Category: Economics

14-29 Split Show: Trump Assassination Attempt and Chevron Decision

14-29 Split Show: Trump Assassination Attempt and Chevron Decision

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Show 14-29 Summary: We discuss sniper expert Scott McEwen (co-author of the bestseller, American Sniper) the timeline of events, the bewildering mistakes along the way of the failed Trump assassination attempt.  And the unanswered questions. Also, the Chevron decision defanged the Deep State. They definitely would not have minded if the attempt was successful. But what now with all those agency regulations going forward?

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Original Air Dates: July 20, 2024 | Guest: Craig Rucker and Scott McEwen

This Week – The Failed Trump Assassination Attempt

We had scheduled bestselling author, Scott McEwen, weeks ago to discuss another military-related issue. But then the Trump assassination attempt happened. And everything we’d planned went out the window.

Scott McEwen is the co-author of the New York Times bestselling book, American Sniper, the story of the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history. He also has his own books on snipers, including the Sniper Elite series. So who better to talk to about what happened that fateful day in Butler, PA?

If you have not seen the Trump assassination attempt, watch this clip on X: “I was watching live and rewound the video and recorded.”

We walk through a timeline of events, what is known and the conflicting reports on many of the events. Much of the interview centers on the Secret Service’s bewildering mistakes and missteps. Not to mention the bewildering (a polite word for “completely moronic and stupid) excuse of not covering the roof, because it was sloped. Someone should tell the Secret Service director, the roof is the nearly the same slope recommended by the ADA for handicapped ramps.

Watch: A year before the Trump assassination attempt, Tucker Carlson called it. Tucker predicted that we were on a trajectory for an attempt to take Trump out.

Perhaps the most troubling of all is this: how is it that so much bungling just happened on the one day at the one event where there was an actual assassination attempt on President Trump?

Breaking after the interview – Sen. Josh Hawley: the security detail on the day of the Trump assassination attempt had inexperienced DHS personnel, not Secret Service. Also, Congressman Mike Waltz: FBI briefing says shooter Thomas Crooks had three encrypted overseas accounts.

But first… the SCOTUS Chevron Deference Ruling

We took some time off for July 4th and it just so happened during that time that one of the most important SCOTUS rulings — which we’ve been waiting months for — came down. The Chevron deference decision. (Also called, Chevron doctrine.)

This threw out a previous SCOTUS ruling from back in the mid-80s when Congress was very different. When Congress as a whole had the best interests of the country at heart, even if they approached it from different viewpoints. But it was America first.

What Chevron did was finalize the era of the administrative state, which had been growing for decades. It effectively gave bureaucrats law-making authority. Not the actual laws. Just the part of laws that matter: the rules. When Congress passes laws that have (intentionally, in some cases) ambiguous or gray areas, the bureaucrats step in. They set the rules.

But it gets worse. The administrative state bureaucrats not only set the rules, using their government-approved “experts”, they determined for themselves how fair the rules were through administrative law judges. Think of them as agency-appointed judges, not trial judges with juries. And, under Chevron, if it did make it to a federal court, the courts deferred to the agency and their experts.

It’s about as fair and trustworthy as an accountant auditing themselves. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, a lot did. We talk with Craig Rucker, the president of CFACT, about what happened under Chevron and what will happen now it’s gone. And good riddance.

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Show Notes: Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Chevron Ruling / Craig Rucker, Segments 1–3

Trump Assassination Attempt / Scott McEwen, Segments 4–6

 

14-28 Data Shows Bidenomics Suffering from Economic Dementia

14-28 Data Shows Bidenomics Suffering from Economic Dementia

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Show 14-28 Summary: We’re talking economics and the rather grim picture being painted by the data—if someone actually bothers to look. You know. Like what the media used to do. Hold truth to power. While America’s economy is suffering through economic dementia under Joe Biden, there is not a lot of good news. Not even in supposedly “good” job reports — because they keep revising things down when they think no one is looking. But there are some bright spots ahead. If, and only if, we change who is in charge of our economy. So when will the media stop covering up Joe’s economic dementia?

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Original Air Dates: July 13th & 14th, 2024 | Guest: Jonathan Williams

This Week – Bidenomics: Economic Dementia

Despite the left stream media’s best cheerleading efforts, actual data about the economy is getting out. And it’s not good. Spikes in business bankruptcies. Especially small business bankruptcies. Even personal bankruptcies.

With all the business bankruptcies, and others reporting on the verge of bankruptcy, it’s no wonder that there is also a spike in store closings. If they continue at this rate,

In an America suffering from economic dementia, we need some common sense. Which is why we turn to Jonathan Williams, the Executive Vice President of Policy and the Chief Economist for ALEC. The American Legislative Exchange Council.

Economic Dementia: Did you know?
Under Bidenomics, 27% of Americans say they skip meals due to rising food costs.And 39%  skip meals to make house or rent payments

It seems there is no end of bad economic indicators. (Just take a gander at the show notes below.) A spike in bankruptcies. Cruelly keeping interest rates high Thousands and thousands of store closures. Including discount stores. (How bad is Bidenomics when people can’t even afford to shop at discount stores?) And regulations weighing down businesses. And in the middle of all that Joe Biden and the democrats want to raise taxes? That’s not just economic dementia. That’s economic suicide.

The only way out is to change the people in charge. Because if the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results, then electing the same politicians is political insanity.

The left-stream media and democrats have signaled (okay, shouted) they want Dementia Joe to go. CNN, if you can believe it, just fact-checked Biden’s “high-stakes news conference”. Yes. CNN!

Be on the lookout. Joe Biden’s economy has been terrible ever since he’s been in office. But the media has been providing propaganda cheerleading to convince you otherwise. Bt when the left-stream media stops covering for Joe’s economic dementia? That’s when you’ll know the knives are out.

