Pacific Palisades Fire Victims Still in Temporary Housing

How screwed up is California? More than you know. 75% of Pacific Palisades Fire Victims Still Stuck in Temporary Housing

As California Gov. Gavin Newsom gallivants in Brazil with United Nations climate crisis bureaucrats, the Golden State is rapidly approaching a dreadful milestone.

As we head into the holiday, we are nearing the first anniversary of the Los Angeles area wildfires that destroyed Pacific Palisades and Altadena. Sadly, it appears that three-quarters of Pacific Palisades and two-thirds of Altadena residents remain in temporary housing. And time is running out for those whose insurance is covering the cost of renting due to displacement.

The details are insane. Click thru. (Hat tip to Sarah Hoyt at Instapundit.)

ATF "Claims" It Has Reformed

Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (that should be a convenience store, and not a .gov bureaucracy) is in full-on cover-your-ass mode. So they want you to believe that they have turned over a new leaf, and they totally shouldn't be disbanded. Or something.

No one is buying what they are selling.

This is the Liberty Doll video ATF Claims It's Reformed

This isn't the same organization that did Waco or Ruby Ridge guys, or so they want you to believe. It's not the same agency that murdered Brian Malinowski, or spent years taking advantage of informants with developmental disabilities and brain damage, which, boy, I just uncovered while writing this video, and you can bet that story is coming up on my docket, friends.

A Dozen Protesters Support the High Speed Train to Nowhere

You would think the people in line to get some of the money would have funded a few more. A Dozen Protesters Rally for California's High Speed Rail to Nowhere | Frontpage Mag

California’s high-speed rail had a $9.95 billion bond measure back in 2008 that was supposed to link up LA, San Francisco and the Central Coast by 2020.

It’s 2025 and the budget has shot up to $128 billion.

Nothing has been built (except mansions for the well-connected) and there’s no sign that’s about to change.

That 9.95 billion dollars was for the entire thing. Los Angeles to San Francisco. Current budget is for Bakersfield to Merced. Which is why people are calling it the train to nowhere.

And for that they got a dozen protestors, because a lot of people don't want to spend any more money on it. The Trump Administration definitely wants to get the federal government out of the business of funding this insanity.

Connecting Merced to San Francisco, and Bakersfield to Los Angeles would require some fairly intense tunneling. Nothing that a company like Herrenkenect couldn't handle, but no matter how you slice it, that won't be cheap.

There were awkward hipsters probably employed by nonprofit groups, a guy in a COVID mask and a guy dressed like a dinosaur.

And someone who threw a tomato at a legislator. But most relevantly, the best the protest could do was about a dozen leftists.

It being California, I'm sure that no one was charged with assault.

Social Justice = Death

Guess what the bureaucrats are pushing. NYC puts social justice over child safety with deadly results: ACS caseworker

Jahmeik Modlin was starved to death by his mother. He had burn marks on his skin. This was despite a case being open at the Administration for Children’s Services.

Why?

Because taking kids away from mothers who are abusing them is RACIST if those mothers are Black. Even opening an investigation is Racist.

From an insider/whistleblower...

In October, when 4-year-old Jahmeik Modlin became the sixth child in the city to die of malnutrition within three months, I, sadly, was not surprised.

Despite this grim reality, ACS and city leadership have deprioritized investigations into child welfare, acting out of a false sense of compassion and social justice.

Go read the whole depressing thing, and ask why we trust government with anything.

ACS has traded child safety for the pursuit of racial equity, embracing abstract ideals over facts and logic. This intellectualized squeamishness allows vulnerable children to remain in homes plagued by untreated mental illness or addiction.

The child's mother is now charged with murder. So instead of spending money to save his life, will spend money to support her life during years of incarceration. Your tax dollars at work. Or not, as the case may be.

“We’d have been far better off if governments had done absolutely nothing.”

The governments and the Left and (most) of the media still won't admit this. Despotic social controls cost lives | The Spectator

So did all of the COVID-19 "interventions" mandated by governments without regard for civil rights actually do anything with respect to COVID? No. They did do a lot of things, like destroy the education of a generation, increase suicide and mental illness generally, and our blue cities saw tremendous crime waves. So they did accomplish something, just not what they intended.

Another example of "Do Something!" resulting in the wrong thing.

Given the perfect absence of any correlation whatsoever between the severity of restrictions and Covid mortality rates, even when comparing like regions with like, it’s probable that this plethora of ‘interventions’ that made our lives hell while making a mockery of representative government – all those ludicrous ‘tiers’, the Harry Potter-ish ‘rule of six’ – made not the slightest difference to the death toll. Waves of variants came and went, oblivious of state diktats. Nature prevailed, as nature is wont to. We’d have been far better off if governments had done absolutely nothing.

