The Mummy strikes!
The Mummy, starring Boris Karloff, is released.
22 December, 2021
It Was Never About Healthcare. It Was All About Power.
if it had been about healthcare, there would have been a way found for these people to keep their jobs.
Who Could Have Seen This Coming? Hospitals That Laid Off Unvaccinated Staff Now 'Overwhelmed' – PJ Media
In central Massachusetts, the UMass Memorial Health System is, once again, completely overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.
“We, right now, have more patients in the hospital, overall, than we have had at either of the two peaks previously. You come in one day and you say this is the worst we’ve ever seen it and you come back the next day and it’s even worse. This is very concerning, what’s going on right now,” UMass Memorial Health Care President and CEO Dr. Eric Dickson told during an interview ABC News Wednesday.
Shocking, considering the high vaccination rate in Massachusetts.
According to Dickson, many of the hospitals in the UMass Memorial health care system are currently at-capacity.
“You can’t imagine how exhausted caregivers are right now,” Dickson said. “The biggest challenge for us right now is that our people are extremely, extremely fatigued. This is their third surge over the course of about 20 months, and that’s really taking a toll on them.”
How could this stressful situation have happened? Reading further down in the article, we see:
In addition, compounding its woes, UMass Memorial Health was forced to fire 200 employees last week after they refused to get vaccinated.
I have no further comment.
In Fairness to Joe, He Probably Thinks It’s True
President Biden Tells Embellished Amtrak Tale For The Sixth Time In Less Than A Year (lifezette.com)
Speaking in Kansas City, Missouri, President Biden said, “I remember one day as vice president, the government keeps fastidious records of how many miles you travel on government planes. And so there’s a big headline, ‘Biden travels,’ I forget what it was, ‘a million miles on Air Force Two’ and so on and so forth.” He continued, “And I was getting on the train to go home. I was going home to see my mom who was sick. And one of the conductors I’ve known for years walked up and grins, he said, ‘Joey baby,’ grabbed my cheek. Not a joke. And I thought that he was going to get shot. True story.”
Luckily, no action was taken as Biden added, “I said, ‘No, no, it’s OK. We’ve known each other.’ He says, ‘Joey. Big deal. A million miles’ — or whatever it was — ‘a million miles on Air Force Two. Come on, Joey, do you know how many miles you traveled on Amtrak?’ I said no.” He would then reveal, “36 years, 119 days a year back and forth, then as vice presidents we figure you’ve done X number of trips and that adds up to 1,200,000 miles on Amtrak.’”
Only one problem. Well, two, actually.
The conductor in question retired 15 years before Clueless Joe became VP. And died before this “million miles” mark was announced.
But in all fairness to Joe, he probably really thinks this is true.
He probably thinks inflation is not a problem and neither is China, too.
You voted for this.
#IToldYouSo
Trump Was a Jerk as a President, but His Policies Were Exactly What America Needed
Really, for all his faults (and yes, he has a lot of them), probably the best President of my lifetime. Definitely in the top two.
Nationwide Poll: Voters Miss Trump’s Policies, Think Economy Is Heading In Wrong Direction | The Daily Wire
Voters were asked, “Regardless of how you may feel personally about each man, would you rather continue pursuing Joe Biden’s policies and proposals or return to Donald Trump’s policies and proposals?” According to the survey, 46% said they somewhat or strongly wanted to continue Biden’s policies while 48% said that they somewhat or strongly wanted to return to Trump’s policies.
When asked, “Specifically, would you say that the economy is going in the right direction or headed in the wrong direction?” a whopping 61% of voters said it was going in the “wrong direction.”
That just means that 39% of the country is either crazy or lying or both. Because the economy is absolutely going in the wrong direction. That’s an empirical fact.
Some Great Jussie Tweets
‘Jussie Smollett Can Rest Knowing That His Attacker Has Been Convicted’: Social Media Erupts Following Verdict | The Daily Wire
I’m going to give Ben Shapiro a stand up triple for this one. Not quite a home run, but only because the Babylon Bee does better.
Tonight, Jussie Smollett can rest knowing that his attacker has been convicted.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) December 9, 2021
Megyn Kelly goes for the jugulasr.
Jussie Smollett guilty on 5 felony counts. He perpetrated a hate crime hoax & made the road that much tougher for real victims.
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) December 9, 2021
As for the press & politicos who gleefully bought his obvious nonsense & used it as an excuse to bash America, shame on you too.
And my personal favorite:
Cruel: Jussie Smollett Will Be Forced To Share A Jail Cell With His Attacker https://t.co/FSgTn67Slr
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) December 9, 2021
This Might Actually Be a Good Thing
I rarely compliment Democrats, so don’t miss this one.
Progressive Senators Introduce Bill To End ‘Ridiculous’ Airline Fees | The Daily Wire
Democratic have lawmakers introduced a bill to end “ridiculous” airline fees.
The Forbidding Airlines from Imposing Ridiculous (FAIR) Fees Act — sponsored by Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), and Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL) — argues that fees for baggage, seating, and cancellation are “not reasonable and proportional to the costs of the services actually provided.”
A press release from Markey’s office explained:
Too often, airlines blindside travelers with exorbitant charges at checkout caused by unexpected fees for basic aviation services. This price gouging has grown exponentially as a business practice over the last decade. In 2019 — the last full year before the coronavirus pandemic disrupted air travel — airlines worldwide collected $109.5 billion in ancillary fee revenue, up nearly fivefold from $22.6 billion in 2010. That same year, U.S. domestic airlines collected $5.8 billion in baggage and $2.8 billion in ticket reservation fees alon
Now let’s be honest with ourselves here, because the Democrats certainly won’t be. I don’t expect this to lower the price of flying by one cent. Airlines aren’t using these “ridiculous” fees to drive up prices. They’re using them to stay profitable. Price wars have set the allowed prices for certain flights to lower than the actual costs. Airlines have to make up these costs somehow, so now they charge extra for things they didn’t use to.
If they stop having these extra fees, the costs will once again be bundled into the ticket costs, and those will all go up.
But at least we won’t be surprised anymore when our $99 flight ends up costing us $300. And that will be a good thing.