Because no one wins an election when the economy is in the toilet.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

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Show Notes: Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Jonathan Williams and ALEC Links

  • Jonathan’s organization is ALEC – the American Legislative Exchange Council. Find out more at ALEC.org.
    • Encourage your representatives to join ALEC! There are state and city memberships. Help elected officials understand economic problems and the real solutions available to get out of them! Send them this link: https://alec.org/membership/.
    • And you too can join as a private-sector member!
    • You can follow Jonathan on Twitter at @TaxEconomist.
  • How did Oregon do in the 2024 edition of Rich States, Poor States?
  • Jonathan’s op-ed in The Daily Caller: “Biden’s Pledge To Let Trump’s Tax Cuts Die Has Stirred Up A Hornet’s Nest” (Daily Caller, June 10, 2024)
  • Those blue states that have seen the light: Hawaii and Connecticut: “‘Blue’ States Make Fiscal Progress: Jonathan Williams on American Radio Journal” (via ALEC, June 27, 2024)

Economic Dementia Links & Info

  • Department of Interior shuts down millions of acres of Alaska to all oil, gas and mining activity (Just the News, July 8, 2024)
    • Biden’s Department of Interior blocked 28 million acres of federal land in Alaska from any oil or gas development or mining
    • Biden’s Interior also blocked a 200-mile gravel road that would have connected mining districts in West Central Alaska to a highway that runs through the middle of the state.
  • Bidenomics: 27% of Americans Say They Skip Meals Due to Rising Cost of Food (Gateway Pundit, July 6, 2024)

We have so many economic dementia links, let’s break them into sub-categories.

GDP

Jobs

  • Peter Schiff: More Doom in the Data (ZeroHedge, July 10, 2024)
    • It was especially bad for manufacturing jobs: Zero manufacturing jobs were created in May. And 8,000 manufacturing jobs were lost in June.
  • Payrolls Rise 206K After Huge Downward Revisions As Unemployment Rate Jumps To Three Year High (ZeroHedge, July 10, 2024)
    • May jobs revised from 272K, to 218K (-54K; -24.8%)
    • April jobs revised from 165K to 108K (-57K; -34.5%)
  • June Jobless Rate Triggers Sahm Rule: Recession Imminent? (ZeroHedge, July 10, 2024)

Bankruptcies & Store Closures

  • Business Bankruptcies Jump 34 Percent in First Half of 2024 (Epoch Times, July 8, 2024)
    • In the first half of this year a total of 3,016 commercial Chapter 11 bankruptcies were filed — an increase of 34% from last year
    • Small business filings rose by 61%
    • [Lumber Liquidators] Home improvement chain mulls bankruptcy (Daily Mail, July 8, 2024)
  • US retail bloodbath continues as store closures hit 2,600 so far this year – here’s the full list (UK Daily Mail, May 8, 2024)
  • The death of the dollar store: 99 Cents Only and Family Dollar to shutter hundreds of stores in ‘retail apocalypse’ (Daily Mail, May 26, 2024)
  • Nationwide discount retailer with 1,400 stores sparks fears of mass closures as it mulls bankruptcy (Daily Mail, July 5, 2024)
    • Big Lots has used up most of its cash on hand because of the losses so far this year — on top of  the last two years
    • Big Lots said all of this raises substantial doubt about the company’s ability to continue.
    • How bad is Bidenomics when people can’t even afford to shop at discount stores?
  • Wilco says it could lay off 70 people, close hazelnut processing facility (Statesman, July 8, 2024)
  • Kroger-Albertsons selling 186 Oregon, Washington stores in merger bid (KOIN, July 10, 2024)

Oregon’s Own Economic Dementia

 

 

14-18 Troubling Signs about Bidenomics | Learn to Think Like an Economist

14-18 Troubling Signs about Bidenomics | Learn to Think Like an Economist

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Show 14-18 Summary: Does anyone remember when the media objectively covered economics. After all, so much of it revolves around data. And yet the mainstream media does everything it can to attack good economies, like we had under Trump, while providing cover for lame economies, driven primarily by government and government spending, like what we have under Joe Biden. So how do you know what to trust and whom to trust? On this week’s show we talk to an economist to help you think like an economist.

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Original Air Dates: May 4th & 5th, 2024 | Guest: Jonathan Williams

This Week –  Despite the mainstream media doing their best to run cover for Biden and his economic policies, there are some troubling signs about Bidenomics. And some of it really troubling. Which is why you’re not hearing those kinds of stories in the mainstream media.

When it comes to the economy, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is Biden’s DEI hiring-equivalent of “Baghdad Bob.”

GDP for the first quarter was half of normal growth and less than half of the previous quarter. Unemployment for April rose with one of the indicators the worst it’s been since November 2021. And yet all we ever hear out of the White House is how great things are. Including a rather startling comment from KJP. According to her, prices are too low. That woman is Biden’s DEI hiring equivalent of “Baghdad Bob.”

But because economic reporting has become so politicized how can an everyday person tell whether or not the economy is doing well — aside from their own subjective experiences? Because their experiences may not be what everyone else is going through.

Think Like an Economist

So this week we talk to an economist—Jonathan Williams, Executive Vice President of the American Legislative Exchange Council, and their chief economist—to help people learn to think a little more like an economist.

What are some of the trigger points to look for? What are some of the more reliable measurements that indicate a good or a bad economy? And what economic levers can they pull to turn an economy around or to keep a good economy going?

And all of that to help people pick the right people to put them in charge to get the economy on the right track

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Jonathan’s organization is ALEC – the American Legislative Exchange Council. Find out more at ALEC.org.
    • Encourage your representatives to join ALEC! There are state and city memberships. Help elected officials understand economic problems and the real solutions available to get out of them! Send them this link: https://alec.org/membership/.
    • And you too can join as a private-sector member!
    • You can follow Jonathan on Twitter at @TaxEconomist.
  • How did Oregon do in the 2024 edition of Rich States, Poor States? We actually moved up on notch—although we’re still in the low 40s. Explore all the states or jump to Oregon’s rankings.
    • Be sure to try out the red “adjust policies” tab!
  • Biden Administration’s New Climate Rules Add $31,000 to Price of New Home, Industry Groups Say (The Epoch Times, May 1, 2024)
  • That Stephen Moore article: “Why Small Businesses Hate Bidenomics” (The Daily Signal, April 23, 2024)
  • GDP growth slowed to a 1.6% rate in the first quarter, well below expectations (CNBC, Apr 25, 2024).

The Death of DEI?

