Remembering what a splash that was made last year, we decided to check-in with Dixon City Councilman Ted Hickman. Ted ignited a firestorm last year by declaring July, as SPAM month. SPAM is Straight Pride Americans Month.
…I am proclaiming July as NOT LGBTQ-WTF aka… Straight pride month… You know… I hereby resolve that I proclaim the month of July to be celebrated as… I am proud to be a heterosexual, monogamous, married to the opposite sex, straight individual that knows what goes where and why. But I’m not going to try to shove this down you throat, so to speak, you can be one or not, that’s your choice.
Why Ted has taken down his page is a mystery. Looks like Ted was booted from office last November by a coalition of haters.
With all precincts reporting, Ernest trounced Hickman with 71.54 percent of the vote on Election Day. In total, Ernest earned 739 votes versus Hickman’s 287, with 7 others writing-in a candidate.
Since Ted is out of the public eye I don’t get why he would take down the whole blog even if this one offending post was an issue. Heck, Aaron Park lights folks up all the time and then deletes the offending posts, especially following June elections.
Now hundreds of millions of the rest of us can celebrate our month, peaking on July 4th, as healthy, heterosexual, fairly monogamous, keep our kinky stuff to ourselves, Americans… We do it with our parades in every state and county in this country with families celebrating together. We honor our country and our veterans who have made all of this possible (including for the tinker bells) and we can do it with actual real pride, not some put on show just to help our inferior complex “show we are different” type of crap.
Ted Hickman July 2018
Anyway, Ted we miss you. Oh, and happy SPAM month 2019. Be sure you celebrate SPAM on July 4th, most folks will.
Recently my father-in-law decided to downsize from a three-bedroom house to a one-bedroom condo. As a result, our family became the beneficiaries of several pieces of furniture. Moving said furniture items from the East Bay to Elk Grove required that we rent a vehicle large enough to do it in one move. Like millions of Americans, we looked to U-Haul.
My wife went on the internet to make the arrangements. We decided to pick up the vehicle near our point of origin and then return it to a location near our house. My wife selected the ten-foot-long truck. Upon review of the dimensions of the vehicle and the furniture, I had her upgrade the vehicle size to one fifteen feet in length about five days before the move.
On the day of the move, we discovered that the pick-up location had been changed to one about eight miles further away. When we arrived to pick-up the rental truck, we were asked where to drop-off the truck. Apparently, the location near our home was not open on Sundays so I had to pick a place further from our home. We selected one that was open Sundays from 9 AM to 4 PM. We signed the paperwork and were off on the moving adventure.
Five of us loaded the truck in about an hour. After eating lunch and touring the new place with grandpa, we headed back to Elk Grove. We got home just after 5 PM and unloaded the truck. Shortly after 6 PM we had emptied the vehicle. As far as we could tell, all the U-Haul locations near us were closed so we got ready to drop-off the truck on Sunday morning as scheduled.
I took the truck to Safeway for fuel because it was the cheapest gasoline that I could buy on the route to the rental place. Not being familiar with the vehicle, I overfilled the gas tank from the level required on the contract.
I then drove to the special U-Haul location that was open at this time of the morning on a Sunday to drop off the truck. I followed my GPS instructions to the letter. I ended up at a place with Tattoo painted on it in 2 ½ foot letters.
Photo via Google streetview
This place was supposedly an auto repair business. The building was buttoned-up tighter than a … (sorry no metaphor really comes to mind so make one up yourself). All the rolling doors were shut, and all the walk doors were too. On the paper from U-Haul it said call this phone number when you arrive. I called the number and it tried to go to voicemail but couldn’t because the voice mailbox was not set-up.
OK, so the business is closed, no one answers the phone number provided by U-Haul, oh, and I had 45 minutes to turn the truck in or I would be charged another day’s rental. The building had two small U-Haul signs on it, so I knew it was the right place. Upon further examination, there was a U-Haul logo near one of the walk doors, this was a key drop. (Tiny white box on wall behind white car in center of above photo.)The key drop had a sign above it with a URL to go on the internet and return the truck.