So, one cheer for the Democrats.
Yay.
I Guess Crime Doesn’t Pay After All
Jussie Smollett Declared Guilty on 5 of 6 Counts – PJ Media
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Actually, I don’t give a rip about Jussie Smollett per se. I just hate hate crime hoaxers. I want them to pay.
Jussie Smollett was found guilty by a jury of his peers of five felony counts out of the six brought against him by the state of Illinois for faking an anti-gay, racist hate crime against himself. Smollett’s outrageous lies alarmed the city of Chicago and the world, and he’s finally facing the music. Smollett hired two brothers to wear red hats and attack him on a city street in the middle of a polar vortex while shouting racial slurs and screaming “This is MAGA country!” in order to make people believe he was attacked by white Trump supporters.
The charges were for disorderly conduct and lying to the police. The next step for Smollett is sentencing, which could send him to prison, but that probably isn’t likely. What’s absolutely sure is that we can stop calling it an “alleged” race hoax. It happened. Twelve people decided that Smollett hoaxed the world.
I disagree with Megan here. I think that prison is likely. However, it might be better for all of us if he doesn’t go to prison. He’ll get a 3 year sentence. Under most current laws, you serve 3 years for every 2, so it’s actually a 2 year sentence. And you get half time off for good behavior, usually. And I’m sure Jussie will be a model incarcerated citizen, so he’ll serve just 1 year.
At the end of that year, he’ll return to society, ready to be an activist again, and the people that amazingly still believe in him, will now think of him as a martyr for the cause, and his visibility and marketability will go up.
So, for the cost of him bring imprisoned for a year, we’ll get saddled with him on TV shouting and whining about something, for the rest of his life.
Yay.
But as Megan says, at least we can strip the “alleged” from his title and call Jussie what he is, a hate crime hoaxer.
And a jerk.
And They Should Be
Full disclosure: both of my daughters have had the China Virus vaccines. They’re a bit older, though, 15 and 18 now. And female. If I had an 8 year old son, no way in Hell would I allow him to be vaccinated.
New Survey: Many Parents Hesitant About Vaccinating Kids Against COVID | The Daily Wire
Around 29% of parents with kids ages 5 to 11 said their kid is vaccinated or they are going to be “right away.” However, “about a third of parents of children ages 5 to 11 say they want to wait and see how the vaccine is working for others before getting their younger child vaccinated. About three in ten parents say they will definitely not get their younger child vaccinated, and a further 7% say they will only do so if their school requires it,” the KFF report stated.
I wouldn’t even do it if my school required it. I’m a firm “no” on vaccinations for younger children, particularly boys. The data doesn’t support it, and there’s almost as much risk of serious side effects as there is of preventing getting the virus. No. No. NO. A thousand times NO.
The Death of Women’s Sports, Cont’d
This isn’t even happening in slow motion. It’s real time, right before our eyes.
UPenn transgender swimmer Lia Thomas continues dominant season with more record-breaking wins (nypost.com)
A 22-year-old transgender swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania continued her dominant performance this season — setting numerous pool, meet and program records at a three-day event in Ohio last weekend.
Lia Thomas blew away her competition Friday night in the 500-yard freestyle preliminaries and finals at the Zippy Invitational at the University of Akron, according to results posted by the school.
In the finals, Thomas notched a winning time of 4:34.06 — good enough for a new Ivy League record.
The swimmer continued smashing records on Saturday with a nearly 7-second victory in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:41.93 — representing the fastest finish in the country, the school said.
Over the weekend, Thomas also set a new program, meet and pool record in the 1650-yard freestyle. She finished that race in 15:59.71 — more than 38 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, teammate Anna Kalandadze
I’ve always suspected that Lia was not entirely supported by her teammates, and I was correct.
‘Secretly Everyone Just Knows It’s The Wrong Thing To Do’: Teammate Of U Penn Transgender Swimmer Sounds Off | The Daily Wire
Thomas’ participation in women’s athletics has drawn the ire of many who see Thomas’ massive victories as unfair. As reported by OutKick, this includes one of Thomas’ female teammates.
According to OutKick, the teammate fears that she will not be able to find employment after college if she shares her honest opinion, choosing instead to remain anonymous as she revealed friction within the team due to Thomas’ presence.
“Pretty much everyone individually has spoken to our coaches about not liking this. Our coach [Mike Schnur] just really likes winning. He’s like most coaches. I think secretly everyone just knows it’s the wrong thing to do,” the female Penn swimmer said during a phone interview.
“When the whole team is together, we have to be like, ‘Oh my gosh, go Lia, that’s great, you’re amazing.’ It’s very fake,” she added.
Sure, no one wants to look like they’re intolerant. But these girls compete to win. They don’t want to lose to someone who is cheating, who has an unfair advantage. Even if that person is on their own team.
All of you supporters of this, what will you say when the 2024 Olympics rolls around and some Communist country bring an entire “women’s team” full of “transgendered females” and they dominate every single sport? While our American women athletes get Silvers and Bronze medals.
It will happen.
Maybe not in 2024, but this isn’t decades away. It’s going to happen. Soon.
“The Ivy League is not a fast league for swimming, so that’s why it’s particularly ridiculous that we could potentially have an NCAA champion. That’s unheard of coming from the Ivy League,” Thomas’ teammate explained.
“On paper, if Lia Thomas gets back down to Will Thomas’ best times, those numbers are female world records. Faster than all the times Katie Ledecky went in college. Faster than any other Olympian you can think of. His times in three events are [female] world records.”
Soon.
Well, That Kind of Stretches the Definition of ”Fact Check” Doesn’t It?
BOMBSHELL: In court filing, Facebook admits ‘fact checks’ are nothing more than opinion – Watts Up With That?
In its response to Stossel’s defamation claim, Facebook responds on Page 2, Line 8 in the court document (download it below) that Facebook cannot be sued for defamation (which is making a false and harmful assertion) because its ‘fact checks’ are mere statements of opinion rather than factual assertions.
Opinions are not subject to defamation claims, while false assertions of fact can be subject to defamation. The quote in Facebook’s complaint is,
“The labels themselves are neither false nor defamatory; to the contrary, they constitute protected opinion.”
