Muda69

Syracuse University Is Not ‘Okay’ https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/02/syracuse-university-is-not-okay/ Even this goes much too far. Was all of the offense and anger really justified? Was there any supporting evidence to suggest that the student who made the post even knew that the OK symbol was sometimes appropriated by hate groups, much less that she was using it with similarly bigoted intentions? No, but sadly, the statement gets much, much worse. It goes on to call the post “an unacceptable lapse in judgment and lack of awareness on the part of our entire team,” apologize for being “negligent and hurt[ing] people in the community we love so much,” and insist that the team is “grateful that the lacrosse community has held us accountable.” Is it the responsibility of every American citizen over the age of 18 to monitor white-supremacist sites and understand their intricacies? How, exactly, is the rest of the team complicit in this supposed atrocity? Was anyone really hurt? Most disturbing is the “thank you, sir, may I have another”–ism on display in the bit about being held “accountable.” What is it that they’re being held accountable for, and by whom? I, for one, do not appreciate the team’s inviting the mob to hold the rest of us accountable to its nebulous, ever-evolving standards by subjecting us to an endless torrent of online harassment. To be clear, I don’t blame the students on the team for bowing so quickly and so low to the mob at their doorstep. I doubt very much that they wrote the statement released on their behalf, and would venture to guess that at least some of them are not happy with its contents. The culpability lies with the adults who threw these young women under the bus without a second thought to make their own lives just a little bit easier. Head coach Gary Gait, for example, is one of the sport’s most revered figures. Yet he did nothing to stand up for the team, instead calling the post a “mistake” and consenting to the tarnishing of the players he’s paid to mentor and protect. This is part of a larger trend of powerful adults and institutions failing in their obligation to shield the powerless from unfair criticism and unjustifiable consequences. There’s only one word for it: cowardice.

As one of the smallest school in 4A at the moment, I agree. Maybe even down to 2A with their available talent pool.

You do know that Frankfort finished this past regular season with a winning record, 5-4? The first one since 2009. Of course they had play two 1A schools (and go 1-1 against them) to do it.

Yes it is. Enjoy your American Dream.

I have raised multiple teenagers. Most "parental sacrifice" in Clinton county is working 60+ hours a week just to keep a roof over your family's head and food on the table. Fancy schmancy personal trainers and athletic camps are a pipe dream.

Band practice at a Wisconsin school. Sad.

Healthy = rich.

Wow, must be nice to be rich.

https://mises.org/wire/pro-act-not-just-union-handout-its-assault-freedom-association-itself There have already been mountains of coverage of the disastrous results of this policy. Former Mises summer fellow Peter St. Onge has written about how the scheme is likely to result in lower wages for contractors turned employees. But that only applies to those fortunate enough to keep working. Writing at Reason, Billy Binion has documented numerous instances of freelancers in California being basically blacklisted from numerous companies located outside the state because of the new bureaucratic hurdles that came with them. Uber and Lyft simply defied the law and said they would ignore it, which they did until a popular referendum added app-based drivers to the list of exceptions to the rule. On its face, the ABC test is merely another way to corral employees into dues-paying unions. However, its unseen effects are even more insidious and will lead to more state power and centralization. The federal government seeks to obliterate and subsume all sources of power outside itself, as it has already done with the lower levels of state authority in our federalist system, and the nonstate mediating institutions of social power such as the family and community. The freedom of association, whether in one’s private, public, or economic life, is an essential freedom upon which many other freedoms rest; therefore, its further degradation is extremely alarming. As someone who has made a living writing as an independent contractor for the past few years, I can attest that it is not always the most secure and easiest way to work in the world, but I find that this insecurity is worth it, because in exchange I have a great deal of independence and freedom. I do not have any bosses to answer to, I don’t have any HR departments to listen to, and I can work whenever I want. I am very free to organize my life how I desire. Those in power have good reason to detest this freedom. As government bureaucracy continues to metastasize throughout the economy, like a malignant cancer, increasingly more employees fall under its authority and control. Unlike regular employees, independent contractors do not have to sit in HR seminars to be force-fed woke social justice garbage or engage in struggle sessions to cleanse themselves of their gender and ethnic privilege. By forcing formerly independent workers together, they become easier to control and manipulate. Not only do those in power benefit from centralization, but it provides numerous opportunities to provide patronage to those seeking reprieve from the law (and therefore allows them to derive even more power). The California law is stuffed full of exceptions and carve outs for different professions and industries. Uber and Lyft were able to orchestrate a successful referendum campaign to have their business model added to the list. But tough luck to freelancers in industries that don’t have multiple multibillion-dollar tech giants backing them or an army of lobbyists at the ready. The relevant part of the current draft of the federal bill (section 101) doesn’t even mention any exceptions at all. No doubt that if the bill seems to have a chance of passing, lobbyists will be pouring into politicians’ offices to bow and scrape in order to protect their industries and secure exceptions and carve outs. You can’t blame businesses for trying to defend themselves in this way, but such a situation flies in the face of the idea that the law is for everyone and further feeds the culture of corruption and cronyism. The PRO Act may claim that it is all about freedom and choice, but in the end, it will only result in less choice, less freedom, and more government control. Agreed. This is horrendous legislation. I urge all those who truly believe in personal freedom and the freedom of association to contact their elected representatives and voice your opposition to this bill.