Go read the whole thing. For the bad that was done and the worse that is being planned by the World Health Organization. (Hat tip to Samizdata quote of the day – our right are extremely alienable. That is, the opposite of inalienable rights.)

SVB: Too Big to Fail

Here we go again. And add Signature Bank - the bank to the crypto industry - to that list. It is also being bailed out. Bailouts and Bulls***: Fed Officials Claim ‘No Cost to Taxpayers’ in SVB Deal

Less than 72 hours ago, Janet Yellen was saying there wouldn’t be a bailout of Silicon Valley Bank. Now there is a bailout, which everybody is nevertheless trying to pretend is not a bailout

So much BS.

This whole regime of no consequences and no accountability, where the politically connected are protected, obviously cannot go on forever.

So much fail, and yet they are not allowed to fail.

They Will Never Admit Being Wrong about Lockdowns

Even in the face of data, politicians and bureaucrats will say they were always right, even when they were wrong. The Delusional Beliefs of the Lockdown Fanatics

This is an article from the UK and it covers data from the UK. I doubt the disease acted differently in the UK than it did everywhere.

Let's start by looking at the actual statistics.

Cain’s argument here is interesting mainly because it shows that lockdown proponents are still stuck in March 2020 and no amount of contrary evidence will disturb the serenity of their self-congratulation. Cain repeats the discredited claim that “Covid’s exponential growth meant that for every day that decisive action was delayed, the magnitude of the problem would soar”. The Spectator even kindly printed immediately below Cain’s letter this week a letter from Edinburgh mathematician Professor Simon Wood, which sets out once again (as he has numerous times before, including in the Spectator) the clear evidence that new daily infections in England, far from “rising exponentially”, were already falling before lockdown on March 23rd 2020. This crucial point is shown in Professor Wood’s chart below, taken from his peer-reviewed study on the subject. Yet rather than conceding that his entire argument is built on a falsehood, Cain expanded his letter into a full-length article which the Spectator published Thursday morning and which repeats the demonstrably false assertion that lockdown was necessary to address “exponentially rising” infections. Why the Spectator editors have allowed him to publish the unsubstantiated claim (twice) without addressing the contrary evidence, which they have themselves published beneath it on the letters page, is frankly baffling. At what point does this qualify as spreading misinformation?

As you can see, the lockdown came even as things were getting better on their own. But the government had to be seen to be "doing something!" Even if that something is detrimental.

That was the first outbreak. There were two more and two more lockdowns. If you click thru and scroll down past this first chart, there is another chart which shows the 2nd and 3rd lockdowns were ALSO initiated AFTER the disease had begun to retreat. Lockdowns did nothing but trash freedom and destroy economies. The conspiracy theorists will tell you that is what they were meant to do. "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." (That is Hanlon's Razor, itself based on a line from a Heinlein novel.) Politicians are stupid, and math is hard.

Professor Wood is far from alone in making these observations. Already in April 2020, Oxford’s Professor Carl Heneghan noted in the Mail that by projecting back from the peak of deaths on April 8th it could be inferred that the peak of infections occurred around a week before the lockdown was imposed. Indeed, Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty himself told MPs in July 2020 that the R rate went “below one well before, or to some extent before, March 23rd”, indicating a declining epidemic. Yet Cain remains blissfully unaware of this evidence, still clinging to the falsified belief that without the “blunt tool” of lockdown, infections would have risen “exponentially” and “overwhelmed” the NHS, causing it to “collapse”.

Whatever problem you have, I promise you that more government is not the answer. (Hat tip to Cafe Hayek.)

What Happens When You Don't Let the Market Set Wages?

You get disruptions in the labor market. In this case, the disruptions are in the labor market for ambulance services. Delayed: Ambulance Response Times Suffer From EMS Worker Shortage

I read a lot of news articles about 911 response times. I'm usually interested in police response times in the face of violent crimes, but occasionally I can't ignore a problem impacting Fire/Rescue and Emergency Medical Services. This makes no sense to me. But then very little in the world to day makes sense to me.

High stress. Low wages. I'm shocked that more people are not signing up for that. Not really that shocked. Actually, I'm shocked that anyone is currently signing up for that.

And while this is a story from, and about, Massachusetts, this is somewhat of a nationwide problem.

As a result of staffing shortages, response times are increasing. They mention one case where it took 30 minutes for an ambulance to respond to a pedestrian struck by a vehicle. That is a long time.

Prior to COVID-19, there was already a high turnover rate among EMS workers. But the pandemic has exacerbated the shortage with some workers leaving the industry from burnout, and fewer recruits coming onboard.