Read the whole thing. I don’t see how they can continue to call them “fact checks”. I also thinks this puts their ability to censor posts based on “misinformation” in jeopardy.
21 December, 2021
And What Makes It Even Worse Is That They Got Away With It
Why the Russiagate Scandal Outranks the Rest | RealClearPolitics
We’ll never learn the full truth. I’m not even sure that anyone will go to prison. Certainly the people that need to be locked up for a very long time won’t.
Russiagate is the biggest scandal in American history.
Agreed.
Russiagate began with a kernel of truth: Someone – probably Russians, though we still don’t know for sure – hacked the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s private server. Fearful of what might be released, the Clinton campaign tried to discredit any damaging material by raising dark questions about its source. (Joe Biden executed this same strategy to great effect when he falsely described the evidence of corruption found on his son Hunter’s laptop as “Russian disinformation.”)
In response, the Clinton campaign financed an absurd collection of conspiracy theories involving peeing prostitutes and billion-dollar bribes, the so-called Steele dossier. Its importance cannot be overstated – it was the dossier that linked the Trump campaign to the hacking. No dossier, no collusion theory.
And that was just the beginning.
Over the next few months and years, current and former officials illegally fed misleading classified material and partisan anonymous quotes to the New York Times, Washington Post, NBC News and other sympathetic press outlets to advance the narrative. Brennan and former National Director of Intelligence James Clapper became a constant presence on cable news, using the top-secret authority of their previous positions to assure the public that collusion was real – although in sworn testimony, Clapper admitted he had not seen such evidence.
Congressional Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Adam Schiff – who falsely claimed to have seen “more than circumstantial evidence” of Trump/Russia collusion – amplified the smears.
Schiff in particular should be ejected from Congress if not thrown in prison for his part in this. He lied repeatedly to the American public in order to lawlessly take down a President.
Leading peddlers of the hoax – including Brennan, Clapper, Pelosi, Schiff and Sullivan – have paid no price for their actions. To date, no one has conducted probing interviews with Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama about their roles in the scandal.
Engineered by broad swaths of the government and media, the effort to paint a sitting president as a foreign agent alone makes Russiagate the worst scandal in American history. But it is this second, still ongoing phase – this willful effort to deny what happened, this refusal to hold the perpetrators accountable – that presents the most serious danger to our nation.
If truth and justice don’t matter, what does?
Good question.
I’ve excerpted a lot, but read the whole thing anyway.
Even Men Know This
Memo to Woke: Women Don’t Want Men in Restroom Stall Next to Them (dailysignal.com)
This article was written by a woman, but even men know this. Heck, men don’t want men in the restroom stall next to them. We’re smelly. We make weird noises. We’re terrible at cleaning up after ourselves. You take your life into your own hands when you step into a public restroom that has been used or is being used by a man.
And those are our good qualities.
Students attending Chicago public schools can now use whatever restroom they want. The change is being made in an effort to be more “inclusive” and “equitable,” according to Camie Pratt, chief Title IX officer for Chicago Public Schools.
“All restrooms are open for use by anyone who feels comfortable,” Pratt said in a recent video announcing the change.
Pratt says the change is being made in an effort to comply with the U.S. Department of Education’s Title IX protections against discrimination, but there are serious concerns about how the policy will affect students.
Why would you think this could possibly be a good idea? Do I need to refer you to my series on Loudoun County, Virginia?
Idiots.
Did I Call It, or Did I Call It?
Why yes, I believe I did.
Here We Go Again: Pfizer CEO Says Jab #4 May Be Needed “Faster” (lifezette.com)
Pfizer CEO Bourla said that the company’s early analysis in expediting jab number four was based on a synthetic, lab-created clone of the variation and that further evidence from testing against the genuine virus is required. According to Bourla, the real-world findings will be more accurate and will be available in the following two weeks.
“When we see real-world data, [it] will determine if the omicron is well covered by the third dose and for how long. And the second point, I think we will need a fourth dose.”
And a fifth, and a sixth. It will never end until we rise up with one voice and say “ENOUGH!”
This Is a Big Problem for Team Biden
Michigan Gov Whitmer: Biden Vaccine Mandate ‘A Problem For All Of Us’ | The Daily Wire
No way would a prominent Democrat governor be coming out against the President’s mandate unless the polling on it was just awful.
“We’re an employer too, the state of Michigan is,” Whitmer said. “I know if that mandate happens, we’re going to lose state employees. That’s why I haven’t proposed a mandate at the state level. Some states have. We have not, we’re waiting to see what happens in court.”
“But we have a lot of the same concerns that you just voiced, and it’s going to be a problem for all of us,” she added.
If it’s one thing the Democrats know how to do it’s to speak with one voice. And Whitmer is as left as you can get. If the Biden administration has lost her, they’re in deep trouble on this mandate.
I think more and more people are realizing that it’s doomed.
This Could Be Huge
Could be.
Could.
Rumble CEO says the platform is preparing to compete with Amazon and Microsoft (reclaimthenet.org)
The Rumble CEO told Fox anchor Maria Bartiromo that the purpose of the upcoming merger with CF Acquisition and raising about $400 million is to protect the company’s independence, expand its presence internationally – and build a robust infrastructure and a cloud services business that will be able to compete with Amazon’s AWS and Microsoft’s Azure.
It’s unlikely they will be able to unseat the big players here. But there’s certainly potential from people who have been unfairly shut down from these sites, Parler, for example.
And if they do a good enough job, and enough people get forced to them and up liking it, who knows?
Is Omicron the Variant We’ve Been Waiting For?
So far it seems to be exceptionally mild, and exceptionally contagious. That is a winning combination if you’re trying to achieve natural immunity.
Omicron 'May Signal the End of COVID-19' According to Healthcare CEO – PJ Media
Richard Friedland, head honcho of Netcare Ltd also said, “I actually think there is a silver lining here and this may signal the end of COVID-19, with it attenuating itself to such an extent that it’s highly contagious, but doesn’t cause severe disease.”
“That’s what happened with Spanish flu,” he reminded people in a statement on Wednesday.
