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We Are Now Seeing A Lot Of Lenders Saying, You Owe Me Money

A report from the Wall Street Journal. “Getting a mortgage for a resort-area condo might become more difficult after Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac moved to tighten rules on buildings with many short-term rentals and hotel-like amenities, some Realtors and bankers say. Fannie Mae last month changed its rules to make it clearer that it won’t back certain loans in high-rent vacation areas, with Freddie Mac taking similar steps that go into effect next month.”

“The updated rules, which went into effect Dec. 7 for Fannie, are starting to generate pushback from Realtors and bankers who say entire buildings could be ineligible for financing even if only some units are rented out on a short-term basis. Bankers fear Fannie and Freddie may no longer buy loans on certain condos or force lenders to buy back mortgages on ineligible buildings. ‘Until there is more clarity from the agencies, all mortgage bankers are shutting off the valve on condo loans right now,’ said Rob Henger, director of mortgage banking at FirstBank Mortgage, a Nashville, Tenn.-based bank.”

From CNBC. “As of Jan. 5, just over 5% of all mortgages, or 2.74 million, are still in government or private sector Covid-related mortgage bailouts, according to Black Knight. ‘The relatively anemic rate of improvement in the first week of January means that there’s a larger unknown in the market than we were expecting even a month ago,’ said Andy Walden, Black Knight economist.”

From Fox 5 San Diego in California. “A moratorium on foreclosures has been in place since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic but now that it is over, landlords are starting to lose their investment properties to foreclosures. ‘The foreclosure moratorium has stopped,’ said Real Estate Attorney Kent Sharp. ‘We are now seeing a lot coming forward with a lot of lenders saying, ‘You owe me money,’ and the reason they owe money is because a lot of landlords can’t pay the full amount that is owed.'”

The Emeryville Eye in California. “Emeryville ranked as the 6th most expensive city in the Bay Area to rent this month. For the year, Emeryville rents for a 1-bedroom unit dropped nearly 17% from a pre-pandemic high of $2,700. Two bedroom units fell nearly 22% from a pre-pandemic average of $3,570/mo. Sales prices reflected a 4.16% decrease in 2020. The average sales price decreased to $599,000 from $625,000. The Median Sales Price in December was $527,250, down -23.0% from $685,000 in December of 2019 and down -13.6% from $610,000 last month.”

“The total inventory of properties available for sale as of December was 20, up 100.0% from 10 in December of last year. December 2020 Inventory was at highest level compared to December of 2019 and 2018. While most single family homes sell fast, with multiple offers and above asking price, many condos sit for a long time and don’t sell at a high price. Many sellers of condos have yet to adjust their expectations and list prices. 6363 Christie Ave, Unit 821 is a 1 BedRoom, 1 Bath condo with 634 SqFt in the iconic Pacific Park Plaza building. It was listed in April, 2020 and is still available. The list price is $499,000.”

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette in Pennsylvania. “For landlords, the financial struggle is not that different from that of the tenants, said Aaron Bubenheim, owner of Riva Ridge Real Estate Services, a property management company that handles about 1,600 units in Pittsburgh. Some landlords who work with Riva Ridge own their properties outright, but others still have mortgages to pay off. ‘If a tenant is living in the house and they’re not able to pay the rent, then the tenant’s in bad shape and the landlord’s in bad shape,’ he said. ‘The whole flow of money that’s involved with rental properties is not happening.'”

“Already, some landlords are reaching a breaking point, said Josh Caldwell, president of the Pittsburgh Real Estate Investors Association. Often, at least once a week, he says he hears from a landlord who’s running out of money and needs help because tenants aren’t paying — ‘but [the] expenses keep coming.’ ‘The small landlords are the ones who are getting hurt the most. They’re the ones who don’t have reserves,’ said Mr. Caldwell, who owns 20 rental properties. ‘They’re the mom-and-pop landlords. Their retirement is being wiped out.'”

The Seattle Times in Washington. “Rents in once sought-after Seattle neighborhoods like downtown and South Lake Union nosedived in 2020. Across King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, rents dropped 3% compared with 2019, the biggest drop since the Great Recession, while average rents fell 14.2% near Lake Union. Apartment List estimated that in the city of Seattle alone, rents dropped 19%.”

“Some renters are looking to lock in better deals while the market is in a slump. Special deals, like a month or two of free rent or free parking, became more commonplace throughout 2020. By December, 51% of Seattle-area rental listings on Zillow were offering some kind of deal. When Michael Zaton moved from West Seattle to Columbia City in March, he found a one-bedroom, first-floor apartment for $1,745.”

“By December, a top-floor unit opened in the same building for the same price. ‘I latched on,’ Zaton said. ‘In March, the same apartment would have been around $2,000. Not only do I pay the same rent but I’m locking it in for another 12 months.'”

“At Goodman Real Estate, which owns 8,000 apartments across the region, CEO George Petrie has signed off on longer leases for Seattle buildings than was once the norm, he said, sometimes up to 18 months at lower rents. Rents in the company’s Seattle buildings have sunk 5% to 15%, and occupancies are down 10% to 20%, Petrie said. He expects the trend could last until the second half of 2021. ‘Am I willing to take it?’ Petrie said of a renegotiation offer from a tenant. ‘Yes. Why? Because I don’t know when Amazon is going to truly reopen, or Zillow, or fill in the blank.'”

“Buildings in Kent and in Pierce County, meanwhile, are 95% to 99% full and the company has kept rents flat or increased them, Petrie said. Goodman’s aren’t the only buildings with apartments sitting empty. The Seattle-area vacancy rate was higher in 2020 than at any point in the last decade, according to CoStar. The 7.3% rate was up from 5.8% from a year earlier. New apartments will keep coming: About 19,000 new units are under construction in the region, equal to about 5.5% of existing units, according to CoStar.”

