Restricting Space Travel

For John, BLUF:  This is over a month old, but the story has not gotten better with time and now SpaceX has sued the California Coastal Commission over obstruction based on Mr Musk's political views.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Biden Admin to SpaceX:  Drop Dead!

From Vodka Pundit, by Stephen Green, September 11, 2024, 10:00 AM.

Here is the lede plus three:

It isn't a joke whenever I say that the new space race is Elon Musk versus the rest of the world, and I'm not joking now when I tell you that his company's biggest competitor isn't China — and it certainly isn't Russia — but the Biden-Harris FAA.

SpaceX's Starship promises to revolutionize spaceflight by reducing launch costs by two orders of magnitude — that's a 99% savings — and vastly expanding current limits on the size and mass of what can be lifted into orbit and deep space.

If SpaceX can get permission to perform the necessary flight tests, that is — and the FAA is dragging its feet.

"Starships are meant to fly," the company reminded the Biden administration in a lengthy statement released on Tuesday. "We recently received a launch license date estimate of late November from the FAA, the government agency responsible for licensing Starship flight tests. This is a more than two-month delay to the previously communicated date of mid-September. This delay was not based on a new safety concern, but instead driven by superfluous environmental analysis."

"Starships are meant to fly."  That is correct.  There is, however, an apparent tension between our free enterpise approach of exploring space and the desire of progressives to protect the environment by constraining free lance exploration that damages our enviroment and could damage enviornments on other worlds.

My sense is that a cheap trick now will cost us later.  We need to let ingenuity roam free and count on self interest to ensure we do not act, in the long run, in stupid ways.  Early constraints on such exploration is reminiscent of China in 1405 to 1433, which had conducted seven voages by its treasure fleet, only to back away from it all and eventually fall into a period of decline, finally pulling out recently.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Musk Frustrated in the Golden State

For John, BLUF:  California Bureaucrats are acting to strangle Mr Elon Musk's ingenuity and initiative.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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California officials reject more SpaceX rocket launches, with some citing Musk's X posts

From The Los Angeles Times, by 11 October 2024 at 2:35 PM.

Here is the lede plus five:

SpaceX's plans to launch more rockets from the California coast were rejected by a state commission this week, with some officials citing Elon Musk's political posts on X and raising concerns about the billionaire's labor record at his companies.

The plan to increase the number of rocket blasts into space up to 50 a year was rejected by the California Coastal Commission on Thursday despite assurances from Space Force and Air Force officials that they would increase efforts to monitor the effects that rocket launches have on nearby wildlife.

The military also vowed to mitigate the reach of sonic booms that often span across 100 miles of coastline, an issue that has caused controversy.

Members of the California Coastal Commission commended Space Force and Air Force representatives for reaching an agreement, but some cited their concerns about Musk, the owner of SpaceX, before rejecting the plan.

Among the issues raised were Musk's decision to insert himself in the presidential race, his spreading of conspiracy theories, the labor record of his companies and derogatory comments he has made about the transgender community.

"We're dealing with a company, the head of which has aggressively injected himself into the presidential race," commission Chair Caryl Hart said.

We are talking about shutting down an operation that just recaptured a first stage back onto a gantry, ready to refuel and relaunch.  For the first time.

Is there any question about why firms are leaving California?

This kind of action in California adds to the swirl around if the Federal Government is out to get Mr Elon Musk.  I hope this is just internet misunderstandings.

Regards  —  Cliff

Whither the VEEP

For John, BLUF:  Life is not fair, especially in politics.  Otherwise. I would be a State Rep here in Massachusetts.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Kamala… They Are Coming for You

Here is the sub-headline:

The Cackling Vice President, Kamala Harris, is the domino that will fall first.

From American Spectator, by Political Strategist Arnold Steinberg, 2 July 2023, 11:08 PM.

Here is the lede plus six:

oe Biden is Inspector Jacques Clouseau.

We don’t know whether to laugh (Clouseau) or cry (Biden).  In fantasy, Clouseau bumbled his way to success.  In reality, Biden is a failure; worse, a danger to himself and to others.  He is America’s nightmare, more hazardous to the world than climate change.

The dark comedy of Biden’s mental decay/physical decline is evidenced daily when his caretakers let him out, after dosing his secret, volatile medication.  Sleep apnea, previously undisclosed, is the latest alibi for his dysfunction. His medical records are no more transparent than Hunter Biden’s tax returns, and the president’s doctor won’t come clean.