Prospective workers can make similar wages in less stressful, less risky environments like department stores or fast-food chains.

And then the cause of the disparity between the pay and the responsibilities:

Ambulance companies say their revenue is dependent on reimbursement rates from the state and federal government, along with commercial insurers. Until those are increased, don't expect EMS salaries to show much of bump.

And before you jump on the evil, capitalistic insurance companies consider who sets the rates they are permitted to charge. (Hint: It's the government.)

So as people call 911 with greater frequency for issues big and small, the Massachusetts Ambulance Association estimates there are 30% fewer ambulances on the road because there simply aren't enough EMTs and paramedics to staff them.

Is anyone shocked that a high stress job, with literally life and death responsibilities, coupled with the joys of seeing gruesome accident and crime scenes and low pay is having trouble attracting people?

Of course if the market was able to function, that is if wages could be raised to attract and retain enough qualified people, and that cost could be passed on, this would not be an issue. But the evils of Free Markets cannot be allowed to stand, so we have this.

The next choice would be to pay for market wages out of the tax base, but then that might mean that politicians would have to cut back on things that make great news items when elections roll around. Things like parks and community centers and Art in the Parks, and free crack pipes for all, or whatever the latest craze is. In the meantime, while tax money is being spent on crap, life-and-death services are left to suffer.

With apologies to Ron Weasley, and J. K. Rowling, they need to sort out their priorities.

The powers that be are putting lipstick on the pig and saying that they do not know of any negative outcomes caused by this. (Are they looking for outcomes, or are they choosing to remain blissfully ignorant?) But we know that delays in medical care in trauma situations does cause bad things to happen. So even if nothing bad has happened, that cannot last. Something bad will happen to someone because we are incapable of making tough spending choices.

The Insanity Being Spewed by "Health Officers"

While Mr. Mundine is writing about Australia, his sentiment applies in a lot of the world. Warren Mundine: People are sick of lockdowns and border closures

Chief health officers are revered because they are scientists, supposedly basing decisions on some higher truth.

I very much doubt that, given their increasingly bizarre edicts.

50,000 people were allowed to attend a Rugby game, but a few hundreds can't attend church services. At least one of the "Health Officers" made statements that make the anti-vaxxers happy. You can drink beer in an establishment if you are sitting down, but not if you are standing up.

Where’s the science in saying a man can go to a brothel but can’t dance with his wife?

Yes, dancing has been outlawed in at least some parts of Australia. (Queue the theme from Footloose.)

Some of the examples are stupid. Some are worse.

Where’s the science in denying someone a last visit with their dying father? Are health bureaucrats worried a man with days to live might get sick?

Sadly, the Australian bureaucracy isn't the only one that has gone off the rails.

How Much Will Transit Ever Rebound?

Transit is a function of people working in downtown offices. That is a very 20th Century idea. With Metra ridership down 91.5%, railway adding new air purification system to restore confidence - Chicago Sun-Times.

Government stimulus funding is helping the company financially as it saw a 5.5 million fewer passenger trips during the month of January compared to pre-pandemic ridership.

Because spending money on outdated technology is surely what government is best at.

In January of last year, passengers took nearly six million trips, but a year later, ridership this past January barely broke 500,000 trips, which is 5.5 million fewer than last year. Last month’s number was even lower, at 493,000 trips. Metra had earlier estimated that passenger trips would reach 20% of pre-pandemic levels by 2021.

How many people will return to downtown offices? Now that companies have a year to guage how remote working works, and whether it costs or saves money... You could also look at vacancy rates for downtown office space.

This story is about Metra - part of the transit system in and around Chicago - but I'm sure that similar problems are hitting NYC, and other cities.

The Biden Administration Was Happy to See Dead Texans

They made sure there wouldn't be enough energy. Joe Biden’s Dept. of Energy Blocked Texas from Increasing Power Ahead of Enduring Storm

A week before, Texas begged for help and asked for DOE to lift federal regulations barring state’s energy output.

An Emergency Order from the Biden administration’s Department of Energy shows Texas energy grid operator ERCOT was instructed to stay within green energy standards by purchasing energy from outside the state at a higher cost, throttling power output throughout the state ahead of a catastrophic polar vortex.

So how did that work out?

Hat tip to A View from the Beach: Did Biden Let Texas Freeze in the Dark over Global Warming?

