Elk Grove City Council Enters the Business of Lending to Business

You may be confused by the title of this blog, and you should be.  William pointed out in his most recent writing that most in CA love big government; specifically, being told what to do by government.  However, what if they knew the government was guaranteeing loans to business owners who are already successful?

Enter the City of Elk Grove.  The City Fathers have decided to pick losers and winners in the local economy using your tax dollars for the wager. The remainder of this blog documents this very socialist behavior in our once very Republican community.

Old Town Elk Grove’s future barbecue restaurant and bar took a large step closer to its completion thanks to the Elk Grove City Council’s recent approval of a $500,000 loan deal.

LowBrau’s Slow and Low Smokehouse, a project of restauranteur Michael Hargis’ Slow and Low, LLC, is currently slated to open at 9700 Railroad St. in the next one and a half to two months, Hargis told the Citizen on June 29.He also owns Sacramento dining establishments such a Beast + Bounty, a Michelin-rated restaurant; and the LowBrau Bierhall.

During their June 28 regular meeting, the Elk Grove City Council unanimously approved an agreement for that loan, which is a commitment from River City Bank to Slow and Low, LLC to fund the costs of final tenant improvements, opening and initial operations of the new restaurant and bar.  The vote was unanimous.

Because the loan was contingent upon a third party agreeing to provide a repayment guarantee as security, if Slow and Low, LLC defaults on its loan, the business’s owner, Michael Hargis, asked the city if it would serve as that third party.

Yes, folks, a Michelin Star restaurant is a big deal. Think Gordon Ramsey or Wolfgang Puck… It is one of those places where frog legs cost $125 a plate, and you get 1 leg …I though frogs had 2 legs, but I digress.  Low Brau I have been to before, it’s a German sausage/food themed place where you guessed it, the beer flows freely.  It is a cool place; I do not have a gripe with either restaurant.  Where I have a gripe is why are we, the taxpayers, guaranteeing a loan to a guy who runs not 1 but 2 very successful places to eat?  Can’t someone else lend him the cash?  Specifically, the Small Business Administration (SBA) or Chamber of Commerce or maybe a bank?  I thought when you wanted a business loan that you had to have a business plan, profit/loss projections, costs, and a plan to pay it back?  Maybe times have changed?

Slow and Low, LLC is responsible for the loan that must be paid in full within five years.

As a guarantee that the bank would be reimbursed if the business defaulted on its agreement to pay off the loan, the city has pledged a collateral cash deposit in funds that were already deposited by the city at that bank.

Another element of this contract includes the use of a security agreement, in which the city will place a lien on the business’s restaurant equipment, if the loan is not paid in full prior to the deadline to do so.

In a worse-case scenario, a defaulted loan would result in the city losing some or all of its pledged deposit with River City Bank.

However, the city’s potential loss of $500,000 would be less impactful, considering that the restaurant equipment and Hargis’ 7001 Garden Highway, Sacramento property is relatively equal in value, noted Darrell Doan, the city’s economic development director.

“We have that first deed of trust in Mr. Hargis’ personal property (on the Garden Highway), and we also have the lien on the restaurant equipment (for the Railroad Street restaurant project),” he said. “We could foreclose both of those interests – in theory take title to his personal property, take title to the restaurant equipment.”

Although Doan mentioned that he does not foresee the worse-case scenario occurring, he presented that possibility for the purpose of providing full disclosure.

Doan noted that if Hargis is able to pay off the loan, the city will “experience no loss.”

“During that time, (those funds) would have earned the same interest on that deposit as we would have had we not created this security arrangement,” he said.

This Doan fella seems like a real piece of work, but his actions are on point for a government official.  Let me make a bet with taxpayer money and if it goes wrong, we will seize the man’s house and the equipment in the bar.  If it goes well, I can parade around calling myself an economic growth genius and apply for a job in a bigger City.  It’s literally heads I win, tails you lose.

Just to make things clear here, I do not know this Hargis guy who owns the restaurants, nor do I know his finances, or business acumen.  But I will make an assumption, he is quite good at his craft, a Michelin Star is not given out like candy on Halloween, they are quite rare.  Keeping it is even harder.  I have never had a bad meal at Low Brau. 

But why is he privatizing the profit, while socializing the loss?

Opinion of blogger:

This deal reeks.  Sorry I’ll say it.  The idea that the City will have a lien on his house tells me he may be mortgaged to the hilt.  His agreement should be between the bank, the landlord of the building he will occupy, and himself.  Why is the City involved at all?  This smells like Darrell Doan wanted to see a BBQ joint in Elk Grove and talked this guy into starting one and guaranteed his loan. In addition, I think the bank didn’t like his business plan or profit/loss estimates moving forward so they balked at the loan. 

