Lowering Expectations

If we’re going to get 70’s style supply crises, can’t we at least get 70’s style rock to go with it?

It’s not a 1970s style problem. The problems ca. 1973 were induced by federal price controls. These are apparently induced by California’s twee emissions standards, which prevent about half the trucks in the United States from traveling between the state border and the various ports around LA, San Diego, and San Francisco. It seems to me the EPA is the agency which could bust this logjam, insisting that federal standards apply to vehicles traveling between points bisected by a state border or an international frontier. The EPA administrator is a man named Michael S. Regan. What’s he doing about this? (While we’re at it, why hasn’t Mayor Pete been waving red flags in Mr. Regan’s face?).

Back to the topic at hand: I never thought I’d hear apologetics for stagflation.

But if you live long enough, you’ll hear the Democratic-corporate media complex say anything.

Lowering our expectation for staples like food and toilet paper is positively Soviet.

What can I say, Don?

I’m known far and wide as an incorrigible optimist.

I think it is all deliberate,

I think with this particular problem, you’re giving them too much credit.

It would be deliberate if the supply chain was dependant on China for manufactured products (clothes, miscellaneous items). Also China has shut factories due to staff shortages and Covid lockdown (they don’t let on and you only hear about it if you des with Chinese suppliers directly).

If it’s produce and groceries, there would be an increase of costs for the grower ie. fertilisers (as a Steve mentioned), grain for livestock, cost of electricity and transport (which would have increased dramatically over past few years). In this case if the grower can’t afford to produce at the same rate he used to then he’ll have to reduce his costs and therefore he’ll produce less and supply less to the market. Which allows the bigger producers who don’t have the same cost issue obstacles as the smaller producers. The bigger produces will put their supply costs up and take advantage of less competition and the price of produce will increase dramatically for the customer. The rich got richer during Covid. Covid has wrecked havoc on the middle class from the suppplier to the buyer.

I live in a city of ~1.5 million. Last July, at the height of the BLM/covid insanity, our city council— in a late night, unannounced meeting with little-to-no chance for citizen input— unanimously voted to strip $120 million from the Police Dept. budget. And cancelled the cadet class.

I wouldn’t call what the council did “defunding” as much as it was looting. Instead of returning those funds to taxpayers, the council (all Democrats) shoveled millions to various community organizations that unsurprisingly could be relied upon to support and donate to Democrat city councilors’ campaigns. Planned Parenthood alone reaped $20 million taxpayer dollars.

Unsurprisingly, crime has skyrocketed. This year is only 3/4 over, and we have a homicide rate 2x that of 2019’s. Ditto for sexual assault.
The city has announced that due to police staffing shortages, police will no longer respond to reports of auto accidents that do not involve injuries, nor reports of burglary if the suspect is no longer on the premises— citizens are to call 311 instead, and a city employee will eventually arrive to write a report.

Our PD, on average, sees ~50 separations each year, due to transfers, retirement, etc. In the past year however, over 200 police have left and the city cancelled this year’s cadet class also.

Last November a few city councilmen were fired by voters, but the message hasn’t seemed to have gotten through to the Council nor the mayor. This November a proposition is before voters to mandate that the PD have funds sufficient to field 2 officers per 1000 city residents. The Council is resisting that Prop tooth and nail, and over $1 million in mysterious outside donations have funded a hysterical opposition blitz—- ironically claiming that mandating such a level of police budgeting will (wait for it…) require slashing basic government services elsewhere. In our city, we must lower our expectations of what very basic government services we can have, such as law and order.

I’ve lived here for 40 years. My house is currently valued at 9x what I paid for it 20 years ago. If this Proposition fails at the polls in a few weeks, I will likely sell and move to a city less captive to failing ideology and failing city government.