This is exactly what happened with the Spanish Flu, and tat this point it appears our only way out of this stupid thing. That is if governments don’t keep scaring us from getting the virus. Herd immunity isn’t coming from a vaccine we have to renew every six months. Herd immunity is coming from people actually getting the disease.
And How Many Shots Will We Need to Neutralize the Next Variant? And the One After That?
Pfizer: Two Shots Plus Booster Neutralizes Omicron Variant In Lab Studies | The Daily Wire
“The data very clearly indicate the value of a third dose,” BioNTech CEO and co-founder Uger Sahin said during a briefing discussing the results, according to Time.
“With the data now coming on the Omicron variant, it is very clear that our vaccine for the Omicron variant should be a three-dose vaccine. The best [strategy] now to ensure protection would be to get a booster shot, thereby improving levels of antibodies, [and] improving levels of T cells, which are correlated with better protection against the currently circulating Delta [variant] and which we believe will also translate to better protection against the Omicron variant,” he said.
Just tell me when the ride is over. I want to get off.
Maybe You Should Be Less Accommodating and More Strong
Joe Biden does his best Neville Chamberlin.
Biden: I’m Working To Find ‘Any Accommodations’ I Can For Russia So They Don’t Invade Ukraine | The Daily Wire
He starts out strong:
“In the meeting with Putin, I was very straightforward. There were no minced words,” Biden claimed. “It was polite, but I made it very clear: If, in fact, he invades Ukraine, there will be severe consequences — severe consequences — and economic consequences like none he’s ever seen or ever have been seen, in terms of being imposed.”
“His immediate response was he understood that. And I indicated that I knew he would respond. But beyond that, if, in fact, we would probably also be required to reinforce our — our presence in NATO countries to reassure particularly those on the eastern front,” he added. “In addition to that, I made it clear that we would provide the defensive capability to the Ukrainians as well.”
But then he fades:
Biden said that he would not put U.S. troops on the ground in Ukraine to stop a Russian invasion of the country, saying, “that is not on the table.”
“We have a moral obligation and a legal obligation to our NATO Allies, if they were to attack under Article Five. It’s a sacred obligation,” Biden added. “That obligation does not extend to NATO — I mean, to Ukraine. But it would depend upon what the rest of the NATO countries are willing to do as well. But the idea the United States is going to unilaterally use force to confront Russia from invading Ukraine is not on — in the cards right now. But what will happen is: There will be severe consequences.”
Putin respects strength. A show of strength and determination will force him to back down. Threatening to take his candy away isn’t going to do anything.
Can Someone Tell This Man to Shut Up? He’s Done Enough Damage Already
Fauci Tells CNN It’s ‘A Matter Of When, Not If’ Definition Of ‘Fully Vaccinated’ Changes | The Daily Wire
CNN's Kate Bouldon talks Fauci into agreeing the definition of being "fully vaccinated" should be updated to mean having had a booster: “My own personal opinion, Kate, is what you said is correct. It’s going to be a matter of when, not if.” pic.twitter.com/pebLUDdEfT
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) December 8, 2021
It will never be enough. There will always be another variant, and another shot, and another reason to mask and to hide indoors.
Or we can just stop listening to clowns like this guy and go back to living our lives.
WHO Knows if Vax Mandates Are a Good Idea
WHO warns against vaccine mandates | One America News Network (oann.com)
The World Health Organization announced its hesitancy to COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The organization’s European director, Dr. Hans Kluge, made the WHO’s stance known on a recent video presser. Dr. Kluge said such a sweeping move should only be used as a last resort.
“…Is to not mandate vaccination if you haven’t reached out first to the communities,” he stated. “Mandates around vaccination are an absolute last resort and only applicable when all feasible options to improve vaccination uptake have been exhausted.”
Although he claims vaccine mandates are effective in some cases, Dr. Kluge said they should not be used as a blanket policy to fight the virus. Context, the doctor stressed, is an important factor to consider before implementing such a measure. Dr. Kluge also warned governments against creating two classes of citizens based on vaccination status.
“Ultimately, mandates should never contribute to increasing social inequalities in access to health and social services,” he stated. “Any measure that may restrict a right or movement of a person, such as lockdowns or mandates, also needs to assure that mental health and wellbeing is cared for.”
Follow the science!
Yay! We’re #1!
We beat out da Jews!
New Study Finds that Christianity Is the #1 Religion Targeted in Hate Crimes – PJ Media
Pretty sure that historically Judaism takes the “grand prize”. And that’s true even if you exclude the Holocaust. No religion has suffered more over time than they.
And they’re still currently #2.
Hate crimes against Christianity and its followers in Europe — formerly and for centuries the guardian and disseminator of Christ’s teachings — are at an all-time high. According to a recent report, at least a quarter of all hate crimes registered in Europe in 2020 were anti-Christian in nature — representing a 70% increase in comparison to 2019. Christianity is, furthermore, the religion most targeted in hate crimes, with Judaism a close second.
Worse, the true number of hate crimes against Christians is likely even higher. As the Nov. 16, 2021 report by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) explains (boldface in original):
24 states report data on hate crimes committed due to racism or xenophobia, 20 on LGBT groups, 16 states on anti-Semitism, and 14 on incidents against Muslims, but only 11 countries report data on hate crimes against Christians, and this obviously distorts the statistics significantly. Furthermore, of the 136 civil society organisations that provided descriptive data, only 8 organisations (!) consistently reported incidents against Christians. Both of these findings put the reality of the situation into a different perspective, which indicates that the actual number of hate crimes against Christians is probably way higher. When comparing the numbers of incidents from last year to the number of this year, we can see an increase of almost 70%. What is also striking, is the fact that of the 4,008 descriptive cases [of 2020], 980 are hate crimes against Christians, almost 25%, more than against any other religious group.
How does that compare against hate crimes against Islam?
Indeed, whereas 980 hate crimes were anti-Christian in nature, 850 were anti-Semitic and only 254 anti-Islamic. But as the report explained, the true numbers are probably significantly higher — for whereas the majority of racial, anti-Islamic, or anti-homosexual attacks are reported as such, a great number of anti-Christian attacks are not. Even so and despite this discrepancy, attacks on Christians are still greater than against any other religious group.
