Gearing up for the election

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a bridgeport ganim worker ensures that legitimate ballots won’t feel lonely while waiting for pickup

Last week the Wisconsin Supreme Court, a liberal justice having replaced a retired conservative one, overruled its own precedent and ruled that unmonitored ballot drop boxes were legal after all. The opportunity to vote in person, even before election day, or mailing in a ballot was insufficient to “protect” citizens’ right to vote, the court ruled. The fact that these boxes were in the past, and will be again, placed strategically in Democrat strongholds like Milwaukee and a few other urban locations had, of course, no role in the 4-3 ruling throwing out their 2022 ruling that had prohibited the practice.

Today, Michigan’s governor and her fellow Democrat legislators stripped its election canvassers of fraud-investigation powers.

Michigan's process of handling election recounts and fraud allegations has changed, with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signing two controversial bills into law Monday. ...

Among other changes, the law will eliminate the board of canvasser's investigative powers, instead requiring the board to refer any allegations of fraud to the relevant county prosecutor, rather than conducting a recount.

Only alleged errors could merit a recount, and only when the alleged errors could potentially change election results.

A Democratic state Senator claimed that the laws, "achieve critical goals of protecting the security of every vote, modernizing our recount process, and uplifting the voices of Michigan voters."

“…Removing the ability of election officials to investigate fraud — and kicking it over to local prosecutors instead — has all the obvious appearance of a political sop. Prosecutors, as we all well know, are very frequently politicized, compromised by money and ideology, and aggressively contemptuous of the rule of law.”

“… Limiting recounts to cases "only when the alleged errors could potentially change election results," meanwhile, puts a considerably high barrier in place for petitioners to get a recount in the first place. In effect, the state is apparently saying that unless enough error can be demonstrated to flip an election, authorities don't care.”

I disagree with the author here: it’s not that the authorities [Democrats] don’t care, they do; they care that their candidates win, by any and all means posible.

Londonderry Drive sale

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60 Londonderry Drive, listed at $2.495 million, sold yesterday for $2.8 million, and was immediately put up for rent by the new owners at $13,500. The buyers are from lower Manhattan, so perhaps they’re planning to build new and, in view of our town’s lengthy approval process, don’t care to leave it vacant and costing, rather than earning money during the wait.

Or, possibly, they’re off to Timbuktu to instigate a coup, and want a nice place to come home to after they’re done. Hey; it could happen.

So it's no wonder Joe and his handlers have welcomed so many of them in — particularly the Chinese (UPDATED)

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biden voters await pickup

Biden under pressure after countries refuse to take back illegal immigrants

House lawmakers are urging the Biden administration to do more to push back against countries, including China, who fail to take back their illegal immigrants amid an influx of nationals across the southern border.

The 14 Republican lawmakers, led by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, are raising concerns about the record number of Chinese migrants that have flooded across the U.S. border in recent months, and that it is one of a number of "recalcitrant" countries who fail or who are uncooperative in taking back their illegal immigrants.

"This is concerning as China and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) pose grave threats to the United States’ economic and national security. In fact, China is one of 13 countries considered uncooperative or "recalcitrant," systematically refusing or needlessly delaying the repatriation of their citizens," they say in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Fiscal Year 2023 set a record for the number of Chinese nationals coming across the border, with 24,314 nationals. With FY 24 still not finished, that mark has already been surpassed. It has raised a number of national security concerns, with lawmakers and officials warning that it could open the door to Chinese espionage.

Recently, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) touted a new charter flight of Chinese nationals, which it says was the first large charter flight since 2018. The lawmakers cite reports that fewer than 150 illegal immigrants were on the flight, while only 288 Chinese nationals were removed in FY 2023, only a small fraction of the tens of thousands coming across. 

DHS said that the flight was the result of efforts by Mayorkas to engage China "on areas of mutual interest" and the countries are working to reduce illegal immigration and disrupt smuggling.

"We will continue to enforce our immigration laws and remove individuals without a legal basis to remain in the United States," Mayorkas said in a statement announcing the flights. "People should not believe the lies of smugglers." 

Would-be border crossers have every reason to believe their smugglers; it’s the American public that shouldn’t believe the lies of the administration.

This refusal of return has been known for years, and the response has been to open the floodgates further.

Nov 15, 2021

Biden's new border problem: Nations won't take back migrants

[An] unprecedented number of migrant adults are coming from countries that make deportation difficult, primarily Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Brazil. And since that article was written in 2021, the Chinese have arrived.

What are these industrious newcomers up to one they’ve gained what is sure to be permanent residency? Quite a few of them are busy in America, running illegal marijuana farms, such as those described by The Maine Wire:

Triad Weed: How Chinese Marijuana Grows Took Over Rural Maine

UPDATE



Diversion of resources

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Every dollar spent on a useless project or new, useless “Green” regulation is a dollar not invested in a productive one: it’s not surprising that our GNP growth has dwindled from 4% annually to 1%.