I entered the URL in my fancy Samsung phone. It asked me for my last name and a phone number. As I began to click thru the prompts, the program sent a confirmation code to me via text message. I entered the code that was supposed to let me begin the return process and then I got kicked completely out of the program. This happened three times.
In desperation, I tried calling another U-Haul location, but they too were closed. I began looking thru the text messages from U-Haul looking for a lifeline. I found a link in one of the messages sent before I picked up the truck. It was a direct link to the return process. Finally, I could begin the self-check-in.
The check-in process was multiple pages of yes or no questions mixed with requests to take photos of various types related to the truck and upload them directly to U-Haul. Once I had completed what I thought was the process, I got hit with another screen. This one for going over the mileage. The overage in mileage was due to the moving of pick-up and drop-off locations.
Interestingly, none of the photos taken with this U-Haul provided URL were stored on my phone. They were uploaded and then gone.
So, from the time I was handed the keys to the truck, I never interacted with another human again., U-Haul never told us that humans were irrelevant to the rental return process, not even the biker looking guy that handed us the keys.
Total cost from Pleasanton to Elk Grove $376
Truck Rental $312
Gasoline $55
Over mileage charge $9
So, if you’re looking for an adventure in moving, be sure you have patience and a good internet signal. You’ll need it.
That’s my take on it. Trump gave the order to attack Iran and some piece of equipment necessary for the mission failed or was not ready for the job.
The US armed forces have a bad track record when it comes to military action against Iran. You can go back to the aborted hostage rescue attempt under the Carter Administration. This cluster f**** of an operation killed a bunch of good men in a mission that was doomed to failure. Carter and company wanted every branch of the military to have a part in the mission which was flown at night. People that had not trained together were thrust into a dangerous operation in an environment hostile to both men and equipment.
Operation Eagle Claw … was a United States Armed Forces operation ordered by U.S. President Jimmy Carter to attempt to end the Iran hostage crisis by rescuing 52 embassy staff held captive at the Embassy of the United States, Tehran on 24 April 1980. Its failure, and the humiliating public debacle that ensued, damaged U.S. prestige worldwide. Carter blamed his loss in the 1980 U.S. presidential election mainly on his failure to secure the release of the hostages
Fast forward to today. President Trump has inherited a sketchy military that is highly reliant on untested systems. My use of the word “untested” is a charitable term.
As documented previously on this blog, Navy’s 13 Billion Dollar Cruise Ship, we have aircraft carriers that can’t arm planes, launch them or land them because their systems don’t work. The Navy also has weapon systems that they can’t test fire because it costs too much money to test them ($1 million per shot).
The Navy is scrapping production of rounds for its newest warship, citing costs of nearly $1 million per unit.
The move comes just two weeks after the Navy commissioned the U.S.S. Zumwalt, the next generation of the Navy’s guided missile destroyer program. The scrapped Long Range Land-Attack Projectile (LRLAP) fired from the Zumwalt would be capable of hitting targets up to 80 miles away. Lockheed Martin claims the rounds are so accurate they can “defeat targets in the urban canyons of coastal cities with minimal collateral damage.”
The Zumwalt is equipped with two large guns which are only capable of firing LRLAP rounds. The guns are still slated to be mounted on two upcoming Zumwalt class ships, and are the largest weapons to be designed for a warship since World War 2.
Every branch of the military has similar stories of equipment issues.
The U.S. military, government agencies and other purchasers bought more than $20 million worth of Chinese-made counterfeit goods designed to look like domestically produced gear from a company that defrauded the government and helped to orchestrate the counterfeiting process between January 2013 and October 2018, Justice Department officials said last week.
The counterfeit gear included 200 specialized parkas designed to counter night vision goggles that would have been used by U.S. Air Force personnel stationed in Afghanistan.
But the Multicam APECS Parkas sold to an unnamed U.S. Air Force base supply center didn’t actually do that, which could have put troops’ lives at risk.
