It was in July 2019 that New York State adopted its Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Our Legislature and Governor (it was Andrew Cuomo at the time) had officially designated us as the climate “leader,” here to show the unsophisticated rubes and provincials in the rest of the country how a small application of political will could transform our electricity system from majority fossil fuels in 2019 to 70% “renewables” by 2030 and 100% “zero-carbon” by 2040.

Now six years into the eleven available to meet the 2030 mandate, we actually get less of our electricity from zero-carbon sources than we did in 2019. The reason is that the large (2 GW) Indian Point nuclear plant was forced to close under pressure from environmentalists, to be replaced by two natural gas plants of approximately the same total capacity. Meanwhile the vision of massive amounts of power from the wind and sun has barely gotten off the ground; and in particular the vision of vast offshore wind capacity has essentially died with the withdrawal of federal support by the Trump administration.

So what is the plan from here forward? The short answer is that there is no plan, or at least nothing remotely close to a credible plan.

But while we lack any semblance of a credible plan, we do not lack big reports purporting to be a plan. The last couple of months have seen the issuance of two such documents. On July 25, something called the New York State Energy Planning Board issued a document titled the Draft 2025 Energy Plan for the State. Separately, back on June 2, an agency called the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) issued its own document called 2025 Power Trends. So how can I say that there is no plan?

Well, start with that document from the Energy Planning Board. The EPB is some kind of consortium of the infinitely confusing morass of bureaucracies with their fingers in the New York energy planning pie. Here is a list of members, with some 14 hangers-on ranging from the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, to the Chancellor of the State University, to the Commissioner of the Department of Health, to the Chair of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. You would think that by this time, with only five years to go to the 2030 deadline, this highfalutin group of muckety-mucks would have, at the minimum: a detailed list of exactly what was going to be built where to meet the mandate, accompanied by an engineering-level feasibility study and detailed cost projections. Well no, no and no.

Instead we get hundreds upon hundreds of pages of fluff. The Summary for Policy Makers alone is 75 pages long. The whole thing is way too voluminous for me to give you anything more than a tiny sampling here. But an excerpt from the introductory paragraphs will give you some of the flavor:

Energy is central to New Yorkers’ lives. It powers the economy, keeps homes and workplaces comfortable, moves people and goods, and runs critical infrastructure. New York is one of the most energy-efficient states in the nation based on energy use per person and state economic output. 1. Additionally, our power grid is becoming cleaner. Roughly half of New York’s in-state electricity generation comes from zero-emission sources,2 and renewable generation projects that are in the pipeline today would double the state’s renewable generation by 2030.3 Yet, like the rest of the country, New Yorkers face volatile energy prices, intensifying extreme weather, and environmental and health impacts associated with reliance on fossil fuels and aging fossil fuel infrastructure. These shared concerns do not affect all communities equally. Low-income households and otherwise disadvantaged communities are disproportionately impacted by energy cost burdens and by community and environmental health concerns like water and air pollution.4 Disadvantaged communities also face significant barriers to accessing clean energy choices.5

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

And then this from a little further down in the introduction:

The Energy Planning Board acknowledges that at the time of developing the Draft Plan, the energy sector faces significant uncertainty, stemming from economic pressures and, more recently, a shift in political priorities and policies at the federal level. These uncertainties impact long-term planning, investment decisions, and possibly the pace of transition to clean energy.

Translation: all of their fantasies about massive amounts of solar and wind power driven by federal subsidies have been wiped out, and they have no idea of what is next. So they’re going to bury you in hundreds of pages of bafflegab about things like “delivering abundant, reliable and resilient clean energy,” or “continuing progress toward de-carbonization and a clean energy economy,” or “delivering abundant energy services for economic competitiveness.” (These are examples of headings from the table of contents.)

Note that this is just the “draft” plan. A multi-month process of public comments and revisions is contemplated. The chance that that process will contribute an actual feasibility study or detailed cost projection is exactly zero.

And then there is the NYISO Power Trends report. This one is a comparatively terse 50 pages. Most is written in the same type of bureaucratese designed to conceal the lack of substance and to keep you from reading further. Example from the President’s introductory letter:

 The electric system is the backbone of our economy. It is essential to the health and safety of all New Yorkers. Since the NYISO’s inception in 1999, protecting electric system reliability and evolving competitive markets has been our top priority in the face of great change, whether it be societal, public policy, or extreme weather.

