Your tax dollars at work (well, Alaskans', but I'm sure there's a federal grant buried in the snow here somewhere)

happy shopper in anchorage

Shocker: Homeless Alaskans More Likely to Suffer Cold-Related Injuries. Who Knew?

Ward Clark, RedState:

Thank you, Captain Obvious.

Cold exposure injuries like frostbite and hypothermia are eight times more common for unhoused people in Alaska than those with secure housing, according to recent research by the Alaska division of epidemiology. 

Riley Fitting, an epidemiologist with the state, said cold exposure injuries can be serious. 

“Just because we’re in Alaska and we’re hearty, and we understand the winter, and we know things are cold, but we still go out and do things in the cold, it’s important to realize that not everybody can warm up,” Fitting said. “And if we can’t warm up, we’re at much higher risks of these lasting health outcomes.”

He said about a quarter of cold exposure injuries were caused directly because people were unhoused. He also said the rate of cold injuries for unhoused people has increased over the past several years, likely because of recent harsh winters.* But in harsh winters, people with homes aren’t similarly at higher risk of cold-induced injury.

Clark:

So, people sleeping on the sidewalks of Anchorage, Alaska, are more likely to suffer from cold exposure injuries than people who sleep indoors, in a bed, under blankets? Gotcha. I never would have figured that out if an epidemiologist with the state of Alaska had not helpfully informed me. Heck, do you suppose this is true in other places? Could it be true that people sleeping on sidewalks or in doorways are more likely to suffer from exposure than people who sleep indoors?

*So we can expect global warming to fix this by, say, 2028? That’s great news (CF)

Helpful tip for some of my fellow realtors — you know who you are — don't try this away from home

(No, this man is not the popular realtor you think YOU RECOGNIZE — in fact, he barely resembles him,)

Man convicted for sneaking onto neighbors' properties to smell their shoes

From Cuba, to Detroit, to the dark halls of academia, no one learns; they can't, or won't

Fascinating story here

The Embarrassment of Success

Richard Fernandez

For those who believe "property is theft," success as exhibited by SpaceX's catching of a huge booster or South Korea's prosperity compared to the north is prima facie proof of guilt. How could anything be so successful without diabolism? By contrast, destitution and dysfunction are irrefutable signs of virtue because failure is -- to some people's way of thinking -- caused by victimhood. Recently North Korea blew up some of the few roads it had in rage at the unfairness of it all. Self-multilation enhances the virtue effect because the previously pitiable become even more so.

There is a theory is that people, states and institutions are unsuccessful because failure is imposed on them. Hamas, for example, justifiably committed ordinarily unspeakable atrocities on Oct 7, 2023 because they were driven mad by decades of settler colonialism. Criminals are flooding into the US from all over the world because America has made the rest of the world unlivable. "It's your fault for being richer than Venezuela." Not theirs. Victims are never at fault.

….

Because the pie is only so big North Korea -- and in a larger sense Hamas -- must be poor because their opposite numbers have left them with so little. That means extreme wealth is evil. A Guardian columnist thinks this should be self evident: "The fact that we are even having this debate is a depressing indication of the extent to which extreme inequality has been normalised. Of course billionaires shouldn’t exist. This shouldn’t be a remotely controversial thing to say; it shouldn’t even be considered a leftwing thing to say." The evil of material success is not worth debating.

If we want to abolish failure one must perforce abolish success. Then society will move into the sunlit uplands more slowly, but surely at the speed of the slowest ship, a convoy commanded by the right thinking. Success only makes future unfairness inevitable. SpaceX's technical achievements are unleashing inequity on a cosmic scale.  JD Vance openly proclaims, "I believe the destiny of this country is to conquer the stars. Whatever your views of Elon's politics, this is something that should inspire all of us." Can Vance hear how evil that sounds? Destiny. Conquer. Could the danger be clearer? SpaceX is extending settler colonialism to the universe, exporting "surfacism" to the new "sacrifice zone." 

…..