From Westword on Colorado. “Suspicions confirmed: A new report from CoreLogic found that homes in metro Denver are overvalued even as prices continue to rise. And one of the authors of that study predicts that this ‘price bubble’ will keep growing this year. Consider these comments left by readers on Westword. Lindsay: ‘Housing costs everywhere are too high right now, but Colorado/Denver’s prices are insane. When you can’t even buy a dilapidated shack that wouldn’t ever pass inspection and just needs to be bulldozed…for $350,000, there’s a big problem.'”

“Angelo responds: ‘Denver is just collapsing in on itself. It’s sad.’ Replies Joe: ‘Californians, go home.’ A slight bright spot: The prices of condos aren’t going up as fast as those of detached homes, according to CoreLogic. And although the company didn’t get into the rental market, prices there are dropping.”

The Georgian Straight in Canada. “It looks like a Coal Harbour penthouse will get the record as the most expensive Vancouver condo sold this year. The full-floor apartment occupying the entire and top 26th storey of the Carina condo building went for $11 million. The seller let go of the property below its assessed value. B.C. Assessment placed the 2020 value of #2601-1233 West Cordova Street as of July 1, 2019 at $12,932,000. The $11 million purchase price was also below the original asking price.”

“On January 24, 2020, Royal LePage Sussex listed the condo for $13.8 million. A day before that, the property was on the market for $15.5 million. This January 23 listing was terminated. Royal LePage Sussex also listed the penthouse on May 24, 2019 for $15.5 million.”

From Better Dwelling in Canada. “Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) warned first-time homebuyers in April to be careful about jumping in. Despite a lot of real estate agents mocking the organization, the agency was mostly right. Typical condo buyers in Toronto or Vancouver in May, are most likely down more than a downpayment in December. The estimate uses a 2.0% mortgage rate, with a 25-year amortization, and the benchmark price. The minimum downpayment is used, which is sometimes a little higher than 5% due to prices. Also included in the second set of numbers is the mandatory cost of mortgage insurance.”

“It’s important to note that these aren’t a comprehensive list of costs, nor value assessments. Big hits like transfer fees aren’t estimated, and neither is legal or maintenance. Interest payments aren’t included as a loss either, but the principal contribution is included for the purposes of equity calculations. The investment losses would be much larger if forced to sell, or one needs to move. Especially in the case of regions with a shortage of equity, that would require the owner ‘top up’ to sell. Yes, there are people that are so broke they can’t even sell the home they live in.”

“First, let’s look at the return on investment for your downpayment, since that’s how many agents sell condos. ‘Think about the leverage!’ Across TRREB, a benchmark condo buyer last May would have lost 147.95% on their downpayment. In the City of Toronto, a benchmark buyer would have lost 169.29% of their downpayment. Great reminder that leverage works both ways.”

“Greater Vancouver buyers did a little better, but it depends which half of the City you bought in. REBGV’s May benchmark condo buyers would have made a 76.88% loss by December. In Vancouver East, the return over the same period comes in at a slightly better 59.25% loss. Vancouver West is closer to Toronto, with the loss working out to 140.73% by December. In TRREB, a benchmark buyer would be in the hole by $3,805, or have negative 0.66% of value. In the City a benchmark buyer would be a little worse, down $10,792, or about 1.81% negative equity. Yes, these buyers are likely now negative equity.”

From Asia One on Singapore. “The bungalow at the centre of the Yang Yin saga is up for sale again — this time with the asking price slashed by $10 million to $25 million. Although it was put on the market in 2018, the property remained unsold as the two bids did not meet the expected price of $35 million.”

“Chung Khin Chun, a rich Singaporean widow, lived in the bungalow for over 50 years before she was embroiled in a public tussle for assets worth a total of $40 million. The elderly woman, who suffers from dementia, was nearly swindled of her property by former Chinese tour guide Yang Yin in 2014. He was later sentenced to 11 years and two months in jail.”

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This Post Has 197 Comments

  1. ‘In March, the same apartment would have been around $2,000. Not only do I pay the same rent but I’m locking it in for another 12 months’

    That’s the spirit!

    1. Battered by constant rent hikes… give him 6 months and he’ll wishing he could renew at the new, lower, rate.

  2. ‘Until there is more clarity from the agencies, all mortgage bankers are shutting off the valve on condo loans right now’

    Millions of FB fooked, just like that. Happened before ya know.

    Where oh where are the foot stampin’ MBA? Remember when they cried and cried about a half point fee a few months ago? No loans for you!

  3. ‘The Median Sales Price in December was $527,250, down -23.0% from $685,000 in December of 2019 and down -13.6% from $610,000 last month’

    Good thing everybody put 20%… oh never mind.

      1. “Ooph, that’s gonna leave a mark.”

        hence why i am investing in $HBI (Hanes underwear) Gonna be many brown stained realtors, FB’s, and crypto investors needing some fresh new bottoms.

  4. ‘You owe me money,’ and the reason they owe money is because a lot of landlords can’t pay the full amount that is owed’

    Wa? But UHS says can always sell? We’re all in this together!

    1. Who would buy a apartment if they can’t collect the rent ? Only one I can think of is the government because they can pay for it with taxes.

      1. The government being the landlord for most is possibly the plan. We’ll see how responsive .gov is when appliances or the heat break, or when the roof starts to leak.

        1. Like anything else, .gov will contract it out, maybe to the son of some diplomat they met in Davos, who conveniently and coincidentally just so happens to run a property management company. They will overcharge, the gov will print the money to pay, and the contractor will pocket the difference. Repairing a roof? Good luck.