COVID Lies from the CDC

Because they don't have to follow the LAW, if they believe that they are doing the Right Thing™. CDC Inflated COVID Numbers, Accused of Violating Federal Law

CDC illegally inflated the COVID fatality number by at least 1,600 percent as the 2020 presidential election played out, according to a study published by the Public Health Initiative of the Institute for Pure and Applied Knowledge. The study, “COVID-19 Data Collection, Comorbidity & Federal Law: A Historical Retrospective,” was authored by Henry Ealy, Michael McEvoy, Daniel Chong, John Nowicki , Monica Sava, Sandeep Gupta, David White, James Jordan , Daniel Simon, and Paul Anderson.

I don't expect anyone to be held to account, because lying is OK if it is for a good reason. Or something. "False Witness?" What are you talking about? This is the 21st Century! We don't worry about Right and Wrong!

Cuomo Seems To Be Hiding COVID-19 Stats

Because he knows he is responsible for the bulk of the nursing home deaths. At least that is my opinion. Cuomo refuses to fully disclose COVID-19 nursing home deaths: watchdog

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration is again refusing to release the total number of nursing home residents who’ve died from the coronavirus for at least another two months — until March 22 at the earliest, a watchdog group charged.

In a letter to the Empire Center for Public Policy on Wednesday, the state Health Department claimed that it needs another nine weeks and five days to comply with the legal request for a full accounting of nursing home deaths “because the records potentially responsive to your request are currently being reviewed for applicable exemptions, legal privileges and responsiveness.”

Because in the whole history of government they have never released preliminary numbers with better numbers next month, except on the economy, unemployment, trade, etc.

CYA? Or is he just hoping it will go away.

Does Government Need to Regulate Everything?

A lot of government regulations are stupid. This one is insane. U.S. To Allow 700ml Whisky Bottles For First Time | WhiskyCast

Did you even know this was a thing? The real question is why?

Years of frustration from America’s whisky lovers may be near an end, as the federal government is about to open up the U.S. market to whiskies never before imported into the United States. The Treasury Department’s Tax and Trade Bureau, which regulates alcoholic beverages at the federal level, will publish new regulations Tuesday in the Federal Register on the so-called “standards of fill” for distilled spirits and wine.

That change will allow 700ml bottles to be imported legally for sale in the U.S. for the first time. 700ml has been the European Union standard f0r more than three decades, while the U.S. settled on a 750ml standard when the Carter Administration adopted metric measurements in 1980.

What possible justification could there be for regulating the size of whiskey bottles, and not regulating the size of yogurt containers. Or cereal boxes?

Oh the big distillers, who obviously don't want any more competition, are afraid you poor schmucks will be confused by the differing sizes of bottles offered. Right.

And they are not eliminating the regulation, just adding to it. Because freedom and liberty are bad and the .gov needs to control every aspect of everything. Can't trust the marketplace, why that wouldn't be socialist. Next you will be advocating for individual action and individual responsibility, and then were would we be?

The FDA Was Protecting You From the Vaccine

Or something. We Had the Vaccine from the Start—You Just Weren't Allowed to Take It

Few people realize that the Moderna vaccine against COVID-19—which the FDA has finally declared "highly effective," and which is now being distributed to Americans—has actually been available for nearly a year.

But the government wouldn't let you take it.

They wouldn't even let volunteers take it to test its effectiveness, because we have RULES. And nothing is more important to a bureaucrat than the RULES.

Missing here is the obvious counterpoint—How many lives did the FDA sacrifice to disease in the meantime?

Everyone who has died since June at least has their blood on the hands of the FDA bureaucracy.

So why was this vaccine delayed for a full year? Because the FDA prohibited rapid "challenge trials"—where volunteers take the vaccine and then expose themselves to the virus in a lab, rather than waiting agonizing months to see how many catch the virus "in the wild."

Challenge trials would have proven the vaccine's effectiveness in a matter of weeks. But the FDA considered the risk to trial volunteers too high.

But 300,000 deaths are OK, because they were not volunteers. OK then.

It's a Miracle! The Flu Is Eradicated!

Or maybe not. Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report | CDC.

Maybe this falls under the heading of Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics. Do you think we cured the Flu, do you think they are ignoring the Flu, or do you think government is lying to you? (Hint: EVERYONE is lying to you.)

As usual, click the images for a larger view.

Flu map for week 51 from the 2019-2020 Flu Season (from the CDC page linked above). Last year week 51 ended on Dec 21, 2019.

And a similar map from the 2020-2021 Flu season, for week 51 - which ended Dec 19, 2020.

Part of the caption (from 2019) reads...

This map use the proportion of outpatient visits to healthcare providers for influenza-like illness to measure the ILI activity level within a state. [My emphasis.]

Gee, do you think that "influenza-like illness" is getting counted differently this year? Hat tip to Twitter and Dr. David Samadi, MD.

As for Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics, the origin of the phrase is confused, but it seem Benjamin Disraeli never said that.