Also pay attention to this statement:

Hargis, who has already spent about $750,000 on this restaurant and bar project, told the Citizen that he feels confident that his barbecue business will open on Railroad Street and the loan will be paid in full.

Why is the tenant making all the improvements to the building?  Typically, the landlord does this in exchange for higher rent/increases in rent annually.  I have not seen many of these arrangements lately.  It gives me pause.  Especially since the Dust Bowl Brewery that went in directly next to this proposed site made a lot of improvements, then ripped them out and put other ones in.  (Note, the buildings are old brick train station type buildings that got a ton of updating). 

Continuing my concerns, the location is in Old Town. It’s far away from the city center and is not easy to get to.  Think of one lane in each direction street, stop lights/neighborhood homes/very scarce parking.  Simply put, not many work in the area, and most who live there work far away so locals likely will not be partaking.  The BBQ business is also very fickle, either folks like it or not, and usually the owner finds out his BBQ is not as great as he thinks it is.  I watched as “The Rib Shack” near my office bit the dust in a bout a year’s time.  The location is also very set back from the road, and visibility will be little as it will be behind the Dust Bowl Brewery and a couple of housing units being built.  I would be remiss not to add that the neighborhood directly to the east of this is known for its meth heads and crack cocaine deals.  Just ask a local, one told me any Amazon package left on the porch longer than about 30 minutes is stolen.

In closing I will say this is the new America.  It used to be you took a chance, and if you hit it, you could hit it big, or even hit it to where you made a good living working in your own business.  Now the profit is enjoyed by the owner, and the loss is shared by the citizens.  It is sad, but it’s what it has come to.  Frankly you would be foolish not to get into it if you can.  This town is playing with house money quite literally as we built a casino.  One has to wonder if it will decide to have a BBQ joint inside or nearby their casino?  The plans are to build a hotel and amphitheater.  Most in central or west Elk Grove likely have never heard of Old Town Elk Grove or really care.  Quite frankly, if you live in either area its likely quicker and easier to go downtown than to travel to East Elk Grove and deal with the aforementioned parking and logistics issues getting to the area.

We are spending 1.25 million on something that is so far from a sure thing the owner (of 2 restaurants) has to personally put up his house and kitchen equipment as collateral?  Huh?  Also, the kitchen equipment, may seem like it’s worth a lot, no one buys that stuff second hand.  It’s likely useless, and only has scrap value.  Also, they say this guy’s house is worth 500k?  How can that be possible?  They claim he lives on Garden highway, for those of you not familiar Garden Highway (essentially the levee road in most of Sacramento County) which means he has a view/close proximity to water, so his home value is bunk.  My small 1700 square foot house in aforementioned East Elk Grove in a tract home neighborhood is worth north of $650k according to Zillow.  A lot is not adding up here.  I think he does not own his house free and clear; he likely has a large note payable on it via a bank, backed by the house as collateral.  No bank is letting the City of Elk Grove foreclose on it if they are owed money.

Again, folks here we are privatizing the profit, socializing the loss.

The Chief

Really Right Now in North Idaho

Photo above is Rusty Rex and our storage shed.

Yep, the wife and I have been busy finishing our house in North Idaho. (Don’t say “Northern” just “North”.) Right now, it’s mostly livable, except the stove is not operational yet. The glass for the shower will be here in early September. The cabinet guys will be here whenever they feel like it. So, yes, there are a few loose ends out of my control but mostly the downstairs is about done. Upstairs is functional … to a point. We still need to install flooring and cover the ceiling joists.

The California house is now sold. We have cut ties to the once “Golden State”. Sadly, Johnnie Does and the rest of the gang are still in Elk Grove. I do miss them and a few of the local restaurants. Gone are the editorial board lunch meetings at the local salsa bars. However, I have gained much by leaving. I have my Second Amendment rights restored. I can now open carry a sidearm with no permit. I can cast a line into the local river without leaving my property. I plan to register as a Republican again as the Party here actually stands for something other than “democrat lite”. Oh, I have found that the John Birch Society is alive and well here too. Deer are abundant on our property. We enjoy watching three young bucks as their antlers continue to grow. They come daily to eat apples from the lone apple tree on the property.

It seems like half the folks in our county are formerly from the Left Coast state that is rarely named here. Many have been here for decades and are not necessarily refugees of the horrible governance of Gavin Newsom and Jerry Brown. All these folks have one thing in common and that is that they will not allow Idaho to become like the place that they left. It is my observation that most folks in California claiming to be conservative are really liberals and they don’t fit in with folks that are actually conservative. Most California “conservatives” love big government and can’t comprehend a world where “The State” doesn’t dictate their every move.