          1. I’m thinking Hunter Biden will be the new .Gov building super. If you dont have the rent money, I’m sure he’ll accept “payment in kind”.

            Maybe the Big Guy will get a sniff of the action too.

      2. Only one I can think of is the government

        I was thinking the Fed could directly or indirectly buy them and then the govt can administrate them through section 8. Both should help support prices going forward which would be the real goal.

  6. ‘Despite a lot of real estate agents mocking the organization, the agency was mostly right’

    A couple reasons why this is no big deal: UHS will help bring money to the table of course. And what can an airbox in Canadia cost? 10 or 20K pesos?

      1. TD trial begins Monday as investors seek to recover US$4.5-billion after Ponzi scheme

        ‘A US$4.5-billion lawsuit against Toronto-Dominion Bank over its role in providing bank accounts to offshore companies that were part of one of the world’s largest Ponzi schemes is going to trial in Toronto on Monday after a decade of legal wrangling.’

        ‘The case hinges on whether TD, which is Canada’s largest bank by assets, is liable for huge losses owed to investors. The lawsuit alleges the bank failed to detect the fraud or heed alleged red flags about activity in accounts controlled by the fraud’s mastermind, Allen Stanford.’

        ‘The lawsuit was launched in 2011 by liquidators in charge of winding up Stanford International Bank, an offshore company Mr. Stanford owned in Antigua and Barbuda that played a key role in the scheme. Lawyers are seeking to recover as much as US$4.5-billion owed to Mr. Stanford’s 21,000 former clients, many of whom have only recovered pennies on the dollar so far.’

        ‘In response, TD claimed in its own filing that it “could not have uncovered SIB’s fraud.” Although lawyers for the plaintiffs have cited an array of apparent red flags, “without 20-20 hindsight and without possessing the knowledge that SIB had been a Ponzi scheme fraud, there were no red flags at the material time,” the bank said.’

        ‘Mr. Stanford and other insiders at his companies were convicted of looting the enterprise, which sold at least US$7.2-billion in financial products to investors over more than two decades. They made speculative investments, concealed billions of dollars in shareholder loans to Mr. Stanford, and misused funds to bankroll the extravagant lifestyles he and his executives lived, which included owning a small Caribbean island, private jets and helicopters, and luxury mansions, according to court filings.’

        ‘Bankers from TD met with Mr. Stanford and staff at his companies in Toronto, Montreal, Houston, Memphis and Antigua. Lawyers for SIB’s liquidators allege that those visits “consisted primarily of expensive meals” and social events, including attending golf and cricket tournaments that Mr. Stanford hosted.’

        https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-td-trial-begins-monday-as-investors-seek-to-recover-us45-billion-after/

        1. But Shirley our ever-vigilant, scrupulously honest regulators and enforcers would prevent our TBTF banks from orchestrating such Ponzi systems or otherwise defrauding the public. I mean, think of all the perp walks we’d be seeing if they attempted such a scheme.

          Oh, wait. Law enforcement is too pre-occupied with going after the really big menaces to society like Soho Karen.

          1. BTC is down 7.5%. PMs doing better today. Some analysts think that silver will shoot up like bitcoin. It will go up, sure, but not parabolic.

          2. What a sham this whole “BTC” thing is. The idea that you can just invent a computer program and call it the new gold, even “mining” it, is more preposterous than words can describe.

            What’s really funny is all those “Bitcoin is God” trolls are now saying “I’m taking profits” as it’s crashing in remarkable fashion. Sure, everybody took profits and is doing just fine. How about those people that bought at $42,000 and have now lost 25% of their “investment” in a little more than a day? They should shut this nonsense down once and for all.

          3. Sh!tcoin is the future! dont be a grumpy traditional, invest in companies and products that produce type. Invest in the “made out of thin air new gold!”

      1. and a Deplorable will lead them.

        Twitter shares dive 7% after Trump account suspension

        By Ambar Warrick, Sruthi Shankar
        ANUARY 11, 20215:01 AM

        (Reuters) – Shares of Twitter Inc slumped 7% on Monday, on course to knock off about $2.5 billion from the market value of the social media company after it permanently suspended the account of U.S. President Donald Trump.

        https://www.reuters.com/article/us-twitter-stocks-trump/twitter-shares-slump-8-after-trump-account-suspension-idUSKBN29G0XG

    2. “Over the last two years I have become deeply and increasingly pessimistic about the future of liberty and freedom of speech, particularly in regard to the Internet. This is a complete reversal of the almost unbounded optimism I felt during the 1994–1999 period when public access to the Internet burgeoned and innovative new forms of communication appeared in rapid succession. In that epoch I was firmly convinced that universal access to the Internet would provide a countervailing force against the centralisation and concentration in government and the mass media which act to constrain freedom of expression and unrestricted access to information. Further, the Internet, properly used, could actually roll back government and corporate encroachment on individual freedom by allowing information to flow past the barriers erected by totalitarian or authoritarian governments and around the gatekeepers of the mainstream media. ”

      https://www.fourmilab.ch/documents/digital-imprimatur/

      1. Things aren’t working out like many thought they would. The internet has turned into a monster which has the power to crush freedom in ways that Orwell couldn’t dream of and give the state the power to totally control life. Oh well, it seemed like a great idea once upon a time.

        1. The internet existed as a good thing for a long time. Around the time Al Gore “invented” it, the .com domains were allowed to start making money with it. That seemed innocent enough at the time. We just didn’t realize they would make so much money that they could then take control of it politically. Now the idea that the .gov and .mil and .edu domains could exert control over the .com domains seems funny, but back then it made sense.