Unless the American billionaires are stopped the US will seize or claim the inner solar system before North Korea or Africa even put a man into orbit. Something must be done or success will unleash poverty -- or so the argument goes. But then the question arises: why then do new industries arise without the intervention of government? Why doesn't old wealth dominate forever even with the help of government? Could success be due to something other than ripping the poor off?

The evidence that economics is more than just about dividing pies is overwhelming. It is also about finding better ways to make bigger pies. In the 1950s, after political partition, North Korea was considerably richer than South Korea. Today per capita income in South Korea is 30 times greater than in North Korea. But South Korea didn't victimize North Korea. They're not even connected, and if they were the connecting roads are now blown. During the first Arab-Israeli war in 1948, Israel was far from dominant. In fact it was ludicrously outmatched by the Arabs in manpower, weaponry and in Western trained regular units. Where did Israel's present superiority come from despite the fact that the Arabs had oil?

The change in the composition in the Fortune 500 between 1994 and 2022 is even more intriguing. In 1994 General Motors topped the Fortune list. Today it is not even in the top 20. Amazon, Apple and Google are currently much bigger than General Motors. Did they victimize General Motors? But perhaps the most dramatic challenge to the pie theory of economics is the saga of SpaceX versus Boeing.

This is a test of evolutionary fitness. 

Boeing epitomises the end of the late industrial era. It is burdened by bureaucracy; it relies on regulatory and political capture; and it has taken management theories like outsourcing past the extreme to the absurd. The firm has dispersed R&D and manufacturing across a global network of suppliers – a strategy that yielded quality issues and, at times, had fatal consequences. 

In contrast, SpaceX embodies the vertically integrated model of the Exponential Age, with in-house production that delivers rapid innovation and dramatic cost reductions in space launches. 

Since its founding in 2002, SpaceX has brought down the cost of space launches into low Earth orbit by 90%. Ten years ago, Boeing received a $4.2 billion contract from NASA to develop crewed launch vehicles with zero success. The same year, SpaceX got a $2.6 billion contract and has completed nine crewed launches so far. The tenth will be the rescue of the astronauts stranded by Boeing.

Boeing should have been poised to conquer the stars. It had the advantage of size, government support and even tradition.  "Instead SpaceX will do 80% of all mass to orbit this year. China will do 12%. The rest of the world will do 8%. That includes Boeing, Lockheed, and everyone else." Perhaps the Left have got it wrong. Maybe success is principally the result of getting things right and failure the outcome of getting things wrong. That's why the Fortune list keeps changing, because some get it righter than others. Perhaps victimhood is not so much due to what other people have done to others, but what one has failed to do or failed to learn.

(Somewhat) Related, over at Instapundit:

DON’T THINK THIS HAS GOTTEN THE ATTENTION IT DESERVES: Will the XAI 19 Day Data Center Miracle Win the Future of AI?

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang knows exactly how long it takes most companies to build an AI data center using Nvidia GPUs. He describes how his Nvidia team worked with xAI and Elon Musk to build a complete AI Data Center with 100,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs in 19 days. Elon Musk has said it took 122 days from start to finish.

Jensen said this would normally take 4 years. It would take 3 years for the planning and getting the site and permits and then it would take one year to build it and get it working and everyone trained. This means XAI took about 103 days for the planning and other non-GPU planning and other tasks.

The removal of most of the 3 year planning and preparation requires leveraging Elon’s Tesla team and processes they have worked out for factories and the prior setup of 20,000 GPUs used for Grok 2. . . . Tesla can completely design, build and test and certify a car in one hour. Other car companies take a year or more. If xAI has converted the installation, building and testing of a 100k GPU cluster from a 365 days process into a 19 day process and shortened the planing and preparation from 3 years into 100 days then this could be an unbeatable level of speed for xAI and for Tesla AI.

Leftists: “Elon doesn’t do anything he just buys companies.”

Oh, how the truth hurts!

Say it, sister: Pop star Lizzo ripped online after saying ‘the whole country will be like Detroit’ if Kamala wins

Pop star Lizzo was ripped online after she claimed that if VP Kamala Harris is elected president “the whole country will be like Detroit” at a rally for the Dem candidate in her hometown.