Hmm. Interesting.
20 December, 2021
Remember This the Next Time Democrats Claim Something About Republican ”Tax Cuts for the Rich”
Publications - Measuring the Effects of the Republicans’ Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on Personal Income Taxes | Heartland Institute
According to data from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service comparing outcomes from 2017 to 2018—the first year the tax reform law went into effect—the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reduced average effective income tax rates for filers in every one of the IRS’s income brackets, with the largest benefits going to lower- and middle-income households. (See Table 1 by clicking "Download the PDF" at the top of this page.)
For example, after accounting for all tax deductions and credits, filers with an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $40,000 to $50,000 received an average tax cut of 18.2 percent.[4]
The IRS data further show that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act appeared to have a strong upward effect on economic mobility. The number of filers with an adjusted gross income of $1 to $25,000 decreased by more than 2 million in just one year, while the number of households reporting incomes higher than $25,000 increased in every income bracket.[5]
The most significant increase occurred in the $100,000 to $200,000 bracket, which included more than 1 million additional filers in 2018 than it did in 2017.
Huh. Imagine that. Of course, that was predicted by anyone who actually studied the bill.
The available evidence is clear: Based on tax data from 2017 and 2018, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reduced taxes for the vast majority of filers, led to substantial improvements in upward economic mobility, and disproportionately benefited working- and middle-class households, many of which experienced tax cuts topping 18 percent to 20 percent.
Yes, I noticed it right away on my own tax return, as did my wife. “Why are our taxes so much lower this year?” she asked. “Because of the Trump tax cuts”, I responded.
She voted for him in 2020 after not having voted for him in 2016.
The IOC Needs to Start Making Some Very Strong Threats to China, and Back Them Up
IOC Cannot Provide ‘Absolute Certainty’ On Peng Shuai Situation | The Daily Wire
Now, the IOC appears to be walking back their previous statements on Peng’s situation.
“We can’t provide you with absolute certainty on anything,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said according to ESPN. “All we can do is do the best we can in the process that we believe is in the best interests of the well-being of the athlete.”
Adams’ comment came on Tuesday at the IOC’s first press conference since the Women’s Tennis Association suspended all tournaments in China — including in Hong Kong — last week. The committee has been subject to criticism regarding their handling of Peng’s situation, with Human Rights Watch accusing the IOC of “collaboration with Chinese authorities on tennis star Peng Shuai’s reappearance.”
I expect more from the IOC. Well, no, I don’t, really. They’ve failed too many times in the past to have high expectations. But the world expects and deserves better.
I’m Sure That Russia and China Are Very Happy With Biden
Every country acts in their own best interest. For most of them, a weaker America is in their best interest. That is not generally in America’s best interest or typically the world’s either.
So, pardon me for not giving a flying fig what the world thinks of Biden.
Former Obama Official: Poll Says Foreign Countries Happy With Biden. Crenshaw: ‘Did Y’all Poll Kabul?’ | The Daily Wire
Did y’all poll Kabul? https://t.co/5MwH49NJxv
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) December 8, 2021
Skipping over Crenshaw’s valid point, I question the word “happily” in the tweet he’s responding to.
As I said, I don’t give a flying fig what other countries think of our leaders. In fact, if I had to choose, I would prefer they dislike them. The means that our leaders are acting in our own country’s best interests and not the interests of others.
Anyway, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX-02) is exactly right. I doubt a poll of Afghanistan would show the same results.
Maybe You Should Have Considered This in 2020
…when you were voting for a candidate who appeared extremely unlikely to last 4 years.
Majority see Biden out by 2024, fear Harris not ‘qualified’ | Washington Examiner
But no, Trump hatred won out over common sense.
Vice President Kamala Harris can’t get a break.
Recently crushed by reports about staff fleeing her “bullying” management style and a slew of horrible approval rating surveys, Rasmussen Reports said Tuesday that voters are concerned about her taking over for President Joe Biden.
And that matters because the latest poll previewed by Secrets found that by a margin of 49% to 36%, likely voters believe that something will happen to 79-year-old Biden that will result in Harris being elevated to the top job. That includes 41% of Democrats and 45% of independents.
The Rasmussen findings extend a long streak of surveys showing voters concerned about Biden’s health and longevity, though the White House recently said he did well on his latest physical.
So, we have a mentally incompetent President and a Vice President that no one likes, even member of her own party.
Great choice, people.
You voted for this. I hope you learned from it, but I doubt it.
Despite the Crap We’ve Put Them Through, the UK Is Still Our Best Ally
BoJo: UK honchos a no-go to Beijing Olympics – HotAir
The diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics picked up speed overnight as three US allies joined Joe Biden. Boris Johnson became the latest to join, announcing a few minutes ago that the UK would not send any ministers to the Olympiad in protest of China’s genocidal policies. That would be “effectively” the same as the US diplomatic boycott, Johnson said:
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says no U.K. government minister will attend the Beijing Winter Olympics, calling it “effectively” a diplomatic boycott.
China’s annoyed. Good. Let them try to kick us out completely.
The IOC really should just move the event. They won’t. But they should.
Prediction: She Will Lose the Primary and Run as an Independent
Liz Cheney bruised, trails Trump pick by 18 points | Washington Examiner
She will attempt to duplicate the efforts of Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT).
Not sure if it will work for her, but I didn’t think it would work for either of them either. Assuming she pulls it off, who will she caucus with?
The new survey of Republican voters found that Hageman, a GOP activist and Cheyenne land and water rights attorney, leads Cheney, 38%-18%. State Representative Anthony Bouchard is at 12% and 26% are undecided.
The independent survey -- not done for Cheney or Hageman -- was included in a handful of other state results showing that a Trump endorsement can be a game changer. State officials this week announced that Trump plans to hold a rally next spring in Wyoming for Hageman far ahead of the August 16 primary.
What if found is that a Trump endorsement matters, a vote to impeach him hurts and the GOP base still likes Trump.
Zachary Moyle of Las Vegas-based SoCo Strategies said, “The results demonstrate that regardless of geographic campaign, current sentiment is the same. An endorsement from President Trump is almost paramount. Voters support President Trump by overwhelming margins, and anti-Trump candidates are not faring well.”
