Stop Pulling the Wagon

FOX NEWS

California will spend about $30 million to build 1,200 small homes across the state this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday, part of a plan to help house the nation’s largest homeless population and to address an issue that has persistently plagued the state during the governor’s time in office.

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s 30 Million Dollar Homeless Solution

Being a good citizen and wanting to help our Governor out I want to look at his plan and see if I could make some helpful suggestions.

First I have a few questions which I am sure he can answer easily.

I will start with asking if any of his advisors and planners own a calculator?  I do and I divided his 30 Million Dollar plan by the 1,200 Tiny Homes he wants to build.  Using his numbers the cost for each Tiny Home will be $25,000.  These homes, some as small as 120 Square Feet, can be assembled in 90 minutes.  On my calculator that would make the cost $208 per square foot.

Second, in addition to the above photo I noted the governor looking at various other models which reminded me greatly of the Tough Shed line available at Home Depot.  For example, the one pictured below which is a 20 feet x 8 feet (160 Square Feet) model which they sell for $3,195 (MSRP $3499.95).

Now I am just an average guy but it would seem to me that $3,500 is a whole lot less than $25,000 and you could even add a few amenities and furnishings for a couple of hundred dollars more.  And they have lots of other models available for under $5,000.

So, why are you budgeting $25,000 for the Governors equivalent “Tough Shed” type Homeless Dwelling when it could be provided for a whole lot less money?

I am not, but many others might suggest that this is just a grossly overpriced “Pork Barrel” project our Governor will be handing off to one of his Silicon Valley Bank Club “Buddies” and  supporters. 

There are many others who also believe the California High Speed Rail To Nowhere 100 Billion Dollars (and growing) project is a political payoff to “Organized Labor” – like the Operating Engineers Union for example. For more on California’s High Speed Rail debacle type:   High Speed Rail 2.0   in the search box in the left column of this page and hit enter on your keyboard.

Still other questions:  Will these “Tiny Homes” be equipped with plumbing, heating, air conditioning and electrical service?  Will they meet the State and County strict codes for occupancy?  Is there infrastructure (water, sewage etc.) in place to service them?  Knowing the health and safety habits of 90% of the homeless, who will be providing maintenance, cleaning, disposal and sewage service?  Are funds going to be made available to clean up what’s left of them after about one year of “occupancy” and they become a ramshackle slum?

Last question.  What I, and I think most taxpayers want to know is:  Why does the State of California, its Counties and Cities keep coming up with Mega Million Dollar solutions to the homeless crisis (and other problems) and a year or two later the money is gone and the problem keeps getting worse but the Politicians and their Rich Supporters, Labor Unions etc., get richer and richer while the rest of us struggle to pay our energy bills and buy groceries?  

I was raised to believe that the first, and primary obligation of government is to keep its citizens safe and living in a clean, sanitary environment. Yet our cities streets are filled with crime, drug dealers and filth.  Please tell me why this is so Governor.

Bob Bandy – March 2023

SILICON VALLEY BANK

R.I.W.P.

(Rest In WOKE Peace)

To steal an old saying:

Giving Tens of Billions of Dollars to a bunch of WOKE Bankers

is like giving whiskey and your new car keys to a teenager.

The collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank has created some level of chaos in the Financial Markets.  I am no expert on banking and my own experience over the years has been that my own bank is not my friend and the most I can hope for is that they would keep my meager savings safe from robbers. 

We are told now that those who had money in Silicon Valley Bank will be reimbursed by the Federal Reserve even if their deposits exceeded FDIC Insurance limits.  The fact that many of these depositors were heavy Democratic Donors and had Millions of Dollars on deposit at SVP is, I am sure, a coincidence and had nothing to do with Joe Biden’s decision.  Our President has said this will happen without impacting taxpayers.  This is code speak to say the Federal Reserve with some smoke and mirrors will fire up the printing presses and simply print the Billions of Dollars to cover the losses of the banks failures.

It is widely reported in the media that the Silicon Valley Bank was proudly WOKE and practiced “Diversity – Equity – Inclusion” as a corporate theme.  I believe their resultant failure is what happens if you let your political and social agenda take priority over a sound business agenda.  Gets me to thinking……..