Harris appeared with the “Truth Hurts” singer at a rally in the motor city Saturday where the two sang the city’s praises after former president Trump had disparaged it at an appearance at the Detroit Economic Club last week.

“I mean, the whole country is going to be like — you want to know the truth — it’ll be like Detroit… Our whole country will end up being like Detroit.”

You want the truth? I don’t think you do.

The Greens’ socialist, carbon-free dream reaches fruition

Communist Cuba shuts down schools, state-owned workplaces as huge blackout leaves millions in dark

A massive outage left millions of Cubans without power and prompted the government Friday to implement emergency measures to slash demand, including suspending classes, shutting down some state-owned workplaces and canceling non-essential services.

Cuban officials said that the blackout, which started late Thursday, saw 1.64 gigawatts go offline during peak hours in the early evening, about half the total demand at the time.

“The situation has worsened in recent days,” Prime Minister Manuel Marrero said in a special address on national television in the early hours of Friday.

“We must be fully transparent … we have been halting economic activities to ensure energy for the population.”

During his address, Marrero was accompanied by Alfredo López, chief of the state-owned utility, UNE, who said the outage stemmed from increased demand from small- and medium-sized companies and residences’ air conditioners, as well as breakdowns in old thermoelectric plants that haven’t been properly maintained and the lack of fuel to operate some facilities.

Update at PJ Media:

Communist Cuba is in total darkness today thanks to a power outage due to a lack of oil and a dilapidated energy infrastructure which has forced the government to shut down almost everything. The Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric power plant in the city of Matanzas suddenly and inexplicably shut down. Repair crews are desperately trying to get the plant working again with no timetable as to when power might be restored.

Schools, industry, and "cultural and nonessential activities" such as bars and discos are shuttered at least until Monday. The outage follows a late-night TV address by Cuban Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz on Thursday night.

“We have had to paralyze the economy to guarantee a minimum of electrical service,” Prime Minister Manuel Marrero said in an announcement. 

Early Saturday morning, after power was slowly being restored, another catastrophic failure occurred and the island was once again plunged into darkness.

Venezuela has been supplying Cuba with about 80% of its oil in recent years. But now, the Venezuela oil industry is also suffering from neglect and poor maintenance and those deliveries to Cuba have been cut in half. Cuba has tried to buy from Mexico and Russia, but they can't pay in Cuban worthless pesos and its hard currency reserves are needed to buy food.

Totally unrelated, right?:

Cuba slashes size of daily bread ration as ingredients run thin

By Reuters

September 17, 20242:44

HAVANA, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Cuba's communist-run government on Monday slashed by a quarter the weight of its subsidized ration of daily bread, the latest shortage to strain a decades-old subsidies scheme created by the late Fidel Castro.

The bread, one of a handful of still subsidized basic food products in Cuba, will be reduced from 80 grams to 60 grams (2.1 oz), or approximately the weight of an average cookie or a small bar of soap. Its price, too, was slightly reduced, to just under 1 peso, or 1/3 of a cent.

Still, many Cubans, who earn around 4648 pesos a month, or around $15, can scarcely afford to shop for more expensive bread on the private market, leaving them with few alternatives.

"We have to accept it, what else can we do?" Havana-resident Dolores Fernandez told Reuters while she stood outside a bakery on Monday. "There's no choice."

“Viva Fidel! Viva socialism!

Who remembers CT's "Windfall Profits Tax"? Almost no one, although it's still adding to the price. And that’s typical of these state-coffer enrichment schemes

A Washington State Home Heating bill, 2022 and 2024

In seems that, for some reason, politicians don’t want to boast of their successes in raising the price of fossil fuels for consumers, even though forced use reduction is the keystone in the battle to save the world from global warming, a goal many, even most American voters say they want to achieve. Odd, eh?

In California, where gasoline currently costs $1.50 more per gallon than the national average, the state’s new carbon regulations are going to add 65 to 85 cents per gallon, heading to $1.50 by 2035. Fantastic! Go Greens! But instead of gloating (publicly) the CARB regulators are obfuscating and denying that any such thing is going to happen; at least, not until next month’s elections.