    3. Taking the path less traveled is no longer makes a difference. The acceptable path is the only correct path:

      “A Cumulus executive issued the directive on Wednesday, just as Congress met to certify Joe Biden’s election victory and an angry mob of Trump supporters marched on the Capitol, overwhelmed police and briefly occupied the building, terrorizing lawmakers and leading to the deaths of five people.

      “We need to help induce national calm NOW,” Brian Philips, executive vice president of content for Cumulus, wrote in an internal memo, which was first reported by Inside Music Media. Cumulus and its program syndication arm, Westwood One, “will not tolerate any suggestion that the election has not ended. The election has been resolved and there are no alternate acceptable ‘paths.’ ”

      https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/Talk-radio-owner-orders-conservative-hosts-to-15860720.php

    4. Sorry, I meant to say that the acceptable path is the only viable path. Or navigable path. Or the only path that doesn’t end in a sheer drop to sharp rocks. Which would you choose?

        1. One must become a party member before applying to University.

          My wife corrected my understanding of that in China. Previously I said that at some point in college everyone became a party member. She said no…everyone gets the basic military familiarization where they get to fire 5 rounds, but only the “better” students get invited into the party. She said that then if those students go on to careers in normal Chinese companies they will have special party meetings sometimes sponsored by the company. But there have to be at least 3 party members at the company for that to happen and at the smaller company she worked at after college there were only two of them, so their party memberships never transferred from college to the company organization like they normally do. So hers is still at her college because it never came up at subsequent employers because they didn’t see it from her previous employer. Interesting bureaucracy…

          1. I met a Romanian doctor who later became an electrical engineer. I got the party scoop thing during lunch one day. Funny thing, doctors there are slightly above working class whereas an electrical engineer was really something, e.g., better income, housing, etc., pretty much the opposite of how things are sorted here.

          2. Funny thing, doctors there are slightly above working class

            In most of the world physicians are not a big deal, like they are here. Low pay, low status. That said, in many countries physicians have much less training, and wouldn’t be considered doctors here.

          3. doctor who later became an electrical engineer

            Many of the engineering students in my school who couldn’t make the grade went across the street to Rutgers Medical and were more successful..

  9. ‘The small landlords are the ones who are getting hurt the most. They’re the ones who don’t have reserves,’ said Mr. Caldwell, who owns 20 rental properties. ‘They’re the mom-and-pop landlords. Their retirement is being wiped out.’”

    Listening to much to Grant “Cash is Trash” Cardone

  10. From CNBC. “As of Jan. 5, just over 5% of all mortgages, or 2.74 million, are still in government or private sector Covid-related mortgage bailouts, according to Black Knight

    And those are just the ones that are getting bailouts. How many more are in arrears, but with no bailout?

  11. ‘The small landlords are the ones who are getting hurt the most. They’re the ones who don’t have reserves,’ said Mr. Caldwell, who owns 20 rental properties. ‘They’re the mom-and-pop landlords. Their retirement is being wiped out.

    20 properties. I’m sure that when times were fat he lived like a king.

    Work is for the little people.

      1. I suppose he’s on the high end for mom-n-pop landlords. But he’s a piker compared to the corporate rental owners.

  12. By December, 51% of Seattle-area rental listings on Zillow were offering some kind of deal.

    Do those “deals” include a security detail, for when the vibrants decide to add some spice to life?

    1. Vibrants from Denver are staging forays into the Briargate area of northern Colorado Springs, hoping off I-25 to prowl around looking for targets of opportunity before fleeing back to Denver and the protection of the Soros hireling who is the Denver DA.

      2. We’re seeing a lot more of that here. Hop off i-90, go into the immediately surrounding neighborhoods, smash, grab, and flee. The new light rail station is going to be a curse to residents of the north end.

        It does look like the residents are up in arms and pressuring the city to hire more police. There’s no shortage of ex-Seattle cops looking for new jobs.

        1. At leas they didn’t build a tunnel , yet

          Authorities in central California were searching Sunday for six inmates who used a “homemade rope” to escape from a county jail, sheriff’s officials said.

          All six escapees should be considered armed and dangerous, the Merced County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

          Staff at Merced County Downtown Jail noticed late Saturday that the six inmates were missing, the release said.

        2. We’re seeing a lot more of that here. Hop off i-90, go into the immediately surrounding neighborhoods, smash, grab, and flee.

          Being close to the interstate used to be considered a plus, as it shortened the commute. Most of the newer development in my little burg was built close to I-25 for that very reason: it knocks 10-15 minutes off the commute to Dumver compared to the far side of town.

          Now it might be considered a liability.

        3. The new light rail station is going to be a curse to residents of the north end.

          One of the many reasons we were eager to get out of Bellevue. The light rail station nearby will just make it easier for the undesireables to come to our neighborhood.

    1. Meanwhile, there are more homeless in metro Denver now than ever in the decade plus I’ve lived here.

      Vote like San Francisco, become San Francisco.

      1. All you have to do is look at all the past tapes of Pelosi, Maxine Waters, AOC, Biden, Harris, Dem Governors, Fake News, condoning the Summer of violence and outright attack on the political rights of half the Country.
        So what was so bad about the Trump Voters Agenda.
        Make America Great Again by,
        Bring Back jobs stolen, fair trade deals, end 20 year stupid war, control borders, become energy independent, jobs for Private sector, clean up Swamp of corruption, rejection of One World order agenda, Civil rights for even Whites, school choice ,rejection of Communist policies, fair trade deals with China, removal of mandate of Commie Obama care and
        There is nothing about those mandates that is anti American or treasonous.
        To the contrary the lefts agenda is,
        One World Order, open borders, Commie health Care, Violation of Civil rights of whites in America, suppression of first and second amendment, call for punishment against political opponents, Defund the Police, loot tax coffers for special interest groups of Dem party, attack American Statues, USA History and demean the USA , no school choice, Bigger Government with top down control, allowance of monopoly control and rigged markets with no proper Government regulation , taking of first and second amendment and other liberties , stack the Court, etc etc etc.