A new baseball season is starting and teams are forming.

Manager number one calls in his recruiters and scouts and gives them the following instructions:   Go find me players who want to play on a winning team.  Players who are focused on being the best and work hard at it for the good of the team and their fans.   We want players who can excite the crowd with their excellence on the field that will bring the fans back game after game wanting more.  I don’t care what color they are, what their nationality is, what their religion is, what they do in their free time, what their politics are or their sexual orientation.  Keep all that off the field.  Whether we are at practice or in a game we are a team and play as a team with a common goal.  Never lose sight of the fact that we are on that field to play Baseball, not make political statements.

Manager number two calls in his recruiters and scouts and gives them the following instructions: This is the 21st Century and we want to build a team that “looks like America”.  Find players who are an obvious cross section of our Diversity – Equity – Inclusion goals.  Recruit equal numbers of  Black, Brown and White players and be sure to include a token Asian.  We want to show fans a cross section of Transgender, Gay, and physical diversity.  At the end of each inning have the players rotate to new positions so they get the full benefit of “Inclusiveness”. All practice sessions will include Critical Race Theory training as well as Gender Options Studies and, of course, lessons in Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness.  We want players who are socially involved.  Players will be excused from practice to attend important events such as “Climate Change”, Black Lives Matter and similar rally’s.   Players should be encouraged to promote their “Diversity” on and off the field and especially when interfacing with the media.  Players need to understand that it’s not important whether we win or lose a game.  Our goal is to showcase “Diversity – Equity – Inclusion” to educate fans attending the game.

Which team do you think has the best chance to win a championship?

Now apply these same principles to our Military and other public service where real teamwork and common goals are critical.  If your first priority is having a WOKE agenda of Diversity – Equity – Inclusiveness what you end up with is what we in the military used to call a group of monkeys playing football. 

Are you scared yet.

Bob Bandy – March 2023 

The Toronto Star

“WINK – WINK”

A MAN ASKS HIS FRIEND: “HAVE YOU BEEN SLEEPING WITH MY WIFE?”

HIS FRIEND ANSWERS: “NOT A WINK”

The one thing in this world that is often more damaging than an outright lie is a partial truth which is in reality a lie covered with the lipstick of a misleading truth.  For example: Our President recently said that illegal border crossings had decreased by 97 percent from three countries.  What he did not say was that illegal border crossings from the other 101 countries invading our southern border had actually increased. 

But, he is not alone.  Politicians, Advertisers, Attorneys and many others in our human race do the same thing.  Sometimes it is to get you to buy their product.  Sometimes it is to escape punishment for a misdeed.  Sometimes it is simply intended to misdirect your attention just as a magician gets you to focus on the shiny object in his right hand while his left hand picks your pocket.

With politicians it has become a true “Art Form”.   Politicians send  spokespersons out with a line like:  “Senator Foghorn” is aware of the tax burden you are suffering from and has his team working on a solution to hold down your taxes by having those greedy rich corporations pay their “fair share”.   Senator Foghorn is fully aware that corporations don’t pay taxes…..  their customers do.  If you raise corporate taxes the corporation must raise the price on the shampoo they sell to pay the taxes.  Ultimately the customer pays those taxes in the form of higher prices.

Advertisers do much the same thing with “weasel words” in their ads.  Phrases like “Big Beefy Taste” (no Beef) or “Chocolatey” (no chocolate).

A good example of a government “spin” is the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.  The name of the act is itself a “spin” because it will not only not reduce inflation, it will cost 20 Billion Dollars in new taxes and will actually increase inflation. 

A SPIN CITY NARRATIVE

Conrad Blowhard is the Mayor of Spin City, California.  His city has become infested with homeless encampments and vagrants numbering in the thousands.  To some this would seem a problem but Mayor Blowhard sees an opportunity.  