Those types of parkas use a near-infrared technology woven into the fabric that is designed to make the wearer more difficult for enemy forces to detect with equipment such as night-vision goggles, justice officials said. The counterfeit versions, however, lacked the near-infrared technology, unbeknownst to the wearer.
The sales were in violation of the Berry Amendment and the Trade Agreements Act, which require goods sold to the military and certain government buyers to be manufactured in either the United States or select countries.
In the case of Trump aborting the attack on Iran, I think the likely culprit is the F-35.
The F-35 program began in 1992. The idea was that all branches of the military would use the same aircraft thus saving that taxpayers money. The program was known as the Joint Strike Fighter. However, like the proverbial horse created by a committee, every part of the military had their own ideas about what this aircraft should do and what type of weapon systems it should have. By 2017, the commonality of function between the services was measured at 20 percent.
The F-35 in my opinion is a failure as a replacement for the F-16. It is incapable of winning a dogfight with an F-16, it cannot maintain supersonic speed without compromising its structure, and requires pristine flight conditions to operate.
I think the carrier aircraft were not up to the task of doing the mission due to an equipment readiness issue and Trump remembering the Carter fiasco, aborted the mission. It was not a last minute breakthrough of diplomacy.
That’s my read on it but we will learn soon enough because nothing stays secret in Washington for very long.
Tesla stock has been slightly up these past two weeks but not because of earning reports or Elon Musk ginning up support on Twitter. Instead Tesla has benefitted from the algorithms that fund managers use to insure they have a sufficiently diversified portfolio. Generally, if the Dow is up, Tesla has been up and vice versa.
However, Tesla has hit another bump in the rode.
Tesla and Uber both had requests for tariff relief rejected by U.S. trade officials, a decision that will force the companies to pay a 25% tariff or seek new suppliers.
Reuters was the first to report the decision by the office of the U.S. Trade Representatives. TechCrunch previously reported on the Trump administration’s refusal to exempt the “brain” of Tesla’s Autopilot technology from punitive import tariffs.
Last year, the Trump administration imposed 25% tariffs on a range of imports, including electronics, to try to reduce the U.S. trade deficit with China. Tesla and Uber are among the U.S. companies that have requested relief on those tariffs.
Tesla warned that higher tariffs on the “brain of the vehicle” could cause economic harm to the company.
As stated here before, Musk’s fortunes have been bleak since Trump was elected. Trump has shutoff many of the taxpayer subsidies that Musk needed because he can’t compete in an open and free market. Republicans don’t tend to tamper with the market by subsidizing unproven alternatives to things that work while Democrats have the hubris to pick winners and losers (Solyndra and Tesla) claiming for political and economic reasons that “Green” is good despite any evidence that it is factual.
But there’s even more bad news for Elon and his posse.
One such stock that you may want to consider dropping is Tesla, Inc.
A key reason for this move has been the negative trend in earnings estimate revisions. For the full year, we have seen two estimates moving down in the past 30 days, compared with no upward revisions. This trend has caused the consensus estimate to trend lower, going from a loss of $1.14 a share a month ago to its current level of a loss of $1.32.
Also, for the current quarter, Tesla has seen two downward estimate revisions versus no revisions in the opposite direction, dragging the consensus estimate down to a loss of 70 cents a share from a loss of 64 cents over the past 30 days.
I’m not ready to declare Tesla dead yet but the disconnect between their perceived value and actual value is still way out of line. Barring anything else, look for a significant drop when the 90-day monster makes its appearance in July. The “tell” is when Musk goes on Twitter in mid-July to divert your attention from the impending bad news. So far we have had the flamethrower, leaf blower, underwater submarine car, and pickup truck.
Elon Musk with Tesla Flamethrower
Elon has plans for submarine better than the one driven by James Bond Disclaimer: Playboy model extra, some assembly required
Can the Tesla motorcycle be far behind?
