Category: Goobermint

The US Fed may kill the Biden presidency

It is no secret that one of President Biden’s key weaknesses in the upcoming presidential election is the economy. A USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll in March put Trump at 40pc, just ahead of Biden on 38pc. The same poll showed many Americans remain undecided; among those surveyed inflation and the economy were listed as the most important issues determining their vote.

As such, a core problem for Biden is the recent price rises and resultant cost of living crisis. In the past few months, political strategists have marvelled at the fact that the economy under Biden was growing (at 3.2pc in the fourth quarter of 2024) but polling on Biden’s performance on the economy was dismal.

A recent paper led by former treasury of the secretary Larry Summers has helped clear up the discrepancy. Summers and his co-authors show that if we adjust American inflation data to consider changes in methodology that have taken place over the past few decades, we see inflation not peaking at 9pc, as the official data indicates, but rather at 18pc. The paper also suggests that inflation measured in line with historical norms would have been 8pc at the end of 2023, not the 3pc shown in the official statistics.

This explains why the average American voter is angry at Biden about the economy: prices are still rising at a rapid clip and living standards have been substantially eroded under his administration. This puts the Federal Reserve in a very unusual position this electoral cycle, because what the central bank does in the coming months could have a huge impact on the outcome of the election.

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Controversial Bill Targeting “Unauthorized Paramilitary Training” Passes Through Maine’s House

Maine’s House passed a controversial bill targeting “unauthorized paramilitary training” which has raised concerns with Second Amendment rights advocates, who believe that it could be used to target law-abiding gun owners and firearms instructors.

The bill passed by a single vote.

“The United States of America was founded on what this bill would define as a civil disorder. I find it very likely that King George III would have been very, very supportive of this legislation,” said Rep. Donald Ardell (R-Monticello).

During the House proceedings on Wednesday, numerous Republican representatives spoke against the bill, calling it a violation of constitutional rights.

“I have the right to determine how I want to practice, rehearse train, or drill. This bill is a violation of my constitutional rights,” said Rep. Mike Soboleski (R-Philips).

The bill was originally proposed by Rep. Laurie Osher (D-Orno) in response to a brief attempt by Neo-Nazi Chris Pohlhaus and former Democrat activist Fred Ramey to build a neo-Nazi compound for their “Blood Tribe” in Springfield, Maine.

The Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson visited the site of the neo-Nazi camp earlier this year, and discovered nothing but an abandoned camper, and a single tent.

LD 2130 makes it a crime for anyone to instruct a person in the use of a firearm or explosive if the instructor knows or “reasonably should know” that the trainee intends to further “civil disorder”.

Multiple firearms instructors told The Maine Wire that they are very concerned with the burden placed on instructors to determine the motives of everyone who comes to them for training.

Following a contentious debate in the house, the bill passed in a 72-71 vote.

No House Republicans voted in favor of the bill, and two Independents and three Democrats voted in opposition.

Eight representatives were absent from the vote.

Americans Disapprove Of Biden On Guns—And Most Other Issues.

If you thought Americans strongly disapproved of the way President Joe Biden’s economy is working out, you ought to see what people think of the way he has handled the gun issue.

According to a recent survey by The Economist and YouGov, a full 52% of Americans disapprove of how Biden is handling economic issues. Breaking it down, 91% of Republicans, 55% of Independents and even 11% percent of Democrats aren’t too fond of the strangling consequences of “Bidenomics.” And by age, a majority of Americans over 30 disapprove of Biden’s economic performance.

But believe it or not, even more Americans disapprove of the job Biden has done concerning firearms, which 81% of respondents said was an important issue. In total, 54% of Americans disapprove of how the president is handling the gun issue, compared to 28% who approved. That includes a whopping 88% of Republicans and 52% of Independents who gave the president low marks. Disapproval was also very high by race and age: whites, 61% disapproved; Blacks, 35%, Hispanics, 46%; age 18-29, 43%; 30-44, 57%; 45-64, 57%; and 65-plus, 60%.

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Biden Shows Up at Noon — an Hour Late for Event — and Here’s Why People Think He Overslept

Joe Biden hasn’t exactly had a heavy schedule this week. He went to Camp David with Hunter over the weekend so he had yet another vacation.

Then on Monday all he had was the Easter Egg Roll. Not exactly a lot of work or high stress, although Biden managed to create his own problems by slurring and being confused throughout the event. He also told a bizarre story about his grandkids, most of whom are adults jumping in bed with him being his favorite memory of the White House.

On Tuesday, he had nothing at all on his public schedule. But, as I noted, he looked horrible at his healthcare remarks that he had to deliver on Wednesday and lost badly in a fight with the teleprompter.

Turns out there was a backstory.