Out in the not-so-sunny state of Washington, a “carbon sequestration” scheme has sent fuel costs sky-high, yet, again, no one wants to claim credit.

Virginia Taft has the story:

Outgoing Gov. Jay Inslee promised to "lower the price of gas" for running vehicles and heating homes, costing Washingtonians "only pennies," by instituting a carbon rationing scheme. That was a big fat lie, which he knew because his own economist predicted an at least 40 cents a gallon increase in the price of gas. 

Within weeks of the first carbon auction the price of gas at the pump increased by as much as 50 cents a gallon on top of "I Did That!" Joe Biden's climate price increases. The price of everything went up dramatically because that "everything" comes by truck. 

Then came the chicanery. The state economist was then forced from the government. Then, the guy who wants to replace Inslee, Attorney General Bob Ferguson, ordered energy companies to hide the carbon tax line item from consumers' bills.

Cui Bono?

(In digging around for more information on Washington’s law, I came across this enlightening bit of history on who sponsored it, and what that person is up to now: just like every other do-gooder law sponsor, from BLMers, to illegal immigration champions, to ethanol boosters, he’s cashing in):

“Reuven Carlyle, a former Democratic state senator from Seattle, sponsored the legislation, and said he was purposely vague on how the money should be spent.

“My goal politically was to get the budget writers salivating with opportunity and anticipation about how to leverage those dollars for federal dollars and for private investment,” said Carlyle.

“The new law has gotten a boost since it was signed because the federal Inflation Reduction Act included big investments in climate change that include matching federal funds, said Carlyle, who has since founded a start-up to help businesses hit climate goals.”

So, can we now please discuss this windfall tax you claim to remember?

All of which, finally, brings me around to Connecticut’s “windfall profits tax” enacted in 1980 during one of the recurrent gas shortages back then (why there were shortages is easily answered, but that’s for another time), with the promise that oil companies would be forbidden to pass the cost of that tax on to consumers. At the time, legal scholars (and even legal dolts like myself) warned that the pass-through ban would not pass constitutional muster, yet the Democrats rammed the law through, with full knowledge that a catchy phrase like “windfall profits” and a false promise that oil companies, not consumers, would have to pay “their fair share” would be hugely popular with their uninformed constituents.

The law went into effect and as predicted, the pass-through ban was struck down by the courts, and CT drivers have been paying the tax — now 26.4¢ per gallon ever since: 44 years. Connecticut gasoline retailers briefly tried to bring this tax and Connecticuts additional road use tax (spent on everything except road maintenance) of 25¢ to the attention of customers by affixing stickers to their gas pumps. The state immediately banned the practice, a ban that, like the tax itself (now renamed with the equally-duplicitous moniker of “wholesale

Here’s an interesting thing: I tried to find information on the history of Connecticut’s windfall profits tax using Google and DuckDuckGo, and the results were scattered and difficult to assemble into a coherent narrative. So I went to the free version of chatbox, and got back this summary in less than a second; I’m impressed.

Question: what is the legislative history of Connecticut's Petroleum Gross Receipts Earning Tax; include the court decision invalidating the law's initial ban on pass-through of the tax to consumers, and the state forbidding gasoline dealers from showing taxes on fuel pumps

ChatGPT said:

Connecticut's Petroleum Gross Receipts Earnings Tax has evolved significantly since its inception. Here's a summary of its legislative history, including key court rulings and amendments:

1. Initial Enactment and Tax Structure

• Year of Enactment: Connecticut first enacted the Petroleum Gross Earnings Tax in 1980. The tax was imposed on the gross earnings of companies engaged in the refining or distribution of petroleum products within the state.

• Purpose: It aimed to generate revenue for the state, particularly to fund transportation projects and other state infrastructure needs.

2. Ban on Pass-Through of the Tax to Consumers

• The original law prohibited companies from passing the tax directly onto consumers, intending to protect consumers from bearing the burden of this tax. However, petroleum companies argued that it was impractical and inconsistent with the realities of business operations.