Last year’s Tesla Model M motorcycle
Oh, wait, Elon had that last year. What will this guy think of next? He wants you to look at the new shiny thing in his hand not dollars and common sense.
I keep telling the editorial staff here at ReallyRight that the 2020 election will be American Values (i.e. Donald Trump) versus California Values (everyone else).
This is true not only culturally, socially, and politically but also because in their attempt to be relevant, California Democrats have moved our jungle primary to Super Tuesday, the earliest allowed date in March 2020. Thus giving a hyper-Liberal an early advantage in the delegate count towards their nomination.
Per an article at World Net Daily, yesterday Rush Limbaugh also seized upon this idea.
But talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh believes Donald Trump, a Republican, needs to make a bid for those votes.
“I’m talking actually making a play for people out there. Go to California and make your case. Go to California and explain your philosophy, your policies, your heart. Go to California. People out there are not hearing it. California may as well have boundaries around it where outside news doesn’t get in there, other than things like this show,” he said Wednesday.
“And not to win California. This is an unreasonable expectation. It would be great icing on the cake if Trump could actually win California for the Republicans. There just aren’t the Republican votes to do that right now. At the same time, it makes no sense to write off the state. Somebody like Trump could go there and make the case that the people of the state of California never hear made anymore, because it’s a one-party state and a different way of life as an option is really never presented,” he said.
It would be fun to see Trump campaign here, even just a little; plus it would bleed the Dems of a bunch of money just to shore-up their base. Democrats just don’t understand how toxic any ideas labeled as “California” are in the rest of the country.
If Trump defines the race as America versus California, he will sweep states in ‘flyover country” and give Democrats a much deserved black eye in the process.
Georgia has decided to break with conventional wisdom and dare to support the weakest among us and all hell has broken loose on the other side. Many media companies that find it too difficult (bureaucratic and expensive) to work in Liberal meccas like California and New York are spending big money in the Peach State to create content. Now these folks are threatening to pull-out of Georgia and other states that take a stand for life. First out of the gate was Netflix; followed by Disney et al.
Nearly half a dozen major media companies have joined Netflix in reconsidering their hundreds of millions of dollars in investments in states where so-called heartbeat bills have either been passed or are already in effect.
Netflix was the first Hollywood studio to publicly take a stand on the polarizing issue, when chief content officer Ted Sarandos said Tuesday that the company would consider pulling movie and television productions from Georgia if the state implements a controversial abortion ban, Variety reported.
Walt Disney Co. followed Wednesday night and by Thursday, NBCUniversal, WarnerMedia, Sony Pictures, CBS and its Showtime division had each issued statements saying states’ anti-abortion laws would affect the studios’ decision-making when it comes to selecting locations for production.
Other states are in the crosshairs of these liberal leaning corporations for daring to support life but please note that one player is conspicuous in their absence. Where is CNN? You know, the Liberal news network headquartered in Atlanta Georgia.
CNN has made no public statements on the topic of moving but their supporters have noticed and purport to speak for them. The following quote is from a California Democrat and Presidential hopeful telling CNN what they should do.
Rep. Eric Swalwell on Sunday said he supports the kind of economic boycott that private businesses are threatening in Georgia if a new abortion law goes into effect and suggested at a CNN town hall on Sunday that the television network might have to leave the state as well.
Meanwhile, the big studios that huffed and puffed in the article above are moderating their stance.
To be clear, each company’s statement includes the same set of caveats. None of the corporations has actually committed to boycotting Georgia, but only to reconsider their work there. Plus, they’ve only said they will potentially take action if the law survives what are expected to be significant court challenges.
It’s a far cry from the full-on boycott some activists have demanded. Yet, the various statements represent a notable shift, or at least a breaking of the silence.
Folks, I think the movie studios should take a page from Laura Ingraham’s Shut Up & Sing. Quit worrying about social issues or you risk the wrath of the other half of the country that disagrees with you.