And I pointed out Sheridan <> Carmel when it comes to average family income. So you truly believe weekend skill development camps and QB academies are the primary reason that wealthy communities/cities have such (relatively) recent success on the gridiron? That a Sheridan or Frankfort or Riverton Parke or Logansport or Blackford County or Carroll (Flora) (etc. the list goes on) will never have or be able to sustain football excellence due to primarily socioeconomic factors?

A mister no more: Mr. Potato Head goes gender neutral: https://apnews.com/article/mr-potato-head-goes-gender-neutral-d3c178f2b9b0c424ed814657be41a9d8 *sigh* Where does it end?

Ahh, so only "current" success counts. Got it.

Medium income for Sheridan: https://datausa.io/profile/geo/sheridan-in Medium income for Carmel: https://datausa.io/profile/geo/carmel-in/ Yes, Sheridan is located in the wealthiest county in Indiana, but that wealth doesn't translate to Adams township in the far northwest corner of Hamilton county. Nor does it translate to Marion township in Boone county, the other township which attends Sheridan schools: https://censusreporter.org/profiles/06000US1801146854-marion-township-boone-county-in/

https://mises.org/wire/why-stakeholder-capitalism-disaster-entrepreneurs I denounce it. Stakeholder capitalism is more progressive nonsense, designed to once again make everything "average".

Hmm, I don't recall "thriving industry" in Marion and Adams townships during the period where Sheridan was dominating 1A football.

California Bill Would Give $1,000 Fines to Retailers With Separate 'Girls' and 'Boys' Toy Sections: https://reason.com/2021/02/23/california-bill-would-give-1000-fines-to-retailers-with-separate-girls-and-boys-toy-sections/?itm_source=parsely-api

https://reason.com/2021/02/23/progressives-say-good-riddance-to-businesses-who-cant-afford-a-15-minimum-wage/ Nevertheless, other left-wing commenters approvingly tweeted out Khanna's original remarks, saying that forcing businesses who can't afford the new higher minimum wage to close would be a good thing. That's a callous attitude to take towards small business owners in light of the difficulties they're already facing amid a pandemic and related public health restrictions. Given how many mom-and-pop operations would struggle to cope with a $15 federal minimum wage, these commentators are writing off a huge number of existing businesses as essentially worthless. Nationally, about a third of small businesses have closed since the start of the pandemic. Small business revenue is down by about the same amount. The proposed $15 an hour minimum wage, which the proposed Raise the Wage Act would phase in by 2025, is higher than the current median wage in Mississippi, notes Scott Lincicome of the Cato Institute. The figure is only a little less than the median wage in states like Arkansas, West Virginia, and Louisiana. Making that median wage the new national floor would prove fatal for a huge number of employers in those lower-wage, lower-cost states. And even if one isn't inclined to shed a tear for mom-and-pop businesses, it's not like the current lower-wage employees of those businesses would be made better off either. They'd stand to make $0 an hour if their employer shuts down. And even if the business does survive, those employees still risk cuts to their hours or worsening working conditions. That's what's playing out in Fresno, California, where the rollout of that state's $15 an hour minimum wage law was the subject of a recent investigation by The New York Times. As that story notes, Fresno, as a lower-wage, lower-cost area of a higher-wage, high-cost state, makes for a good case study on how the phase-in of a $15 an hour federal minimum wage might work. In January, California hiked its minimum wage to $14 an hour. Businesses in Fresno, where the median wage is $17 an hour, have responded by either raising prices, cutting staff, or both, the Times found. The Congressional Budget Office estimates a $15 an hour national minimum wage would cost 1.4 million people their jobs. A similar story is playing out in West Coast cities that have passed hazard pay ordinances that require grocers to pay their employees an additional $4 or $5 an hour during the pandemic. Some grocery store chains have responded by closing down poor-performing stores. Independent operators say they're being forced to operate in the red, and might not survive for much longer. According to a city staff analysis, a proposed $5 an hour hazard pay proposal in Los Angeles would risk price hikes, job losses, store closures, and the creation of "food deserts." Grocery stores are particularly sensitive to sudden increases in their labor costs given the typically tight margins those businesses operate on. That's true even during the pandemic when some grocery chains have reaped record profits. Small businesses experiencing declining revenue during the pandemic would obviously be harder hit by sudden increases in their labor costs. Even if one thinks it's fine for businesses that pay low wages to go extinct, their shuttering also means fewer job options for low-wage workers. There's no social justice in that. Progressivism truly is a mental disorder, and this kind of "thinking" proves it.