3. Court Decision Invalidating the Ban on Pass-Through

• A Connecticut court decision eventually struck down the prohibition on passing the tax to consumers. The ruling, which stemmed from legal challenges by petroleum companies, found that the ban violated constitutional or state legal principles, such as the right of businesses to set prices based on operational costs, including taxes.

• Case Example: One notable decision is Texaco Refining & Marketing, Inc. v. Commissioner of Revenue Services, where the court sided with the petroleum industry, emphasizing that while the state could impose a tax, it could not interfere with pricing strategies.

4. State Regulation Forbidding the Display of Taxes at Fuel Pumps

• In response to the court's decision, Connecticut implemented further regulations that prohibited gasoline dealers from explicitly showing the Petroleum Gross Earnings Tax as a separate line item on fuel pumps or on customer receipts. The intent was to maintain transparency about pricing while avoiding direct association of the tax with the state or the fuel price consumers paid.

• This regulation aimed to prevent consumer confusion [uh huh - Ed] and reduce potential backlash against the tax by making it less visible at the point of sale.

5. Subsequent Amendments and Changes

• Over the years, Connecticut adjusted the tax rate multiple times in response to fluctuations in petroleum prices and state budgetary needs.

• The state also refined its laws to ensure compliance with both federal and state constitutional standards, ensuring that while businesses could pass the tax on to consumers, the state maintained a degree of control over how the tax was presented to the public.

Summary

Connecticut's Petroleum Gross Earnings Tax has been a significant revenue source for the state, but its implementation has faced legal challenges and changes, particularly around its pass-through provisions and the display of taxes at gas stations. The ongoing adjustments and court rulings reflect the state's balancing act between generating revenue and managing consumer impact.

For more detailed and specific legal citations or case names, I can further explore Connecticut's case law and legislative records on this matter.

Every time I think we've reached peak insanity, someone proves me wrong

Marine Corps veteran removed from Delta flight, forced to change over ‘threatening’ shirt

A Marine Corps veteran was removed from a Delta flight before she was ordered to change clothes when a flight attendant ruled that the passenger’s shirt which brought attention to military suicides was “threatening.”

Catherine Banks, a 22-year veteran of the Marines, was onboard the Delta flight at San Francisco International Airport to visit family on Oct. 16, when she wore her dark gray outfit and sat in her extra-legroom seat she paid extra.

“Do Not Give In To The War Within. End Veteran Suicide,” Banks’ shirt read.

…. “He said that shirt you’re wearing is threatening,” she said. “I said, ‘Are you kidding me?”

A dumbfounded Banks questioned the Delta employee before explaining that she was a veteran.

“I’m a Marine Corps vet. I’m going to see my Marine sister. I’ve been in the Marine Corps for 22 years and worked for the Air Force for 15 years. I’m going to visit her.”

Banks’ military background did not phase the flight attendant who issued her an ultimatum to return to the plane.

“I don’t care about your service, and I don’t care about her service. The only way you’re going to get back on the plane is if you take it off right now,” Banks recalled.

Banks, who was braless underneath her shirt, told the flight attendant to turn around so she could remove the seemingly polarizing shirt and replace it with a sweatshirt.

The shirt is sold by the Til Valhalla Project as part of the “22 a day collection,” which brings awareness to the estimated 22 veterans who commit suicide each day.

Suicides among active-duty military members are reportedly at an all-time high since 9/11, when records began, according to the USO.

Over 30,000 active duty personnel and veterans who served in the military after 9/11 have died by suicide – compared to the 7,057 service members killed in combat in those same 20 years, according to research published in 2021.

Banks says her shirt was a symbol of the work she does helping her fellow veterans and having it removed caused her to be humiliated.

“I feel like they just took my soul away. I’m not a bad person, and that T-shirt, I should be allowed to support myself and veterans,” she said.

Banks was brought to the back of the plane instead of the seat she paid for, which had already been given to another passenger.