But then NYISO is the one agency here that actually has the responsibility to keep the system up and running. Deeply buried on page 14 as the last paragraph of a section headed “A diverse resource mix supports grid reliability,” we find these two sentences:

Simply put, as New York seeks to retire more fossil fuel units in the coming years it will be essential to deploy new energy resources with the same reliability attributes to maintain grid reliability. Until new, non-emitting alternatives like hydrogen or advanced nuclear generation are developed and commercialized, fossil resources are needed to fill an essential role in preserving reliable grid operations.

Well as of today grid-scale hydrogen and advanced nuclear generation have not been “commercialized.” So the only answer is to keep the fossil fuel generation going. Perhaps they should tell some of their co-bureaucrats, like NYSERDA, or the Energy Planning Board, or maybe even the Legislature or the New York City Council. But as of now NYISO’s strategy seems to be to put a warning somewhere deep in their reports just so they can say “I told you so” when the whole thing falls apart. They owe the New York citizenry much better.

Francis Menton, Manhattan Contrarian

A Virginia public school system has launched an investigation into allegations that high school officials arranged and paid for two minors to obtain abortions without notifying the girls’ parents, violating Virginia law.

Fairfax County Public Schools’ (FCPS) investigation comes after a bombshell Aug. 5 Substack report by Walter Curt that states that a social worker at Centreville High School, Carolina Díaz, was involved in procuring abortions for two students.

The first incident allegedly occurred in November 2021, when the student was 17 years old. The girl claims Díaz scheduled the appointment, paid for it, and “kept everything quiet without informing my family,” according to Curt. In the second case, a student who was five months pregnant went to an abortion appointment procured for her after Díaz reportedly told her that she “had no other choice.” She ultimately decided against the abortion, choosing to leave the clinic rather than go through with it.

According to the report, Principal Chad Lehman knew about both incidents, and both abortion appointments were apparently paid for by school funds. Both times, the parents and families of the girls were not informed, a violation of a state law that requires at least one parent to be notified before an abortion can be performed for a minor.

Curt wrote in his report, “Legal analysts tell me that if school employees indeed arranged and paid for these procedures, criminal as well as civil liability is in play — everything from contributing to the delinquency of a minor to misuse of public funds.”

The report also states that the second girl told Zenaida Perez, a teacher, about the incident. Administrators attempted to silence her once they realized she knew about the incident, according to written statements from students.

Students reportedly said later that school administrators began looking for ways to fire Perez or pressure her to resign, even attempting to have students bait Perez into minor policy violations.

FCPS told CatholicVote via email that it has engaged an external investigator to look into the claims, adding, “We have serious questions about these allegations that must be answered.”

“At no time would the situation as described in these allegations from back in 2021 be acceptable in Fairfax County Public Schools,” FCPS added.

Local ABC affiliate 7News inquired Aug. 6 as to whether FCPS staff members ever arranged for abortions on behalf of students. I

In response, the school system stated, “Not to [our] knowledge. We have launched an immediate investigation into these concerns as soon as we were made aware.”

FCPS also directed 7News to its policy on counseling pregnant students, which states, “Every effort shall be made to encourage and support students suspecting pregnancy to discuss their concern with their parents or guardians.” The policy also adds, “In no case shall personnel commit themselves to maintain such information confidentially, keeping it from parents, guardians, or appropriate school authorities.”

On X, pro-life organization 40 Days for Life condemned the incident and called it “state-funded child exploitation.”

The organization added, “Every official involved must be held accountable.”

Hannah Hiester, Catholic Vote

Gabbard claimed in a post on X that former President Barack Obama and key members of his national security team, including then-CIA Director John Brennan and then-DNI James Clapper, fabricated a narrative about Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election to “subvert” Trump’s presidency. They even made up evidence, such as the so-called Steele Dossier paid for by Hillary Clinton. They were all lies to make President Trump look bad. If these people are not stopped now while Trump is in office, and in control of the DOJ, then they will come after him when he is out of office and no longer in power. Klayman says, “Why is this different from the past? . . .. President Trump and the people around him, including Tulsi Gabbard, Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, Dan Bongino and others, have learned what they are up against. They’ve tried now to assassinate the President twice. I believe the Left and the Democrats were behind it. I think they wanted him dead. They did not want him (Trump) to be elected. There was also all the lawfare (like warfare) over the last many years. It’s obvious Trump and his team have come to the conclusion that they have to get the Left and the Deep State before they get them.”