        So what is pro American about the lefts agenda. It looks like a insurrection from within by corrupted Government that is fostering takeover by foreign and Domestic enemies.
        The system wasn’t designed for big Globalist Monopoly Corporation to rule.

        So, I’m just saying that the lefts agenda is a sucide path of weakening America and not protecting Americans from anything .
        They are guilty of a insurrection, but as usual Trump and his Supporters are accused of what they are doing.
        By a stolen election they have taken power . They are taking free speech for one narrative only.
        Trump’s voters were fighting for a rejection of the treasonous takeover of the USA by Power Entities destroying America with Government.
        Their rigged systems of commerce isn’t capitalism.
        We are locked down, with our breath taken away by useless masks , by a Medical Scam of fear mongering and false Science.
        It’s all totally outrageous . I can’t get food if I don’t wear the mask, can’t travel, and they have a curfew in California. In England they are threatening the public they might only let them go out once a week.

        1. What is this.but we are being put in prison, wbile they let prisoners out and Commie criminals loot and burn.
          Seriously, all of this is just so bizarre , insane and treasonous.

    1. Politico (1/11/2021):

      “Halfway through his first term, the Democratic governor of the nation’s most populous state is scrambling to control a pandemic that has crippled the southern half of California since Thanksgiving. The pandemic has given Republicans, long sidelined in this heavily Democratic state, a rare opportunity to wound him. And Newsom is laboring to keep the state — and his own political future — intact.

      “People are really pissed off,” said Ted Costa, the anti-tax crusader who was the original proponent of the Davis recall. He signed Newsom recall papers last week in the parking lot of a Home Depot in Thousand Oaks. “Things can get hot quick, and I don’t know if Newsom realizes what happens when a groundswell hits.”

      https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/11/gavin-newsom-california-scramble-fallen-apart-456665

      1. SF Gate (1/10/2021):

        “At the start of 2020, San Francisco issued about 3,900 permits for cafes and restaurants (of which 35 are for chains like Starbucks, Thomas said). Once we learn the number of active health permits, the total losses will be clearer. As of last April, Thomas said she saw an estimate which said that number was already down to 3,550, just two months into the shelter-in-place order.

        “The best data I think we are seeing is the credit card-spend data that the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce released showing that something like 52 percent of restaurants were not transacting any business: and that was a few months ago when we could do outdoor dining and 25 percent occupancy inside,” Thomas told Forbes.

        If restaurants don’t get any relief from the government, Thomas continued, the restaurant closure rate could reach 85%.

        The California Restaurant Association agrees. The initial estimate of closures once shutdowns began in March was estimated at 30% of neighborhood restaurants closing permanently; as of a late September post from the group, they wrote, “As the shutdown has lasted longer than anyone could have predicted, some estimates have suggested the permanent closings of independent restaurants could be as high as 85% without government action.”

        https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/San-Francisco-restaurant-closures-2020-COVID-19-15854041.php

        85 percent is that a lot?

        1. If restaurants don’t get any relief from the government, Thomas continued, the restaurant closure rate could reach 85%.

          Not to worry, the Biden admin will deliver pallets of cash to city hall to make up for the lost tax revenue.

          1. “If restaurants don’t get any relief from the government, Thomas continued, the restaurant closure rate could reach 85%.”

            by National File
            January 11th 2021, 2:17 am

            Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden pledged to allot relief to small businesses on a racialized basis in a video posted to left-wing Big Tech platform Twitter on Sunday

            “Our priority will be Black, Latino, Asian, and Native American owned small businesses, women-owned businesses, and finally having equal access to resources needed to reopen and rebuild,” Biden said, falsely inferring that minorities and women have less access to resources than white men.

            Biden made the remarks in a video detailing his regime’s plan to rebuild the economy after a year of crippling COVID lockdowns, many of which were supported by Biden himself.

            https://www.infowars.com/posts/video-biden-says-small-businesses-will-receive-no-aid-unless-theyre-owned-by-minorities-women

          2. “Our priority will be Black, Latino, Asian, and Native American owned small businesses, women-owned businesses, and finally having equal access to resources needed to reopen and rebuild,” Biden said, falsely inferring that minorities and women have less access to resources than white men.

            These mothertruckers are racist as fook, and right in plain site. But you know what? Nobody’s falling for it.

          4. “preference in government contracting”

            I wasted over 5 years of my life in that scam. In that time, I worked for EIGHT different contractors, but only two of those changes were a result of self-initiated job jumping.

            This is how it works: small sub with preference wins bid. After year one, larger sub tied to smaller sub’s bid takes over the contract for subsequent option year(s) and hires all of the smaller sub’s employees.

            I have never read any attempted calculation of the administrative costs associated with this, across all agencies of Uncle Sugar, but it must be substantial.

            With every one of these changes not from job jumping, I had the same desk, same workload, same boss, but insurance provider always changed, accrual of vacation time reset to zero, and most importantly, 401k employer matches never fully vested.

            Regarding bids, there are elements of this in the world of electrical contracting too, we did some work at the Denver Airport for a sub with preference.

            If they push through the Green New Steal, I want to start a company and make one of my Spanish speaking primos CEO. Because nothing says you “care” about the climate more than using electricity from burning coal to charge your Tesla.

        2. “As the shutdown has lasted longer than anyone could have predicted, some estimates have suggested the permanent closings of independent restaurants could be as high as 85% without because of government action.”

