Things Unaffordable?
17 replies
With the election of Zohran Mamdani as Mayor of New York, much conversation has been made of his appeal to “affordability.”
As I’ve written previously, this is a noble conversation, but one that has been dishonestly framed (by Democrats and media) to date. [snip]
First let’s look at the role that government has already played and its effect on affordability. What areas in the economy have seen the greatest increase in costs for the consumer? Education, housing, healthcare, and food. ronically, these are all areas of the economy that the government has interjected itself in the form of subsidies, regulations, government-backed loans, and transfer payments.
A North Dakota judge has ordered Greenpeace to pay damages of $345 million, reducing an earlier jury award after it found the environmental group and related entities liable for defamation and other claims in connection with protests of an oil pipeline nearly a decade ago.
The new amount is roughly half the $667 million that a jury previously awarded to the pipeline company that brought the claims, Dallas-based Energy Transfer and subsidiary Dakota Access.
Greenpeace had asked State District Judge James Gion to rule in its favor on various claims before recalculating the damages. In granting some requests, the judge cited no evidence to review or duplicative damages
There have been countless examples of liberalism being a mental disorder. Here is another one: Two researchers from Western Michigan University have written a paper [snip] The paper argues that intentionally spreading alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), a potentially life-threatening allergy to red meat, could be not only morally defensible, but perhaps even necessary, in order to reduce animal suffering and combat climate change. Here are the authors, Parker Crutchfield and Blake Hereth, in their own words: Because promoting tickborne AGS prevents something bad from happening, doesn’t violate anyone’s rights, and promotes virtuous action or character, it follows that promoting tickborne AGS is strongly pro tanto (‘to that extent’) morally obligatory.
Walmart announced that it will eliminate synthetic dyes, along with 30 other ingredients, from its store-branded products by 2027.
In a press release on Wednesday, the company explained that the synthetic dyes would be removed from Great Value, Marketside, Freshness Guaranteed, and bettergoods products.
The synthetic dyes being removed are FD&C Blue 1, FD&C Blue 2, FD&C Green 3, FD&C Red 3, FD&C Red 4, FD&C Red 40, FD&C Yellow 5, FD&C Yellow 6, FD&C Citrus Red, FD&C Orange B, and Canthaxanthin.
Other ingredients to be removed from Walmart store-branded products included Titanium Dioxide, Azodicarbonamide, Dicotyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate (DSS), Sucrose Polyester, Toluene, Anisole, Lye, Butylparaben, and Calcium Bromate, among others.
On September 14 in The Media, Charlie Kirk and guns, I engaged in a bit of informed speculation about the reported Mauser 98 rifle alleged to have been used in the assassination of Charlie Kirk. I also suggested that if the assassin had never fired the rifle, if it was not properly zeroed for him, it’s likely hitting Kirk in the neck was an indication that he nearly missed. This assumes the killer was aiming for a chest or head shot.
Now we know the rifle was a Mauser 98, apparently “sporterized” by adding a modern polymer stock and what appears to be a relatively low-powered, inexpensive scope.
In his latest book, Lions & Scavengers, Ben Shapiro’s general thesis is that the people of the world can be placed into one of two groups: Lions and Scavengers. Conveying this theory using shorthand, Lions align with the typical American Thinker reader; they revel in the spirit of productivity, of creation, of success, of responsibility, of moral duty. Lions have merciful hearts. They have a healthy respect for tradition but are also great innovators. Scavengers, by contrast, are too angry and envious to be innovative. They are eternally revolting against nature, against authority, against the norms that make healthy civilizations function.
Her bravery has inspired the world. But in her hometown, her actions have met a muted response. To find out the truth, I visited the exact place in Dundee where the now-famous video of the Scottish lassie defending herself and her sister was taken. What I saw left me deeply shaken.
Dundee, a port city north of Edinburgh in Scotland, has been in slow-motion decline since the late 19th century. The intricately carved sandstone facades of its historic buildings are the only reminder of its glory days, when it was the world’s centre of jute fabric production.
A Degree of Perceived Nuisance
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Britain is being roiled by protests against its government’s feckless immigration policies. Enormous numbers of “asylum seekers” have been welcomed into that country, fed and housed. A disproportionate number of those migrants are single men, and many native Britons understandably see their presence as an invasion that is being abetted by their own government. The commission of many sex crimes by these migrants has been the chief source of unrest.