He will convince his City Council that in an effort to help the homeless and decrease their numbers on the cities streets and alleys he would like them to pass a funding bill in the amount of 80 Million Dollars with the proceeds dedicated to renovating a dilapidated, nearly abandoned hotel down on “Skid Row” and convert it’s 80 rooms into housing for the homeless.  The City Council passes the funding request and pats themselves on the back for “caring” about the homeless.

Closed bidding contracts are let out to major contractors who are supporters and donors to the Mayor for the work to be done.  A ceremonial event is held at the Foggy Bottom Hotel with the Mayor swinging a sledge hammer through a faded door of a shoddy 200 square foot room in front of live television cameras.  Everybody applauds.

Work begins.  Some effort is made to rid the building of most of the rats, termites and other vermin which infest it.  The leaking roof is patched.  Contractors workers “freshen up” the rooms with new paint, carpet, updated (cheap) fixtures from China and new window coverings.  Cost per room innovated is $400,000.  In addition, the hotel gets a new name:  “NEW BEGINNING’S” and a single fresh coat of exterior paint. 

Grand Opening Day arrives.  Brass Bands and Ribbon Cutting.  Mayor Blowhard and City Council members make grandiose speeches about how they have solved the cities Homeless Crisis.  A few ragged homeless people are seen entering the building to take occupancy of their renovated 200 square foot “apartments”.

The Mayor’s handpicked contractors, sub-contractors and suppliers go out and spend their profits on new boats, sports cars and luxury vacations but not forgetting to “tithe” back some of those profits to the Majors campaign re-election coffers.

The 80 “new” tenants of the once dilapidated hotel settle in and begin the task of de-renovation on the hotel to turn it back into a Skid Row Manor.  

The whole process is “spun” as a huge success and praise and credit is layered on all who participated in the project.  What could possibly go wrong.  Housing was provided, at least temporarily, for 80 homeless people for only 80 Million Dollars.  “WINK – WINK”.

Bob Bandy – March 2023

P.S. I would like to give inspirational credit to Michael J. Fox and his long ago television series “Spin City”.

In the news last week it was announced that not one student

in any school in Baltimore was proficient at grade level math.

Reminds me of the United States Congress

Back in February 2011 I wrote an article, which I intended to be humorous, about a plan to destroy the U.S. economy and impoverish we citizens.  At that time, just 12 short years ago, the National Debt stood at 14.1 Trillion Dollars.  Today our Nations Debt stands at 31.5 Trillion Dollars.  We have added 17.4 Trillion Dollars to the debt we will be leaving our children and grandchildren in those 12 years.   

Just announced, The Congressional Budget office projects a National Debt of 52 Trillion Dollars by 2033.

It seems Congress used my instructions as a blueprint for action and unfortunately what I wrote as a spoof is happening.  Sorry!

This is what I wrote in that article back in 2011

“If  I wanted to destroy the United States economy and impoverish its citizens here is what I would do in five steps:

Step 1.  I would seek out and recruit incompetent people to infiltrate and take charge of our government.  Next, I would split them into two groups, which I will call, lets see, how about “Congress” and “Administration”.  The folks chosen  need not be co-conspirators,  just big spenders with big egos and no common sense.  All of these folks would be given unlimited borrowing and spending  power and the bills would be sent to the taxpayers.

Step 2.  I would have laws and regulations passed to make it nearly impossible for any individual or company to drill, mine, extract or in any way acquire any of the natural resources we need as a nation, within the physical boundaries or territorial waters of the United States.  All such needed materials would be required to be imported, preferably from countries not friendly to us.  This would be done in the name of protecting the environment.

Step 3.  I would have the government pass laws and regulations to punish hard work and financial success either by individuals or companies with a combination of regulations, fees and  confiscatory taxes.    For whatever “profits” were left over after the fees and taxes were paid I would unleash packs of morally bankrupt, ravenous Trial Lawyers to file endless lawsuits and litigation.   This would encourage any individual or company to move production (and jobs) out of the U.S. to places with more friendly environments to manufacturing and employers.

Step 4.  I would have “my” government reward laziness, incompetence and failure with government handouts, grants, promotions, do nothing projects and various “freebies”.  These same people could later be hired into government “make work  jobs” in a variety of government agencies and departments  where nothing useful or productive is accomplished or expected.   That way they could continue to get paid for producing nothing and retire to fat lifetime pensions and benefits .  They would fit right in.