          Someone edited this in the comment section. Fix it for ya

      2. is scrambling to control a pandemic that has crippled the southern half of California since Thanksgiving.

        Gee, that can’t be because the vibrants are refusing to lock down or wear masks?

        1. I just looked at the Worldometers site to compare the CCP Flu numbers for California vs Florida.

          Lockdowns don’t work.

          Meanwhile, across the pond, England will soon be prohibiting leaving your house more than once a week.

          1. For reference, Britain’s severe lockdown is to contain that new Kent strain of the virus. Even though the strain is no more deadly, it’s much more contagious. Even at a 98.3% case survival rate, more cases still means more deaths, and a longer time to get enough people vaccinated to get that R value back below 1.

            I’m more worried about the South African strain.

          2. I’m more worried about the South African strain.

            The Chinese seem quite unconcerned.

            This remind me of a behavior I saw with a dog I had. He was a Bichon. We also had a German Shepherd. So they get fed. The little guy licks his bowl clean in no time, and then heads for the front door and begins to bark. The big guy is a slower eater, so he stops eating, runs to the front door and joins the barking fest. The little guy then doubles back and starts eating from the big guy’s bowl, while the big guy continues to bark at nothing.

          3. Meanwhile, across the pond, England will soon be prohibiting leaving your house more than once a week.

            My UK relatives are very willing and happy to comply.

          6. “new Kent strain of the virus. Even though the strain is no more deadly, it’s much more contagious.“

            Isn’t this how herd immunity works? The virus muates into less deadly strains as it spreads wider. If this were, say, Jan 21, maybe the headlines about the virus mutating to a milder disease would be presented as progress.

          8. Three gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park have tested positive.

            I’d love to hear how this happened. Did they have other gorillas from the LA zoo come over to dinner?

          9. The first strain was just the common flu. The second strain is a lighter version of the common flu. As will be third and fourth.

            Klaus Schwab is having so much fun now flicking switches and making the sheeple dance.

          11. They are being played for fools. Any idiot who believes that the only way to fight an epidemic is to lock people in their homes deserves to starve to death.

            I read that the new Trump strain was discovered in a small town in Nevada east of Ely. It’s spreading to S.F. as we speak–Newsome is ordering all restaurants and laundromats to close to fight the spread of this deadly Conservative Corona-Covid-Char Siu Virus.

      3. Home Depot in Thousand Oaks.” Changed so much these last 60 years . And yea I remember all but 4 of them.

        Hiking yesterday in the hills of Thousand oaks ( western plateau) saw so many different kinds of hawks, saw a sparrow hawk chase quail up a small ravine, Kites which are white looking hawks hovering over rock faces, red tails soaring high above and a road runner on the prowl. Unfortunately its getting as crowded here as it was when I lived in Poway and used to hike around there. Over heard a older guy tell a younger couple how its really sucking in CA these days. South of here its much worse…

        1. Saw middle eastern cowboys on Horses over heard they own a big spread in Santa Rosa valley. Nope not Mexican, Middle eastern the accent gives it away, New play ground of billionaires as they escape the shi$hole of the old world where they actually probably do eat the rich, like Ecuador . I cant believe any of these people would vote socialist as it cratered where they escaped from …

    1. Musk had better hurry up and build his Martian colony before he gets unpersoned and ends up being Jack Ma’d or Epsteined.

  17. Racial inequality in banking is a huge problem. Killer Mike thinks he has a solution

    His solution is that there should be more black and “Latinx” owned banks, meaning that he wants to get promoted from rapper, join Mr. Bankers club and own a bank.

    In a stunt he did he slept on a park bench because he couldn’t find a “black owned hotel” (I’m sure once the camera stopped rolling he went to his hotel room). Aren’t most hotels owned by corporations, which in turn are owned by a rainbow of shareholders, including black people? On the rare occasion when I stay at a hotel the last thing that crosses my mind is who owns it. My selection criteria is driven by cost, location and ratings.

    This nonsense reminds me of the SNL skit where Eddie Murphy disguises himself as a white dude and learns that whypipo have all kinds of privileges. I especially liked the scene at the bank where Mr. Banker hands him wads of cash and tells him that he doesn’t have to pay it back, because he’s white.

    1. 80 IQ types that cant read or do basic math are going to run businesses? Uh, sure.

      And agree with the racist government contracting above. Many put company in wifes name, leveraging the ehtnicity/vjay card to win contracts. Same white guys do all the work in the background. On the bright side most of these con artists are so corpulent they look like they could be related to jabba the hut. Maybe being so focused on finding loopholes to steal from taxpayers is its own reward/punishment.

      1. 80 IQ types that cant read or do basic math are going to run businesses?

        Not run, own. Much like in South Africa, they would hire competent, if nonvibrant, people to actually run things

  18. The Hill (1/11/2021):

    “A talk radio company that employs some of the nation’s most popular conservative radio hosts has issued a memo barring talent from spreading conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election.

    “We need to help induce national calm NOW,” wrote an executive with Cumulus Media in a Wednesday directive, the same day as the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, according to The Washington Post.

    Brian Philips, the company’s executive vice president, went on to say Cumulus and its program syndication branch, Westwood One, “will not tolerate any suggestion that the election has not ended. The election has been resolved and there are no alternate acceptable ‘paths’. ”

    “If you transgress this policy, you can expect to separate from the company immediately,” he added.

    https://thehill.com/homenews/media/533616-talk-radio-company-orders-hosts-to-stop-suggesting-election-was-stolen-from

      1. “They got the judges in their back pockets and they own all the big media companies, so they control just about all of the news and information you get to hear. They got you by the balls!” —George Carlin

    2. So, National calm means falsehoods are ok and we should all be calm about first amendment and election stolen.
      Just be docile and accept fake narratives no matter how threatening they are to your way of life or your sanity. The narratives are so stupid and offensive requiring one to suspend common sense and turn against your own self.
      Just line up for the vaccine
      These US traitors have no doubt studied psychology and how to get mass compliance.