Other Related Economics News

  • ‘Harassment’: Feds Impose Trans Agenda on Employers for Pronouns, Bathrooms (The Daily Signal, April 29, 2024)
    • The Daily Signal reported that under new federal guidelines — released on Monday by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission — an employer would be guilty of harassment by requiring someone to use a restroom that corresponds with their biological sex or if someone “misgenders” them.
  • US births reach 45-year low – report (RT, Apr 25, 2024)
  • Why hundreds of U.S. banks may be at risk of failure (CNBC, May 1, 2024)
  • U.S. job growth totaled 175,000 in April, much less than expected, while unemployment rose to 3.9% (CNBC, May 1, 2024)
  • Long-predicted consumer pullback finally hits restaurants like Starbucks, KFC and McDonald’s (CNBC, May 1, 2024)
14-06 Why Bidenomics is Bidumbnomics | Mainstream Media is Lying

14-06 Why Bidenomics is Bidumbnomics | Mainstream Media is Lying

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Show 14-06 Summary: This week, it’s all about cutting through the mainstream media propaganda about the economy. Especially the lies about Bidenomics. Because it’s more Bidumbnomics than anything. Bidumbnomics is a good way to kill the economy, interfere with markets, and promote products and ideas that don’t work and cost more. Bidumbnomics are dumb economics policies that require dumb people in the media to not ask questions and keep people misinformed about how bad things really are. Like not questioning the miracle January 2024 jobs report. Or looking at the failure of 100s of billions wasted on “green energy.” (It’s not green.) Plus, Oregon is not immune. Oregon democrats also love Bidumbnomics. Spend more. Tax more. Ignore reality. Like Oregon democrats’ plan to raise statewide property taxes and do away with the current caps on property tax increases.

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Original Air Dates: February 10th & 11th, 2024 | Guest: Jonathan Williams

This Week – Bidenomics is Bidumbnomics

All you need for dumb economics policies like Bidumbnomics to be perceived as “working” is to have a willing media to spread government propaganda. And the media needs to be dumb enough about economics to not ask any questions about what they’re told. And certainly not do any kind of even simple analysis.

That way, the media keeps people uninformed. Because if people really knew how bad things were, they would be demanding answers. And politicians never want that. They want compliant sheep people who stay out of the way. Miserable peasants.

Dumb economic policies like Bidumbnomics depends on people staying quiet. But EU farmers won by speaking up.
Public outcry works! (click image for full-size)

Why? Because when people do know what their politicians are actually doing, and the actual outcomes of their schemes, people tend to revolt. And, yes, public outcry really does work.

Take a look at the win in the EU when farmers had had enough. The public joined them. And now the EU gave in to their demands.

Farmers win! “Why Europe’s green plan balked on farming”

Bidenomics is Bidumbnomics Examples

Look no further than the boondoggle of Biden’s dream of a wind farm in every pot. Bidumbnomics sank several 10s of billions of your money into expensive wind farms. Especially very expensive offshore wind farms. But these expensive Bidumbnomics boondoggles have done so poorly, despite all that free cash from U.S. taxpayers, that multiple wind farm companies have cancelled contracts. And they were willing to do so because the economics of it was so poor that unless they get free cash it was a better deal to cancel the deal.

Think of that. Companies willing to take a loss of 100s of millions rather than go through with it and lose even more. And in the case of one company, they took a 4 billion loss.

Now that is Bidumbnomicsat work. Waste companies’ money, waste taxpayer money, and all for products that are less effective and more expensive to ratepayers.

Wow.

An Actual Economist Breaks Examines Bidumbnomics

We welcome back Jonathan Williams, the executive vice president of ALEC — the American Legislative Exchange Council. Jonathan is also their chief economist. And we walk through the truth about that blockbuster January jobs report. It turns out, it is more fantasy than fantastic. See this great analysis from ZeroHedge: “Inside The Most Ridiculous Jobs Report In Recent History“.) And we all know this fantasy will be corrected downward in a month or two after they got their useful idiots in the media to repeat their headline to the point where most people will think Bidenomics is working.

But to be fair, not all economic news in the mainstream media is propaganda to prop up Bidumbnomics. Sometimes, it’s more of a confession. Like Jerome Powell appearing on 60 Minutes. Who told America that we just can’t spending like we are.

But other times, it is definitely propaganda. We take a look at the slumping EV (electric vehicle) sales. After spending, yet again, 100s of billions of taxpayer dollars on the EV boondoggle, including mandating sales quotas, Bidumbnomics strikes again. EVs sales are way down.

Don’t miss the terrific article mentioned during the show about the impact of government interference in a normal market. “The West’s Humiliating Electric Car Climbdown has Begun“

And even in Oregon, they are nowhere near their lofty goals of 250,000 EVs by 2025.

Oregon Democrats Embrace Bidumbnomics

Speaking of Oregon, the democrat governor and democrat-controlled house and senate want their own version of dumb economics. Like ignoring people’s economic reality to impose their ideology. And mainly, that’s more spending of taxpayer dollars to reward the political allies. There is never enough money to spend all they want on everything they want.

The answer? Raise taxes. And not just a little. They want $3 billion in more taxes. And, as if they haven’t driven enough people away, they want to eliminate and caps on statewide property taxes.

The only reason why even more Oregonians haven’t driven away is their EV must have run out of charge. Maybe that’s why Oregon wants to mandate even more of them.

But wait, it gets worse. Not only do Oregon elected democrats want to spend more, Tobias Read, the democrat in charge of Oregon’s Treasury wants Oregon’s PERS to make less money. By forcing Oregon’s investment into “Net Zero.” Uh, Toby, in case you missed it due to Bidumbnomics government propaganda media, but Net Zero funds are losing money by the day. Intelligent investors are getting out of Net Zero funds, not in. Perhaps Oregon’s PERS being in the hole by a mere $28 billion just isn’t enough?

Tune in to get the info you need. to be better informed on economics and real economic policies. So when your legislator wants to go full Bidumbnomics, you have the info you need to convince them otherwise.

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Jonathan’s organization is ALEC – the American Legislative Exchange Council. Find out more at ALEC.org.
    • Encourage your representatives to join ALEC! There are state and city memberships. Help elected officials understand economic problems and the real solutions available to get out of them! Send them this link: https://alec.org/membership/.
    • And you too can join as a private-sector member!
  • You can follow Jonathan on Twitter at @TaxEconomist.
  • Farmers win! “Why Europe’s green plan balked on farming” (Semafor, via Yahoo News, Feb 7, 2024)
  • Inside The Most Ridiculous Jobs Report In Recent History (ZeroHedge, Feb 03, 2024)
    • All job gains in the past year have been part-time workers (+870,000). Full time have decreased by 97,000
    • Native vs Foreign-Born workers . All job creation in the past 4 years has been for foreigners. Zero job creation for native since 2018
  • The West’s humiliating electric car climbdown has begun” (The Telegraph, via Yahoo News, Feb 2, 2024)
  • Bidumbnomics in Oregon: “PGE and why the EV revolution is stalling” (Oregon Catalyst, Feb 4, 2024)
    • “In 2019, Senate Bill 1044 set a target of 250,000 registered Zero Emission Vehicles on Oregon roads by 2025. … [But] the number of Oregon-registered zero emission vehicles on Oregon roads as of September 2023 (with less than a year and a half to go) was just 70,000. … The likelihood that this number will grow to 250,000 over the next 12 months is nil.”
  • Plan to make Oregon retirement fund carbon neutral relies on industry, Wall Street doing the same (OPB, Feb 7, 2024)
  • HJR 201 is a Statewide Property Tax (Taxpayer Assoc, Feb 5, 2024)
  • “1,287 testify against Statewide Property Tax (HJR 201)” (Taxpayer Association of Oregon, February 14, 2024).

