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Last point on TDS: the Left is intentionally creating a hazardous environment for the Federal government to do its job:
DHS: “These attacks are a direct consequence of demonization of our officers by politicians”
Trump gets shot, 3,200% increases in threats on ICE agents…it’s all the same, all demanded by Lefty politicians who want nothing more than an actual physical war with actual casualties against the Right. The rhetoric of the Right is nothing like the Left’s inflammatory rhetoric.
Mamdani is joining the nurses on the picket line. Here’s the key line:
“The union’s ask would hike the average nurse’s salary from $162,000 to $272,000 per year; it also objects to members being asked to contribute to their pensions, something most private-sector workers must do.”
AYFKM? $272k and the government must foot the pension bill.
What will Mamdani do when he runs out of other people’s money…in about five minutes?
By the way, the contract demand would prevent drunk or stoned nurses from getting fired.
Mayor Mamdani just joined the nurses’ picket line against himself
The most relevant question I keep hearing the Democrats ask themselves is “What do we stand for?” — spoiler alert — there are two answers, one quite ably pointed out by GR “Orange Man Bad.” If that’s all you stand for, then all you stand for is impeding the Federal government:
Minnesota, Illinois sue Trump administration to block immigration surges
The second answer, reflecting P. J. O’Rourke’s definition of the Left as “a compendium of nits and quarrels” is to try to balance many, multiple competing demands that can’t possibly be reconciled. There’s not enough money, and to be frank…there are built-in conflicts, disagreements, prejudices and hatreds between groups on the Left.
An odd result of this competition is that the only thing the opposing Lefty groups can really agree on is that Straight White Men Suck And Cause All Our Problems. Then, they lose an election as they lose both straight white men and men of other races and gender preferences, and wonder how to get them back after decades of telling them that they’re the problem. Enter the “tough-guy Progressives”
The prime of tough-guy progressivism
The problem with fighting the Feds is that they have infinitely more resources to throw at you, and if you have a vengeful President who doesn’t need to be re-elected, he’s only happy to oblige; e.g., “If you think my current ICE commitment is too much, wait until I send 2,000 more ICE agents…”
2,000 ICE agents raid Minneapolis Somali community in ‘largest immigration operation ever’
Not me. They’re owned by a NATO country. Offer to buy it, it’s literally a drop in the bucket.
Trump’s Venezuela, Greenland threats make Canada fear it’s next
Pass on Canada. Except for British Columbia and Alberta, the other provinces are (a) in worse demographic shape than America and (b) have worse public debt problems than America. Quebec is in terrible shape, Ontario not much better. Their national health system has dragged them down among other publicly funded goodies.
At some point, Alberta and British Columbia are going to collectively realize that they are the only working provinces that will be expected to support the other eight provinces and three territories.
Incidentally, one-time, temporary taxes are a joke:
- The telephone excise tax was introduced into the U.S. in 1898 as a temporary measure to finance the Spanish-American War. It wasn’t repealed until 108 years later.
- The federal gasoline tax was passed in 1932 to help get us out of the Great Depression and was meant to expire in 1934. It never went away.
- More relevant: A temporary tax on gasoline in California was implemented in 1923 to fund highway construction. It remains in place today as a permanent source of revenue.
Robert Reich and his supporters are cleverly claiming the money collected — from a mere 200 billionaires! — will mainly go toward funding California’s Medicaid recipients. That sounds worthwhile, except that Medicaid is crashing because 1.7 million illegal immigrants are now enrolled. That is 11 percent of California’s total, at a cost of roughly $10 billion.
Apparently, Kamala Harris is having difficulty ginning up the funds for a gubernatorial run. Turns out donors have long memories:
<p data-t=”{"n":"blueLinks","t":13,"a":"click","b":76}”>Kamala Harris is ramping up efforts to connect with long-term supporters as she considers a gubernatorial run in California to replace term-limited Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.</p>
<p data-t=”{"n":"blueLinks","t":13,"a":"click","b":76}”>However, as Politico reports, many Democratic donors remain hesitant, still reeling from the disappointment of her defeat in the 2024 presidential election by Donald Trump.</p><p data-t=”{"n":"blueLinks","t":13,"a":"click","b":76}”>Says one Democratic donor:</p>
<p data-t=”{"n":"blueLinks","t":13,"a":"click","b":76}”>“I’ve written so many checks because I knew the Trump administration would be horrible, but we’re living in a nightmare because of the Democrats. I’m furious at them, truly.”</p>
<p data-t=”{"n":"blueLinks","t":13,"a":"click","b":76}”>Kamala Harris is trying to gain momentum for a California governor run — but ‘no one is incredibly pumped,’ report says</p>
Trump wants to buy it on the cheap, $100k for every Greenland citizen…less than $6 billion…for a territory with an estimated $5 trillion in minerals and incalculable strategic importance.
The odd irony is that the black market (really just a standard market) was the only thing that worked in Communist countries.
And here comes Katie Wilson to fix all of it. It is uncharitable to say, but she looks like a low-watt bulb to me, same as Mamdani.