Biden was late to the event which was supposed to be at 11 a.m. He kept Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and the health care advocates who attended the even waiting for an hour before he bothered to appear. He didn’t show up until around 12 p.m. And when he showed up finally, people noticed that he had CPAP strap marks still very evident on his face.

He supposedly sleeps with a CPAP machine helping him because he has sleep apnea.

But if he’s showing up at that time with the straps still evident on his face, then one has to concluded it’s very likely he overslept. Fox’s Jesse Watters made this point.

“If he has a creasy face at noon, he just got out of bed,” Watters surmised. He wasn’t up late or doing anything the day before, yet he’s still so late this morning?

Seriously, we have someone occupying the Oval Office who is oversleeping and not making an event until noon? Is he actually doing any work at all with a schedule like this? Sounds like former President Donald Trump nicknaming him “Sleepy Joe” is right yet again.

Also, the only other thing on the schedule was that Biden was supposed to have the Daily Briefing at 10 a.m., did he just skip that? Does he actually attend that?

If that’s the case, who is truly making the decisions behind the scenes here if this is going on? And how could anyone possibly vote for the mess that’s going on here? I know we can’t expect them to be straight with us, even though we have a right to it and for sure media isn’t pushing hard enough when he does things like this to ask: what the heck is going on here?

After having thus successively taken each member of the community in its powerful grasp and fashioned him at will, the supreme power then extends its arm over the whole community.

It covers the surface of society with a network of small, complicated rules, minute and uniform, through which the most original minds and the most energetic characters cannot penetrate, to rise above the crowd.

The will of man is not shattered, but softened, bent, and guided; men seldom forced by it to act, but they are constantly restrained from acting.

Such a power does not destroy, but it prevents existence; it does not tyrannize, but it compresses, enervates, extinguishes, and stupefies a people, till each nation is reduced to nothing better than a flock of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd.
— Alexis de Tocqueville

New gun laws could increase concealed carry permits

Firearms rights advocates said they are expecting an increase of New Mexicans applying for concealed carry permits in response to new gun laws in the state that go into effect May 15.

One of the bills, which Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed into law this year, creates a seven-day waiting period for most new gun purchases, with an exception for customers with concealed carry permits. Another bill signed into law prohibits guns a certain distance from polling places when voting is taking place, but there is also an exemption for concealed carry permit holders.

Until the new laws take effect, officials with the New Mexico Firearms Industry said, many customers — despite the loud drumbeat of stories on the legal and political battle over guns during the 2024 Legislature — have no idea what happened and what has changed.

Tom Kaye, of the New Mexico Firearms Industry Association, sees a traffic jam ahead at local gun stores.

“Most people are unaware of this new law,” Kaye wrote in an email. “When they are told that if they had an NM concealed carry license they could take the firearm home the same day, it will generate much more demand for concealed carry classes.”

And that’s already beginning to happen, Kaye said. Although it’s not a tsunami, the increase is noticeable, he said.

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Once more we see that SloJoe is not, and never has been, in charge.
Part of me is glad that his staff know he’s a senile dolt and reverse anything he’s says that “off script”, but the people who actually are running the executive branch have no Constitutional authority to do so.
They’ve illegally usurped power.

Janet Yellen walks back Biden’s comments US taxpayers on hook for Baltimore bridge collapse
Biden said Tuesday that federal government ‘will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge’

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday appeared to walk back comments from President Biden that U.S. taxpayers would foot the bill for the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore.

Appearing on MSNBC, Yellen said money from the bipartisan infrastructure law could “potentially be helpful.”

“My expectation would be that ultimately there will be insurance payments, in part, to cover this. But we don’t want to allow worrying about where the financing will come from to hold up reconstruction,” Yellen said.

Her comments come a day after Biden said it was his “intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge, and I expect the Congress to support my effort.”

Biden said that, while the effort will take some time, the people of Baltimore “can count on us.”

When asked by a reporter whether the company that manages the ship should be held responsible, Biden said the federal government would not wait for any decisions and would step in to get the bridge built and reopened.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge along I-695 in Maryland collapsed in the Baltimore harbor around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday after a cargo ship slammed into a support beam. The collapse sent at least eight construction workers and multiple vehicles plunging into the Patapsco River below.

The cargo ship that hit the bridge was the Dali, a 95,000 GT Singapore-flagged container ship, per the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) of Singapore. There were 22 crew members onboard at the time of the incident.

The Synergy Group, a Singapore-based company that manages the ship, said in a statement that two pilots piloting the ship through the harbor and all crew members onboard were accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries. The group also said that no pollution has been reported.

The large vessel appeared to catch fire before becoming disabled. Footage of the incident shows the lights going out multiple times on the vessel in question prior to impact, suggesting the collision may have been due to a power failure.

Courts Demand Info About People Who Viewed Specific YouTube Videos.