For further reading on Bidumbnomics

 

14-05 No Justice Except for “Just Us” | Lawfare Against Trump, DEI Against Common Sense

14-05 No Justice Except for “Just Us” | Lawfare Against Trump, DEI Against Common Sense

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Show 14-04 Summary: There’s no justice in a “just us” world. Whether you’re talking lawfare for one side but prosecutors are willingly blind for the other side. Or whether you’re talking corporate governance where one side’s ideology is forced onto how companies do business. But the good news is, this kind of discrimination may finally be starting to catch up with the Left.

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Original Air Dates: February 3rd & 4th, 2024 | Guests: Paul Kamenar and Scott Shepard

This Week – Cases Against Trump, DEI Against Common Sense

We talk with Paul Kamenar, the lead counsel for National Legal and Policy Center for his legal analysis about the cases against Trump, the corruption in the Fani Willis office (one of the prosecutors determined to “get Trump”), and the Hunter Biden cases.

And then we talk about the poison of “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” that has been pushed by trillion-dollar Leftist hedge funds on corporate America. Except now they’re pulling back on this racist hiring practice. It turns out Boeing’s planes aren’t the only thing whose wheels are falling off. But why now?

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Paul Kamenar Segments 1–3

  • FBI’s Wray Faces Worst NIGHTMARE As Matt Gaetz Shows Hunter Biden’s SHOCKING Text Message (Tuyền Ơi YT Channel, Jan 29, 2024)*Just imagine if Don Jr. had sent this text instead of Hunter Biden: “I’m sitting here with my father. I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction. I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father.”
  • What you need to know about Fani Willis charges and election subversion case (News 22 Times, Jan 24, 2024)
  • What you need to know about the drama surrounding Fulton County DA Fani Willis (Atlanta News First, Jan 16, 2024)
  • Interview: Attorney for special prosecutor’s estranged wife discusses divorce case (11 Alive, Jan 31, 2024)
  • What in the world was Fani Willis thinking? (WaPo Opinion, Jan 22, 20224)
  • Lawyer’s ‘Loan’ to Hunter Biden Violates Legal Ethics (via NewsMax, Jan 25, 2024)*As Hunter Biden’s attorney, Morris is prohibited from lending or giving money to his clients under California bar rules.
  • Even more Fani Willis corruption? Uncovered Audio Reveals Whistleblower FIRED After Warning Fani Willis About Misuse of Federal Funds (WLT Report, Jan 31, 2024)
    • “A newly surfaced audio recording reveals that Fanni Willis was warned by a whistleblower in private about her top aide misusing federal funds.”
    • In 2021, Amanda Timpson, a Fulton County DA employee, informed Willis about the aide’s plans to use “$488,000 federal grant—earmarked for the creation of a Center of Youth Empowerment and Gang Prevention—to pay for “swag,” computers, and travel.”
    • Fani Willis did not deny the allegations or report the aide. Instead, less than 2 months later, she FIRED the whistleblower…
Letitia James Case
More Lawfare Against Trump

Scott Shepard Segments 4–6

  • Stefan Padfield: “Are The Big 5 Liars?” (Free Enterprise Project Commentary, National Center, 28 Nov 2023)
  • Is BlackRock’s Retrenchment From ESG Real? (Scott Shepard, NCPPR, Jan 9, 2024)
  • Horace Cooper on Fox News: “Airlines, Boeing, Biden Prioritize Diversity Over Safety” (National Center, Jan 9, 2024)
    • “Have Boeing and other companies in the airline industry sacrificed excellence and safety on the altar of diversity?”
    • Horace Cooper (from NCPPR’s Project 21): “In my latest book, I mention this dalliance with DEI, this idea that diversity is more important than a meritocracy. I titled the chapter ‘D-I-E’ because THIS CAN KILL.”
    • The president of the United States has picked Mayor Pete to be in charge of airline safety — again, choosing diversity over the importance of the real reason there’s an FAA, and that’s safety.
  • Boeing Shareholders Reject Proposal Seeking Ideological Balance on Board (NCPPR, Apr 27, 2020)
  • Major Cuts at UPS: Company Announces Layoff of 12,000 (Gateway Pundit, Jan 30, 2024)
  • Multiple former senior Boeing staffers say they would NOT fly on killer 737 Max planes (Daily Mail, Jan 31, 2024)

Additional/Related

  • Trump’s lawyers want special counsel Jack Smith held in contempt in 2020 election interference case (AP, Jan 4, 2024)
    Judge sets hearing for misconduct claims against prosecutor leading Ga. Trump case (NPR, January 18, 2024)
  • Fani Willis Scandal: How An Alleged Romantic Relationship With A Prosecutor Could Upend Trump’s Criminal Trial (Forbes, Jan 22, 2024</a

 

 

14-04 The Plain Truth in Green Energy: All Things Green Go Red

14-04 The Plain Truth in Green Energy: All Things Green Go Red

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Show 14-04 Summary: Frank Lasee, the president of Truth in Energy and Climate rejoins us to dig a little deeper into hydrogen (and, in particular, so-called “green hydrogen.” EVs are failing in the marketplace and their sales are tanking. We talk about the truth in green energy — that it wouldn’t exist without massive government bailouts, subsidies, and free cash. And we talk about the rise of the hydrogen-based economy. Get ready for it. Maybe because the public has started to catch on to the green funding scam.

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Original Air Dates: January 27thg & 28th, 2024 | Guest: Frank Lasee

This Week – Truth in Green Energy

We welcome back Frank Lasee—a former Wisconsin state senator, senior policy analyst, and president of Truth in Energy and Climate—to talk about the truth in green energy. And, like so much about “green” it’s all red at its heart. As Frank calls it, it’s “soft socialism.” It would not exist in the marketplace without huge amounts of free taxpayer cash.

