Here’s the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Larry writes: As a car guy and a recently retired exec in the auto industry, I pay a lot of attention to the ludicrous games, not only at the EPA, with the NHTSA, the ethanol scam and the EV subsidies madness . . . any you cover -and have covered – them very well! I have just a couple of points below:
Where Trumpee seems to have been given a free pass (and “conservative pundit” cheerleaders trumpet his every inaction – bad pun) is in the CAFE standards “roll back” in the news several months back.
The way I understand it, the Bozo merely SLOWED the rate of increase each year; Barry’s plan still lives! It will truly restructure all car makers’ strategy – pushing them into EVs. So if the CAFE standards were not reduced (I say repeal the damn things) then we are on our way to EVs everywhere, complete with carbon taxes (already doing it) to be paid by all non-EV car buyers. Just look at the way the car makes are scrambling. Every tax/regulation on “business” is paid for by the customer. When will the sheeple begin to realize this? As usual – no one is to blame – we’re just running full speed into EVs – just like common-core has been completely implemented – against the Orange Man’s wishes of course.
Trump already has pushed for E85: Ethanol has 30 percent less energy than regular gas; so at a 10 percent blend we get 3 percent lower mileage. Car makers could use the 3 percent to meet the outrageous standards; kill ethanol. It also has a negative carbon footprint. If Trump were not a swamp-thing, he would have eliminate the EPA mandate completely and maybe the ethanol fascist (government in bed with big business) scam. Trump is the controlled demolition of the last group of truly conservative, christian and libertarian groups that loved the USA as it was founded.
Final thought: Not a peep from conservatives or Trump cheerleaders on the Supreme Court decision that affirmed the state’s right to control churches. Roberts sided with libtards on this one. Go figure.
My reply: You’re absolutely right that CAFE regs – which impose “fleet average”miles-per gallon standards all car companies must comply with and which we pay for, in the form of ever-more-expensive new cars as well as the wealth transfers associated with electric cars – ought to be be abolished, not scaled back a little or temporarily not increased.
And you’re absolutely right that CAFE regs are being used to push IC cars off the market so that EVs can take their place. This being necessary because most Americans don’t want an EV – and cannot afford one. Which seems perverse until you realize that the real goal isn’t to replace the current fleet of IC cars with electric cars but to drastically reduce the number of cars by making it so that the average person cannot afford to own a personal car in the future.
To his partial credit, the Orange Man did rescind the fines that would have descended for failure to comply with the massive increase in “fleet average” MPG decreed by Obama – to 50 MPG by 2025 (the current standard is about 35 MPG) and he has mad an effort to dial back what Obama decreed.
But your points are all valid. I especially agree with regard to ethanol, which is perhaps the most obnoxious example of rent-seeking in American history, until the advent of the electric car. At least the ethanol scam is only about money. The EV thing is about taking away the average American’s mobility; or rather, greatly restricting and controlling it.
I cling to one thin thread – which is that the Orange Man is playing for time; that his instincts are generally good (or at least, not outright evil) with regard to CAFE but that he is dealing with an unprecedented juggernaut of not merely opposition but efforts to destroy him – personally as well as politically – and can only do so much without an electoral mandate. I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt until the election and – if he wins – will support his efforts to do the things he ought to (such as rescind CAFE entirely)., But my patience is wearing thin, too.
If he does manage re-election and it’s more of the same (meaning more talk of “draining the swamp” while the swamp continues to fill up) then I’m done not just with Orange Man but the whole dog and pony show. I will devote my efforts to a peaceful separation/decentralization movement – which I may regret not having devoted myself to years and years ago.
. . .
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***”If he does manage re-election and it’s more of the same (meaning more talk of “draining the swamp” while the swamp continues to fill up) “***
Don’t mean to pick on ya Eric, but why would you expect things to be any different if Trump gets a second term, than they’ve been during his first? If we support authoritarians…we get more authoritarianism (He’s the “law and order” president ya know…who has bolstered and increased the military and police more so than anyone since FDR!).
No matter who was in office, the fact remains that the infrastructure for mass adoption of EVs does not exist- so one way or another, any occupier of the office would have had to find a way to retain ICE cars for the time being, and would have either slowed down the CAFE as Trump did, or done something similar- Heck, they’ve even come to that realization in China and are stopping their EV subsidies…. They do what is expedient and make adjustments to the overall plan as required….the only difference between the commies(D) and the Nazis(R) is the spin they put on their actions to make it appear that we have a choice…but the end results are the same.
I have to admit, I was even rooting for Trump early on in hi initial campaign…I had a little hope that just maybe we’d be given a little respite. But man, did he blow it! He just said what we wanted to hear. Some continue to “believe” because they are so desperate to hear…despite the fact that what they hear are obviously empty words. This is how they keep people invested in the system. WE on the other hand should know better.
It’s like pro-wrestling fans buying into the spectacle being performed in the ring, even though they know it’s an act; an entertainment spectacle- they play their part as the audience, just as the wrasslers play their part. It’s hard to point-out the fact that it is fake(illegitimate) when you are rooting for Andre The Giant[Donald The Trump]
Hiya Nunz,
Probably – almost certainly – you’re right.But if there’s even a slight chance OM might be better (from a liberty standpoint) than the only alternative, then I feel obliged to at least give the OM tepid support.
Ah, I wish, Eric- but that’s just it: There IS no alternative. It’s Russian Roulette with bullets in all of the chambers, because unlike a third-world banana republic where the game changes completely depending on which dictator is elected/installed, here, there is no change in the overall game no matter what actors take the roles.
The plans and agendas being pursued have remained fundamentally unchanged over the last 100+ years…they just get closer to completion with every subsequent administration, because no one who gets the role can really call his own tune, even if he had a mind to…which none of them do.
One candidate pays homage to welfare; the other to wars…but no matter who wins…we get both- and so it is for every other thing which government deems to be their business. Only the emphasis/rhetoric changes.
If anything, Trumps presidency should have made this crystal clear more so than anyone else’s. He sounded pretty good compared to the standard (Hitlery; Mittens, etc.) but yet, we have suffered greater loss of liberty under his watch than I have ever witnessed in my lifetime. It’s sad- But hoping where no hope is justified, is not going to help. Better to realize the nature of our plight…and make plans accordingly, rather than pin our futures on false hopes that we KNOW will crumble.
Coming to terms with this will actually make you feel better…and help you to escape what we all know is inevitable. Pinning our hopes on what is unreliable and thinking that it’s a possibility- albeit a long-shot, is depressing, because we constantly see that things are not going in the direction that we hope, and we just end up wasting time while our hope never materializes…and at this point, it should obvious that it will never materialize.
Sometimes I have this hopeful thought that getting the Dems in would bring it to a boil and instead of everyone losing their guns, the revolution would be peaceful as tens of thousands turned out in every city in full kit. Is the Nat Guard that brainwashed? Is the military that brainwashed? The young might be but I have a feeling the top of the heap isn’t going to go quietly into the night. Well, we’d find out at least and we might have a “few” nation/states and quite possibly run the military/industrial/welfare complex out of money.
Rich – I agree. From the start of the lock down Trump should have done his job and given notice to the States that continued violation of the 1st amendment will be cause for Federal prosecutorial action.
While it would’ve been even more intriguing if the federal government could override the states in that way, unfortunately things aren’t really set up to work like that. I would’ve been satisfied if Orange Man had taken the contrarian stance in response to all this corona madness, even if all the states chose to go with the flow. When he later came out and took credit for all the lives “saved”, I shook my head in disbelief.
I sort of liken Orange Man to a laissez-faire boss. It’s because of his indifference that the federal government didn’t do a national lock down, even if all the states essentially did the equivalent instead.
If Trump had any interest in upholding his oath of office, he would have prevented the states from implementing unconstitutional lockdowns….. Ditto, he would have refused to sign the biggest spending bill in the history of the world, and it’s creation of TRILLIONS off dollars of fiat phantom currency….but of course, that would make him look bad in the eyes of all of the dogs who were salivating for a $1200 which a tiny fraction of that bill provided.
Funny, he has no problem dictating to the states when he says that there will be no defunding of the fuzz…. But to impose the Constitution on the communist governors- what is supposed to be the ultimate law of the land- THAT he has no interest in.
Sadly, I ultimately see the highest court in the land justifying these shutdowns because of the “legitimate” corona emergency. This after all the time it would take for such cases to wind their way through the system. Or they could refuse to hear it at all, thereby leaving the broken decisions in place at the state level.
Take for example my state of IL. The protracted shutdown here is not only unconstitutional on the federal level but also on the state constitution level. Not to mention, the IL supreme court ruled way back in 2001 that a governor executive order would be valid for only 30 days. This means that our state’s shutdown has technically been illegal since May 1. There’s also due process that’s supposed to mean that in order for a business to be shut down, the IL dept of health would have to bring the business to court and get the appropriate order declaring/proving them to be an actual public health threat, all within 48 hours. But again, this means nothing as the police will shut you down by force. And if the local or county police decree that they won’t follow the governor’s mandate, the IL state police will just step in and enforce it instead. The leading case against the governor’s mandate has been pushed to federal court thanks to the governor’s ability to judge-shop, and while there is a motion filed to move it back to the original venue, who knows when that’ll be heard.
In the meantime, my state continues to flounder with most businesses still closed or severely crippled, as the legislature has so far refused to discuss the governor’s mandate. In essence, they’re allowing the governor to continue his shutdown mandate until we can all be forcibly vaccinated, nothing more or less. What all of this means to me is that the constitution, whether federal or state, is no longer worth the paper on which it’s written.
Exactly, Rich. The Constitution is impotent as long as the people allow it to be violated and don’t give a crap. It’s been blatantly ignored for over 100 years….and now it’s even worse because the traitorous “justices” have many decades of past illegitimate precedents to cite and embolden their own ridiculous decisions.
On the rare occasion when the SCOTUS does still make a competent ruling, or even partly competent, I am shocked. And usually it is only by one vote- so basically one man decides what is the law of the land for 330 million people.
As long as the people go along with it, and there are mercenaries to enforce their dictates, judges have much more power than even the president. This was yet another dropping of the ball/pure evil perpetrated by Trump, in that he wasted his opportunity to appoint two “justices” to the SCOTUS (not to mention lesser federal judgeships) by appointing the usual rabble (But in the case of Kavanaugh, no one noticed, because the overlords put on such a good show to make conservatives want him, by having the Dumbocraps perform their circus act).
This is why it’s redonk to support tyranny- even if we feel that it’s a slightly less evil tyranny…..we just get more tyranny, and with our assent, no less. It’s like supporting the bully who punches you in the nose because he’s better than the other bully who punches you in the nose AND also insults your mama.
Nunzio,
Leaving aside the fact much of what SCOTUS and the lower courts do is unconstitutional, here’s why the courts will never go against the gov’t agenda in a meaningful way: the judges will be PROSECUTED for this or that crime! Even though judges make a nice salary (near or at low six figures), they don’t have the financial resources to sustain a long court fight; forget about how their reputation and career would be damaged!
This happened to a Las Vegas or Reno area federal district court judge. Forgive me for forgetting all the particulars, but age and the rapid flow of events make it hard to keep track. Anyway, this didn’t like something the feds were doing; he made his displeasure known in both his opinions and rulings. So guess what? The local US Attorney’s office went AFTER him for embezzling! He was innocent, but the fight took its toll. The point is this: the gov’t has ways of bringing liberty minded judges and justices to heel. SO! Between spending the bulk of their careers in gov’t and the gov’t having means to exert pressure, lower court judges and SCOTUS justices will side with the gov’t more often than not.
MM, that may be true- but it’s a lot more too:
Many judges rule based on their own political ideas (“The Constitution is a living document, open to change and interpretation”; Activist judges; etc.)
Many owe favors to other politicians for their appointment and or are expected to toe a certain line; are paid by or are invested in different industries and or political groups, lobbies, etc.
Some are just assholes.
Some trade favors with lawyers and prosecutors (That happens a lot at the local level- “O-K Bob, I’ll give you my client in the Moe vs. Curly case, if you rule for my client in the Acme vs. Coyote case…”)
And then you have the ones like at least one of the federal judges Trump appointed, who was so ignorant, he couldn’t even answer 80% of the questions he was asked by the Congressional Committee [or whatever it is] when he was being interviewed [From what I understand, that doesn’t even matter- it’s just a formality- they still get appointed]- And those questions are so basic that a first year law student could answer 80% of them successfully- Heck, I did, and I have a 9th grade edumacation.
What it comes down to, is politics and personal beliefs- I doubt there are any left who actually care about justice, liberty and the Constitution.
Heck, many of them own stock in for-profit private prisons and it’s in their own interest to send people there- but of course, the PTB don’t care about conflict of interest.
It’s just like cops: They hire who will do their bidding and get the job done their way.
It’s just like cops: They hire who will do their bidding and get the job done their way.
That was point… 🙂 While I didn’t think of all the other stuff, I know that there are ways to make judges and justices “play ball” in any case.
So much of what the courts do is UNCONSTITUTIONAL though! The courts were never intended to have the final say on everything; if anything, the Founders wanted the judicial branch to be the weakest of the three.
I think that one reason why both the legislative and executive branches don’t reign in the courts is because it gives them an alibi; it gives them a way out. If the court rules in a way that the people don’t like (e.g. gay marriage, which even lefty CA turned down in a referendum!), the governor, POTUS, and/or legislators can say, “Don’t blame us; it was those crazy courts!” They can allow or foster an agenda without being blamed for it. They can pass the buck, and thus get re-elected. The whole fucking thing’s a racket though…
You may be thinking of judge Claiborne, whose grievous sin was to hold the IRS and US Attorney to normal standards of legal procedure and evidence in federal tax trials. (Such trials are normally carefully-orchestrated political farces.) He was taken down which sent a clear message to his peers.
This was back in the 1980s in or around Reno, as I recall.
Jason, bubby,
Speaking of the 80’s, you remember “Turn ‘Em Loose Bruce” in the Bronx? Bruce Wright -A radical racist POS black judge who’d turn black criminals loose (especially if their victims were white) as a form of “racial justice” and “reparation”! He got away with it for YEARS- despite being the subject of shows like 60 Minutes and Newspaper articles.
Now THAT’S a stinking NIGGER! (A lot of blacks even hated him, ’cause he was helping to keep violence alive in black communities by keeping the scumbags on the streets)
How even the believers in “law and order” can take the system seriously that would allow such things, just illuminates the insanity and absurdity of the Babylon we live in- at that was 40 years ago- when there were still a lot of whites and even some conservatives in NYC!
Nunz, I was out of Hymietown by that time but I think I do remember reading about that creep. As you say, deserving of the term “nigger”. (Of course not all blacks are niggers and not all niggers are blacks.)
Courts have way too much unchecked power. In particular the Supreme Court’s power of “judicial review” (legislating from the bench) was not decreed in the con-stitution. John Marshall pulled it out of his ass in Marbury v. Madison and nobody stopped him.
Many call it the “Just Us” system for good reason!
The “Just Us” system, although not necessarily on the surface agree, eventually agree in the general way from bottom to top.
It seems like most of the disagreement is either from the bottom to somewhere in the upper ends. And we have all lived watching the upper ends supporting one egregious law after the other and sometimes fighting on even level about them.
Now SCOTUS has gone back and revisited some 2A rulings and is due on some others and the leftists are screaming and pulling their hair out no to mention their collective teeth grinding and their denigration of everyone who likes it just the way it was written. They wiggle and squirm and do their best to convince others that “shall not be infringed” isn’t interpreted the same way by every court, and they’d be right but that doesn’t make it legal. Now they have the sump pump in the basement trying to show there’s so much filth in the 2nd it needs to be repealed.
Thankfully, every real American had Clint come before him and give credence to “From my cold, dead hands”. Thanks Clint, a million times over. That does set them off.
JF,
THAT’S the judge! Yeah, he and his peers were sent an unmistakably CLEAR message to play ball, or else…
Orange Man had a chance to do the right thing in response to this pandemic. It would’ve run entirely counter to what the rest of the world is doing. But he chose not to. Great leaders stand out because they’re able to do the right thing regardless. Unfortunately he has not proven to be a great leader. Still, the alternative would’ve been much worse. Should he manage to win reelection, he’ll at least delay the onslaught of a communist/dictatorship for another four years. If he loses, get ready for your head to spin like never before.