Biden was elected because complicit media enabled his cynical handlers in 2020 to keep him under wraps.  But the luster of the perpetual coverup has faded.  Just as the media can no longer ignore inflation — because people feel it, the media now highlight Biden’s cognitive debilitation, because it’s in plain view.  And two more reasons:  (a) the discredited and biased legacy media are desperate for recovering credibility and (b) the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, et al. see Biden as a loser and want him out.

The once servile White House press corps has ramped up the age issue, thus intentionally priming voters to look for Biden’s senior moments.  Party bosses talk up Biden, but privately fret about his decay.  The recent coverage of the DOJ/FBI/IRS whistleblowers insures a slow water torture, the drip-drip revelations of what the president’s detractors call “the Biden crime family.”

Not exactly waterboarding, but Joe Biden is in no shape to withstand “water dripping on the forehead for a very long time… the stress to drive its victim insane.” How much can Biden take?  Biden — like Putin — already is delusional and confused.  While Putin believes he’s CEO not of an emasculated Russia but of the formidable USSR, Biden believes that he is in charge, not his ideologue-puppeteers.

In Biden worship, the media parroted the Democratic party line, just as Pravda in the former Soviet Union spoke for the Communist party.  Power brokers in the Democratic Party and dominant media remain synergistic — thus, the “new journalism” is a precursor for where the Democrats go next: inevitably, Joe Biden is on the way out, and how plausible for him to claim health as the reason for not running, but how implausible for Kamala Harris to be president!

The way I see it.

And before the Primaries begin.

But, it seems a bit unfair.  There is something going on here.  Vice President Harris didn't get to her current poosition by being stupid.  She is a law school graduate and passed the California Bar (Second try, but former California Governors Jerry Brown and Pete Wilson both failed the first time, as did Senstor Hillary Clinton in DC).  She was elected as California Attorney Generl and US Senator.  There is something of substance there.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Zero Emissions Trucks

For John, BLUF:  California to eliminate deisel trucks by 2036, as in have them no more.  I bet this screws up the ports of debarkation.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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California Approves Regulation to Phase Out Diesel Trucks by 2036

From The National Review, by Reporter Caroline Downey, 29 April 2023, 11:18 AM.

Here is the lede plus four:

California air regulators on Friday voted to ban diesel truck sales by 2036. The California Air Resources Board unanimously approved the measure called Advanced Clean Fleets, which would prohibit the sale of new diesel big rigs by 2036 and force trucks to produce zero-emissions by 2042. New commercial trucks, such as garbage trucks, delivery trucks and other medium and heavy-duty vehicles, would need to convert to electric under the rule, CNBC reported.

“The initial focus would be on high-priority fleets with vehicles that are suitable for early electrification, their subhaulers, and entities that hire them,” the website outlining the program states. “The goal of this effort is to accelerate the number of medium and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicle purchases to achieve a full transition to zero-emission vehicles in California as soon as possible.”

Ending diesel truck sales in such a dramatic timeline is part of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s plan to crackdown on pollution in the state. Critics claim the transition will be extremely costly and burdensome for the industry, which also does not yet have the infrastructure to support zero-emission trucks. Drayage trucks, which transport cargo to and from major ports, must become electric 2035, and their new sales must be zero-emissions as early as 2024.

The American Trucking Association slammed California’s adoption of the regulation, which now must be approved or rejected by the Environmental Protection Agency within the Biden administration. Given that the trucks are significantly more expensive and “charging and refueling infrastructure is nonexistent,” the cost will be passed down to the consumer, the organization argued.

Hat tip to Memeorandum.

Hat tip to Ann Althouse.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Taxing the Rich More

For John, BLUF:  While the Federal Government can go into debt by trillions of dolollars, Statees must balance their budgets.  Thus zCalifornia is trying to increase taxes, to send even more.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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California Politicos Proposing New ‘Wealth Tax’ for Super-Rich, ‘Exit Tax’ for Those Who Leave

Here is the sub-headline:

The state of the state is so dire…Governor Gavin Newsom is threatening to cut spending on climate change projects

From Legal Insurrectioon, by Blogger Leslie Eastman, 25 January 2023, 07:00am.

Here is the lede plus five:

Some California politicos are proposing an additional “wealth tax” on the state’s richest residents.