For example, my dad is totally appalled at the lack of permits and government oversight that we are under while building our home here. We didn’t need an architect or engineer to stamp drawings to get a building permit. We didn’t need T-24 calculations. We don’t need a Certificate of Occupancy to move into our house. I can go on, but I think you get the point. Also, we didn’t have to pay north of $100,000 in taxes and fees to get a building permit like you must do in Elk Grove. Our building permit was less than $1,600. I hand drew several pages of the permit package and used a computer for the rest. Any additional questions were answered verbally over the cell phone. There were fees to connect to the power grid and city sewer but compared to where we came from, the cost was minimal. Had we lived outside the city limits, these costs would be even less. The only big expense was putting in a well since city water was not readily available.

The thing I do miss the most is that my son is not here to share the wonder of Idaho with us. He is attending college in Arizona. Nothing against Arizona but his poor life choices are proof to me that he is ungrateful and immature. I am praying that God will kick him in the butt and get him back on the straight and narrow. Sadly, all my wife’s offspring are insistent on doing things the hard way.

The people here are nice but not in much of a hurry. This is frustrating for many, and I just have to roll with it. There is more work here than workers. Working with contractors on our house has been a juggling act. Two contractors really have been a joy to work with and a third has been a good one overall.

The church we are attending is small (less than 100 people). The pastor went to college with our dear friend George Fincke. George ended up in the Reformed Episcopal Church while Leonard (the pastor here) stayed in the Bible Presbyterian Church. Bob Jones produced a couple of great pastors in these men. George died almost 8 years ago. Leonard is very involved in the community here.

I will start blogging more frequently in the weeks to come. I still have to get a few projects done before I can devote more time to writing.

Why the GOP Contenders Can’t Beat Trump

How is it Donald J Trump is at almost 50% in the polling for the GOP primary?  He has been indicted at least 3 times, and it sounds like more are coming.  He “led” the January 6th revolt.  In additional to many other things folks should find repulsive….so how is he winning by such a large margin?

Disclosure: This blogger supported DeSantis, but he has turned into the incredible shrinking candidate.

Honestly, we believe it is several things that are the reason Donald Trump appears inevitable.

He ran on a platform as being an outsider…. honestly, he still is.  His party rank and file hate him.  Most donors despise him.  Even being a former president, he still feels like an outsider who is not part of the problem in Washington.

His “It’s not fair” platform resonates still.  He was indicted multiple times, impeached multiple times as well.  Not Joe Biden, and he has done far worse… but both parties are covering for him.  Biden/other GOP folks can go on any network and answer softball questions… not so Donald, he isn’t welcome on any platform but Fox and then just barely.

The indictments help him.  Ever notice, with each indictment comes a 3-4% jump in the polls.  It galvanizes more GOP support for him, as others see a double tiered justice system.

A large field benefits Trump.  Folks, be honest with yourselves, Donald is getting 38% as a floor in basically every state in the primary, it’s just a matter of how the 62% breaks between the rest of the field.  A large group of candidates makes it so no one can catch him… looks like the 2020 primary, doesn’t it?

The other candidates are not exciting at all.  Mike Pence? Blah.  Chris Christie? Dude hugged Obama…he’s done.  DeSantis really looks out of his league.  Tim Scott, Nicki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy could be something and I predict one of these will “pop” after the first debate but will not get within striking distance of Donald. Heck, will Trump even show up to the debate? If he doesn’t, who will watch?

How to beat Trump

Knock off trying to “out Trump him.” Donald speaks to people in a way like no other, he makes himself seem like one of them, I would turn him into the person he really is.  Focus on his Covid response.  Lockdowns were essentially signed off on by him.  Fauci told him what to do and he bought it all.  We added trillions in debt by having the “extra $600 a week in unemployment added to folk’s paychecks.  Essentially making a class of people who didn’t want to return to work.

Focus on his “PPP forgivable loan to trucking company Yellow.”  They went bankrupt, the loan will not be paid back.  I don’t care so much about the loan, as the amount of covid fraud will never be known…did you know the government made this loan in return for a 30% stake in the company?

Yellow executives said they intend to fully repay a $700 million loan former President Donald Trump’s administration issued to bail out the firm in 2020 under a pandemic relief program. Their success will depend on proceeds from selling Yellow’s properties and roughly 12,000 trucks, according to bankruptcy experts.