Klayman says President Trump is at greater risk now than anytime in the past. Klayman explains, “Because President Trump has been so successful thus far, he is at great risk. There will likely be other assassination attempts and on the lives of other people in the cabinet. There will be attempts of assassination of anybody who supports him. I was in California recently, and I was wearing my Trump inauguration jacket from 2017, and some guy starts screaming I was a Nazi and this and that. I did not respond because I was in the middle of a bank. There is so much hatred out there, and this is why they have to take these people out legally and peacefully.”

Klayman points out people have the right to defend themselves, especially in the home, and Klayman urges people to use their Second Amendment rights if and when there is a need to do so. As the indictments come down in the not-so-distant future, expect violence. Klayman says, “The Left has its back up against the wall. They are a drowning man, so to speak. . .. There will be violence. They will try to foment violence.

Who is likely to be indicted? Klayman names a few for starters. This list includes John Brennan, James Clapper, Peter Strzok and Mark Elias. Then Klayman predicts, “They will first go for the low hanging fruit before they get to Hillary Clinton and other higher ups. They will see if they can flip them. This time it’s different, and this time I believe there will be some accountability.”

There is much more in the 58-minute interview.

Renowned attorney Larry Klayman says the coming indictments of the Deep State traitors who tried to frame President Trump as a Russian spy in his first term are all in serious trouble. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard charges that Obama Administration officials politicized intelligence and laid the groundwork for a “years-long coup” against President Donald Trump after he won the 2016 election. Gabbard first uncovered a mountain of documents implicating many in the so-called Deep State.

Gabbard claimed in a post on X that former President Barack Obama and key members of his national security team, including then-CIA Director John Brennan and then-DNI James Clapper, fabricated a narrative about Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election to “subvert” Trump’s presidency. They even made up evidence, such as the so-called Steele Dossier paid for by Hillary Clinton. They were all lies to make President Trump look bad. If these people are not stopped now while Trump is in office, and in control of the DOJ, then they will come after him when he is out of office and no longer in power. Klayman says, “Why is this different from the past? . . .. President Trump and the people around him, including Tulsi Gabbard, Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, Dan Bongino and others, have learned what they are up against. They’ve tried now to assassinate the President twice. I believe the Left and the Democrats were behind it. I think they wanted him dead. They did not want him (Trump) to be elected. There was also all the lawfare (like warfare) over the last many years. It’s obvious Trump and his team have come to the conclusion that they have to get the Left and the Deep State before they get them.”

Klayman says President Trump is at greater risk now than anytime in the past. Klayman explains, “Because President Trump has been so successful thus far, he is at great risk. There will likely be other assassination attempts and on the lives of other people in the cabinet. There will be attempts of assassination of anybody who supports him. I was in California recently, and I was wearing my Trump inauguration jacket from 2017, and some guy starts screaming I was a Nazi and this and that. I did not respond because I was in the middle of a bank. There is so much hatred out there, and this is why they have to take these people out legally and peacefully.”

Klayman points out people have the right to defend themselves, especially in the home, and Klayman urges people to use their Second Amendment rights if and when there is a need to do so. As the indictments come down in the not-so-distant future, expect violence. Klayman says, “The Left has its back up against the wall. They are a drowning man, so to speak. . .. There will be violence. They will try to foment violence.

Who is likely to be indicted? Klayman names a few for starters. This list includes John Brennan, James Clapper, Peter Strzok and Mark Elias. Then Klayman predicts, “They will first go for the low hanging fruit before they get to Hillary Clinton and other higher ups. They will see if they can flip them. This time it’s different, and this time I believe there will be some accountability.”

There is much more in the 58-minute interview.

Greg Hunter, USAWatchdog.com

One of the dozen or so socialist policy proposals from NYC Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani is the creation of government-funded grocery stores.

While the Democratic Party increasingly embraces socialist and Marxist-leaning policies, such as the seizure of private property, this idea of government-funded grocery stores appears disconnected from both fundamental economic realities and historical precedent.