Shot:

Biden awards $1.7 billion to boost electric vehicle manufacturing and assembly in eight states

The Energy Department will issue grants totaling $1.7 billion to create or retain thousands of union jobs and support auto-based communities that have long driven the U.S. economy, the White House said Thursday. Besides the three battleground states, grants also will go to EV facilities in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland and Virginia.

Chaser:

EVidently Lousy EV Demand Is EViscerating EVeryone's Prior Plans

Beege Welborn HotAir:

For a government-mandated, bet-the-farm sure thing, our purely electric vehicle future sure has been nothing but an ongoing litany of bad news. I, for one, sure have been fascinated watching -  and documenting - as the whole grifting Green, not-ready-for-prime-time scheme falls apart in real-time.

So here I am with today's round-up of sobering reality checks on what happens when climate cult fever dreams meet a free marketplace.

In yet another blow to the already reeling German economy - again, thank you, Greens - Volkswagen has once more drawn an EV blank and come up fahrvernügies.

Well, shoot. What happened there?

...It noted that it is also considering the restructuring or potential shutdown of its Audi plant in Brussels, where it employs 3,000 people, on the back of weak demand for the Audi Q8 e-tron line — a fully electric offering from the brand, launched in 2019.

>>>>

There were rumors the latest VW move was going to be quite a leap from frying pan into the inextinquishable EV fire...

Cars and trucks are the archetypal examples of industrial hardware. And automotive manufacturing historically has been all about finding ways to efficiently engineer and assemble metal, glass, and plastics into road-going vehicles with consumer appeal. But the big change in locomotion from the internal combustion engine to electric motors has shaken everything up. So when Volkswagen, the world’s highest-earning automaker, announced last month that it was going to invest billions of dollars into a joint venture with the start-up electric-vehicle maker Rivian, it was a dramatic sign of how much automaking has changed over the past decade.

...but it all turned out to be a head fake.

 Rivian (RIVN.O), opens new tab on Tuesday said it had no plans to produce vehicles with Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE), opens new tab after a media report said the U.S. electric vehicle maker was in early talks with the German automaker to extend a recent partnership beyond software.

European carmakers are feeling the dragon's breath on their necks, even as they struggle to cope with the lack of anticipated demand they'd all spooled up for.

German carmakers struggled in China and suffered a drop in vehicle sales in the second quarter, but experienced diverging fortunes in the hotly contested electric-vehicle market.

...Competition in the electric-vehicle market has intensified and car makers have been cutting prices to try and gain market share, particularly as production of new cheaper models from Chinese manufacturers have hit the market and begun to gain traction in Europe.

The European Union recently placed additional tariffs on Chinese-made EVs, following a similar move by the U.S. China has yet to respond and executives at European brands fear an escalating trade war could hurt Europe’s industry long-term.

Mercedes-Benz said overall sales of its cars fell 4% on year in the second quarter, with a slump in customer appetite for battery-electric vehicles in some of its biggest markets.

Mercedes had banked on at least 50% of their vehicle sales being electric by 2025. It is growing ever more obvious that there is no way the company is going to come close to meeting that threshold. Ergo, adjustments are being made to scale back plans already in the works while others are being put on hold.

 Mercedes-Benz will wait to see if electric vehicle demand picks up before adding more battery cell capacity, with lower projected EV sales meaning it will no longer need the capacity initially planned for 2030, said Markus Schafer, the group's chief technology officer.

The automaker said in 2022 that it would need more than 200 gigawatt-hours of battery cell capacity by the end of the decade and planned to build eight cell factories worldwide with partners, including four in Europe.

But with EV demand lower than many automakers had forecast, Mercedes said earlier this year it did not expect sales of electrified vehicles, including plug-in hybrids, to reach up to 50 percent of the total until 2030 -- five years later than its previous forecast of 2025.

They remain optimistic for sales going forward. They all do.

Ford is bravely rolling out a new Capri in Europe. Je suis, Capri.

There was an interesting piece on Real Clear Energy the other day doing some more math with available figures for EV advocates and their climate cult backers. It's a pretty good read and goes into a wealth of detail on concerns and drawbacks both for owners and the public infrastructure at large.

According to Electrly, the electric vehicle charging manufacturer, it takes an average of 90 kilowatt-hours of electricity to fully charge a Tesla Model Y long range all-wheel-drive vehicle, 83 kWh for the Model Y performance version, and 67 kWh for the standard range Model Y. 

Each Tesla uses between 0.24 to 0.30 kWh per mile, or about 4,500 kWh over a year for 15,000 miles of driving. Other electric vehicles use more or less, but within a similar range. At 0.30 kWh per mile, that’s 90 kWh for 300 miles of driving for the typical week. 

The average American household without an in-home EV charging station consumes about 30 kWh per day, or about 10,720 kWh over a year’s time. With just one electric vehicle being charged at home, that total increases to about 15,220 kWh. For two-EV households, that total runs up to nearly 20,000 kWh per year (assuming both drivers commute to work). That’s nearly double current electricity usage for such families.