Government officials earlier this summer warned that U.S. investments could face losses. In particular, the Treasury Department has a nearly 31% stake in Yellow after accepting 15.9 million company shares as additional security for the loan, according to audit reports and bankruptcy documents. Shareholders are often last to recover their investments.

US trucking firm Yellow files for bankruptcy, blasts Teamsters
Monty Hall — Let’s Make a Deal from 1975

Yup we were playing Shark Tank and Let’s Make a Deal with the taxpayer’s cash.  Most would call that nationalization; I call it dumb.

Dr. Oz proves Trump is no Political Wizard

Hammer him for the candidates he supported who lost.  I am tying Dr. Mehmet Oz around his neck like the anvil it should be.  I want Donald to explain his support for Oz, especially over a challenger who had actual conservative credentials.  Ditto with Kari Lake.  Sorry but his job should be to grow the party, not advance unelectable folks with very little conservative credentials.  Keep in mind Dr. Oz was a puberty blocker for kids guy before it was cool, he also is a citizen of Turkey.  Better candidates and we likely have a 58-vote senate majority, and a huge house majority.  Also, we likely have Trump for a second term currently, instead we have a senate minority, and slim house majority.

Leave Trump alone.  This is the hard part, when you are behind in the polls you feel you have to attack.  Don’t.  Trump says enough dumb things, like attacking DeSantis for his state leading the nation in covid deaths.  Rather than trying to hit Donald back on policy, destroy him, say “how come you moved to Florida? Go back to New York.”  Trump has no comeback to that.  The indictments from the democrat party help him as well, as I mentioned above his numbers go up with each indictment.  He is skipping the debate because he wants attention, he doesn’t want to face questions about his term, he wants to be the outsider he ran on prior.

Contrarian view: If I’m advising Trump.

Don’t debate: There is no point, you are far ahead in the polls, hold a rally instead.  There will be a ton of cameras, have it the same day and time as the debate, you will get more viewers.  You cannot afford to fall below 45% otherwise you will have what is perceived as weakness.  Run against Joe starting now, don’t wait for the general, draw a stark contrast.

The Chief

Newsom Smokes DeSantis

I have to admit I’m stunned, I liked Ron (DeSantis) a lot.  I thought he would run away with the nomination.  He is a popular Florida Governor, swing state, speaks both English and Spanish.  He is now the incredible shrinking candidate.  Similar to Scott Walker 8 years ago he will go from favorite to also ran.  SAD!

This past week has not been great for Ron.  His campaign has laid off staff, this is usually a sign of running out of cash.  His largest donor has demanded that DeSantis go far to the left or be cut off financially. He offered to debate Kamala Harris…she turned it down.  My question is why would you want to debate her?  You are running for President, not VP.  Harris knew she would lose so she smartly turned it down.  Then he agreed to debate Gavin Newsom.

Big mistake.

First there is nothing for DeSantis to gain from this.  Gavin is not a candidate (yet).  Furthermore, the debate would be on Fox and moderated by Sean Hannity. It seems odd that Gavin wants the debates to be held in either: North Carolina, Georgia or Nevada…oh wait they are swing states.  Still Think Gavin isn’t running?

 Better yet, Gavin has a built-in excuse if things to awry…. he is on a “far right network” with a “far right debate moderator.”  Essentially, he can play the “its unfair 2 vs 1 card.” 

Secondly, look at the rules DeSantis proposed:

  • DeSantis suggested four dates from between Sept. 19 to Nov. 8, while Newsom proposed two dates in November.
  • DeSantis wanted a live audience with a 50-50 split, while Newsom said, “no live audience.”
  • DeSantis does not want opening remarks, while Newsom would like both participants to get four minutes.
  • DeSantis proposed that they each submit a two-minute-long video that must be approved by Fox News before it is played at the top of the debate.

I will address these one at a time. 

I have zero issue with timing of debates, I prefer DeSantis timeframe but if you’re going to debate both sides need to agree to a mutual date.

The live audience thing is wild… I mean is this like Cheers in disguise?  Filmed before a live studio audience?  I agree with Gavin, I would do no audience, I think the cheering and jeering takes away from a policy debate.

The opening video is also strange, it speaks to wanting a hype video that’s pre-recorded, I prefer Gavin’s idea of a four-minute opening statement.  Also, this should set DeSantis up better as it helps frame a Florida vs California policy debate.  It would be easy to show a stark contrast.

Again, this just seems bizarre, Ron should be chomping at the bit to face off with Gavin, assuming Gavin is a candidate (more on this later).  But the terms are wild.

Gavin as the Blog Father pointed out is a skilled debater; in a sense he doesn’t need facts, he just makes things up as he goes.  Worst yet he still believes it to be true.  This is what makes Gavin a skilled politician, and again, if Hannity tries to call him out, he can play the “2 vs 1 card.” 