Remember how Leftists shrieked about bailouts for the “too big to fail” banks? Funny how they’re completely silent now about bailouts and subsidies for everything “green,” isn’t it. Probably because the Left gets massive amount of funding for its political allies. At the taxpayers’ expense.

Our guest’s website is TruthInEnergyAndClimate.com. Great articles and information. And sign up for their newsletter!

This week, it’s all about truth in green energy. Or rather the lack of it. With other green renewable sources on the decline (especially wind), the newest fad in “green” energy is hydrogen.By the way. Green renewable energy is not green. And it’s not renewable. For every one ton of rare earth mined and refined, 2,000 tons of toxic waste is generated. And much of it radioactive waste. And it’s not renewable either. Unless you’re referring to ongoing taxpayer subsidies to keep them going.

Hydrogen. The New Green Energy Fad?

There have been some new breakthroughs, allegedly, in hydrogen. In particular, with using hydrogen as an energy storage medium. Just how real are these breakthroughs? And are they the bridge to a hydrogen-based economy?

Wait, what happened to the EVs? Weren’t they going to save us? Well, it turns out that EVs are quickly losing any momentum and their sales here and in even in green-mania Europe, sales of EVs are tanking. Perhaps it’s because as more people bought them, they realized how inconvenient they are. Or maybe it was the cold snap these last two weeks. Where thousands of EVs had to be towed. Not because they slid off icy roads or crashed. They simply ran out of charge. Or maybe it was because their owners couldn’t run the heater for fear it would drain the battery and they wouldn’t make it home.

Be aware. Hydrogen may be the next green energy scam. Tune in and you’ll hear just how out of touch the Biden administration is. And environmentalists with their convoluted, damn the taxpayers, means to go green on hydrogen.

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Articles/Info Mentioned During the Show

  • Frank Lasee’s website is TruthInEnergyAndClimate.com. Be sure to check out this website for great articles and information.
  • Government “accounting” vs GAAP. Article:”Modified Accrual Accounting: Definition and How It Works” (via Investopedia.com, June 4, 2023)
    • Public companies cannot use this accounting method for financial statements, but it is widely accepted for use by government agencies.
    • Public companies cannot use modified accrual accounting because it does not comply with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) or the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).
  • New Discovery Overcomes Major Hurdle in Hydrogen Energy Economy (Oil Price, Jan 6, 2024)
    • “The new material, a lanthanum hydride compound modified with strontium and oxygen, allows high-rate conduction of hydride ions at room temperature.”
    • Whoops. Then along came winter → “Not quite noted above is that today’s designs need an above freezing environment. All the time, not just when running. For much of the time and much of the world that is killer. Moreover a freeze would destroy a fuel cell, thus even a rare freeze zone would entail considerable risk. The team hasn’t said anything specific yet. But this is promising.”
  • Hydrogen near tipping point to accelerate decarbonization (Techxplore, Nov 15, 2023)
    • THIS → “The U.S. Department of Energy also articulated the prominent Hydrogen Shot initiative in 2021. According to this initiative, the cost of producing clean hydrogen is to come down to $1.0/kg by the year 2030.” But does that $1/kg include the billions of dollars in subsidies to get there? What’s the real cost?
  • How About A Pilot Project To Demonstrate The Feasibility Of Fully Wind/Solar/Battery Electricity Generation? (Truth in Energy and Climate, Jan 25, 2022)

Info about Hydrogen and “Green Hydrogen”

Oregon’s Green Hydrogen Scheme

  • Pacific NW wins $1 billion from feds for ‘Clean Hydrogen Hub.’ Now what? (News from the States, Oct 13, 2023).
    • The hydrogen lobby duped Congress into $9.5 billion for hydrogen hubs and $100s of billions more for subsidies to make it. These hydrogen jobs will last only as long as the subsidies do.
  • Court case on fate of Snake River dams, imperiled salmon postponed (Oregon Capital Chronicle, Oct 31, 2023)
  • Officials tell public newly approved Northwest hydrogen hub will produce jobs, economic benefits (Oregon Capital Chronicle, Oct 31, 2023)
  • Frank Lasse article: “The Expensive Impossibility of Green Hydrogen From Part-Time Wind and Solar” (Truth in Energy & Climate, October 25, 2023)
  • “The fact that the world is desperately short of lithium and cobalt for electric vehicle batteries, at the scale they want to force, is dawning on them”
  • “Wind and solar produce little or no energy 70% of the time.”
    Frank Lasee: Joe Biden’s Hydrogen Slush Fund Means More Dollars Wasted On The Green Energy Boondoggle (ShoreNews Network, Feb 26, 2023)

EVs and the EV Market

14-02 Winter Potpourri | Hot Topics of the Week, Election Integrity News and More

14-02 Winter Potpourri | Hot Topics of the Week, Election Integrity News and More

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Show 14-02 Summary: You probably missed the big election integrity news this last week. But that could be a little understandable because there was a lot of news this week. If the weather predictions hold true for some of our listening areas, it is definitely a good weekend to stay inside and listen to I Spy Radio. And as it happens, we have a former weatherman on this week. Fan favorite and regular guest, Chuck Wiese, joins us to talk through a huge news week — and one that was filled with stories in which he has expertise as a scientist, commercial airline pilot, and election integrity activist. We talk weather prediction, global warming, election fraud, airplane doors, and other hot topics from this and last week’s news.

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Original Air Dates: January 13th & 14th, 2024 | Guest: Chuck Wiese

This Week – Stories You Might Not have Heard

We welcome back fan favorite and regular gust, Chuck Wiese, to talk about some of the major news stories these last two weeks. And they all just happen line up well with Chuck’s expertise and experience. Chuck Wiese is an academically trained scientist with a degree in meteorology. (Which he obtained before the universities went woke and through science out in exchange for activism and big propaganda grants.) He spent years in the news business as a TV weatherman for a major Portland network before becoming a commercial airline pilot. After retiring from those, he has become a political activist — as we all should be —focusing especially on election integrity. And boy was there some election integrity news this week.

Have you signed up yet for our weekly show promo email? Get a Friday notice about the upcoming show. Send an email to info@ispyradio.com and ask to be added to our list!

Tune in to hear a wide-ranging interview covering why weather predictions, especially here in the Pacific Northwest, are so difficult to be accurate more than 48 hours out. We talk developments in election integrity, including the Georgia prosecutor Fanni Willis going after President Trump only to expose herself as being corrupt. She paid over $650,000 to her boyfriend who has never been a prosecutor. And was dumb enough to charge his visits to the Biden White House to her office leaving a paper trail of corruption.