Thank you for discovering this Dante. So ERCOT is not totally separated electrically from the rest of the U.S. Good to know. Still does nothing to discount my assertion that a totally government run electrical system would not have done an ounce better in Texas than the current system. In fact they probably would have performed worse.

So does Indiana. What's your point? And you complain about others throwing out red herrings? Tell me Dante, Does the TVA serve the exact same number of customers that ERCOT does? Does the TVA encompass the same size geographical area that ERCOT does? Were the weather conditions experienced by the area that the TVA serves the exact same weather conditions as what occurred Texas? So are you saying this story is a lie?

It depends on the number of wealthy farmers in that section of the county......................

https://dvorak.substack.com/p/making-covid-about-climate?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email&utm_source=copy The Covid-19 pandemic and the sheer volume of public fear and concurrent compliance has prompted a rethinking of the most promoted “crisis” of our time: “climate change.” Climate change, which actually began with the global cooling rage of the 1970s, began its new life as “global warming,” then morphed into “climate change” and further evolved into the preferred new phrase, “climate crisis.” Along the rebranding road we also saw the short-lived “climate emergency.” Trump’s election in 2016 derailed the urgency of fixing the “problem.” He relaxed the targets for CO2 and refused to play along with international efforts to create funds for third world and developing nations to help them cope. This means taking money from rich countries and giving it to poor countries. This is done under the guise of a sort of reparation for all the damage done to the environment by the rich countries. Biden’s election has put the USA back on track, but the enthusiasm is still minimal because of the Covid panic. It seems as if the public-at-large can only worry itself sick about one thing at a time. While the Covid panic should have been over by now, the media is continuing to promote it, whether it’s about the variants or needing a lot more shots or pushing the idea that you can get the disease multiple times. None of this is helping the country transition back to climate change as the major concern. The intermediate solution? Connect Covid to climate change. More and more articles and papers are manufacturing an often bogus direct connection between Covid and the changing climate, no matter how ridiculous. The thinking is that it might be possible to keep the fear levels high by taking the Covid freak-out and somehow making it a climate freak-out. This is like replacing a light bulb with a candle and hoping nobody will notice. Here are a few recent examples of the sort you will be seeing in this hopeless endeavor. One research paper shows that various bat populations moved south and may be the source of the virus in the first place. This event is a problem for those pushing the climate change agenda. If climate change is causing animal migration, it would make sense that any population in the Northern Hemisphere would move farther north since it would be too hot for them in the old habitat. Moving south to what should be a hotter climate makes no sense. I’m sure some dubious but creative rationale will appear to explain the anomaly. The major news media would prefer Covid fear porn for all eternity, but it will move to the climate change messaging in the months ahead. They feel obliged even though everyone knows that the "crisis" is proving to be a financial loser for everyone but the Chinese solar panel makers and the wind turbine manufacturers. You’ve been warned. We’re back to 2016. Please adjust your calendar. -- jcd

Lawmakers to Cable Providers: Why Are You Letting News Channels Say These Things? https://reason.com/2021/02/22/eshoo-mcnerney-letter-fox-news-newsmax-oann-comcast-misinformation/ Uni-party.

Joe Biden’s Dept. of Energy Blocked Texas from Increasing Power Ahead of Enduring Storm: https://yournews.com/2021/02/19/2033550/joe-bidens-dept-of-energy-blocked-texas-from-increasing-power/ Why yes, government. The answer to all our problems, right Dante?

The Texas Blackout Blame Game https://reason.com/2021/02/22/the-texas-blackout-blame-game/ Agreed. And there is simply no way a 100% government run system would have been any better.

What in the CATO article is hypothetical, Dante? And you do realize ERCOT has 2.5 times the number of customers as the TVA does, do you not? Nobody is denying that mistakes were make in Texas. Yet you still haven't proven that a TVA style government monopoly would have done better. The conditions in Texas versus those in Tennessee were not the same.