      1. So, National calm means falsehoods are ok and we should all be calm about first amendment and election stolen.

        They want us to give up and accept it. The whole calm thing is just a mind game of accusing us of being hysterical, hoping to shame us into submission. Plus it’s good old fashioned censorship. They will keep turning the screws to stop the message from spreading, even if it means shutting down the internet and phones as Jan 21 approaches.

        2. In Colorado,
          I guess they couldn’t take over America by military attack because we have a strong Military.
          So instead thdy take over from within. First you have to corrupt the stupid Politicians so Government no longer protects US Citizens, and they get looted instead. Don’t even have borders so the US gets invaded.. Take away law and order and de fund police so Commies can attack lawful . citizens. Fake news 24/7 to brainwash dumb asses. Brainwash the youth for about 30 years by takeover of school system . Corrupt welfare system and Judicial system. Pit American against American, race against race. Get Commie Traitors into high level positions in Gov, the FBI and the Military.. Grow Gov to be a deep state of one party system.
          This took a number of years to accomplish and Trump and Voters stood in way of next phase of takeover.

      2. “These US traitors have no doubt studied psychology and how to get mass compliance.”

        They are doing what I am doing, they are using what works.

        This “mass compliance”, as you call it, is a gift that keeps on giving.

        Dumb ’em down, and profit.

        I like it, I love it, I want more of it.

        😁

    3. “The election has been resolved and there are no alternate acceptable ‘paths’. ”

      Speaking of, has anyone heard of any legal paths left? There must be some or there wouldn’t be an effort to keep people from talking about them.

  19. “I’m more worried about the South African strain.”

    Do tell, what is the worry about the South African strain?
    Remember how they had the whole World data on Covid blasted on fake news.
    They stopped that, but I have been wondering about Africa and India also.

  20. President Trump Still Has 48% Approval Following Capitol Protest

    Infowars.com
    January 11th 2021, 11:51 am

    President Trump’s approval rating hasn’t budged following protests at the Capitol Wednesday, which Democrats have been quick to call an “insurrection.”

    According to the Rasmussen survey released Monday, Trump’s approval stands at 48%, roughly one percent higher than last month.

    “The latest figures include 35% who Strongly Approve of the job Trump is doing and 43% who Strongly Disapprove,” the poll said.

    The survey comes less than a week after Trump led a massive demonstration attended by millions in DC to protest the fraudulent election certification in Congress, where a crowd eventually occupied the Capitol building after Vice President Mike Pence signaled he would certify the election results for Biden.

  21. Just read that restaurants in Mexico City, which is under code red, are going to rebel and open for business.

    Abrimos o morimos. (We open or we die) is their slogan. I will look later in the day to see how city hall reacts.

    1. (We open or we die)

      That’s the thing – a lockdown means certain death. Even if the Wu Flu was super deadly – it’s not – it would be worth staying open and taking a chance that you would avoid death rather than closing and facing certain financial death.

      1. If you are under the age of 65 and are relatively healthy with no immune related disorders, you have a much better chance of dying from a stroke or M.I. while eating dinner indoors at a restaurant than of becoming stricken by Covid-19 and kicking the bucket.

        You also stand a much better chance of learning that you have metastatic colon/liver/pancreatic/lung cancer and have 6 months to live than becoming infected by the China Virus and dying.

        Life is full of risks. No one gets out alive. I’d rather eat well than survive on canned tuna.

  22. Take away Whites civil rights so they can be the enemy of the Hilter like takeover of the USA.
    Pelosi recently blaming “Whiteness” for Capital problem. If that isn’t race baiting I don’t know what is.

    So, these criminals know exactly how to pit race against race. Punishment for Whites who never owned a slave, who many marched in the 60’s for Civil rights for all.
    We have a Speaker of the House in the US attacking one race like Hilter attacked the Jews. These people are dangerous.

  24. This is fawking rich!

    We simply cannot stay closed until the vaccine hits critical mass. The cost is too high. We will have nothing left to open. We must reopen the economy, but we must do it smartly and safely.

    -Governor Andrew Cuomo

    1. Some .gov rocket scientist must have just figured out that those gold-plated pensions won’t have any chance of getting paid and that New York City and New York are now racing at a high rate of speed towards insolvency when there is no tax revenue.

      From March 2019

      ‘New York City is edging toward financial disaster, experts warn’

      https://nypost.com/2019/03/09/new-york-city-is-edging-toward-financial-disaster-experts-warn/

      “New York City could be one recession away from bankruptcy, financial analysts are warning.”

      “Last October, the city said that its long-term liabilities, including bonded debt, pensions, and other retirement benefits for its public sector workers, reached a record $257.3billion, an increase of $4.7billion since fiscal year 2017.”

      https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6791327/New-York-City-BANKRUPT-recession-hits-experts-warn.html

      1. ‘New York City is edging toward financial disaster, experts warn’

        Did they really need an expert to figure that out?

    2. Rip,
      And they say a 70% vaccine rate World wide is what they want Worldwide, even when this goes against the Science.
      This might be the biggest deception in History.
      This will destroy economics all over the World. This is outright sinister .

    4. We must reopen the economy

      It is ironic that Cuomo changed his tune just at this time. Isn’t this exactly the advice that the Banned One gave all along? Now that Cuomo will have the DC government he wants in a few days, we can’t afford to lockdown? Perhaps it is just the first sign that everything will be rainbows and unicorn farts in 10 days.