And while many of you will laugh at my pain, the Democrats want this tax enacted nationally…so it concerns you, too.

Assemblyman Alex Lee, a progressive Democrat from San Jose, filed legislation that would tax an extra 1.5% on Californians with a worldwide net worth of more than $1 billion starting January of 2024, and 1% for those making more than $50 million starting in 2026.

Lee’s proposal aims to tax assets such as stocks and bonds that can skyrocket in value without incurring taxes until they’re sold. He said the tax would apply to the top .1% of California earners and could generate about $22 billion.

“For far too long, we’ve allowed income inequality to deepen and fester in this state and this country while the rich get richer and the middle class shrinks behind,” Lee said Monday.

The legislation is part of a multi-state effort from progressive lawmakers across the country who say the nation’s top earners need to pay their fair share.

Having voted in California for three decades, I am embarrassed by this.  I was obviously one of those who let things spiral down to this point.  I tried to vote for limited government, but it wasn't enough.

The idea of an extra tax for the rich to fund programs strikes me as counter-productive.  All of us as Citizens shoould be invested in our government programs.  On top of that, a special tax on the rich will result in the rich infiltrating out to a new location, with fewer taxes.

This California plan is a bad idea.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Crushing Freedom

For John, BLUF:  This is an article about big government squashing thew initiative and well being of the little guy.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Biden's Department of Labor threatens to end me

Here is the sub-headline:

No, not me personally, but it's hard not to take it personally none the less

From Tilting At Windmills, by Freelance Writer Tom Knighton, 9 Aug 2022.

Here is the lede plus two:

OK, so the title has a smidge of hyperbole. They’re not targeting me directly or personally, at least so far as I know, but it seems the Department of Labor is looking at a rule that will directly screw me and hundreds of other people who are critical of the Biden administration over.

Which is why this one isn’t a premium post like they usually are on Tuesdays.

You see, I need people to see this, to know about it, because the Department of Labor looked at California’s AB5—a law that created all kinds of problems—and thought it was a good idea for the rest of the nation.

For those not familiar with California's AB-5, it is legislation that sharply restricts the number of people who classify themselves as independent contractors.  Examples include Uber Drivers, and free lance writers, like Mr Tom Knighton.  The way you are directly impacted is in the supply chain, where independent truckers used to clear the shipping containers out of Terminal Island so the goods imported could be moved to where they are needed.  Independent Truck Drivers have been key to making that work.  No more.  Those truck drivers now need to be employees of companies, with the associated benefits, which will increase our prices at the store.

This is an effort too suppress the inginuity and economic freedom of American residents.  This will not help struggling people, but it will harm the US Economy, both directly by restricting independent contractors and indirectly by squashing ingenuity.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Perhaps Another California Earthquake

For John, BLUF:  What is behind the Recall effort against California Gavin Newsom is still be be sorted out.  Does this represent a quirk in the California voting system, which has several?  Or does it represent a change in voting patters?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Progressives have ruined California

Here is the sub-headline:

Governor Gavin Newsom's hapless reign exposes the rot at the heart of America's liberal elite.

From Sp!ked, by Professor Joel Kotkin, 25 August 2021.

Here is the lede plus two:

The very idea of a recall vote seemed absurd at first in California, this bluest of US states.  Yet Californians’ surprisingly strong support for the removal of Democratic governor Gavin Newsom has resulted in precisely that, with the vote scheduled for 14 September.  This reflects a stunning rejection of modern progressivism in a state thought to epitomise its promise.

Some, like the University of California’s Laura Tyson and former Newsom adviser Lenny Mendonca, may see California as creating ‘the way forward’ for a more enlightened ‘market capitalism’, but that reality is hard to see on the ground.  Even before the pandemic, California already had the highest poverty rate and the widest gap between middle and upper-middle income earners of any state in the US.  It now suffers from the second-highest unemployment rate in the US after Nevada.

Today, class drives Californian politics, and Newsom is peculiarly ill-suited to deal with it.  He is financed by what the Los Angeles Times describes as ‘a coterie of San Francisco’s wealthiest families’.  Newsom’s backers have aided his business ventures and helped him live in luxury – first in his native Marin, where he just sold his estate for over $6million, and now in Sacramento.