Step 5.  I would make sure the government kept increasing the national debt to the point that even paying the interest on the debt became impossible.  They could then destroy any remaining wealth in the country by hyper-inflating the currency,  just as Germany did following World War I.   In Germany at that time it got to the point that it took a wheelbarrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread.  For a more recent example one need only look to Zimbabwe where inflation reached 79600000000% per month in just the last couple of years.” 

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As a reference point, if “we” pay 5% interest (less than our current rate of inflation) on “our” debt of 31.5 Trillion Dollars the interest cost for 2023 would be 1.575 Trillion Dollars.  The United States Federal budget for 2023 is 1.582 Trillion Dollars – This is the “so called” discretionary Budget as the rest of Federal spending is on “auto pilot”.  The expected “shortfall” deficit in this budget is 1.4 Trillion Dollars which will have to be either covered with the printing press or added to the deficit.  There is not enough Dollars in this Federal Budget to even pay the interest on the debt at todays interest rates.  There would also be no money for any of the other things our government does.  Soooooooo…..  what will the government do.  They will, with some smoke and mirrors, continue to run up the debt and print money which will cause inflation.  Inflation is a tax that affects all of us.  We are experiencing inflation now; have you been grocery shopping lately?  Buckle up!

And to those who say we can pay for it all if we just tax the rich more:  If you taxed all the “rich” at 100%, and you could do it only once, after that there would be no more rich to tax and, it would not begin to fund our governments spending for more than a couple of months.  Then what?

I can lay out a 5 Step plan to turn the corner on the exploding debt and put us on a disciplined plan to fiscal recovery but will absolutely guarantee that those in our government will never put such a plan to work.  Government lacks the desire, the will or the discipline to do what would be required.  They would prefer to “saddle” our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren with crushing inflation and fiscal ruin.

Like most everyone else I prefer an optimistic outlook but fiscal mathematics and debt are like gravity, which does not care what my or your preferences are. 

As I follow the daily news I am thinking the wheels may be starting to come off the wagon.

Bob Bandy – February 2023 

THIS IS NOT A PAID ADVERTISEMENT FROM FOX NATION

THIS IS A NON-PAID 100% ENDORSEMENT  FROM ME

AMERICAN REQUIEM  is a three part series available on Fox Nation either streaming on the internet or through your cable provider – in my case Comcast. It is also available through You Tube.  Fox Nation is a subscription service of Fox News and is very reasonable in price.  If you are a veteran like me they have service available for “free trials” or a couple of dollars a month through the internet and service through your cable provider with a cost for Fox Nation of about $5 or $6 a month.

In my opinion, and that of others, this is a must see documentary series. Further, it is also my personal belief that it should be required viewing in our schools. Their are three episodes and viewing time for all three is about 2 hours.  There are no commercials (when viewed on Fox Nation). 

The three episodes are fascinating, informative and definitely not boring though some of the information provided will likely make you angry at what is happening to America before our very eyes.

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Carol Swain

America is dying before our eyes. Our economy, culture, and foreign policy
are in decline with few signs of a backlash. The Biden administration and Democrats have
destroyed the country, divided the nation, and surrendered to our enemies.

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Ronald Reagan

“In [his] farewell address, there was a warning. Reagan said this – all of our accomplishments could vanish into the ether if we forget American history and our heroes, and I think we’re still in the situation that Reagan described in 1989,” Charles Kesler, “Claremont Review of Books” editor, said in the new Fox Nation series, ‘American Requiem.’

“The moral fabric of our country is frayed. It is strained. It is at its breaking point,” he added, pointing to today’s counter-cultural entertainment.

The three-part series available for streaming on Fox Nation delves into the takes of historians, writers and educators who look to America’s past, at its present and into the future to determine its trajectory.

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Victor Davis Hanson

“Evil is ancient, unchanging, and with us always. The more postmodern the West becomes — affluent, leisured, nursed on moral equivalence, utopian pacifism, and multicultural relativism — the more premodern the evil among us seems to arise in nihilistic response.”