Nowhere is this more evident than in East Kansas City, where a nonprofit operates a grocery store on government land that has become a symbol of failure, plagued by the smell of rot and empty shelves.

Local media outlet KSHB 41 Kansas City toured Sun Fresh Market at 3110 Wabash Ave (31st & Prospect) on the city’s Eastside. The store opened in 2018 as part of a multi-million dollar public-private revitalization of the Linwood Shopping Center. Operated by Community Builders of Kansas City, a nonprofit focused on urban development, the store has since become a massive reminder that while socialism may sound great on paper, in practice, it can be an absolute disaster.

No worries. State-run grocery stores are for the little people. The elites in NYC will be just fine.

More evidence that we need not just another American Revolution, but another French Revolution.

Enjoy, New York! Bread lines are coming your way.

Michael J. Hurd, Daily Dose of Reason

Did you know that the head of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) isn’t a Lutheran OR a Christian at all? She’s a progressive Communist (atheist) who used to work for Obama & Hillary at the State Department and as Michelle Obama’s policy director? In other words, all these “refugee resettlement” operations that pretend to be organizations of faith are false prophets.

They renamed LIRS as “Global Refuge” to further confuse people.

CHARLIE KIRK: “Allow me to explain how the government sanctioned so-called refugee resettlement “non-profits” really work.

These are large companies that make more money from taxpayers the more “refugees” the government lets in. It’s another cog in the mass migration racket. They build in margins for each refugee they resettle, so when we stop admitting people, so does their financing. This represents an existential crisis for them.

So they misrepresent the scriptures, and they emotionally blackmail Americans on Sunday shows and in op-eds to gin up controversy and sob stories to game the refugee programs against our national interests. It’s a financial racket that Trump just slammed shut. We will not be manipulated anymore.”

The Lutheran Refugee Resettlement agency (LIRS) hired a progressive Democrat, non-Lutheran, and Michelle Obama’s former policy Director, as its President in 2019. That tells you all you need to know.

The ELCA’s Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS) is one of the largest refugee resettlement agencies in the United States along with Catholic Charities. It was originally founded in 1939 and partners with other resettlement organizations across the country – including some of the largest ones in the Twin Cities and St. Cloud – in Minnesota.

These resettlement “charities” make over $6,000 profit per “refugee” they resettle in America. It’s a huge profit center. President Trump’s previous policies, including limiting migration from nations that sponsor terror, have put a huge damper in their financial statements. The ELCA alone boasts of bringing 379,000, mostly Muslim, refugees to America – which translates to $2.2 billion in total revenue. How many of them are you seeing converted to Christianity by the ELCA? Right.

Many people wonder why Minnesota is home to so many Somali refugees? Why do so many Somali refugees end up in Minnesota when they are first brought to OTHER states? Because they MIGRATE to Minnesota after they are first sent to other states because of free everything. I’m going to illustrate what is going on using Minnesota because it is my home state and I know it. Here’s one example:

A mother from Somalia and her seven kids were on their way to Minnesota, less than two months after they arrived in Phoenix from Somalia:

“We didn’t know how to get jobs in Phoenix, and even if we did, we didn’t know how we’d get to them,” she explained through an interpreter because she didn’t speak English.

In Phoenix, without a car, they found themselves lost: Where were they supposed to get groceries? How did they go about setting up long-overdue doctor’s appointments under their new free ObamaCare program? How would they find work if they had no skills and didn’t speak English or Spanish? How would they get around without a car? How would they pay rent after their initial stipend from the U.S. government ran out?

The Somali Association of Arizona stepped in, providing groceries and setting up doctor’s appointments for the family. But they couldn’t do anything about the fact that the fact that with limited English and no training, they weren’t qualified for any jobs.

Worried that her rent would be cut off soon, the Mother decided they should move to Minnesota, where the benefits are excellent and where she, like virtually all Somalis, have family. The program coordinator for the Somali Association of Arizona says that her story is a common one.

As many as half the Somali refugees resettled in Arizona AND other states end up leaving for Minnesota.

The biggest challenge for Somali refugees is finding a job. Even jobs cleaning hotel rooms or washing dishes in a restaurant come with a requirement that applicants speak English — or, unofficially, Spanish. They speak neither. So how did Minnesota become a hub for Somali refugees?