The author of this piece, Mr Joel Kotkin, is the presidential fellow in urban futures at Chapman University, not someone who strikes me as following the line of the Progressives.  That said, he does not hold out a lot of hope for the Republicans in California.

This election, this recall election, should be of interest to all Americans.  It could signal a lot of changes, or none.  If Governor Newsom survives then Progressivism survives.  If half the Latino voters vote to recall the Governor it could indicate that those Latino voters have shifted their understanding of who they are and what it means to them to be Americans.  That could be big.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Free To Be Different

For John, BLUF:  The Supreme Court is considering if State Government my demand the donor list of a private advocacy group.  Secret Answer—Should not be allowed.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Supreme Court Seems Primed to Reverse Kamala Harris's Attack on Free Speech

Frim Pajama Media, by Reporter Tyler O'Neil, 26 April 2021, 1:30 PM ET.

Here is the lede plus three:

On Monday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in the key First Amendment case Americans for Prosperity v. Rodriguez, which centers on the State of California’s requirement that nonprofit organizations disclose their donor information to the state.  Back in 2015, then-Attorney General Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) demanded that two conservative nonprofits, Americans for Prosperity (AFP) and the Thomas More Law Center (TMLC), hand over their donor lists.  This demand threatened to reveal the identities of donors, potentially subjecting them to threats and harassment.

Legal representatives for AFP and TMLC said the Supreme Court justices’ questions and remarks suggested they are likely to strike down California’s requirement as an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment.

“The justices appreciated very well that membership and donations to an organization are protected by a right to privacy in association, not just a right to associate,” Kathleen Sullivan, legal counsel for Americans for Prosperity Foundation, said on a press call after the oral arguments on Monday.

She noted that the justices cited many friend-of-the-court briefs written by ideological opponents of AFP and TMLC that nonetheless support these conservative organizations’ rights to donor anonymity.  The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) proved particularly noteworthy in this regard.

A longish article, but it is an important Free Speech issue.  Remember, Free Speech, once lost, is hard to get back, and may lead to the loss of more Free Speech tights.

Free Speech, important for floating new ideas, means society being willing to tolerate speech that is distasteful.  If the speech is accepted by society as a whole, then there is no Free Speech issue.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Race to Replace

For John, BLUF:  California used to be a wonderful place, until it overreached.  First it tried to throttle State Government spending and then it tried to implement a total Progressive agenda.  Neither worked out.  Moderation should be the watchword.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Conspiracy Theorist Gavin Newsom Says the People Leading His Recall Are Capitol Rioters Who Want to Implant Chips in People

From PJ Media, by Ms Victoria Taft, 17 March 2021, 9:25 AM ET.

Here is the lede plus four:

The effort to qualify a recall of California Governor Gavin Newsom for the ballot just hit the sweet spot, two million signatures.  That means as soon as the requisite signatures are validated, his recall will be scheduled for an election.

And the closer that day comes, the more desperate Newsom sounds.

Newsom can’t believe that normal people would want him out of office, so he’s constructed the idea that only QAnon conspiracy theorists, Proud Boys, and people “who want to put chips into migrants” have concocted his recall … well, them and two million other people.

Of course, the effort to recall Newsom started well before anyone had ever heard of QAnon, or stormed the Capitol, but the governor told the slack jawed hosts on ABC TV’s The View on Tuesday that those behind his recall are “fans” of the “Capitol insurrection” “are quite literally QAnon supporters.”

And they bought it.

What concerns me is that there are two million registered voters in California who are followers of QAnon and such.  This should be of concern to all of us.

Good luck to the voters of California.

In the mean time, it is a race to see which State Governor goes first, Governor Gavin Newsom of California or Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Maxine Hung Up

For John, BLUF:  Representative Maxine Waters, a Democrat who does not live in her own LA County District, is being sued for lying about her 2020 opponent, Mr Joe Collins.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Mad Maxine Waters Libeled Navy Vet As ‘Dishonorably Discharged,’ Now She’s Losing In Court

Here is the sub-headline:

Her Political Opponent May Turn Out To Be Her Worst Nightmare

From The Lid Blog, by Mr Wes Walker, 1 March 2021.

Here is the lede plus three:

Mad Maxine blew Joe Collins off when her lawyers were sent proof of honorable service and a cease-and-desist letter.  That was a mistake.

We’ve heard a lot of overheated rhetoric from Mad Maxine Waters over the years.  She calls people racist without any evidence.  She was one of the loudest voices encouraging public confrontations with Republicans.