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The presentation is by many noted and respected scholars, historians and professionals like Victor Davis Hanson, Carol Swain and a good many others.  The series is based on documented facts and not hyperbole.  If you want to know what is happening to the America most of us love this is a MUST SEE series!

Watch the series, tell others about it, share this article with friends, neighbors and relatives.

Bob Bandy – February 2023

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF THE “BEAST”

I would like to preface this piece with a statement.  First, I do not believe the vast majority of those who work in “public service” are evil.  Most are just folks like you and me.  They have families and bills to pay and desire some quality of life with safety and as much financial security as possible. Secondly, some government services are essential, whether performed by employees or contractors:  Safety, Fire Protection, National Defense, Infrastructure Integrity, Education and availability of Health Care for example.

The problem with the “Beast” is that we are all human and desire guaranteed security and do not want to “work ourselves out of a job” so that our services are no longer needed. Many, maybe most, government “services” and agencies were created to solve a problem, but,  if the problem they were created for were ever solved, the agency or department  would no longer be needed.  Example:  If poverty were eliminated there would be no need for a welfare system or the bureaucracy that supports it.  Hence, there is an incentive to prolong the “problem”, even expand it to make it grow.  And, for most employees, they acquire lifetime benefits and retirement pay in a job they can’t be fired from and will never go away.  All paid for by the taxpayers.  Tell me, if you are a career bureaucrat working in that department what incentive do you have for poverty to vanish?

Another example would be the U.S. Department of energy – an article from 2012 follows below.

Ronald Reagan once said: “Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth!”  

An anonymous story of how government programs become “eternal”

Once upon a time the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert.  Congress said, “Someone may steal from it at night”.  So they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job.  Then Congress said, “how does the watchman do his job without instruction?”

So they created a planning department and hired two people.  One person to write the instructions, and one person to do time studies.  Then Congress said, “How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?”  So they created a Quality Control department and hired two people.  One was to do the studies and one was to write the reports.

Then Congress said, “how are these people going to get paid?”  So they created two positions: a time keeper and a payroll officer, then hired two people.  Then Congress said, “Who will be accountable for all of these people?”  So they created an administrative section and hired three people, an Administrative Officer, Assistant Administrative Officer, and a Legal Secretary.

Then Congress said, “We have had this command in operation for one year and we are $918,000 over budget, we must cut back.”

So they laid off the night watchman.

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A Real Example

The United States Department of Energy

A Blueprint For Building A Monolithic “Forever” Department Of Waste

Back in April 2012 I wrote an article which included the following illustration of a very real government agency and its history of growth and “achievement”:

Does anybody remember the reason given for the establishment of the Department of Energy during the Carter Administration?  Bottom line is, we’ve spent several hundred billion dollars in support of an agency…. the reason for which not many who read this can remember!

The Department of Energy was instituted on 8/04/1977,  TO LESSEN OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL.   Now it’s 2012 —- 35 years later —- and the budget for this “necessary” department is $24.2 Billion a year.  It has 16,000 Federal Employees and approximately 100,000 contract employees and look at the job it has done!  35 years ago 30% of our oil consumption was foreign imports.  Today 70% of our oil consumption is foreign imports…..  Great job!   Good old Federal bureaucracy.  (And we could supply all our oil needs from the USA) ……   Update: for 2022 the Department of Energy budget has grown to $44.988 Billion Dollars and we are again importing oil though we have been, for a short time and could again be energy independent if the government would get out of the way.

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Many other examples of wasteful government spending which grew out of the pregnant thoughts of some bureaucrat to solve real or imaginary problems could be given.  For a humorous look at similar non-problem solutions you might want to  read about California’s Paperwork Reduction Department which I dreamed up back in 2015.  Just type Paperwork Reduction in the search box (left column).  While the illustration is intentionally “over the top” the principal can be seen at work in many government agencies at all levels, especially State and Federal.

Here is one to think about:  Why do we need a $637.7 Billion Dollar Federal Department of Education?  Education should be a State function.  There are so many others.

Bob Bandy – February 2023