“A lot of Somalis brought here to America moved to Minnesota from other states for jobs. Almost every Somali in Minnesota who came here between 1991 and 1998 worked at the chicken factories in Faribault and Marshall.”

Bill Clinton bragged back then that he was responsible for this – he thought Minnesota was too white and didn’t work hard enough. He said that these are the factory jobs that Americans won’t do…

Most credit the strength of Minnesota’s “voluntary agencies” – called VOLAGS. These quasi-governmental agencies welcomed the first wave of Somali refugees in the early 1990s, and others soon followed.

It should be noted that none of the VOLAGS are actually really associated with the true teachings of the church, they just hijack the name for political expediency or they have been instrumental in infiltrating certain denominations to take them over for the Communists. The U.S. State Department decides where new refugees (determined by the UN) should end up and it often depends on how many voluntary agencies are in the area to expedite the process.

Here’s how the refugee resettlement programs work. The United Nations High Commission on International Refugees selects and “vets” refugees to be distributed to the United States. The US sets an annual refugee cap and the US State Department contracts with voluntary agencies (VOLAGs) to help refugees get settled in their new homes.

Five of the top nine VOLAGs in America are so-called “Christian” non-profits (Catholic Charities, Lutheran Social Services, World Relief Corporation, Church World Service, and Episcopal* Migration Ministries.) The other four are Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, International Rescue Committee, US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, and the Ethiopian Community Development Council.

Tierney’s Real News

Saturday on MSNBC’s “Velshi,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) claimed Republicans had taken their hoods off in President Donald Trump’s second term.

Crockett said, “It’s not just even the fact that it’s gerrymandering. I want to be clear, this is racial gerrymandering, specifically in the state of Texas.”

Host Ali Velshi said, “Do you hear the stuff they’re saying about Gene Wu, by the way, talking about Asians, like how he’s connected to the Chinese Communist Party, like the racism. They’re not doing a great job at keeping it, you know, keeping the lid on that pot.”

Crockett said, “No, I mean, honestly, when Trump came in the first time, they started to lift the hoods. Once Trump got in a second time, they decided the hoods were off. And listen, I’m perfectly fine with it because I want to know where you stand. I want to know that you’re a despicable human being who lacks all morality, but wants to go around and teach and preach Christianity. I want to know who you are, because then I know how to deal with you. it is unfortunate that that is where we are, and it is one reason that it is so difficult for minorities to even try to listen to Republicans, because they consistently coddle people like neo-Nazis.”

Pam Key, Breitbart

“Never confuse education with intelligence. You can have a Master’s degree and still be an idiot.”

That’s because intellectuals are mostly taught to evade reality and evading reality makes you an idiot. If universities and intellectuals still engaged in the search for objective truth rather than more political dollars, or the praise of fellow sycophants in the Imperial City or on MSNBC, our culture would look very, very different from how it does now.

Michael J. Hurd, Daily Dose of Reason

We’re having a News Conference tomorrow in the White House. I’m going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before. The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong. It’s all going to happen very fast, just like the Border. We went from millions pouring in, to ZERO in the last few months. This will be easier — Be prepared! There will be no “MR. NICE GUY.” We want our Capital BACK. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

President Donald J. Trump, Truth Social

Social media sherpa “The Chief Nerd” posted a video clip of “entertainers” Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman discussing their anxiety over President Trump’s return to the White House.  Kimmel says he obtained citizenship in Italy so he can escape America.  Silverman thinks that is “amazing” and describes how she searches online for “Trump regrets or MAGA regrets” in the hopes that Americans’ shared misery “will bring people together.”  They both agree: “As bad as you thought it was gonna be, it’s so much worse.”

Celebrity therapy sessions such as this one resemble nature documentaries featuring exotic beasts.  It is fascinating to see rich, famous people living in their native habitats (read: leftist bubbles).  Whenever I think, “Wealthy woke-tards can’t possibly be this daft,” I inevitably stumble upon one of these nature clips documenting the behaviors of idiotically out-of-touch champagne socialists ruminating in the wilds of a Beverly Hills mansion, Manhattan penthouse, or exclusive island resort.  

They always repeat something that is regurgitated on leftist social media accounts, too: Trump-voters regret their 2024 votes.  What kind of self-medicating Bizarro World do these mental cases call home?  Trump voters are thrilled with the way things have been going.  They want only more of it and at a faster pace!  