She got used to getting away with that crap without any serious consequences, even when she’s gotten caught with her hands in the cookie jar.  For example, in 2010, Waters was accused of helping an unsound bank (OneUnited) receive government aid to help her husband, who was an officer and stock-owner of the bank.  She avoided any problems by throwing her grandson and chief of staff under the bus.

Maybe that’s why she thought nothing of slandering the Republican she was running against last November.

Representative Maxine Waters (D, CA) has an over-the-top style, sometimes urging fellow Democrats to get in the face of Trump supporters, making their lives uncomfortable.  She has been known to make some odd comments beyond the mere urging of social aggression.

It couldn't happen to a nicer person.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Teaching Failure

For John, BLUF:  It appears the schools that educated the members of the San Francisco School Board failed, miserably.  How else to explain their meeting where they de-named 44 schools?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Don’t care much about history

Here is the sub-headline:

From the Blog Linking and Thinking on Education, by Ms Joanne Jacobs, 1 February 2021.

Here is the lede plus one:

In a process marked by “ignorance and incompetence,” San Francisco’s school board voted to rename 44 schools, ratifying historical errors and angering parents of “Remote School 1, Remote School 2 and so on,” writes Joe Eskenazi in Mission Local.

The board, which is in no rush to reopen schools, spent five seconds confirming the cancelation of “Abraham Lincoln.”  The Great Emancipator isn’t fit to have a school named after him because he supported the transcontinental railroad and the Homestead Act, which opened up the West for settlement, which displaced indigenous peoples.

The part I don't get is why they are living in San Francisco, California, if President Abraham Lincoln was so in the wrong for opening up the West.  Maybe they have the Cape Horn exemption.

This action by the San Francisco School Board is an act of woke madness.

Here is a good exit quote from the Blog:

The school Board did not listen to historians because they are way too busy not listening to scientists telling them that it is now safe to reopen schools with the due cautionary measures in place.  And of course, being so busy not listening they cannot possibly be expected to see that they are shepherding a generations of young San Franciscans into isolation, depression and disengagement from learning.

Maybe they are all science denying Republicans.  That is all I can figure.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Your School Has a Bad Name

For John, BLUF:  I think it wasn't until Ninth Grade that I was in a named school (Bancroft.  For a while the woman two doors down from us on Mansur, in her youth, had been a Bancroft student).  History is to be learned from and erasing history erases learning.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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The revolution devours all before it

From The Washington Examiner, by Columnist Byron York, 27 January 2021, 08:57 AM.

Here is the lede plus three:

The latest enactment of that old truth happened Tuesday night in, of all places, a Zoom meeting of the San Francisco School Board.  In that meeting, members voted to strip the names of American historical figures -- George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and even California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein -- from schools in San Francisco.

What began in recent years as a call to remove the names of Confederate leaders from schools, roads, and military bases, and then to tear down Confederate statues, has now moved on to target all of American history.

The San Francisco Board created a School Names Advisory Committee in May 2018.  Members passed a resolution committing the board to "changing the names of schools named for historical figures who engaged in the subjugation and enslavement of human beings; or who oppressed women, inhibiting societal progress; or whose actions led to genocide; or who otherwise significantly diminished the opportunities of those amongst us to the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

The last phrase, targeting anyone who had "diminished the opportunities" of anyone else, was a catch-all that would allow the School Board to go after virtually any name it chose.  And indeed, on Tuesday night, the Board voted to change 44 school names.

Not only did they tag George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, but also Paul Revere♠ and sitting US Senator from California, Diane Feinstein.

Of course the San Francisco School Board hasn't yet found a way to reopen those schools, but at least there will be name changes.

Frankly, this action would cause me to run for the School Board in the next election.  Schools being closed for COVID-19.  Schools not meeting the needs to the students.  What is there not to run against?

One hopes that at some point the People will rise up and throw the bums out.  Rise up in the classic, "go to the polls", sense.  Or maybe there will be the formation of a new political party.  Call it the Grizzley Bear Party.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Can Patriots' Day be far behind?

Providing Opportunities

For John, BLUF:  The thing that caught my eye is "California is driving on fumes—living off the residual investments and innovations of past generations."  While any of the 50 States could fall into that trap, I think it is especially true of California.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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To Continue Thriving, California Needs New Politicians

Here is the sub-headline:

California is driving on fumes and living off the residual investments and innovations of past generations.  Is it any wonder so many Californians are heading to Texas or Arizona?