In short, DeSantis has no chance of looking good.  He can either stumble badly (and sadly his demands paint a picture of him not being a good debater) or he looks good, and Gavin/democrats/state run media play the “right wing network, right wing moderator, of course DeSantis looked good.  It’s a lose, lose I would never agree to.

As for Gavin, folks I’ve said it before in this space, he is up to something, either Joe is going to whack Kamala off the ticket (possibly) or the democrat party is going to whack Joe from the ticket entirely.  Interestingly enough, the democrats are all in on Feinstein being too old to serve, everyone except Pelosi wants her gone so Gavin can appoint someone to fill the seat.  I know he has said it will be a black woman, this is his way to brandish his “woke credentials.”  Gavin in our opinion is not electable nationwide without widespread voter fraud on levels even the democrats know they cannot pull off.  So, the easiest way is to use Joe again as a conduit.  Joe is a likeable guy…I do not like his politics, but he is uncontroversial…the opposite of Trump some may say.  Get Joe re-elected, have him have a “health episode” and viola VP Gavin will take over as president going forward.  Democrats keep the Senate, re-claim the house and next thing you know the Supreme court has 25 judges, and boom, liberal utopia here we come.

The Chief

PS and yes, I think DeSantis is cooked, Trump is too far ahead in the polls and appears inevitable.

The Truth About “The Big Steal” of 2020 Continues

Folks, I am posting a link to an article about voter fraud in Michigan in 2020. On election night, we all went to bed with Trump leading in this state and most other swing states and when we got up the next morning the vote totals mysteriously flipped to Biden. This article may explain why. Oh, please note that as soon as the FBI got involved, the investigation stopped. Also note that this organized vote fraud was known in October 2020.

NOW WE HAVE PROOF! TGP EXCLUSIVE: Massive 2020 Voter Fraud Uncovered in Michigan – Police Find: TENS OF THOUSANDS of Fake Registrations, Bags of Pre-Paid Gift Cards, Guns with Silencers, Burner Phones, and a Democrat-Funded Organization with Multiple Temporary Facilities in Several States

Why I Will Never Own a Rental In CA

It sounds great, doesn’t it?  Owning a rental?  Someone else pays your mortgage each month, you get the leftover cash.  It’s cash flow baby, how can you go wrong?  You get income each month, and if they do not pay you tack on a late fee.  They still don’t pay?  Evict their butt!  Raise the rent yearly and voila, you can buy another, and another and another.  WRONG!

Let me give you a real-world story. First, a friend of mine rented out his townhouse to a couple college kids.  He had since bought a newer, bigger house.  It worked fine for a couple years, then when move out time was happening (tenants graduating college) they proceeded to have a massive party, trashing the place to the tune of 40,000 dollars.  Yes, 40k.  Let’s just say that was equal to the amount of rent paid over the two years they rented from him but it likely was not.  I helped with repairs, but they thew a kegger, had a bunch of folks over, and flooring had to be replaced, the bathtub/shower insert was broken, the toilet bowl was missing a chunk out of it.  Yikes.  All this for a little income?  My friend sold the place at a loss, this was circa the housing bust.

If that doesn’t scare you, or you are very naïve now read, on for my personal reasons not to own one (again in CA specifically).

Rent Control Laws: They will keep getting more not less favorable to the tenet.  Try making money/keeping up with inflation and property tax hikes when you have strict limits on how much you can raise rent annually.

Property Taxes: Prop 13 is/has been under siege for the longest time, eventually prop 13 property tax protections will go away for commercial buildings, this likely will include rentals someday.  Prop 13 for those of you not familiar, limits property tax hikes to a set percentage a year, 2% I reckon.  Without prop 13, Katie bar the door.

Tenant Has all the Rights: In CA Landlord = Bad, Tenant = Good.  The laws are all on their side.  All the time.  Stove goes out?  They can withhold the rent.  AC/Heat goes out? If not fixed quickly…ditto.  And withhold means straight up not paying for the month by the way.  Trust me, I know this, as my office partner owns a rental, if it wasn’t paid for he would sell.

Eviction is HARD:  Again, like the above, the laws are all on the tenant side.  First, months upon months of payments must be missed.  Then you must file with the court, then have the Sheriff serve the tenant in person, not via email, or snail mail.  Then you will need a good lawyer, not a cheap one, because again if the “I”s are not dotted and “t”s not crossed then the process starts over.  With your tenant living for free.