I’m not going to cancel Netflix and Hulu yet but if they go forward with their threat then I’m pulling my money from their companies. Getting rid of Comcast as my ISP is more problematic but once 5G is deployed, I may not need them anymore. I may not be signing a bunch of online petitions about this but I will surely vote with my wallet if this posturing is turned into action.
While the CRA and Koch Brothers may be glad to hear this prediction, it’s sad for the rest of us. Why? Because Republicans have failed in their duty to defend and uphold the Constitution while the Democrats never believed in the Constitution to start with. Democrats view the Constitution as an obstacle to overcome (or thwart) to get what they want. No news with that claim.
Koch Brothers promise to support Democrats in 2020 elections
Basically, my prediction is just simple math. Democrats allow illegal aliens to vote and ditto for felons (see Florida, Virginia, California). Anyone they can create into a group dependent on them gets the franchise. Also they have no problem with letting people vote more than once and even beyond the grave. In short, any and all means they can use to game the system to get the outcome they want are allowed.
Only a national voter I.D. program that is part of a comprehensive voter reform and integrity program could change this from happening but the Republicans failed to do this when they controlled Congress so I think that ship sailed. There is an outside chance to do this in 2020 if they retake the House but I wouldn’t bet the farm on it.
We live in a country where there are millions more voters than people and the ruling party in these states likes it that way. And if by some miracle we should prevail at the ballot box they then go to their buddies in the courts to get an injunction to stop what they don’t like.
Also, the indoctrination of our youth via government schools is creating dependency on government programs and solutions, a trend which is unfavorable for freedom as well.
Folks the Republic is over and nothing but divine intervention can fix that fact. You can call it oligarchy or rule by elites, but the idea of rags-to-riches as described years ago by Horatio Alger and more recently by Rush Limbaugh is a world of opportunity that is going the way of the T-Rex and coal powered trains.
The old saying that “as California goes, so goes the nation” is proving more true that we’d like to believe. The question is not “if” but “when”. The only alternative left for “flyover country” is exit the republic. Me? I’d rather cling to my guns and religion than be led by these “leaders.”
Like him or hate him, Donald Trump is the last Republican President we will ever have. I hope I’m proven wrong but sadly I see no evidence to contradict this assertion.
Here are a few supporting links for my prediction:
Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who has shunned today’s Democratic Party orthodoxy on issues from crime to compromising with Republicans, again broke with his party’s base and many of his campaign rivals on Wednesday when his campaign confirmed that he still backs the Hyde Amendment, a measure that prohibits the use of federal funds for abortion with exceptions for cases involving rape, incest and when the life of the mother is in danger.
Former Vice President Joe Biden reversed his position on the Hyde Amendment Thursday after facing intense backlash from within his own party.
NBC News correspondent Mike Memoli noted the reversal, tweeting, “NEWS: Biden says that in an environment where women’s health is under assault especially in GOP-led states, he ‘can no longer support an amendment’ that cuts off funding, as in Hyde.”
The last paragraph on Biden’s recanting of the Hyde Amendment is a classic study in Orwellian doublespeak.
A number of Democrats had criticized Biden for his support of the amendment, claiming that recent bans and added restrictions in a number of states had turned the Hyde Amendment into a de facto attack on the rights of poor and minority women.
Hey Joe, who is poorer, weaker, more vulnerable, and a real minority?
Folks another white Democrat just came out for killing poor and minority children thru all nine months of pregnancy.It’s sad but it’s what Joe has to do if he want the votes of poor and minority Democrats living on the plantation.The mystery is why the sheep keep voting in lockstep for the wolves. I guess the wolves keep the sheep better fed.
A bust of Winston Churchill was given to President Lyndon Johnson in 1965. It was placed in the Oval Office of the White House until Barry Obama had it removed. When President Trump was elected, Churchill was welcomed back into the President’s office.
Churchill bust on display in Trump White House
The Washington Post has a sympathetic explanation of the details which you can read here.
Trump likes Churchill (which in my opinion is a good deal). On his visit “across the pond” this week, Trump was gifted with a Churchill styled hat.