Federal authorities have reportedly ordered Google to provide information about viewers of select YouTube videos, including their names, addresses, and phone numbers, as well as provide information about video viewers who weren’t signed into YouTube while watching.

The requests are raising alarms for privacy experts who say the requests are unconstitutional and are “transforming search warrants into digital dragnets” by potentially targeting individuals who are not associated with a crime based simply on what they may have watched online.

Specifically, authorities have reportedly asked for information about individuals who watched certain videos on the site between Jan. 1-8, 2023 as part of an investigation into “elonmuskwhm.” The authorities also requested the user activity for those accounts.

According to Forbes, the investigation into elonmuskwhm is focused on that individual selling Bitcoin for cash, which is a violation of money laundering laws. The sale also constitutes an unlicensed money-transferring business. As part of the investigation, undercover agents reportedly sent links of YouTube tutorials that covered mapping via drones and augmented reality software to elonmuskwhm, and then asked Google to provide details on who had viewed the videos. The videos received more than 30,000 views.

According to documents viewed by Forbes, a court granted the government’s request for the information; however, it asked Google to not publicize the request.

In the court order, the authorities commented: “There is reason to believe that these records would be relevant and material to an ongoing criminal investigation, including by providing identification information about the perpetrators.”

YouTube App for Apple Vision Pro May Be Coming After All
Forbes reports that in another case, authorities requested user data after discovering that video of officers investigating a bomb threat in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, was being broadcast on a YouTube livestream, an act which officers said had occurred with other bomb threats in other parts of the country as well.

In both cases, it’s unclear whether or not Google complied with the requests.

BLUF
This new office is another way for the Biden administration to make it appear as if it is doing something about violent crime, when it is actually making it harder for lawful gun owners to keep and bear arms.

HOT TAKES: Social Media Slices and Dices Biden’s New Anti-Gun Red Flag Center

The Biden administration is stepping up its war against the right to keep and bear arms. On Saturday, Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Parkland, Florida, to stand on the graves of the children who perished in a tragic school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School six years ago.

The vice president spoke at the school, pushing for red flag laws and other restrictions on lawful gun ownership ostensibly to combat gun violence. During her visit, she touted a brand spanking new anti-gunner initiative: The National Extreme Risk Order Resource Center.

The new office is supposedly aimed at helping local and state law enforcement agencies enforce red flag laws to stop mass shootings and other forms of violence before they happen. Naturally, not everyone is on board with this anti-gun endeavor.

Gun Owners of America, a pro-gun rights organization, wrote a post on X, accusing the White House of weaponizing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, while taking a shot at Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) who supported the legislation.

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Former names include the Stasi, Gestapo and Santebal.
Here we go with the Federal goobermint getting involved in enforcing state laws.

Justice Department Launches the National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center

The Justice Department launched the National Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) Resource Center (the Center) which  will provide training and technical assistance to law enforcement officials, prosecutors, attorneys, judges, clinicians, victim service and social service providers, community organizations, and behavioral health professionals responsible for implementing laws designed to keep guns out of the hands of people who pose a threat to themselves or others.

“The launch of the National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center will provide our partners across the country with valuable resources to keep firearms out of the hands of individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The establishment of the Center is the latest example of the Justice Department’s work to use every tool provided by the landmark Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to protect communities from gun violence.”

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Maine rejects sweeping electric vehicle mandate in blow to governor’s climate agenda.

Maine’s top environmental regulator rejected a proposed state electric vehicle (EV) mandate in a surprise vote, bucking climate concerns voiced by eco groups and Democrats.

The Maine Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) turned down the so-called Advanced Clean Cars program after receiving overwhelming opposition from stakeholders and citizens. The proposed program would have closely mirrored regulations approved in California, mandating that at least 51% of new car purchases in the state be electric by 2028 and 82% be electric by 2032.

“The Maine Board of Environmental Protection received nearly 1,800 comments from the people of Maine and nearly 84% were not in favor of this EV mandate,” Maine Senate Republican Leader Trey Stewart told Fox News Digital. “Maine is far too rural with far too few charging stations, and many Mainers are also concerned about the reliability of these vehicles in our extreme cold-weather months.”

Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills is pursuing a sweeping climate agenda, pushing both vehicle electrification and green energy development.
Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills is pursuing a sweeping climate agenda, pushing both vehicle electrification and green energy development. (Getty Images)

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’15 Days To Slow the Spread’: On the Fourth Anniversary, a Reminder to Never Give Politicians That Power Again

In the name of safety, politicians did many things that diminished our lives—without making us safer.

Four years ago, government officials told us, “Stay home!” We have “15 days to slow the spread.”

Days turned into months and then years, while officials chipped away at our freedoms.

I have long been wary of politicians, but even I was surprised at how authoritarian many were eager to be.