From Reason, by Mr Steven Greenhut, 1 January 2021.

Here is the key paragraph:

California officials love to boast that the state is the world's fifth-largest economy—and point to Silicon Valley as evidence that we're still on the cutting edge of entrepreneurial activity.  But California is driving on fumes—living off the residual investments and innovations of past generations.  These lawmakers take credit for something they seem intent on destroying.

The idea of living off the past applies to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as well as to California.  I wonder about the impact of the major Pandemic Driven Economic Disruption of 2020.  How many businesses will move themselves out of state or encourage their workers to work from home, in out of state locations.  It would seem that if the work force is mostly working at home, they could be almost anywhere, although close enough to drop by the office once in a while.

The past Route 128 Miracle was a major boost to Massachusetts.  However, that was then (1980s) and this is now,  We need not just jobs, but we need a better housing situation, where people are not crowded into ethnic neighborhoods that results in the residents not being able to build their personal wealth. We need land where homes can be built and the residents of crowded neighborhoods can move.  That means we need to improve the transportation infrastructure, although, with telecommuting, perhaps not on a one-for-one basis.  To reduce the population density in Boston and its environs we need to change zoning laws and provide capital for developers.

Not everyone will wish to make the transition to the hinterlands.  For some it will be too foreign.  For others it will be a long wished for opportunity.  For both groups of Massachusetts residents it will mean an improvement in quality of life—a Win-Win.

The result will be changed demographics, but not necessarily by moving the values of Boston out to Middlesex, Worcester and Franklin Counties.  It might mean that certain political and social values in Boston will become denser, while other values will move and be more compatible with the areas to which they move.  In any event, a larger number of people should prosper.  That is to the benefit of us all.

Let us not be like California!

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Golden State

For John, BLUF:  When illegl immigrants are leaving and returning home you should recognize that you have a problem.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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'The US isn't an option anymore':  why California's immigrants are heading back to Mexico

Here is the sub-headline:

Years of anti-immigrant policies from the Trump administration have been magnified by insecurities resulting from the pandemic

From The Guardian, by Reporter Maanvi Singh, 31 December, 2020.

Here is the lede plus three:

California’s most vulnerable immigrants have faced unprecedented challenges this year, with some weighing whether it’s worth staying in the United States altogether.

Ten months of a pandemic that has disproportionately sickened immigrants and devastated some of the industries that rely on immigrant labor, combined with years of anti-immigrant policies by the Trump administration have exacerbated insecurities for undocumented people and immigrants working low-wage jobs across California.

For immigrants at the bottom of the economic ladder, it’s never been easy in the US, said Luz Gallegos, the executive director of the immigrant advocacy group Training Occupational Development Educating Communities Legal Center (Todec).

“But California was also always a place where my family – my parents and grandparents – believed they could build a better life,” said Gallegos who was born into a family of immigrant activists and organizers. “It was always a place with potential.”

However, notwithstanding the Trumpian spin, the Blogger, Professor Glenn Reynolds, says of this Grauniad article:

HOW BAD A JOB HAS GAVIN NEWSOM DONE?  EVEN THE MEXICANS ARE LEAVING IN DISGUST.

I tend to agree with the Blogger.  Since President Trump has dealt with COVID-19 in a Federal way, these problems fall on the Governor and not the President.  It is easy to blame President Trump, but it is really on responsible state and local officials, empowered by the Tenth Amendment, shirking their duties.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Trump Agenda Won

For John, BLUF:  As we look at the outcome of the November Election we see that Republican policies and ideas did well, but President Trump did not break out.  His 73 Million votes is not to be sneezed at, but it wasn't enough.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

In a Blind Test, California Votes for Trump:  Ballot Results Show Californians Conservative on Issues

From The Reform Club, by Blogger Tim Kowal, 15 November 2020.

Here is the lede plus †wo:

I live in California, and the politics of people here confuse me.  But now, I do not feel so bad.  Because the recent election results confirm that I was on to something: Californians are confused.  While rejecting Trump, they support Trump's policies.  While voting for Biden, they don't seem to support any of his policies.