“Plandemics”:  Yup, it was planned not a pandemic.  Fauci came in and made the rules, governors enacted them.  We shut down, but worse, you could not evict anyone for non-payment or any reason.  Check out that sentence again.  So, folks quit paying their rent, actually you would have been stupid to keep paying it.  Now good luck collecting that bank rent. Oh by the way, I think CA just finally allowed evictions to start to proceed, literally a year plus after the plandemic was declared over.

Utilities: See above, but the tenant likely wasn’t paying those either, but since it’s your house and you the landlord are the owner…you owe them now or face a shut off.  Again, as landlord good luck getting the state to forgive those.

Upkeep:  It’s not the tenant’s house so don’t expect much from them.  Major wet/dry rot, dead trees, water leaks, uncared for appliances will be the norm.  Don’t expect them to make you aware of the cosmetic damage either.  A client of mine had a rental with 25k of dry rot on the entire side of his rental.  The sprinkler was hitting the side of the house for probably 2 years straight causing major damage.  (Also not covered by insurance btw).

Mortgage: Whether the tenant pays rent or not, your mortgage is still due.  Just remember that.  Just like the property tax, insurance and utilities that are your responsibility.  Those entities do not give a rip that your tenant ain’t paying you.

If these have not convinced you to not buy a rental in CA, then by all means go for it.  I am sure a lot of you have wonderful stories of great tenants/experiences etc. so the obvious disclaimer, your experience may vary.  I just do not see the upside in CA or any blue state for owning a rental property.  For me there is too much risk involved.  I see way too many negatives, and I do not wish to not sleep at night due to stress or whatnot.

The Chief

Pet Pride Hypocrisy

Saw this display at the local pet store recently. It says they support gay pride and this corporation supports people being whatever gender they desire. Now they want pets to show your pride.

I took the photo and then it occurred to me what hypocrites they are, the pet store only recognizes two genders, spayed and neutered.

Satan Respects Pronouns

This is a real quote from the Satanist that designed the transgender children’s apparel currently on sale at a Target store near you.

Yep, it’s my turn to opine on this issue. Let me preface what follows with this comment, the very fact that transgenderism is even an issue in our society is an indictment on how far gone we are as a people. If reading what follows makes you angry, don’t get mad at me, I’m just the messenger. Get mad at the people preying on others by deceiving them into participating in maiming and mutilating the weaker among us.

My first observation is that transgenderism is not a valid issue among Atheists. Atheists have no room in a worldview built on “survival of the fittest” for those that do not reproduce and thus improve the gene pool. For the atheist, homosexuality and transgenderism are a burden on continuing the species and diverting resources in unproductive ways to unproductive members. Given this, it is logical and necessary for China, North Korea, and Cuba to imprison or execute such people.

Furthermore, a consistent atheist does not acknowledge the value of the life of a homosexual or transgender person. The life of an individual does not have value except as measured by what they do to benefit the group. Any person claiming that an individual life has significance or value is stealing that value from a biblical worldview—usually without attribution.

This brings up my second point. While there have always been a few people in society that have been homosexual, this has always been a tiny fraction of the population; however, the modern push to convert people to homosexual or transgender lifestyles is part of a conscience effort on the part of Marxist/humanist people to eradicate Christianity from the public square. Eradicating Western Culture and White Privilege are phrases for the same thing, tearing down Christ and the influence of His followers.

As noted previously, atheists and Christians both have a disdain for the current transgender movement. Atheists may hope that abolishing Christianity will promote a society based on science and knowledge, but the opposite is happening; the abolition of Christianity has resulted in a proliferation of various forms of neo-paganism, witchcraft, Satanism, and other false religions as well as a populace that will fall for just about anything they are told, Covid-19 being the easiest illustration. Without belief in ultimate Truth, our culture now thinks the notion that “everyone has their own truth” is a valid idea instead of a bald-faced lie and a really weak logical fallacy.

We spent a few years on Covid, then about nine months on Ukraine, and now the fad is transgenderism. Tens of thousands of people are destroyed by each fleeting idea that fascinates pop culture but sooner or later, it will lose its shock-value and then the slayers of all that is good will move on to something else. Meanwhile those harmed are ignored and discarded; left to fend for themselves.

Another way of stating this is that the sheep need to be continually agitated and scattered. With the coordination of the mainstream media and big tech the attack of the wolves has gotten much faster and more coordinated.

The Bible is clear that God made mankind male and female; as I quoted above, Satan is responsible the false notion of other genders. The Bible also says that sexual roles are to happen within a marriage relationship. One of the purposes of marriage is procreation. The Bible takes a dim view on sexual relationships that occur outside of marriage. Scripture repeatedly condemns homosexual relationships. Enough other people have written on this that I won’t waste space repeating what has already been made clear.