In a reversal of one of the most prominent biomedical investment trends of the past five years, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on August 5 a coordinated wind-down of its mRNA vaccine development efforts under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). To be clear, it is not a ban on mRNA, but the changes carry significant repercussions for mRNA vaccine research.
The decision affects 22 federal vaccine projects and nearly $500 million in research and development contracts. It follows what HHS described as a “comprehensive review” of data from mRNA-related initiatives launched during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
One of the places I visited during a trip to the Balkans in June was a large nuclear bunker complex on the outskirts of Tiranë, the capital of Albania. It’s a massive underground structure—five stories, 106 rooms, and a two-story-high assembly hall, all covering 32,000 square feet—and was built in the 1970s during the height of the Cold War to shelter Albania’s Stalinist leader Enver Hoxha and his inner circle. Dug by hand, the bunker claimed the lives of many laborers.
One could see it as the culmination of the many smaller domed concrete bunkers scattered across Albania’s landscape, cities, and beaches.
A computer is only as good as the data you put into it. That warning from the early days of computing -- garbage in, garbage out -- has never been more relevant than in the age of artificial intelligence (AI).
AI now drives everything from search engines to image generators, yet instead of providing objective, data-backed insights, it too often parrots progressive narratives, twisting facts to match feelings.
Case in point: despite U.S. Census Bureau data indicating that over 75% of Americans identify as white, AI-generated images of “typical Americans” often show mostly non-white groups. This isn’t intelligence. It’s indoctrination, built into algorithms by ideologues in Silicon Valley.
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Incredible: Kamala Harris Claims Her 2024
Campaign Was '3D Chess' That Outmaneuvered Trump 33 replies
Campaign Was '3D Chess' That Outmaneuvered Trump 33 replies
Kamala Harris is continuing her push toward yet another run for president, and that's leading to some awkward exchanges. As RedState reported, the failed 2024 Democrat nominee and former vice president is peddling a new book, doing her best to rewrite history in her favor. Part of that requires convincing Americans that she wasn't given a fair shot, both because of Joe Biden's late exit from the race and the dynamics surrounding President Donald Trump. Of course, that's not really the truth, is it? She's going to try, though, and that apparently includes claiming her 2024 campaign was "3D chess" in which she outmaneuvered Trump.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Patel have produced to Congress a new cache of documents showing how Bill and Hillary Clinton's foundations collected money from foreign and domestic interests seeking influence -- raising fresh concerns that such evidence was kept from federal prosecutors who tried to investigate pay-to-play allegations against the first family a decade ago.
For reasons known only to herself, former First Lady Michelle Obama has been on an extended whinefest the last few months, consistently moaning about her oh-so-awful life as a multi-millionaire and complaining about her past treatment from the press, who in reality treated her like some sort of goddess despite the fact that she is bitter, unsympathetic, and utterly entitled.
In one of her recent rants, she went after Trump’s plans to (self-finance) a White House ballroom, which would serve the nation long after he is gone from office. The horror! Like many Democrats who have been acting as if the East Wing of the People’s House
A 2,500-foot bridge partially collapsed in China following a landslide on the mountain where it was built.
The Hongqi Bridge was only just completed earlier this year.
It was part of a highway that links Sichuan and the nation’s heartland with Tibet
Harrowing video of the incident shows the landslide pounding rubble onto the bridge, with the span collapsing under the weight and impact.[snip]
The Hongqi bridge was completed earlier this year to create an easier connection between Sichuan and the Tibetan Plateau.
Bloody brawl breaks out after Antifa members
clash with TPUSA attendees and cops at
UC Berkeley 17 replies
clash with TPUSA attendees and cops at
UC Berkeley 17 replies
A bloody brawl broke out at a sold-out event for Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA at the University of California, Berkeley — with keffiyeh-clad protesters clashing with attendees and cops in disturbing scenes.
One man could be seen with blood gushing from his face after getting into a fight with an agitator as the campus event for the group was kicking off late Monday, Fox News reported.
Police were spotted pulling the two men apart as anti-Turning Point demonstrators – including some donning keffiyehs – tried to intervene.
At least two people had already been arrested, including one for battery, before the event got underway, police said.