They want members of Hillary Clinton’s campaign, Barack Obama’s administration, and the Brennan/Comey/Clapper Intelligence Community to be prosecuted for the Russia Collusion Hoax.  They want just-following-orders lawfare agents from the DOJ and FBI to be prosecuted for harassing Christians, pro-lifers, J6 protesters, First and Second Amendment–supporters, and everyone who told the truth about the Wuhan Virus and the unsafe and ineffective “vaccines.”  They want millions of criminal illegal aliens to be rounded up and deported posthaste.  They want schools that push boys into girls’ locker rooms to be punished.  They want universities and companies that discriminate based upon race, religion, and sexual orientation to face consequences for violating Americans’ civil rights.  They want the government to stop making it so easy for corporations to ignore American workers by offshoring plants to third-world countries exploiting slave labor and hiring illegal aliens here at home.  They want an end to endless wars.  They want “Green New Deal” regulations to be trashed for good and the vast administrative bureaucracy to be demolished.  They want cheaper energies, less inflation, and greater prosperity.  They want an exceptional America that once again protects free speech and private property and vigorously opposes the coercive strictures of “political correctness.” 

MAGA Americans want all this and more, and President Trump is largely delivering.  They don’t expect to agree with everything the president does, but they do have a great deal of faith that they are all on the same side and working for similar things.  When Jimmy and Sarah say that Trump’s return is “unbelievable” and “way worse” than anything they had imagined, they reveal how insular their lives are and how little they understand of the world outside of their carefully pruned, socially segregated, gated communities.

I think the feelings I experience when I hear Kimmel and Silverman expressing their thoughts out loud must be similar to those of a poor kid from Victorian England seeing drawings of lions, elephants, and giraffes for the first time.  I am struck with a sense of disbelief.  Are these strange creatures real?  Oh, yes, the world is filled with many curious oddities!

Kimmel is so worried about imaginary fascism in America that he plans to flee to the land of Mussolini.  Silverman, displaying traits of a psychologically unstable adult, has built a fantasy world in her mind in which President Trump’s voters desperately wish that Drunk Kamala Harris were in the White House today.  In the real world, we might speak gently to Jimmy and Sarah and explain to them how their delusions are causing self-harm.  But this isn’t the real world. This is La La Land — where the best women have penises, Big Government is great (except when Democrats are out of power), and everything people enjoy causes planet-killing “global warming.”

You listen to caviar communists such as Kimmel and Silverman long enough, and a sensible person begins to wonder whether America would be better off providing loony leftists with complimentary straitjackets and taxpayer-funded housing in blue city–sized rubber rooms.  But that’s already what most Democrat-run cities have become!  They are dirty, cramped, crime-ridden hellholes whose residents can barely afford to live without welfare assistance.  Crazy, psychopathic gangs run the streets.  And crazy, sociopathic elites watch the mice scurrying around the urban maze from the safety of luxury lofts high above the carnage.  The only thing that privileged Democrat nobles share with the Democrat riffraff struggling to survive the effects of official Democrat party policy is that both the princes and the hoi polloi suffer from insanity. 

If Jimmy and Sarah lost all their wealth and were forced to navigate the world without the help of servants, chemical stimulants, and a reality distortion field that shields them from alternative points of view, would they survive?  Or would we find them curled up in the fetal position, sucking their thumbs and shaking uncontrollably on the side of the road?  

People who believe that free speech can survive only if conservatives are censored and the government funds NPR and PBS don’t tend to be made of hardy stuff.  People who think enforcing immigration law is “fascist” don’t tend to be blessed with much cognitive reason.  People who think the government should force citizens to be injected with the pharmaceutical industry’s latest experimental serums don’t tend to have a functioning moral compass.  People who think the sight of American flags on American lawns is “scary” and that the National Anthem should be replaced with “land acknowledgments” don’t tend to see America as “home.”  People who would rather embrace a “mermaid lifestyle” than befriend a MAGA American don’t tend to function well beyond the fortified perimeters of their insulated “safe spaces.”  

Chances are that if Jimmy and Sarah were ever forced to survive in real America, they would perish in a puddle of their own tears.