God made male and female. He made you the gender that you are when you were born. The notion that gender is a choice is false; with only one exception, gender selection abortion. In this case, the parents make the choice, usually to terminate female babies in utero. As stated in other posts, abortion is in fact mentioned in the Bible and condemned in the strongest terms.

The idea that you can select or change your gender is false. The best you can hope for is to mutilate your body to the point that folks can’t tell by looking at you. Sorry, but this level of deception is still deception. The irony being that you are trying to deceive yourself.

Transgender folks are saying by their actions that God is wrong, stupid, and incapable of knowing what He is doing; in essence you are calling God a fool and a liar by saying that he made you incorrectly, and it’s up to you to fix His mess. This hubris is setting yourself up as god—knowing good from evil. Aren’t those words first spoken by a reptile in The Garden?

This brings us back to the quote that I started with, “Satan Respects Pronouns.” This is just another lie from the father of lies. The ease with which the idea of transgenderism has gained traction in our society is horrifying.

Throwing Water on the “Homeless Crisis”

I was reading the latest edition of the Sacramento Bee when I stumbled across an editorial that made my blood boil.  Alvie Lindsey is her name, and her article reads like any other article you can find on the inter webs or print… we need to do something.  It talks about the Bee doing an investigation (LOL) and asking the hard questions (LOL) then being transparent with the answers given (LOL).  Since I didn’t die of laughter, I guess I’ll continue my commentary below.

First of all, Alvie, you work in a dead profession, not dying, dead, so I question your sanity.  Journalism died when you guys went all in on left wing politics and policies.  Ask yourself this, how can you possibly hold Joe Biden, Gavin Newsom, or any other elected in California/US accountable when you did nothing but pump them up while running for office?  You can’t.  Sorry, not sorry.

When I was in college 2004-2008 Gavin Newsom (yes that one) was mayor.  His reign lasted through 2011.  During that same time span, a politician named Kamala Harris (again, that one) was District Attorney, then she elevated to be Attorney General of CA. 

My point in naming these two is simple, the Bee and other publications have supported their motives for years, since 2004 to be exact.  Never have either of these two done anything to draw the ire of any news organization in CA.  In fact, you doubled, and tripled down to support them.  But on to the homeless issue to make my point.

California is very rare in that we have a massive state, home to massive corporations, also we have three very different, distinct regions.  All three, however, are very progressive, and seem to be racing each other to the bottom.

Through my time in California, I never used to witness much homelessness, even when in high school and I had to volunteer at Loaves and Fishes there were not a “ton” of homeless, more like a few hundred.  I went to college in Marin County, and the problem was substantially worse.  This was circa 2004-2008.  My time there I got introduced to San Francisco/Oakland/Bay Area this was an eye opener.  Open air drug markets (Civic Center, SF) tent cities (Oakland) and massive crime (any area with mass transit).  Things have gotten progressively worse, in all 3 phases.  Now the homeless crisis has taken over our state with Sacramento County claiming to have 10,000 homeless alone.

How did we get here?

Well, it’s a combination of things; there is no sole answer or cause.  To understand one needs to realize humanity is not perfect, but it is resourceful.  What I mean by that is while homelessness may be avoidable for some, others have chosen homelessness.  First and foremost, I would say 75-80% of most folks have zero saved up for an emergency.  Thus, when something happens (health, layoff, car/house repair) occurs they have no means to afford it.  Thus, some are pushed into homelessness due to circumstances out of their control.  I include in these folks evicted/foreclosed on, as they typically have no viable options.  Drug/alcohol abuse is also a large cause of homelessness, a friend of mine (RIP) lost his house, due to his alcohol addiction, he was foreclosed on.  Abuse leads to loss of employment that turns into loss of residence.  Others just want to live underground and avoid paying for things.

Sure, there are some who are down on their luck, lost a job, had major health scare etc., and for them I hope they are able to get into transitional housing and start work again.  I really do and I feel this blog’s staff feel the same.  California has spent millions on this type of housing, and I see zero results, the problem is actually getting worse.  Getting worse due to decisions made by left leaning elected that the news media went in the tank for.  Gavin Newsom has raised the minimum wage, built low-income housing (even sued local cities to force them to build), waived most permit and environment rules, decriminalized drugs and low-level crimes, all in the guise of “helping folks out of poverty.”  It hurt the problem.  Honestly very few of these tiny homes have been built, and when they have been, the units end up trashed, due to you guessed it drugs, alcohol, and more disturbing sex trade.  Most of these “camps” are staffed with a medic, security, and social workers… added amenities include showers, toilets, and community areas.  Yet somehow these units end up in a state of disrepair.  Who knew people who don’t have any purpose in life or have no fear of consequences will trash the place?