He added, “This polling shows that one thing is clear, Trump’s endorsement equals a victory in just about any Republican primary.” Trump beat President Joe Biden in Wyoming in 2020 by some 70 points.
I’m sure that she has a plan. I’m curious to see what it is. Trump making enemies of both the Bush family and the Cheney family is striking though. It definitely shows that the GOP base is quite different than it was in 2004.
Sadly, too many of the current GOP politicians want to change the base, not change themselves. You can’t elect a new crop of voters. But the voters can and will happily elect a new crop of politicians.
Prediction: They Won’t
GOP Congresswoman Tells Woke Corporations Sponsoring Olympics To Call Out China’s Atrocities | The Daily Wire
Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA) is calling upon the corporate sponsors of the 2022 Winter Olympics to reveal human rights abuses inflicted by the Chinese Communist Party.
I’m glad someone is calling for this, but I doubt it’s going to be successful.
Steel observed that the companies are eager to point out purported social justice issues in the United States. She therefore encouraged executives to do the same with China’s persecution of the Uyghur ethnic minority via “forced sterilizations,” “labor camps,” and “murder.”
Many of the companies who are sponsoring Team USA and the 2022 Winter Olympics felt compelled to speak out over the last year in support of political and social protests. Coca Cola spoke out loudly against laws passed in Georgia. Visa said, “Change starts here” and highlighted their focus on “global acceptance.” Airbnb condemned “racism, bigotry and hate.” But where are your statements against the human rights abuses happening right now in China? How can we support sending our athletes — the best of the best, who have worked so hard for these moments — to a country with a backdrop of abuse and violence?
Ah, but it’s okay for lefties to criticize America. They won’t dare criticize China.
We used to do that sort of thing. We were first in line to scream about human rights abuses around the world. It’s sad. Lefties scream about “greedy capitalists” all the time. And ignore true examples to its. These companies won’t dare criticize China because doing so would cost them too much money
“Disastrous Foreign Policy Record” Is Putting It Kindly
WATCH: Psaki Gets Grilled By NBC News Over Biden’s Disastrous Foreign Policy Record | The Daily Wire
“The withdrawal from Afghanistan over the summer was widely criticized,” NBC News’ Kristen Welker said. “There are increasing tensions with China and Taiwan, and now you have Russian troops amassing on the border with Ukraine. Candidate Biden campaigned on a pledge to restore America’s credibility on the world stage on his foreign policy experience. Is he living up to that pledge?”
“Well, Kristen, he also campaigned on a promise to bring an end to a 20-year war that should have ended 10 years ago and to bring our troops home, and not to send another son, grandson, granddaughter, or daughter into a war that the Afghans aren’t willing to fight themselves,” Psaki snapped back, ignoring that tens of thousands of Afghan nationals died in the fight for their country. “He also pledged to stand up for democracy and pledged to stand up for countries like Ukraine and their territorial integrity. And that’s something that he is standing up for and vocally doing now, and raising concerns he has about the bellicose rhetoric and the military buildup.”
That’s a long list of things that Biden “pledged to stand up for”. And if he was keeping those pledges, he wouldn’t have a “disastrous foreign policy record”.
Oh, That “War on Christmas”
Or is it “War on Fox News”? Hard to tell. Either way, it’s another shining example of that world-renowned “liberal tolerance”.
WATCH: Christmas Tree Outside Of Fox News Gets Torched, Police Take Man Into Custody | The Daily Wire
“Fox News @ Night” host Shannon Bream said the following on air:
We brought you breaking news a few moments ago. Firefighters on the scene of this blaze. This is at Fox Square in New York. This is our all American Christmas tree. The fire appears to be out for now. Moments ago you could see it was engulfed in flames. No word of any injuries there. We saw the crews there bravely fighting through this. They have gotten this under control, looks like the fire is out for now. But we’re gonna monitor the situation, try to find out what sparked this whole thing. But for now it looks like everybody is safe and sound, the fire is out.
JUST IN: @ShannonBream announces on @FoxNewsNight that Fox News's Christmas tree has caught fire outside their HQ on the Avenue of the Americas. pic.twitter.com/Ah0OUfTrlE
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) December 8, 2021
And there it is, folks. Police have a person in custody for having allegedly committed arson in burning down Fox News's Christmas tree https://t.co/YT334Eg13F
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) December 8, 2021
Liberalism really is a mental disorder.
Can We Start With the Horrible ”An Inconvenient Truth”?
Climate scientist asks YouTube to censor climate "misinformation" (reclaimthenet.org)
Honestly, I am kidding. I don’t believe in censorship, not even of garbage like Al Gore’s ridiculous fact free propaganda piece.
And in this case, the call for censorship is even more ridiculous. “Scientist” above, should have been in scare quotes. It’s from another fact free “climatologist”, Michael “Piltdown” Mann.
Prof. Michael Mann, the director of the Earth System Science Center at Pennsylvania State University, tweeted: “Hey @Youtube. It’s good you’re taking down COVID denial videos. Now it’s time for you to remove climate denial videos. They pose an even greater threat to humanity in the long term.”
Michael Mann, you’ll remembered was heavily involved in the email climategate scandal, where he was shown to be deeply involved in falsifying and twisting evidence to “hide the decline” in global warming. Amazingly, he still has a job. Of course, it is at Penn State, and they don’t have a problem with liars and cheats and corruption there.
He wants YouTube to censor those who dare to point out what a fraud he is. So, I understand the call, even if I find it laughable.
I’m consistent in my calls for Freedom of Speech, though. I wouldn’t even ask YouTube to censor idiots like Mann.
Prediction: They Won’t Keep Pace
And many companies don’t do COLAs. Mine doesn’t. I’ll be fortunate to get my 3% raise this year, which means I’ll lose ground with respect to inflation.
Major Companies Raise Wages To Keep Up With Inflation | The Daily Wire
As high inflation continues to grip the United States, major corporations intend to raise wages.