Winston Churchill ~1940
Donald Trump tried on a personalized version of Winston Churchill’s signature hat when he was given it as a gift during a talk show appearance on his UK state visit.
Piers Morgan, host of the ITV network’s “Good Morning Britain” show, interviewed the US president in the Churchill War Rooms, where the late British prime minister famously directed World War II.
“This is where Britain’s greatest leader fought the war, and he used to wear these famous hats from the hat maker Lock. We’ve had one made for you,” Morgan said as he handed Trump the hat which was monogrammed with his initials, DJT.
Trump, while wearing the hat said:
“I think Winston looked much better with it,” he said.
Oh, Morgan is a friend of Trump. That Trump regards anybody in the media as a friend is the biggest surprise to in this whole incident.
Morgan, a past winner of Trump’s show “The Celebrity Apprentice,” has a close relationship with the president. He was the only journalist to be granted a TV interview with Trump on his state visit to the UK.
Donald Trump with Piers Morgan (June 2019)
My conclusion is that people don’t like it because Trump did it, not because it’s bad to have a Churchill hat.
Those of you aspiring to get rich in California real estate better buckle-up and get ready for a tumultuous ride. Those owning commercial property, your day is coming; but today; let’s look at those of you that rent housing to others.
First, congratulations! You are about to win the lottery. At least according to people that I know that rent property. No, really. Thanks to the California Assembly, under the guise of affordable housing, you are about to score bigtime. AB 1482, has passed the Assembly and is waiting on the Senate for action. This bill is a ‘guaranteed income for life dream’…at least until you get hosed by whatever happens when Prop 13 is dismantled.
This bill allows you to increase tenant rent by five percent a year plus inflation.
“… prohibit an owner of residential real property from increasing the rental rate for that property in an amount that is greater than 5% plus the percentage change in the cost of living …”
It’s possible that the actual rent increase could go up to seven percent if our benevolent lawmakers decide to more closely mirror the Oregon version of the law but who knows. Anyway, the only thing standing between you and this utopian dream is two guys, the senate leader and Governor. I’m not sure I’d bet against the house (pun intended) on this movement.
So what is the downside of such blessed compassion on the masses?
Ironically, more than 10,000 apartment units in San Francisco reportedly sit vacant. That’s another result of the city’s rent control and tenant ordinances: Landlords are afraid to rent their apartments to strangers. Because tenants are granted special “rights,” it’s difficult to evict them. Landlords let the properties sit idle.
That’s a reality. If the cities where I own rental houses pass rent control, I won’t be the only one who is done with that type of investment. Who has enough blood-pressure medication to handle the stress of it? In rent-controlled cities, landlords exit the business and turn their apartments into luxury condos. If they can’t make a profit, they’re not about to install new counters or put on a pricey new roof. We end up with third-world conditions: the wealthy living in beautiful places and everyone else in squalor.
Oh, should this legislation go down in flames, never fear. Regardless of legislative action, statewide rent control will be on the ballot in 2020 and it’s considered a slam-dunk by its opponents.
Californians need to ponder this unpleasant reality given that community activists appear to have gathered enough signatures to place a statewide initiative on the November ballot that would overturn state limits on local rent-control ordinances. The 1995 Costa-Hawkins Act forbids California localities from placing rental-price caps on single-family homes, condos and newer construction. It also bans vacancy controls, meaning that landlords in rent-controlled cities are free to raise the rent to market rates once tenants vacant the property.
If California voters approve the repeal of that measure, the state’s housing crisis will get worse—especially in the liberal, high-priced coastal cities that almost certainly will embrace tougher rent control laws. It’s going to be difficult to stop the initiative, for obvious reasons. The pro side will hit the “easy button” (the rent is too damn high; we’ll magically make it lower!). Unfortunately, it’s hard to make a complex economic argument to voters who are suffering from unaffordable rent and housing prices, but it’s worth rehashing the long-proven results of such ordinances.