Some demanded police to go after people surfing. They took down the rims of basketball hoops. Children’s playgrounds were taped up like crime scenes. They told people in rural Utah and Wyoming to stay in their homes.

In the name of safety, politicians did many things that diminished our lives, without making us safer.

They complied with teachers unions’ demand to keep schools closed. Kids’ learning has been set back by years.

Politicians destroyed jobs by closing businesses. Some shutdown orders were ridiculous. Landscaping businesses and private campgrounds were forced to shut down.

Both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden sharply increased government spending. Trump’s $2.2 trillion “stimulus” package, followed by Biden’s $1.9 trillion “American Rescue Plan,” led to so much money printing that inflation doubled and then tripled.

This week, the fourth-year anniversary of “15 days to stop the spread,” my new video looks back at politicians’ incompetence.

First, government probably killed people with its endless red tape.

At least the Trump administration broke Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules to speed vaccine approvals. But FDA rules kept perfectly good American COVID-19 test kits off the market because they hadn’t gone through its multiyear approval process.

Michigan’s Gov. Gretchen Whitmer banned “public and private gatherings of any size.” Residents were told they could not see friends or relatives.

Many of her rules seemed random. She banned motorboats and jet skis, but allowed kayaks and canoes. She closed small businesses, but exempted big-box stores if they blocked off aisles offering plant nurseries and paint. Why?

Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) “six-foot rule” under Trump was arbitrary, says former FDA commissioner, Dr. Scott Gottlieb. COVID travels in aerosols that flow much farther than six feet.

When some Americans became fed up and protested, they were vilified for “threatening the public.” Some were fined. A few were arrested.

It’s clear now that restrictive rules were not the best way to protect people.

Sweden took a near opposite approach. They mostly left people alone.

Swedish officials encouraged the elderly and other at-risk people to stay home.

But beyond that, they let life carry on as normal. Sweden didn’t impose lockdowns, school closures, or mask mandates.

They followed standard pre-COVID wisdom that the best protection is what epidemiologists call “herd” or “collective” immunity. Once a critical mass of people are infected and recover, collective immunity will reduce the total number of infections.

Arrogant American politicians and media “experts” sneered at Sweden’s approach.

NBC “reported” on what it called, “Sweden’s failed experiment. How their dangerous Covid gamble went wrong.”

CBS confidently stated, “Sweden becomes an example of how not to handle COVID.”

Time magazine headlined: “Swedish COVID-19 Response Is a Disaster.”

But the media’s experts were just wrong. Swedish health officials were right.

Yes, at the beginning of the pandemic, Sweden suffered high numbers of COVID deaths, but as predicted, over time, herd immunity protected people. Sweden’s excess death rate was the lowest in Europe.

Sweden’s economy got through the pandemic much healthier than other countries. Because Swedish schools never closed, Swedish students didn’t suffer the learning losses that American kids did.

Four years later, have media blowhards who were wrong apologized? Corrected their stories? No.

Have American politicians apologized and begged forgiveness for their arrogance, for destroying jobs, restricting our freedom, and needlessly pushing us around? No.

Let’s not give politicians power like that again.

COPYRIGHT 2024 BY JFS PRODUCTIONS INC

Woman arrested after trying to remove squatters from her New York home
“I’m arrested for being in my own home,” she said as cops escorted her off the property.

A 47-year-old New York City woman was recently arrested for unlawful eviction after trying to prevent squatters from re-entering the $1 million property bequeathed to her by her family.

Adele Andaloro changed the locks on the Flushing, Queens home, which according to NYC law is not allowed if “tenants” have inhabited a building for more than 30 days, which in this case, some had.

According to ABC7, a number of people began occupying the home on February 6 and refused to leave. When a crew went out to interview Andaloro, one of the squatters arrived at the property and unlocked the door. After being confronted, however, she fled.

With the door wide open, Andaloro and the crew entered. In addition to her furniture, she discovered two men sleeping in a room at the back of the house, one of whom had only been “renting” for two days. A number of 911 calls were placed, and when police showed up, they took the men away.

Andaloro explained that police told her they could arrest her if the locksmith she had called earlier that day went ahead and changed the locks. Nonetheless, she told him to do it.

A short time later, the two men who had been apprehended returned to the property and confronted her, calling 911.

“Why is it that I have to leave and he doesn’t have to leave?” Andaloro asked officers when they showed up, to which one replied, “Technically he can’t be kicked out. You have to go to [housing] court.”

One of the men claimed to have signed a lease in October, but failed to provide any proof. Andaloro, on the other hand, came prepared with all the necessary paperwork showing that it was, in fact, her home.

In the end, Andaloro was arrested and the men were allowed to remain in the home, pending further legal action.

She lamented the fact that, “by the time someone does their investigation, their work, and their job, it will be over 30 days and this man will still be in my home,” referring to the second squatter who had only been there for two days.