J.B. Shurk, American Thinker

The German economy is sinking far deeper into recession than previously thought. Recent revisions to the national accounts by the Federal Statistical Office paint a dramatic picture.

Quietly and without fanfare, the Federal Statistical Office released new data this week on Germany’s economic output. And, as expected, the figures were revised downward. Instead of shrinking by 0.2% in 2023 as initially reported, Germany’s GDP actually contracted by 0.9%. The outlook for 2024 has also worsened: a projected contraction of 0.5% instead of the previously assumed stagnation.

Three Years of Ongoing Recession

Anyone who still clung to the illusion of stability must now face reality. Germany is stuck deep in its third consecutive year of recession — and there’s no way out in sight. The downturn is deeper than previously assumed, with far-reaching consequences that politicians and media had downplayed.

It’s not unusual for macroeconomic data — such as GDP, unemployment, or inflation — to be revised retroactively. These figures are highly aggregated and often based on estimates and projections. It would therefore be unfair to accuse former Economy Minister Robert Habeck (Green Party) of falsifying these numbers. For one, the Ministry of Economic Affairs isn’t the only institution massaging data to suit political interests.

Just think of Germany’s labor market figures, which have been grossly distorted by early retirement schemes, job creation programs, and other manipulations — rendering them practically meaningless.

Central Planning and Climate Ideology

Still, there is no question that Habeck’s policy approach has inflicted severe damage. His economic policy strictly followed the Green Deal line, aiming to transform fundamental pillars of the German and European economy. At the heart of this centrally planned transformation was the energy sector — once the engine of German industry. The explosion in energy prices is the ultimate proof of the failed energy transition — a disaster that will remain tied to Habeck’s name until Europe returns to a framework of market-based economic order.

Clinging to economic dirigisme is a fatal error. It reflects a profound lack of competence. Economic growth happens when unconsumed resources are invested in the kind of capital stock that creates goods and services demanded by consumers in a free market. Artificial state demand and credit-fueled stimulus programs, by contrast, are nothing more than centrally planned misallocations of scarce resources — diverted from where they are truly needed by businesses and consumers.

That’s the basic economic logic politicians like Habeck, central planners like Friedrich Merz, and bureaucrats like Ursula von der Leyen are unable to grasp.

The GDP Illusion

The most fundamental distortion in economic data stems from the way government spending is included in GDP. The state does not produce market-demanded goods or services. On the contrary — it consumes resources created by the private sector, and at best adds more demand via deficit spending.

To get a real sense of economic growth, one must focus on private sector investment. This is the best indicator of whether an economy is growing, stagnating, or shrinking. For Germany, this metric confirms it has been stuck in recession for quite some time. Each year, the country loses over €60 billion in net direct investment. In 2023, capital flight reached a staggering €94 billion.

The economy is voting with its feet. Confidence in German policymaking has long since evaporated.

The situation is truly dire — and becomes even clearer when you factor in Germany’s high government spending ratio of 50%. With net new public debt exceeding 3% of GDP in 2023, the private sector must have contracted by nearly 5% to result in an overall GDP decline of 0.9%. That’s not a recession — that’s a depression.

Free Fall Without Safety Nets

Daily reports of factory shutdowns, mass layoffs, and capital relocations confirm the picture: Germany’s private economy is in free fall.

Overregulation and crushing tax burdens—driven by the fanatical climate agenda from Brussels and Berlin — have triggered a domino effect in the economy. Even drastic reform efforts may not be enough to stop it now. The newly initiated debate by Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil about raising taxes fits perfectly into Brussels’ agenda. Here, too, new corporate taxes are being floated to finance the EU’s sprawling bureaucracy. Europe is becoming hostile territory for investors and entrepreneurs.

It speaks volumes about how out of touch policymakers have become that even pro-business factions within the ruling coalition — like the CDU Economic Council or the SPD’s Seeheim Circle — have largely ignored the revised recession data. This is where political irresponsibility comes into full view.

It’s not the statistical quirks of GDP that should alarm us. It’s the fact that since 2019 — pre-lockdowns — Germany has added some 700,000 new unemployed people, despite the government creating hundreds of thousands of new public-sector jobs.

You can suppress reality for a while. But eventually, it hits with full force. That’s exactly where Germany finds itself now.

Thomas Kolbe, American Thinker