Tag: offshore windmills

14-08 Government Creep is Beyond Creeping. It’s an Invasion.

14-08 Government Creep is Beyond Creeping. It’s an Invasion.

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Show 14-08 Summary: It’s government creep. And for all the wrong reasons. Jennifer Hamaker of Oregon Natural Resource Industries updates us BOEM (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management) pulling a fast one on public meeting laws to try shove through Biden’s offshore wind mills that no one wants. And we talk with Rep Ed Diehl about Oregon’s censorship program. Yes, it really is censorship. He got access to their documents. Some of which were redacted — but actually weren’t. Now we have them. Heh heh heh heh…

green new deal is all about money

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: February 24th & 25th, 2024 | Guests: Jennifer Hamaker & Ed Diehl

This Week – Government Creep

Government used to grow slowly. Incrementally. It used to be called “government creep” but now it’s growing by leaps and bounds. And it’s not Superman up there. It’s Lex Luthor in all his villainy.

Because the worst part about government creep is that it always grows for all the wrong reasons. It would be one thing if it got bigger and better about defending our Constitutional rights. But whenever government grows, it’s to find ways around the Constitution. And, of course, it’s about rewarding politicians’ and bureaucrats’ friends and allies. Who, all too often do not have America’s best interests at heart. And Americans pay the literal price. And at the price of our freedoms.

ONRI Continues the Fight

This week, we talk with Jennifer Hamaker of ONRI (Oregon Natural Resource Industries) about the continuing fights against government creep and using the excuse of the environment to do it. “Save the planet” has duped too many people into thinking environmental government creep is even remotely about the environment. Let alone saving the planet.

green new deal is all about money

No. It’s about spending American tax dollars on things that will transfer enormous amounts of taxpayer dollars to leftist groups. Face it. Climate Change. Environmentalism. Global Warming. It’s all socialism. And none of it would exist without cash payments from the taxpayers.

And the Far Left will not blink when it comes to getting those billions. Hundreds of billions. Even to the point of ignoring people (so much for “democracy”) and ignoring public meeting laws. Recently, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced it will ignore public outcry, forego any more public meetings, and just approve the plan for Oregon’s offshore wind farms anyway.

But it’s not over.

Remember. Oregon’s Appeals Court threw out Governor Brown’s “Climate Protection Plan” (a carbon credit scheme). Why? Because the agency pushing it, wait for it… ignored public meeting laws.

Jen updates us on what happened, what’s next, and their other fights to raise public awareness of what Oregon’s very Far Left “environmentalists” want to do, which will destroy, not save, the environment.

Don’t be silent. The wins we’ve had recently — like the cancellation of the Elliott State Research Forest — happened because people did not stay silent.

Are you a landowner? Do you have a forest you’d like to harvest? Then you need to contact ONRI. They are looking to form a class-action lawsuit to stop the Private Forest Accord. See the contact links on either ONRI.us or OregonStrongerTogether.com

Government Creep is Just Creepy

Then we talk with Representative Ed Diehl (OR-HD17), whose public records request was the basis of that Daily Caller article we mentioned a few weeks back during our show with Catherine Engelbrecht of True the Vote.  We have been following the ongoing story of the Secretary of State’s scheme to monitor, track, and, yes, censor free speech about our elections. The elections division hired an A.I. company to help them hunt down whatever the democrats in charge of the elections division deem to be mis-, dis-, or mal-information. Or “MDM.”

In case you don’t know, “A.I.” is “artificial intelligence.” Because, apparently, there’s no real intelligence at the elections division. If there were, they would know this is a horrible idea.

As a state representative, Ed Diehl got access to the MDM program documents. Agencies tend to respond to legislative requests, and far better and with less stalling than requests from the public. Or from the media for that matter. Some of the documents were heavily redacted. Except it turns out they weren’t actually redacted. Whoops.

Yes, Oregon. It’s Election Free Speech Censorship

In case you haven’t already, read that Daily Caller article about Oregon’s MDM elections censorship program. It’s a great summary of what they’re trying to do. And how they’re trying to justify spying on, censoring, and threatening people for daring to exercise their free speech. (To quote Greta: “How dare you!”)

Find out more about Rep. Ed Diehl at his website, www.EdDiehl.com

We talk with Ed about what he uncovered. Don’t miss the discussion about the Twitter Files, about the government using Big Tech to censor free speech about elections. Which the A.I. flagged as “worrisome.” Weird. Big Tech and government consider stories exposing government using big tech to censor as worrisome? Oh, the irony. And hypocrisy.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. Mondays, after our network of radio stations have aired the show, I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite podcasting platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Ed Diehl’s Segments (4–6)

  • Ed Diehl’s website is www.EdDiehl.com
  • Blue State Hired AI Company To Track Election ‘Misinformation.’ It Routinely Flagged Conservative Opinions (Daily Caller, Jan 16, 2024)
  • Censorship-Industrial Complex Enlists U.K. ‘Misinformation’ Group Logically.AI To Meddle In 2024 Election (Federalist, Jan 29, 2024)
  • The bill Ed mentioned was SB1583. It would dramatically curtail the rights of local school boards to control the curriculum in schools. IN other words, it would ensure woke curriculum gets in and anything even closely resembling Judeo-Christian, conservative, or pro-America curriculum stays out.*You can read the bill, register to testify virtually or in person, and/or submit written testimony here: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2024R1/Measures/Overview/SB1583 

Research and Related

Elections, Voter Fraud, Censorship
  • Help fight Oregon’s AI-powered election monitoring and censorship program. Visit Battleground Oregon (BattlegroundOregon.org) and donate to help with legal expenses. (Full disclosure: I Spy Radio‘s host, Mark Anderson, is a plaintiff in this case. He receives nothing from the donations, which go to legal expenses.)
  • ‘Bombshell’ Documents: CISA Knew Mail-In Ballot Risks But Censored Criticism of Them Before 2020 Election (Trending Politics, Feb 22, 2024)
  • Muskegon Voter Registration Probe: Michigan Election Integrity Group Wants to Know What Happened (The Epoch Times, Feb 23, 2024)
  • MSNBC thinks you don’t have rights, like free speech, unless the government says you do. “MSNBC Host Bashes Christians for Believing that ‘Rights Come From God'” (WLT Report, Feb 23, 2024)
  • Rise in Mail-in-Voting: A Convenience or Pathway to Fraud? (America First Report, Feb 22, 2024)
  • ‘Bombshell’ Documents: CISA Knew Mail-In Ballot Risks But Censored Criticism of Them Before 2020 Election (Trending Politics, Feb 22, 2024)

Green, Environment, etc.

Green energy scam on the way out? Check these out:

  • Things Have Gotten So Bad for EV Makers That They’re Having to Send Checks to Angry Leasing Companies (Western Journal, Feb 21, 2024)
  • Tesla’s price cuts are driving down car values so much that EV makers are sending checks to leasing firms to compensate them (Fortune, Feb 21, 2024)
    • Carmakers have begun compensating leasing companies for the sliding value of used electric cars as Tesla Inc.’s price cuts rip through an industry that must sell more EVs or face hefty fines. … Carmakers need to comply with tightening fleet emission levels, or pay fines.
    • Prices for used EVs plummeted last year as weakening demand for new battery-powered cars prompted Tesla to slash sticker prices, forcing others to follow suit.

 

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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The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

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.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

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.”