Here is my solution: Warning it is not constitutional and will never be allowed but understand my take. 

We round up all homeless in each county.  Yup, I said it.  You have two choices, you want to better yourself, get out of homelessness?  You go one way, board a bus and live in a tiny home compound.  You have access to social workers, but most importantly you apply for jobs, entry level, who cares, the goal here is you have a safe place to live temporarily, and getting a paycheck coming in.  This is the best, easiest and most effective way to get out of homelessness.  You have a place to live, a safe one at that, bathrooms and shower facilities, and a schedule.  There will be no, drinking, sex, or drugging at this place.  PERIOD.  The other group of folks who want to drink, drug, and have sex like crazy they get on a different bus, and go to a compound away from society.  They can live their lives out over there, away from a civilized society.

I know what folks are thinking, how can I be so cold, low hearted, and call myself a Christian?  I do, and I can.  I sleep just well at night as well by the way.  Recently I morphed into an angry white male, I took a look at the taxes I pay and I’m sick.  I’m sick because I see billions being spent on homeless liberal BS and it isn’t working.  I see/read stories of tons of trash, destroyed property, and the like, it’s my damn taxpayer money being spent on liberal BS.  And by the way the GOP supports it out here as well.  San Francisco is a wasteland; a once proud city is destroyed.  Downtown Sacramento, near where this blog is headquartered (for now) is trashed.  I was there for a Spartan Race (I’m kind of a big deal) K street and L street smelled like piss, and scat, of the human variety.  In front of our new basketball arena, which was supposed to turn the area around, they were blasting music at 6am…. yes, to ward of the homeless folks who want to camp out.

It’s time for a new idea, no more liberal BS maybe try my idea?

The Chief

Editor’s Note: In the 1980’s, it was alleged by Mitch Snyder and parroted by a willing media that there were 3 million homeless in the United States. At the time the government (U.S. Census Bureau) claimed about 300,000 homeless. Since the media (including the Sacramento Bee) are always truthful, let’s use their number of 3 million. Why is it that there were no tent cities or poop on sidewalks? In fact, sightings of homeless people were infrequent in many areas. Currently the number of homeless is allegedly 582,462. This is one sixth the number of homeless that liberals claimed existed during the Reagan Administration. Why is the problem now so much worse? Why is homelessness a crisis in areas governed almost exclusively by Democrats?

Leaving Sodom

I know that I haven’t posted much lately but life has been hectic. The wife and I have been packing up the house and parting with lots of accumulated stuff. Chief beneficiaries of this process have been the cancer society store, Goodwill, and the Kiefer landfill. We are going from about 2,100 square feet to 880.

The amount of photos, genealogy stuff, old yearbooks, and the like is ridiculous. In one room we packed six large boxes that weighed 30 to 40 pounds each. We still have to tackle one closet of photos plus the stuff currently hanging on the walls. For the sake of space, most picture frames are being discarded. Eastman Kodak had no idea what a mess they would be creating for my family.

Officially, we are whittling down the furniture to 11 pieces, half of which are for the bedroom. The rest are for sale or already sold.

Much of the rest of our stuff is books. We started with several thousand books in the house. I have parted with many that I have had for decades. A few are being packed but designated as a donation to the local church library at our new home. Our neighbor will be getting a box of vintage sci-fi stuff after the next garage sale. Goodwill will likely be getting a few hundred pounds of tomes as well.

XBOX is no longer part of our lives. The original console was traded for credit at a local store a few days ago. The 360 and One are going with my son to college–along with the remaining games in our house. I doubt they will survive to the end of the first year of college.

We are parting with more than half the clothing and linens in the house.

Two items remain in the attic, a red wagon and a dedication plaque for a bank that once existed in Elk Grove. (Update:  The plaque left us last week.)

Many of the children’s school papers that we had saved have been sent to the landfill. We saved a few plus the usual—report cards and school photos.

Reducing the amount of stuff, we have is something that is long overdue. I’m glad we are doing it now. However, my choices of what to keep or part with have been colored by the stupid decisions that my son has been making lately. This will be a topic covered elsewhere on the blog. I just want to be on record that his bad behavior has consequences now and not just in the future.

The truth is that we should have left California many years ago. Due to stupid financial decisions, we probably couldn’t have done it but … I’m glad we are getting out now. Gavin and his fellow travelers are turning this place into a third world hell hole.

Two more weeks and we’re outta here.