Election Integrity News – Did You Miss It?

Speaking of Fanni Willis, there was election integrity news you almost certainly missed. Especially if your main news source is the mainstream news. Trump released a devastating report: “Summary of Election Fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election in the Swing States.” (If you have not seen this, see the Links section below to download a copy.)

The true “big lie” from 2020 is from the media: there was no evidence of election interference or corruption. That’s the lie. The “big truth” is that there is massive amounts of election fraud. And we talk through just one county in one state: Fulton County, Georgia.

Now you know why Fanni Willis is desperate to attack Trump. Marxism/Leftism 101: accuse the other side of that which you yourself are guilty.

Dumb Things Dumb People Do

The push for green energy (it’s not green) is on a downward spiral. And if you’re in an area this weekend getting hit by all that cold and ice, you’re glad your only power is NOT solar or wind. But beyond the push for green energy (it’s not green), EVs have suddenly taken a dive. All across the U.S. and even in the green-energy-crazy (it’s not green) United Kingdom EVs are suddenly unpopular. Why?

And did you see the dumbest dumb thing thew globalists and global warmers have come up with now? Listen in and don’t miss it.

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Never miss a show! We send out a weekly “show promo” email letting you know what we have coming up. To be added to the list, just send a link to info@ispyradio.com and let us know you’d like to be added to our list. We never share your email address and you can decide to be removed at any time. Or added back.

Things We Did Discuss On Air

You Might Also Like…

We ran out of time before getting to some other topics we know Chuck is passionate about. Like Ivermectin for one. And that little miracle drug just keeps giving and giving. No wonder Fauci and Big Pharma tried to ban it.

Ivermectin

  • 6 Secrets of Ivermectin: The Medication That Keeps on Giving (Vigilant News Network, November 22, 2023). Some highlights:
    • It inhibits flu and RSV viral replication
    • Ivermectin reduces inflammation throughout the body
    • Improves the gastrointestinal microbiome by boosting levels of the probiotic Bifidobacterium
    • May help with athletic and sports performance by boosting cellular energy output in the heart
    • And here’s the big one: Ivermectin has profound anti-cancer properties
  • Ivermectin is (or was originally) and an anti-parasitic drug. This class of drug seems to have strong anti-cancer effects as well. Check this out: “The Overlooked Miracle Drug for Cancer? Why Big Pharma Fears Fenbendazole” (Vigilant News Network, Nov 7, 2023)

Oregon and Economics

 

 

 

14-01 The Two Major Fights in 2024 | Encouraging Victories from 2023

14-01 The Two Major Fights in 2024 | Encouraging Victories from 2023

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Show 14-01 Summary: The 2023 wins and future battles. There will be two major fights in the year ahead. The first will be the battle over the First Amendment — especially free speech. Twenty-three states have created censorship and monitoring programs to keep the truth hidden from the public in favor of their propaganda. The second major fight will be the battle to convince people to get engaged and to not stay silent. Why? Because 2023 saw a bunch of huge wins. Even here in Oregon! When people spoke up, they won. That’s what we need more of in the year ahead.

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Original Air Dates: January 6th & 7th, 2024 | Guest: Craig Rucker

This Week – 2023 Wins and Future Battles

There will be two major fights in the year ahead. The first and biggest will be the battle over the First Amendment — especially free speech. In 2020, we saw the Deep State censor vital information from voters — like the Hunter Biden laptop story and the Biden corruption scandals. And the covid origin story and viable covid treatments of Ivermectin and HCQ. And injuries and death from the not safe, not effective vaccines. All that to seize control.

As of this writing, 23 states have joined the Biden administration to seize control of free speech, claiming they are fighting “disinformation.” All 23 of them just happen to be democrat-led states. Hint to tyrants: that’s not the government’s job. The government’s job is to defend free speech. Not attack it. The second major fight will be the battle to get people engaged. Is America worth saving? Is the America we’ve become worth defeating—to go back to the America we loved and was worth fighting for? The battle ahead will be to convince people to get engaged and to not stay silent. Why? Because 2023 was the year of wins. We saw what happened when people spoke up. They won. That’s what we need more of in the year ahead.

Winning 2023

Our guest this week is Craig Rucker, the president and co-founder of CFACT (the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow). We discuss with him the wins CFACT had in 2023 and the wins we had here in Oregon. And we look ahead to what needs to happen to get even more wins in 2024.

You’ll also hear about some surprising wins that weren’t planned and came a bit out of the blue — against “green” energy.

What You’ll Learn this Week

  • The huge victories CFACT had in 2023
  • The wins we had in Oregon. Including a huge win that you probably haven’t heard about: the dismantling of the Governor’s carbon scheme
  • Why the victories happened
  • Keys to getting more wins in 2024
  • The annual Global Warming confab, COP 28, and the reality check the host country gave to the Green Energy Cult and its attempt to get rid of oil. Get this: the COP28 president declared, “there is ‘no science’ behind the demand to phase-out of fossil fuels.” What?
  • And of course, lots more.

We had some wins too on I Spy Radio! We broke into some rankings that were unexpected — unexpected because we haven’t been doing any self-marketing. We were ranked 18th on FeedSpot’s 30 best Conservative Talks Shows, and 36th on PlayerFM’s Best Conservative Radio Talk Show Podcasts for 2023. Wow! And they chose us out of 1,000s of shows.

Whoops! Just checked that FeedSpot and now we’re up to 16th. Thank you listeners!