Three generations of a Dutch family have been the caretakers of an American soldier’s grave since 1945 — and promise future descendants will do the same.
Ernest Francis Fichtl Jr., from the Little Neck neighborhood of Queens, was killed during one of World War II’s bloodiest European battles and is buried at Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in Margraten.
But until recently, his family back in New York did not know that his grave site is lovingly tended to by his adopted family in the Netherlands. And it’s not the only one. Since the end of the war in Europe in 1945, Margraten residents have honored the sacrifice of
The largest school district in Alaska is facing controversy after the recent revelation it had added a “disclaimer” to the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution.
Must Read Alaska reported Saturday that the disclaimer reads “The Anchorage School District does not endorse these materials or the viewpoint expressed in them.”
A student in the district discovered the disclaimer and showed her mother, who then posted about it on Facebook.
“I was honestly stunned,” the mom wrote. “These aren’t controversial documents, they are the foundation of our country and what our students are supposed to be learning about. Why would a school need to distance itself from the very principles we are built on?
The Obamacare secret at the heart of the
shutdown: insurers made billions at taxpayer expense 15 replies
shutdown: insurers made billions at taxpayer expense 15 replies
The 42-day federal shutdown forced by Democrats thrust the economics of Obamacare into the limelight, and exposed an uncomfortable truth: An insurance industry whose executives are increasingly liberal donors has seen its earnings soar with the injection of taxpayer-funded subsidies that propped up Barack Obama's signature health program from collapse.
The nation’s largest health insurance companies have seen good business since Obamacare was first passed in 2010 and fully implemented in 2014. This has come in no small part because of federal government subsidies to the insurance industry, which government estimates show totaled $1.8 trillion in 2023 alone.
State Department to allow denial of immigrant
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visas to those with health issues, including obesity 15 replies
Immigrants seeking visas to live in the US could be rejected if they have certain common medical conditions, including obesity, cancer or diabetes, according to reports.
The guidance, issued in a cable sent by the State Department to embassy and consular officials, directs visa officers to weed out applicants entering the US based on their age or the likelihood they would need to rely on public benefits, according to a directive examined by KFF Health News.
“You must consider an applicant’s health,” the cable obtained by the outlet said. “Certain medical conditions — including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, cancers, diabetes, metabolic diseases, neurological diseases, and mental health
Federal agents in Chicago are facing a nightmare most of us can’t imagine: a violent street gang has literally issued a “shoot-on-sight” order against them. According to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Latin Kings have targeted immigration enforcement officers working in the city, leading the agency to warn its teams to use “extreme caution.”
Shots were fired. Agents’ vehicles were rammed. Bricks and paint cans were thrown at Border Patrol trucks in the Little Village neighborhood during ongoing immigration operations. This isn’t happening in some failed foreign state. It’s happening on American streets.
Tracking China in the Americas: Hongqi
Bridge Is Falling Down — and Everything
Else Is Too 13 replies
Bridge Is Falling Down — and Everything
Else Is Too 13 replies
Welcome to the fourth installment of my "Tracking China in the Americas" series, in which I cover some underreported stories on China's footprint in the Western Hemisphere. I actually had something different planned for this week — a deep dive into how China is reaching out to young people in the Western Hemisphere — but when I saw this bridge fall, I knew I had to switch gears. Anything to point out what China does wrong should spread far and wide. So, check back in next week for the young people stuff. Let's get to the Hongqi Bridge.
You may have seen it on social media, but a portion
Another Battery Catastrophe
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Wind and solar energy are both intermittent and weather-dependent, while our needs for electricity are constant. How, then, to make them viable? Batteries! What batteries? Big ones. Do such batteries exist? Not exactly.
Australia’s left-wing government has been trying to transition from coal power to wind and solar, without success. Most recently, a giant battery facility at Waratah, not yet in operation, has suffered a catastrophic failure and will be off-line indefinitely. The facility is huge:
The one-billion-dollar Waratah Super Battery is rated at 850 MW (1680 MWh) — in other words, it can deliver 850 megawatts of power for about two hours before it’s a flat battery.
Somehow, two hours doesn’t
Comments:
Other People's Money......destroying the markets for many things. And the prices go up massively, where there are no actual free market choices.....just OPM, so who cares what it costs?