Obviously, Californians voted Democrat in the presidential race, with over 63% voting Biden.  But a vote for Biden tells us nothing about what Californians believe, because Biden told us nothing about what Biden believes.  All it tells us when someone votes Democrat is that that person consumes a lot of legacy media.

But you can get a sense what California voters believe by taking a look at how they voted on ballot initiatives.  The nice thing about a ballot initiative is it does not have any orange hair.  A ballot initiative does not have a Twitter account.  A ballot initiative does not have a race or ethnicity, or a gender identity, or a sexual orientation, or an intersectionality profile.  Alec Baldwin can't force his lips into the shape of a ballot initiative and make witless caricatures of them on Saturday Night Live.

I voted in California for thirty years and enjoyed voting on the ballot initiatives, from funding prisons to limiting taxes.  It took more time, but was worth it.  I miss it now that I vote in Massachusetts.

If you wish to see what the Blogger means about Californians being conservative, read the whole Blog Post.  You will see it all laid out.

My Brother Lance commented "Republicans everywhere made great strides at lower levels.  The problem is Trump".  In our Post Game analysis that must be a consideration.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Chew Slowly

For John, BLUF:  My Brother who lives in California says that they put their masks on when a waiter approaches the table.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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California governor's office tells diners to wear masks "in between bites"

From CBS News, by Reporter Caitlin O'Kane, 6 October 2020.

Here is the lede plus one:

The California governor's office put out a tweet on Saturday advising that restaurant-goers keep their masks on while dining.  "Going out to eat with members of your household this weekend?" the tweet reads.  "Don't forget to keep your mask on in between bites.  Do your part to keep those around you healthy."

In California, masks are required for anyone going outside their home, as well as workers in customer-facing businesses, offices, factories, and health care professionals, among others, according to the state's COVID-19 guidance.

I wish there had been video to accompany this new health edict.  It might have helped further refine what the Governor (of California) intended.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Fires of California

For John, BLUF:  The mainstream Media is not being completely honest with us about the current epidemic of fires out West.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Forest Fires Aren’t at Historic Highs in the United States. Not Even Close

Here is the sub-headline:

California’s wildfires are a serious matter, but the official record of the United States shows forest fires in the US today are far below the annual average in the 1930s and 1940s.

from The Foundation for Economic Education, by Mr Jon Miltimore, 21 September 2020.

Here is the key paragraph:

News agencies and NIFC were simply ignoring all data prior to 1960.  When this data is included, one sees 2017’s record setting fires burned about one fifth of the acreage of fires in 1930 and 1931.  These were peak years, but they were not exactly anomalies, Lomborg pointed out.  The entire data set, a quarter century of figures that comes from the official record of the United States, shows the yearly average between 1926 and 1952 was several times higher than the peaks of today.

the numbers are charted in the article.

So, if folks aren't honest about forest fires, what else are they not being honest about?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Who Is In Charge Here?

For John, BLUF:  Coronavirus is causing more people to give voice to their concerns.  This is an OpEd from a new on-line publication, Done.♠  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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OpEd:  Why is a Social Worker Dictating COVID-19 Policy for the Country’s Largest County?

From Done, an OpEd, 16 May 2020.

Here is the lede plus seven:

Los Angeles County is, by a wide margin, the most populous county in the United States.  At an estimated 10 million, its population is larger than all but seven states and over a hundred countries.  In fact, LA County has nearly the same number of inhabitants as, dare I say it, Sweden.  Yes, that neo-Nazi, baby-killing, fascist, herd immunity gathering, bastion of pure evil Sweden (sarcasm intended).  Not only is LA County full of people, it is also full of money, having nearly the same GDP as Saudi Arabia.

A county with that population and wealth should have an army of world class scientists leading the battle in the fight against COVID-19.  Let’s take a look at who is leading this world class team.

Dr. Barbara FerrerOur LA County Public Health Commissioner is Dr. Barbara Ferrer.  You can find her bio here.

Impressive, right? Well, look a little closer.  She must have graduated from a top-tier medical school, or so one would think…

Now is when I usually get the “OMG” response, even from the most liberal of liberals.

To be clear she is not even a medical doctor. She has a Doctorate in “Social Welfare.”  So essentially, we have a high-powered social worker (albeit one of the most well-known in the country) leading the largest county in the United States in the fight of our lives against this biological threat.

Yes, this is the real-life version of “I’m not a doctor but I play one on TV.”