Roughly 39% of respondents in a forthcoming Conference Board report said that rising price levels are a motivating factor for the wage hikes. However, higher pay does not necessarily correspond to higher living standards — since President Biden took office, Americans’ inflation-adjusted wages have been declining.
Actually, new employees will get the benefits. The job market will demand it. Existing employees will suffer, which will increase turnover. So, that will be fun.
Speaking of fun:
As high inflation continues to grip the United States, major corporations intend to raise wages.
Roughly 39% of respondents in a forthcoming Conference Board report said that rising price levels are a motivating factor for the wage hikes. However, higher pay does not necessarily correspond to higher living standards — since President Biden took office, Americans’ inflation-adjusted wages have been declining.
Inflationary Death Spiral. Can I have that with extra sprinkles, please?
What Happened to ”Healthcare Is a Fundamental Human Right”?
IL Dem Proposes That Unvaccinated Pay For Their Own COVID Care – PJ Media
“The vaccine is proven to be the one thing that is stopping the severity of COVID-19, and we are seeing more variants popping up,” Carroll told WCIA. “The experts are telling us, ‘This is now becoming a disease of the unvaccinated.’ The people that are choosing to get vaccinated are not the ones that are clogging up the health care system, it’s the ones that aren’t.”
Punishing sick people to make a political point may be about the most disgusting proposal made during the pandemic. Besides, as we’re finding out, more and more vaccinated people are coming down with breakthrough infections, and an increasing number of those infections are serious.
This is no longer exclusively a “disease of the unvaccinated.”
I thought access to healthcare was a fundamental right? I’m sure I read that somewhere during the Obama Administration.
The Only Things ”Alleged” About Her Were Her Qualifications
Biden’s Alleged Marxist Pick For Comptroller Of The Currency Goes Down In Flames | The Daily Wire
Saule Omarova, Democrat President Joe Biden’s nominee for comptroller of the currency, has withdrawn her name from consideration for the position after facing increasing opposition to nomination over allegations that she was a Marxist.
“I am writing to you today with a request to withdraw my candidacy from further consideration for the position of the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency,” Omarova said in a statement. “It was a great honor and a true privilege to be nominated by President Biden to lead the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency overseeing the U.S. national banking system.”
Thank God.
Not that his next pick is likely to be much better.
This Is Significant Because It’s National
During the Trump administration, we had many national injunctions by judges that really didn’t have the power or authority to do that. I suppose it’s nice to see that the pendulum swings both ways, but this is still an abuse of power.
A federal judge in Georgia has blocked the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for federal contractors.
According to Bloomberg, the judge halted the mandate nationwide, which was originally mandated by President Joe Biden in September. The decision follows a preliminary injunction issued by a federal judge in Kentucky, who was presiding over a case involving Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee.
The mandate would have taken effect on January 4th, and would have affected about 25% of the U.S. workforce, including employees of companies like Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Google, and General Motors, Bloomberg reported.
There is no mandate. This executive order is dead.
This Is Actually Brave
Former Trump White House Chief Of Staff Mark Meadows Now Refusing Jan. 6 Panel Deposition (lifezette.com)
You know, he could easily accept the subpoena and stonewall, taking the 5th on every single question. Standing up to an abuse of power by Congress is brave. They’ll hold him in Contempt of Congress, which is usually pretty meaningless, but the Biden DoJ has shown the consider this more important than actual domestic terrorism.
According to reports, former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is now pulling out of his initially agreed cooperation with a voluntary sit down for a deposition with the House Select Committee investigating the events of January 6th.
Apparently, as conveyed by a letter sent to the House Select Committee earlier in December, the decision to pull out of the deposition relates to the panel clearly not intending to respect the “boundaries concerning Executive Privilege.”
This whole “investigation” is a farce, and it seems like it’s about to explode in Democrats faces once and for all. They’ll get plenty of media protection for it, though.
And How Many Zeros Would You Like in Your Lawsuit?
California School Bribes Boy to Get COVID Vaccine and Not Tell His Parents – PJ Media
A 13-year-old boy was bribed with pizza from his school to get a COVID-19 vaccine without parental consent, reports NBC Los Angeles. According to the report, the school not only gave the minor child the vaccine without parental consent but instructed the boy not to tell his parents.
The boy, a student at the aptly named Barack Obama Global Prep Academy in South Los Angeles, came home with a vaccine card and told his mother he accepted the shot after being offered free pizza.
Kids aren’t good at keeping secrets.
Maybe you should consider that before you start violating their rights and the rights of their parents.
In this situation, I’d be on the phone with my attorney faster than you can blink. And I’d be asking him how many zeros I could put in the damage figure for my lawsuit. I’d ask if 8 zeros were too many.
I Wish My Food Bills Were ”Greatly Exaggerated”
Democrat Rep. Susan Wild claims economic woes are ‘greatly exaggerated’ | One America News Network (oann.com)
In a recent appearance on MSNBC, Susan Wild elaborated on a letter she co-authored with other vulnerable Democrats, expressing concern over inflation and the supply chain. She said that while it is important to keep economics at the forefront of people’s minds, jobs are being filled and the economy is doing very well.
“I want to make sure that we keep economic issues at the top of the priority list for our leadership,” stated the Democrat. “But at the same time, I think that the rumors of this economic demise are greatly exaggerated. I think we’re in really good shape headed into 2022.”
All politicians spin. Politicians in power spin even more.
But there’s spin, and there’s denial of reality.
This fits clearly in the latter category.
Oh, This Is Delicious
Chris Cuomo’s Book Contract Dropped By HarperCollins | The Daily Wire
Chris Cuomo’s upcoming book with HarperCollins Publishers has been canceled following the host’s firing from CNN, according to a new report.
“I can confirm that we don’t intend to publish the book,” HarperCollins’ Custom House imprint spokesperson Kelly Rudolph told The New York Post on Tuesday.
Cuomo’s book “Deep Denial” was originally set for an earlier release, but the scheduled date was changed to October 15, 2022, according to Publishers Marketplace, the report noted.
Oh, what a shame. Although “Deep Denial” does sound like an apropos title.
Wait, Why Are We Evacuating From Ukraine?