Meet the socialist Mamdani-style mayor just elected to run West Coast’s 5th largest city
Mayor Katie Wilson, a self-described Socialist Democrat, who was the head of a Transit Rider nonprofit (she earned $73k in 2022) wants a payroll tax on private employers to fund affordable housing, rent freezes, etc. doesn’t own a car. She and her husband rent a one-bedroom apartment.
She has prohibited the Seattle PD from arresting open drug use in Seattle.
Seattle police union condemns new socialist mayor’s drug enforcement approach as ‘suicidal empathy’
Per the article, “death, decay, blight and crime” are right around the corner.
https://www.opb.org/article/2023/08/23/joint-office-homeless-portland-audit/ Similar story in Seattle. Locally, the budget for fighting homelessness is $265M/year. Portland’s homeless population is estimated at 5000. It would be cheaper to just buy a house for each of them.
That’s $53,000 in annual homeless spend for each. There are 5,108 houses for sale in the state of Michigan between $5,000 and $53,000. Send the homeless to Michigan, try to get them jobs. Pay 1/2 the cost of the house this year and the other half to fix it up as necessary. Do the rest the subsequent year.
Presto. Problem solved.
In a way, I feel for Lefty politicians. They are absolutely, completely and totally in thrall to billionaire donors (yes, like Soros) in order to enact their Progressive agenda. But the single, enormous catch is Don’t F With The Tax Advantages Enjoyed By Billionaires.
I’m still convinced Kamala would have won had she attacked the wealthy. Robbing Peter to pay Paul will always get Paul’s vote. She brought it up and mysteriously stopped referencing tax hikes on the rich after two days. And now, Newsom has to choose: offend Democrat Money Sources or Do The Right Thing According to Progressives.
Couldn’t happen to a nicer fella, in my humble opinion.
In Wilson and Mamdani, Americans are seeing the logical result of concentrating wealth and resources in the top 1%/.001%. Frankly, Kamala Harris would have won if she’d embraced the soak-the-rich narrative. She started to, then was clearly warned off by one or more of the 173 billionaires who have donated to Democrats since 2020. George Clooney, much as he hated Kamala Harris, hates high taxes. Gavin Newsom, one-time darling of the Progressives, is dead set against wealth taxes.
It’s a message that resonates with the masses. If you rob Peter to pay Paul, you will always have Paul’s vote. And the American electorate has become weaker and older, on average, with fewer and fewer able-bodied people and profitable companies to pay the freight. So, using the logic of noted bank robber Willie Sutton who said he robbed banks because “that’s where the money is” Wilson and Mamdani will take more from the wealthy, because that’s where the money is.
Both Wilson and Mamdani will fail, of course. They sold an economic vision to credulous masses that they can make their lives better. And in some small, soon-to-be-well-publicized ways, they will achieve it. But in the main, they won’t.
I’m particularly interested to see how they play to reduce prices at small grocery stores. Both Mamdani and Wilson have focused on grocery prices as a main concern. My father owned a small grocery store for 21 years. Margins are already very thin, they have almost no room for error, and you have to be an adept businessperson to squeak by. After 21 years, Dad sold the business to his store manager, who went bankrupt inside of two years.
But Mamdani and Wilson, two young idiots who’ve never run a business will solve that issue. Can’t wait to see how that works.
Incidentally, Wilson has publicly stated she wants higher taxes on businesses, higher capital gains taxes and she has criticized Washington’s lack of a state income tax. And Mamdani is calling for an end to “rugged individualism.”
Mamdani’s call to end ‘rugged individualism’ sparks backlash | Watch
Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. Weak men create bad times. Enter the bad times.
Not too surprised. $20/hour minimums at fast food restaurants — except at Panera, owned by Newsom’s good buddy, which was exempted. Some restaurant chains are sounding the alarm about consumers
Panera Bread out of dough—mass closures planned across all 48 states | Watch
This is awesome. Now that Panera doesn’t have to pay the $20 minimum wage (because it was classified as a “bakery” — also because the owner is newsom’s buddy), it is ceasing bakery options on site and centralizing bakery options in off-site mega-bakeries. Absolutely outstanding.
Two days before Christmas, Mayor Lurie signed a bill approving a fund for reparations, though it doesn’t allocate any money. Interestingly, the NAACP SF chapter is against it. Reverend Amos Brown says it gives the city’s 50,000 black residents false hope.
London Breed said (of course) that actual reparations should be handled at the federal level.
San Francisco mayor sneaks through reparations bill that could give each black resident $5 million
San Francisco expects a $1 billion deficit next year.
Arby’s closed 62 stores in eight states, firing 1,400 workers, including California, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina, Tennessee and Washington. Sales down 6.3% in 2024 (all fast food sales were down 1%). They closed an iconic Hollywood location.
Arby’s pulls out in 8 states in largest fast food layoff of 2025 – 1,400 jobs gone overnight | Watch
QSR 50 2025: Top Fast-Food Sandwich Chains, Ranked by Sales – QSR Magazine
Arby’s, Wendy’s and Burger King are all expected to close further locations in 2026. Friend of mine owned four BK franchises, said business was tough but the $20/hr. wage minimum killed it.