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

CFACT and COP 28

  • If CFACT is not already on your reading list, they should be. Bookmark CFACT.org.
  • Check out CFACT’s incredible coverage of COP 28 . Here are just a few:
    • Real America News — Stella Escobedo with Craig Rucker: Analysis Of The COP28 Climate Summit (Real America News, Dec 18th, 2023)
      • COP 28 was “a smorgasbord of far Left groups and people who are in the renewable energy industry who have a vested financial interest. Also people with an ideological interest in advancing the climate agenda.”
    • Craig Rucker on One America News: COP28 Countries Vote On Climate Disaster Fund (OAN, Nov 30, 2023)
      • Craig: it’s reparations in its own way – the West is causing “Climate Change.”
    • Was COP 28 climate imperialism’s last gasp? (CFACT, Dec 29th, 2023)
      • “African diplomats said at COP 28 that ‘the idea of a fossil-fuel phaseout [is] unworkable.’”*the real story of COP 28 – that, for perhaps the first time in 28 tries, the clash between Western ideologues “who are exhausted with the modern world” and developing nations “who want in on the modern world” was out in the open for the world to see.
    • PODCAST: New House resolution would nullify UN COP 28 meat plan (CFACT, Dec 18th, 2023)
    • COP 28: UN climate conference ends with more of the same tired ‘goals’ (Craig Rucker, CFACT, Dec 18th, 2023)
  • Cop28 president says there is ‘no science’ behind demands for phase-out of fossil fuels (The Guardian, Dec 3, 2023)*“Exclusive: UAE’s Sultan Al Jaber says phase-out of coal, oil and gas would take world ‘back into caves’”
  • Yet another win for CFACT: Another offshore wind project is canceled (Just the News, Jan 3, 2024)
  • Listen to Craig’s previous appearance on I Spy Radio for more wins they had, Show 13-42 Winds of War: Billions from Offshore Wind Farms – and Fighting Back.

Oregon Wins

 

13-49 Common Sense Prevails | Elliott State Research Forest Plan Gets Sidelined

13-49 Common Sense Prevails | Elliott State Research Forest Plan Gets Sidelined

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Show 13-49 Summary: Could this be a win for Oregon? And common sense? It sure looks like one. Out of the blue, the Elliott State Research Forest plan, which would remove most of Oregon’s largest state forest from production to “study” it — suddenly, Oregon State University pulled out. To use the Left’s favorite catchphrase, it just wasn’t sustainable. Thanks also goes to the tribal nations who thought the plan was not only a financial mess but an environmental mess too. But was there more afoot here than meets the eye? Was it all a scheme to put something else in place? We talk the history of the Elliott State Forest, the evolution of research plan, and how government created the problem it could then fix. If only we spent billions on it.

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Original Air Dates: December 9, 2023 | Guests: Dr. Bob Zybach and Jen Hamaker

This Week – Elliott State Research Forest Plan Sidelined

After years of planning (scheming) and millions of dollars spent on the deal to decommission Oregon’s largest state forest. out of the blue, Oregon State University president, Jayathi Murthy, backed out. That took real courage. As I Spy Radio has been saying all along, this was never going to make financial sense. Nor environmental sense for the endangered species the environmentalists claimed they wanted to help.

What happened?

We talk with long-time guest and I Spy Radio‘s “in house” forestry and timber expert, Dr. Bob Zybach about why this forest deal was a boondoggle from the start. And with Jen Hamaker, president of ONRI, whose organization helped drive public outcry against Oregon’s statewide Habitat Conservation Plan. And how that outcry helped lead OSU’s president to make the right decision.

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Environmentalists

As of this writing, this looks like a win for Oregon. And common sense.

Remember, Oregon, by law, is supposed to be making money for the Common School Fund from its forests. But Far Left environmentalists have seized control in Oregon and are working to do anything but harvest timber. Which means they really don’t understand the environment at all. Just ask the tribal nations.

Who did, in fact, tell the environmentalists exactly that. The Elliott State Research Forest would not work. Not financially. And not be sustainable environmentally either. It would, in fact, create a worse habitat for the species they claimed they wanted to protect.

their plans would ruin the which would remove most of the state forest from production to “study” it — suddenly, Oregon State University pulled out. If it can’t be resurrected by December 31, 2023, the deal will sunset. Thankfully, OSU staff saw the impractical and nonviable finances and withdrew. Thanks in large part, too, to the tribal nations who thought the plan was not only a financial mess but an environmental mess too. One that ignored common sense and basic understanding of forestry. (Keep in mind, this was a management scheme cooked up by so-called “environmentalists.”) But was there more afoot here than meets the eye? Was it all a scheme to put something else in place? We talk the history of the Elliott State Forest, the evolution of research plan, and how government created the problem it could then fix. If only we spent billions on it.

What You’ll Learn on Today’s Show

  • How the Elliott State Forest was sabotaged by the government, creating a problem that needed to be solved
  • Why public outcry against the Elliott State Research Forest played a huge role in OSU backing out as the research partner
  • How Oregon is stealing from its own children. Millions spent on the plan when the Elliott State Forest should have been generating millions of dollars, every year, for the Common School Fund

Be sure to scroll down to the Links & Info section to see the flurry of letters back and forth about the end of the Elliott deal, Dr. Bob’s “boondoggle” article, and more.

  • Why the tribes said this wouldn’t work
  • The secretive, closed-door meetings to push the plan
  • Was there something else behind this scheme to take the Elliott Forest offline?
  • Who would profit from a “side plan” to sell carbon credits

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Related Information

  • Read the alternative proposal to the Elliott State Research Forest: The Giesy Plan.
  • Cop28 president says there is ‘no science’ behind demands for phase-out of fossil fuels (The Guardian, Dec 3, 2023)*“Exclusive: UAE’s Sultan Al Jaber says phase-out of coal, oil and
    Media

    gas would take world ‘back into caves’”

13-46 Economy or Environment, Bad Government is a Whale of a Mess

13-46 Economy or Environment, Bad Government is a Whale of a Mess

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Show 13-46 Summary: A blast from Oregon’s past, the national debt continues to blow up, and story from right here in Oregon about how bureaucrats are throwing themselves on the grenade of success. Plus, environmentalists have traded saving whales to killing them – as long as they get their billions of dollars. And those offshore windmills may not be as green as they’re made out to be.

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Original Air Dates: November 18th & 19th, 2023 | Guests: Jonathan Williams & Terry Johnson

This Week – Economics and Wind Farms

We start off this week’s show with a look back to Oregon’s “Exploding Whale” story. It’s as good a metaphor as anything for the state we find ourselves in. As in the general state of affairs but, yes, state of Oregon too.

Why? Because the exploding whale is a great example of bad ideas by government officials that make a bad situation even worse. And, yet still worse, government officials with those bad ideas don’t get fired. They get promoted up the ladder.

Where in reality does this make sense?

Bidenomics

We welcome back a good friend of I Spy, ALEC’s chief economist Jonathan Williams. With the US House once again passing a continuing resolution or “CR” to keep the government open, we see our national debt soar. Jonathan discusses the deficit and debt and why there’s a lot of hope of finally getting our government’s spending addiction under control with the new House Speaker, Mike Johnson, who is a former member of ALEC from when he served in the Louisiana House. There is also the matter of Moody’s downgrading the U.S. credit rating with our treasury sales taking a big hit. And a story from right here in Oregon of government throwing itself in the way of prosperity.