Instead of looking at science and data and adapting her public health response to attack what we now know are the strengths and weaknesses of this virus, she is essentially behaving like an elementary school principal (probably because she was one).  Exerting her new-found unchallengeable and unelected power over an entire population that she views as children.  She tells us what to do, how to do it, and even threatens to take away our few remaining freedoms, if we misbehave.

As President Obama recently said:

More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing.

I think the assumption was that that was a swipe at President Trump.  I think the jibe really applies at the coal face, where things are done in our Federal System.

I suspect there are underlying cultural problems that increase the spread of coronavirus in LA.  For example the homeless problem.  How do we fix these underlying problems?  For example, the overall health of the homeless puts them about ten years older than the physical age.  This is a favor in COVID-19 deaths.  Social distancing is harder in a homeless environment.  What about hand washing?  Likely less.

And, the solutions are not just based in building things.  There is the needed changes in social mores.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  "Launched on Earth Day 2020, in the midst of the global Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Done.com celebrates the heroes and calls out the villains amongst companies, business leaders, athletes & celebrities, politicians and everyday people.  We aim to shine the bright lights of transparency on brands, organizations and people, and commend them or hold them accountable for what they have, or haven't 'done.'"

Work is Hard to Find

For John, BLUF:  When we go for social distancing and isolation we wipe out vast swaths of sellers, and buyers and the folks who make the things being sold.  That is why key and essential are important designations.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Less than half of L.A. County residents still have jobs amid coronavirus crisis

From The LA Times, by Staff Writer Jaclyn Cosgrove, 17 April 2020.

Here is the lede plus three:

Because of the colossal impact that the coronavirus outbreak has had on the U.S. economy, less than half of Los Angeles County residents — 45% compared with 61% in mid-March — still hold a job, a decline of 16 percentage points, or an estimated 1.3 million jobs, according to findings from a national survey released Friday.

The survey also suggests that 25.5 million jobs have been potentially lost across the U.S. since mid-March, and that people of color, especially black Americans, are more likely to have lost their jobs since mid-March.

Nationally, 15% of white people said they had lost their jobs, while 18% of Latinos and 21% of black people reported job losses.

But a significant majority of job losses, 67% nationally, were reported as temporary layoffs. Angelenos reported similar experiences.

And new jobs are near non-existent, for the same reason people lost their existing jobs in the first place.  At some point there is a crossover between Coronavirus death and deaths from causes related to an economic recession or depression.♠

Unfortunately, much as people may wish it, there is no expert to make this decision.  It is up to the politicians elected by us.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  I am not suggesting that certain House leaders have blood on their hands, because we just don't know where that crossover point is.  A little humility all round would be useful.

Joe Backs AR5

For John, BLUF:  AR is a California Assembly bill that kills the Gig Economy, the work where people do individual items of work for a variety of organizations, like writing and selling articles to newspapers or being an independent photographer, working for a number of print outlets.  Or Uber.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Biden Steps In It Big Time as He Weighs In on California’s Job-Killing #AB5 Law, Gets Blasted by Voters

from Red State, by Mr Nick Arama, 7 March 2020.

Here is the lede plus one:

Joe Biden just weighed in on California’s AB5, the job-killing law that went into effect in January and basically killed countless gig-worker jobs all over the state including such jobs as Uber drivers, entertainers, freelance writers and the like.

Biden has come out in favor of the law which millions have been fighting.  This is a concern not just to California but across the country because the House passed the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, the PRO Act which has language taken from AB5, so if Biden becomes president and a president like Trump isn’t there to block it, it may become law and put millions more out of work.

It’s an incredibly stupid law that will kill freelance work.  They thought that it would force companies to hire workers rather than pay them as independent contractors.  But that would require another level of expense for most companies, especially those just getting by, because then they would be required to do things like provide health insurance and other benefits that they wouldn’t have to now.  So they wouldn’t do that, they simply wouldn’t hire the workers because they wouldn’t be able to afford to.  Or they wouldn’t be able to hire as many and so all those people will lose their jobs.

People on both sides of the aisle have come out against it because it’s something they understand and it can impact and harm so many people.

True, AR5 and its US House equivalent, are job killers.

On the other hand, our local US Representative, Lori Trahan, is all in favor of it.  She brags about it.

Representative Trahan has been invited to the City Life Show, but after a polite promise by staffers to look Ito it, nothing.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff