Cornerstone, Dislodged?

Looks like the Trumpistas are aiming their harpoons at another whale:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin said that the agency will review the agency’s endangerment finding — the “holy grail of the climate change religion” that has created over a trillion dollars in regulatory impact.

Wut dat?  Breitbart explains:

The finding stated that greenhouse gas emissions are an alleged threat to public health and welfare.

And when you look at the data which supposedly supports the finding, it, like most other “environmental” data, is a bunch of codswallop.

The EPA proceeded in an unorthodox manner. Slicing and dicing the language of the statute, it made an “endangerment finding” totally separate from any actual rulemaking-setting standards for emissions from cars. EPA argued it had the authority to do this because Congress didn’t specifically forbid it from taking this approach. By taking this approach, the endangerment finding intentionally ignored costs of regulations that EPA knew would follow from the finding — and indeed ignored any other policy impacts of those regulations.

Results (that you or I would care about)?

Diana Furchtgott-Roth, the director of the Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment at the Heritage Foundation, said that the EPA regulations that arose from the endangerment finding have contributed to automobile prices to rise from $23,000 in 2009 to nearly $50,000 now.

The EPA has relied on the endangerment finding for seven vehicle regulations that reportedly have an aggregate cost of more than one trillion dollars, according to the agency’s own regulatory impact analyses. 

We all knew that enviro-bullshit was behind so much of the price increases — that, and the raft of “safety” regulations that accompanied them.

My message to Sec. Lee Zeldin:

Get rid of that stuff.

Me, I’d like to see the FedGov refund some of that trillion-dollar price increase to everyone who bought cars and trucks — internal-combustion-driven cars and trucks, that is — from 2009 until today.

Why?  Because it was taken from these buyers by government malfeasance.

And if our current government wants to “claw back” some of that money from the people and organizations who instigated this swindle, that would be fine, too.

Thanks, And A Reminder

Let me start off by sincerely thanking all of you who have already made contributions to The Last Appeal.  Your generosity is wonderful, and humbling.

As we are about halfway through the month allotted for this painful and embarrassing activity (for me, that is), allow me nevertheless to post this gentle reminder.  Details are in the link above.

  • Venmo: @Kim-dutoit-3
  • PayPal: kim@kimdutoit.com
  • Zelle:  kim@kimdutoit.com
  • Dead Tree:  (sooper-seekrit mailing address)
    6009 W. Parker Rd Ste 149-141, Plano TX 75093

Wasted Money

I see that the Department of Labor, not to be outdone by other federal departments in Extreme Chainsaw Activity, has done The Right Thing:

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has canceled nearly $600 million in grants to foreign countries in another round of major funding cuts.

John Clark, a DOL official appointed by President Donald Trump, directed the department’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) to axe all 69 of its active grant programs on Wednesday due to a “lack of alignment with agency priorities and national interest.”

Quite what the Department of Labor was doing in giving money to furriners in the first place… well, we all know the answer to that one.  [humming the tune to “The Internationale”]

And seeing as the U.S. is no longer part of the international socialist collective — or at least we’re heading in that direction, at long last — there’s no reason for us to fund the wellbeing of foreign workers anyway.

One particular item did catch my attention, though:

“$3 million for ‘safe and inclusive work environments’ in Lesotho”

I’ve been to Lesotho several times, know the place quite well in fact, and for three million bucks you could probably buy the country’s entire industrial infrastructure, pay the workers a fat cash bonus and still have some money left over to  gamble  invest in a couple of their casinos.

Of “$3 million to ‘enhance social security access and worker protections for internal migrant workers’ in Bangladesh”, we will not speak.  (It’s a Muslim country;  let the fucking Arabs pay for it.)

Similar arguments can be made for all the other useless items.  Read the article for the full flavor of the wastage, and if you have specific knowledge of the circumstances of any of them, feel free to comment.

In the meantime:

Be Still, My Beating Heart

From the Trump Administration:

Attorney General Pam Bondi warned against committing acts of vandalism or terrorism against Tesla products or other Elon Musk-owned properties.

Bondi said those committing those acts would face the full brunt of federal law enforcement without the possibility of plea agreements.

That thumping noise you hear is that of my heart, having burst right out of my ribcage, doing a

around the house.

Friendlier Shores

I see that the Henry Repeating Arms Company has decided to move its 100% Made In America operation out of the  gun-hating state of New Jersey to the friendlier boundaries of Wisconsin.

Considering that Wisconsin is a super-prime target market for their lever-action rifles — all that deep-woods hunting, oh my — this should come as no surprise to anyone.  (I’m kinda curious as to why not Pennsylvania, but they doubtless have good reasons for the Midwest destination.)

The only question that I — and every American gun owner — would have is:  What the hell took you so long?

There are not that many, if any, gun manufacturers from which I could buy pretty much all the guns in their catalogue without regret, but Henry is definitely one.

I don’t care if the technology is old-fashioned and dated — what the hell, so am I — but this is one rifle I’ve never owned, but should have.

And About Damn Time, Too

Getting our act together:

President Donald Trump’s administration is eliminating taxpayer-funded housing program benefits going to illegal aliens.

This week, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced the “American Housing Programs for American Citizens” memorandum which will prevent taxpayer money from being used to aid illegal aliens.

“American tax dollars should be used for the benefit of American citizens, especially when it comes to an issue as pressing as our nation’s housing crisis,” Turner said in a statement:

This new agreement will leverage resources, including technology and personnel, to ensure the American people are the only priority when it comes to public housing. We will continue to work closely with DHS to maximize our resources and put American citizens first.

Yup.

  • For illegal aliens:  tent cities and return tickets;
  • U.S. citizens in truly parlous circumstances:  subsidized housing.

Taxpayer money for our own, not for strangers.