Because in Lane County, a factory originally built for $1.6 billion by Hynix, a chip maker, has been sitting idle for 15 years. Now, Stratacache wants to open it to make micro-LED screens (the kind you see as menu boards in fast-food restaurants) and will hire 100s of employees. They were even given a $19 million from the State of Oregon to get going. But Lane County is blocking them. Because they are demanding $2 million property taxes.

Can you believe this? (Well, it’s Oregon, so yes. Yes we can.) Three hundred workers at an average of $40,000 each is $12 million dollars of taxable income. Every year. But that bureaucratic whale-exploding mindset has taken over and they’d rather blow up the deal. Sacrifice $12 million to get $2 million. That’s government.

Hint: empty buildings produce nothing.

CFACT: Save the Whales

Who had “conservative organizations sue the government to protect endangered whales” on their 2023 bingo card? Anyone?

Decades ago, environmentalists — the real ones, not today’s latte crop — fought to save the whales. They would risk their lives to put their boats and rafts between whales and the harpoons of whaling vessels.

But that was then. Now there is 100s of billions of free taxpayer cash to be had. What’s a few endangered whale deaths when you can be given billions. If you support the green agenda. And offshore windmills that aren’t green.

What’s that you say? Windmills not green?

We talk with Collister Terry Johnson, a senior policy advisor about their fight to stop offshore wind farms. CFACT sent the government a 60-day notice of intent to sue. This is a legal requirement, giving the federal government time to correct a mistake or rule violation. In this case, violating the endangered species act by plopping all these wind farms off shore. Right in the middle of whale migration areas. Including the Right Whale, which is highly endangered with only about 350 of them left.

If the government fails to take action within the 60-day window, CFACT and The Heartland Institute, will sue. And this lawsuit could have far-reaching implications. Not just stop the Virginia offshore wind, which it’s aimed at. But even shut down existing wind farms.

These wind farms that only exist because of billions of those taxpayer dollars. But, it turns out, a new study has been released that shows that these offshore wind farms may not be “carbon neutral” after all. In fact, they may be putting more CO2 into the air than they help prevent.

Whoops. There goes the whole point of their existence in the green energy sphere.

We only learned about the study the morning of our interview. But you can bet we’ll dig into it in a future show. You can read it here: How Offshore Wind Drives Up Global Carbon Emissions.

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Show Notes: Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Jonathan Williams’ Segments (1–3)

  • Jonathan’s organization is ALEC – the American Legislative Exchange Council. Find out more at ALEC.org.
    • Encourage your representatives to join ALEC! There are state and city memberships. Help elected officials understand economic problems and the real solutions available to get out of them! Send them this link: https://alec.org/membership/. And you too can join as a private-sector member!
  • Romney and Manchin Call for Commission to Stabilize US Debt (Yahoo News, Nov 9, 2023)
    • How very brave of two people who are leaving the senate.
  • Oregon income inequality grew again in 2021 (KLCC, Nov 13, 2023)
  • Salem payroll tax failing by large margin (Statesman Journal, Nov 7, 2023)
    • A citizen’s group forced Salem’s proposed tax on the ballot.  When people can actually vote on the outrageous they vote it down.
  • Oregon awarded millions to reopen a Eugene tech factory; a property tax fight could stand in the way (OregonLive, Nov 5, 2023)

Terry Johnson Segments (4–6)

  • CFACT issues “intent to sue” over offshore wind, releases new study (CFACT, Nov 14, 2023)
  • THE STUDY:
  • Collister (Terry) Johnson on “Joe Thomas in the Morning” shreds Dominion’s wind project (CFACT, Oct 12, 2022)
  • Repeal the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), Latest  News: Release Of Second Video and Calling For Investigation (Repeal the Virginia Clean Economy Act, No Date)
  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Demonic’ off-shore wind farms are blamed for New Jersey whale deaths: Former SNL star reveals ‘green energy companies’ are sending ultra-loud blasts into water every 10 seconds that make mammals think predators are chasing them (UK Daily Mail, Nov 15, 2023)
  • Oregon tribes push back on offshore wind (Bend Bulletin, November 11, 2023)

Moody’s Downgrade of US Credit

  • Uh oh. Moody’s turns negative on US credit rating, draws Washington ire (Reuters, Nov 10, 2023)
  • Moody’s downgrades US debt rating outlook to negative (The Economic Times, Nov 11, 2023)*“Due to interest rate hikes by the US central bank to curb inflation, the cost of debt for the United States has ballooned, with Washington paying $162 billion more for interest in the last fiscal year compared to 2022.”

Worst Bond Market: Fewer Buyers Willing to Buy US Debt

  • 2022 was the worst-ever year for U.S. bonds. How to position your portfolio for 2023 (CNBC, Jan 7, 2023)
  • 2022: “The Worst Bond Market Ever: By history’s standards, stocks have not performed too badly, but bonds certainly have.” (Morningstar, Nov 21, 2022)
  • Government Bubble Burst: Treasury bond investors have been taking a historic beating. (Wall Street Journal, Oct 18, 2023)
    • “Although most of our national debt was issued when interest rates were low, that debt is quickly rolling over into a high-rate debt environment, and further borrowing continues. Without corrective action, interest costs could total more than $13 trillion over the next decade and $1.9 trillion per year by 2033.”
  • The collapse in Treasury bonds now ranks among the worst market crashes in history (Markets Insider, Oct 5, 2023)
    • Since March 2020, Treasury bonds with maturities of 10 years or more have plummeted 46%,  while the 30-year bond had plunged 53%.
  • Dreadful Treasury Auctions May Continue As Buyers Evaporate (Seeking Alpha, Nov 10, 2023)
    • “The 30-year Treasury auction on Nov. 9 was horrific. It saw one of the widest high-yield to median yield spreads since 1990 as the indirect acceptance rate plunged.”
  • The $24 Trillion Problem Haunting Wall Street (NY Intelligencer, Oct 18, 2023)
    • “When Wall Street sizes up the world’s risks, one way traders make their bets on the future is through the market in U.S. Treasuries.”
  • Demand for 30-Year Treasuries Proves Weak, Sending Yields Surging (Wall Street Journal, Nov 9, 2023)
    • “Primary dealers, big banks who are obligated to finance whatever portion of a Treasury auction isn’t purchased by other investors, bought nearly a quarter of the issuance. [That’s] more than double their average in recent 30-year auctions.”