All the more reason to have your boy transition to a girl before kindergarten: get it off to a good start.

gene, gene, go away, come again some other way

Increased autism risk linked to Y chromosome, study finds

Increased risk for autism appears to be linked to the Y chromosome, a Geisinger Health System study has found, offering a new explanation for the greater prevalence of autism in males. The results are published in Nature Communications.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests and activities. ASD is nearly four times more prevalent among males than females, but the reason for this disparity is not well understood.

One common hypothesis involves the difference in sex chromosomes between males and females—typical females have two X chromosomes, while typical males have one X and one Y chromosome.

"A leading theory in the field is that protective factors of the X chromosome lower autism risk in females," said Matthew Oetjens, Ph.D., assistant professor at Geisinger's Autism & Developmental Medicine Institute.

The same technique can prevent sickle cell anemia, if blacks would just choose to self-identify as white.

Smart move; and a winning one

America’s Paper of Record and our only trusted news source is always first with these breaking stories, and it’s done it again. Bravo.

U.S. — In a desperate, last-ditch attempt to keep Donald Trump from winning the election, Democrats have announced they are switching out Kamala Harris for a wheel of cheese with a sign reading "Not Trump."

…. "We feel the cheese is far more likable and, honestly, more intelligent," said one high-ranking Democrat who asked to remain anonymous. "We tried to give it a go with Kamala, but we're getting down to crunch time here. We didn't have many options left, so we all reluctantly agreed that it was better to go with the wheel of cheese. If nothing else, the cheese doesn't have that incessant cackle."

Media pundits said the late switch might turn the race upside down. "The cheese makes a strong point," said MSNBC's Rachel Maddow. "It's very up-front with its position that it is not Donald Trump, which is the most important issue and something millions of Americans can get behind. We're used to supporting politicians who can't answer questions, so the fact that the wheel of cheese is an inanimate object isn't that much of a departure. I'll be voting for the wheel of cheese in November."

373 Taconic Road gained the Bankruptcy Court's approval and closed today

373 Taconic Road was priced at $7.1 million but has sold for $7.250. The owners of this house have either gone to jail, fallen into bankruptcy, fled the country, or endured a combination of the three. Its tale of woe reminds me of another haunted house, the late Leona Helmsley’s Dunnellen Hall (nee Topping Hill).

Greenwich mansion with cursed history up for sale again

Phil Hall April 10, 2017

A Greenwich property with a history of wealthy inhabitants who saw monumental bad luck upon taking ownership is back on the market at a reduced listing.

Round Hill Manor, formerly known as Dunnellen Hall, is now available for $39 million; last spring, it was listed at $49 million, and in 2014 it was listed for $65 million. Located on more than 40 acres with a vast view of the Long Island Sound, the property has nine bedrooms, eight full bathrooms and a new propane HVAC system has individual thermostats in every room.

The property at 521 Round Hill Road in Greenwich also boasts a rather creepy history. According to the Damned Connecticut website, it was built in 1918 by financier Daniel G. Reid as a gift for his daughter. [S]he lived there without incident until 1950, but Reid’s health failed dramatically a year after the estate’s construction and he was twice committed to psychiatric care before his death in 1925.

Subsequent occupants also experienced their share of unfortunate turns of fortune: steel industry tycoon Loring Washburn went broke several years after buying the estate from Reid’s daughter, financier Jack Dick died in 1974 after being indicted for questionable financial activities, oil man Ravi Tikkoo [oil supertankers]; less than a decade later, he had also gone bust, forcing him to sell the property to Harry and Leona Helmsley who bought the property as summer home in 1983 for $11 million [“ It was the subsequent renovation work at Dunnellen Hall — and the ensuing charges of tax evasion and eventual criminal trials — which began the Helmsley’s decline which included Harry’s death and Leona’s 18-month stretch in the slammer. After serving her sentence, Leona moved in year-round, living there until her death in August 2007.”] The Helmsley estate sold the property in 2010 for $35 million, after initially listing it two years earlier for $125 million.

There’s a fun article on one of the estate’s former owner, Jack R. Dick, dead of a heart attack at 45 in 1974. Quite an interesting, perhaps a bit shady, character.

Even after this article was written, the curse continued; the estate finally sold 2,178 days after being listed for $16.5 million in November 2020.