After Botched Afghanistan Evacuation, Biden Making Contingency Plans To Evacuate Americans From Ukraine | The Daily Wire
Fresh from the debacle of withdrawing from Afghanistan, where American citizens were left behind in the chaos from the Biden administration’s pullout, a report has emanated that the Biden administration, led by the Pentagon, is making plans to evacuate Americans from Ukraine if needed should the Russians invade their western neighbor. One source told CNN that the Biden administration does not want to be caught “flat-footed” if the Russians invade.
Here’s a thought.
Maybe show some strength and the Russians won’t invade. Then no need to evacuate.
What a pathetically weak administration we have. Clueless Joe is the laughingstock of the world.
You think Putin would be doing this if The Donald were still President? You think China would be openly mocking America?
Pfft.
CNN quoted sources saying that the Pentagon is considering various options, from an evacuation of nonessential US government employees to an evacuation that would also include other American citizens. The decision as to whether to evacuate would be left to the State Department. “Right now some planning is underway by the State Department’s diplomatic security for either an authorized or ordered departure of diplomats from the country should the situation warrant it, a source familiar with the discussions said,” CNN reported.
Gah. What an embarrassment.
Where’s the Outrage Over ”Kids in Cages”?
This was huge, just a year ago. What changed? Oh yeah. That.
‘Unacceptable’: Senate Report Hits HHS Over Children's Shelters (dailysignal.com)
A month after the Senate issued a bipartisan report flagging oversight failures by government contractors that house migrant children, the Biden administration awarded new contracts worth tens of millions of dollars to two of those organizations.
Awarding of the contracts prompted particular concern from Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee.
“The fact that taxpayer money keeps flowing without any guarantee of reforms or commitments to improving facility oversight from [the Department of Health and Human Services] is just unacceptable,” Grassley told The Daily Signal in a statement late Friday.
Kids in cages.
Silence from the media.
Must be a Democrat in the White House.
This Could Get Interesting
Chris Cuomo Preparing To Take The Fight To CNN With Massive Lawsuit: Report | The Daily Wire
Normally I don’t care about these sorts of squabbles. But the rumors are that there’s a lot more corruption at CNN even than is generally known, and that Cuomo has the details. In writing or on tape.
Former CNN host Chris Cuomo is reportedly planning on taking on his former network by filing a massive lawsuit to get tens of millions of dollars that he believes is still owed to him on his contract and to “likely” seek damages from his recent firing.
“Cuomo, 51, has hired lawyers and is preparing to file the lawsuit over the remainder of the four-year contract he signed last year — after a bitter back-and-forth about what the network knew of his secret efforts to aid his embattled brother, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo,” the New York Post reported. “His contract was reportedly worth $6 million annually, leaving between $18 million and $20 million that he would be owed, sources said, adding that Chris Cuomo would also likely seek damages.”
A CNN insider said that the far-left network has “no intention of paying Cuomo a penny” because “if he gets a settlement, there would be uproar.”
We’ll see what happens.
“Reshape Coverage”, in Other Words, ”Lie”
White House Working With Reporters ‘To Reshape Coverage’ Of Economic Woes Under Biden As Approval Sinks: Report | The Daily Wire
CNN’s media newsletter reported:
The White House, not happy with the news media’s coverage of the supply chain and economy, has been working behind the scenes trying to reshape coverage in its favor. Senior White House and admin officials — including NEC Deputy Directors David Kamin and Bharat Ramamurti, along with Ports Envoy John Porcari — have been briefing major newsrooms over the past week, a source tells me.
Some of this is typical. White House administrations always want to shape the message their way, and work with the press to make sure that their message is heard.
This is typically met with a healthy degree of skepticism by the press. Everyone knows the way the game is played, including the press.
But in this case, the press appears more willing than is typical to go along with the White House.
The officials have been discussing with newsrooms trends pertaining to job creation, economic growth, supply chains, and more. The basic argument that has been made: That the country’s economy is in much better shape than it was last year. I’m told the conversations have been productive, with anchors and reporters and producers getting to talk with the officials…
This is different. This isn’t “Hey, you guys are printing the wrong thing. Here’s the truth.” It’s, “Hey, we need you guys to print things this way, so everyone will believe that we’re doing a good job.”
STEM Doesn’t Care About Your Feelz
Top Dem Economist Says Woke Math Is a National Security Threat (freebeacon.com)
Look, I’m sorry that you feel bad because others are better at math than you.
I’m truly sorry that it’s because of our education system, and that you didn’t receive the best education when you were younger, because you live in a poor school district. We absolutely need to work on fixing that. Everyone in America should be able to receive a high quality education, whether you’re in rural Idaho, inner city Chicago, or Redmond, Washington.
But trying to balance things out because your education sucked doesn’t help anyone.
Larry Summers, a Harvard economist who led the National Economic Council under former president Barack Obama, shared a letter on Monday signed by almost 600 academics that condemns the rise of woke math initiatives in K-12 schools. The letter says the initiatives have devalued foundational math courses such as algebra and limited advanced math courses "to reduce achievement gaps." Summers called rigorous math instruction "an economic and a national security imperative," noting that "in China, math standards are not subject to continued erosion by social justice warriors who can't themselves define exponential growth or solve quadratic equations."
Not only does it hurt America, this trend hurts the very people it claims it’s for.
"While the U.S. K-12 system has much to improve, the current trends will instead take us further back," the letter reads. "Reducing access to advanced mathematics and elevating trendy but shallow courses over foundational skills would cause lasting damage to STEM education in the country and exacerbate inequality by diminishing access to the skills needed for social mobility."
Adrian Mims, one of the letter's signatories, told the Free Beacon that educators should focus on elevating students to advanced math classes, not trying to "lower the ceiling."
"If you do that, it's going to eliminate a lot of postsecondary opportunities for them," Mims told the Free Beacon.
The letter notes that eliminating advanced math courses would particularly harm public school students and place them at a disadvantage over students in private schools. It also warns that such reforms would reduce American students' proficiency in calculus, algebra, and logical thinking at a time when those skills "are arguably even more critical for today's grand challenges than in the Sputnik era."
This just puts you further in a hole, and makes it harder for you to climb out of it. And harms everyone else in the process.
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