...Two home-charged EVs would eat up nearly half the household’s total electricity usage – and require thousands of dollars to upgrade the house’s electric panel. Today’s 50-kva transformers, which cost about $8,000 each, can power about 60 homes; that number drops closer to 40 if each of those homes houses one electric vehicle, closer to 30 with two EVs using home chargers.

For a city with 120,000 homes, which today may require about 2,000 transformers, the addition of 120,000 home-charged electric vehicles means adding 1,000 transformers, about $8 million. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, because distributing 50 to 100% more household electricity requires generating 50 to 100% more electricity. 

...Ars Technica reports one concern motorists have with buying EVs is the shortfall of public charging stations. The U.S. Department of Energy says that, of the nation’s 64,000 public charging stations, only 10,000 are direct current chargers that can replenish an EV battery is 30 minutes rather than several hours – and that’s if there is no line. 

What the EV-promoting journal misses in its excuse-me post is that those fueling up at the nation’s 120,000 gasoline and diesel stations can do so in far less than 30 minutes, usually waiting a maximum 60 seconds to access a free pump. 

>>>>

...But mostly, people just want to be free to make their own economic and transportation choices and not have some unelected bureaucrat making those decisions for them.

Bureaucrats and cultists shouldn't be surprised when they try to force something down

Old Greenwich closing price reported

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6 Willow Lane, priced at $2.195 in March, has sold for $2.475. The owners had placed it upon the rocky waters of real estate commerce in July 2023 at $2.6 million and, meeting no overwhelming demand for the property, canceled the listing that September. Properly chastened by the indifferent forces of the marketplace, they returned this March at the aforesaid $2.195, and a happy compromise has been achieved.

Give her this: she makes Joe look like he's on top of his game

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fit as a fiddle

Until the Democrats lost control of the House last year, this 85-year-old (86 in August) lady served as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee* and is still the Ranking Member. She is running for reelection this fall, and will undoubtedly win. Our country is in the best of all trembling hands.

*Wikipedia:

The United States House Committee on Financial Services, also referred to as the House Banking Committee and previously known as the Committee on Banking and Currency, is the committee of the United States House of Representatives that oversees the entire financial services industry, including the securities, insurance, banking and housing industries. The Financial Services Committee also oversees the work of the Federal Reserve, the United States Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and other financial services regulators.

The House Committee on Financial Services is considered to be one of the House's most powerful committees.[1]

It is currently chaired by Republican Patrick McHenry from North Carolina, having assumed office in 2023. He previously served as the committee's Ranking Member. The Ranking Member is Democrat Maxine Waters from California, who previously chaired the committee under a Democrat majority in the House.

It's not the heat, it's the stupidity

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Powerline

THE DAILY CHART: RECORD HEAT, THEN AND NOW

Get ready for the all-time climate cult jamboree at the end of this year, as 2024 is shaping up to the planet’s “hottest year ever on record” (with “on record” being a key part of this panic attack). Judith Curry has a terrific post up on her site a few days ago explaining how a hot year was predicted for this year not because of rising CO2 levels, but the massive Hunga-Tonga volcano eruption last year, which we covered here and here.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is suffering a sustained heat wave right now, with the word “record” thrown around, except that we are likely not exceeding high temp records that go back almost a century, though different data sets have different markings:

Here’s a different high temp record from various past years:

The same ahistorical climate hysteria is going on in Canada apparently:

It's one way to cut down the crime statistics

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nothing to see here, move along, move along

Sacramento city attorney reportedly threatened to fine Target store for reporting theft crimes

The City of Sacramento, California’s legal department threatened to fine a popular retail store for public nuisance over numerous calls to police after thieves stole from its Land Park location multiple times, according to a report.

The Sacramento Bee reported that a person with knowledge of the warning who wanted to remain anonymous out of fear they could be retaliated against, said Sacramento officials warned they would issue an administrative fine to the Target at 2505 Riverside Boulevard in Land Park, during the past year.

A police spokesperson confirmed the location to the publication after being asked about the alleged warning.

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"Newsom keeps insisting that reports of theft are dropping – well now we know why. Not only are thieves let off without even a slap on the wrist, but now the victims are being threatened for even reporting crimes," California Assembly GOP Leader James Gallagher told Fox News Digital. "Everyone can see that Newsom’s pro-criminal policies are a failure – no matter how much his allies try to cover it up."

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In 2023, Target locations in Sacramento reportedly had 375 calls for service for theft, robbery and shoplifting, compared to the 80 crimes reported for theft, robbery and shoplifting by Sacramento police in 2023.

A lot of blue cities are doing this, it appears. Stop responding to calls — Portland, OR police, a victim in my immediate family was told, won’t turn out for even active car break-ins — and dispirited citizens soon stop bothering to report crimes. No reports, no crime — it’s a miracle!