      1. Reduce PCR cycle threshold, open up economy and voila everything’s rainbows and unicorn farts.

  25. Ok, they want to take over the World, not just the United States. You know, One World Order.
    I wonder what Countries wouldn’t be on board with that.

    1. I wonder what Countries wouldn’t be on board with that.

      Russia comes to mind. Anyone else who resists will get stomped in the face by the WEF/Davos Boot. Resist and no one will trade with you or lend you money.

      You will own nothing and you will be happy. And that is not a suggestion.

      1. IMHO,
        And this One World Order will be a Commie Top Down Control where they dictate what you get. Everyone equally deprived and poor.
        Except they will have Privilege and wealth.
        You get meat once a month and bugs the rest of the time. Health Care, it takes two years to get a appointment. Gas cars become obsolete, only the super elite has those.
        1984 type control of all thought, mandatory injections of God knows what, prison camps for any

        1. Gas cars become obsolete, only the super elite has those.

          Actually I think liquid fuel cars and guns will be everywhere, you just won’t be able to get fuel for either without connections. So they’ll be mostly useless once the stashes run out. At least that will be the plan…

          1. Crony capitalist oligarch:

            “You filthy poor people and your pollution-belching cars – you can’t drive those anymore”

            Hops into private jet

          2. “So they’ll be mostly useless once the stashes run out. At least that will be the plan”

            That was the plan with Prohibition too.

            All the Sneaky Tricks of Prohibition Bootleggers

            BY MESSYNESSY JUNE 7, 2016

            Long before Pablo Escobar and his Colombian buddies were sending cocaine through the jungles in homemade submarines, the Prohibition bootleggers were firing torpedoes laden with whiskey from Canadian waters to the American side of the Great Lakes.

            https://www.messynessychic.com/2016/06/07/all-the-sneaky-tricks-of-prohibition-bootleggers/

          4. Libs work like the old BASF commercials:

            “At BASF, we don’t make a lot of the products you buy, we make a lot of the products you buy better.”

            Except it’s more like”

            “Liberals, we don’t ban a lot of the products you buy, we make a lot of the products you want to buy unaffordable.”

          5. you just won’t be able to get fuel

            Would you take Ethanol? If you can help me make my engine run on that, perhaps we can work out a deal.

        2. Would you take Ethanol?

          I’d be happy to. Most people can’t use it unless they have a flex fuel badge on the back of their vehicle. Even then it would be tough to use homebrew from a still. You really need all the water out and a bit of gasoline or other lubricant mixed in. I guess pure ethanol lubricates really poorly compared to gasoline. But that’s a long term problem, not so much a “get it running for a couple hours in an emergency” problem.

          2. Getting the water out is elementary.

            I was under the impression that getting most of the water out was elementary, but getting ALL the water out was not.

          3. ALL the water out

            I didn’t realize that you had to get the last 5% of the water out to use it for fuel. However, it is still fairly simple. It’s like canoeing a river with a waterfall. Easy going up to the impasse, then you have to carry around the obstacle. After that it is easy once again.

            I can think of three approaches. One is to add a third chemical to change the location of the azeotrope (not to do if you still want to drink some of the ethanol). The second is to remove some of the water by adsorption (molecular sieve) or chemical absorption (lime). Third is to just change the pressure in the still, also moving the azeotrope. Maybe that’s four methods.

            Is it worth the effort to make the fuel better by just a few percentage points? IDK.

            What we might find lying around to add some lubricity would be my question.

          4. “Getting the water out is elementary.”

            That was a big maintenance issue with the VW Sportwagon tdi due to the high pressure injectors, common fuel rail and pump. Before the “firmware upgrade,” on cruise control it could hold 72-mph over hilly terrain and still pull down 40-mpg.

  26. All the new ‘luxury’ construction in Seattle South Lake Union and Belltown turns out to be a really bad investment move.

    So who loses – certainly the REITs (and the pension funds that own them), small businesses that opened up in the area anticipating an opportunities and contract workers.

    Who wins – tenants that can strike a good bargain on lease renewal in these trendy are, landlords outside the core.

    [to be fair – at the time 2017- 2018, i thought that these were a decent investment – and not speculation. How things change]

    —
    “Rents in once sought-after Seattle neighborhoods like downtown and South Lake Union nosedived in 2020. Across King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, rents dropped 3% compared with 2019, the biggest drop since the Great Recession, while average rents fell 14.2% near Lake Union. Apartment List estimated that in the city of Seattle alone, rents dropped 19%.”

      1. Did anyone ever get a 2020 crops report from Seattle CHAZ? Tonnage, bushels, yield per acre?

        LMFAO@ a day after CHAZ barricaded itself off all the homeless of Seattle came in and ate all their food.

        Not much autonomy happening in that “autonomous zone.”

        1. Not much autonomy happening in that “autonomous zone.”

          It served its purpose. It’s mourning in America.

          1. It served its purpose.

            As did most who rioted this year. They will be disappointed when they learn there is no place set aside for them at the victory feast.

          1. 12-pk of 12-oz cans of Diet Dr. Pepper are $4.99 ON SALE, if you can find them. WTF! $2.50-3.33 used to be the norm.

          2. Prime rib 3.99 a pound isn’t bad.

            2 liter bottles of coke 99 cents at walmart.

            Whats not to like?

          3. $2.50-3.33 used to be the norm

            I sometimes still see that price during the big sales. But overall, prices do seem to be up.

          4. Prime rib 3.99 a pound isn’t bad.

            The best I’ve seen is $6 a pound, on sale. And isn’t “prime”, it’s USDA choice. That said, the one I bought for Christmas was a nice cut. Very tender.

            I haven’t seen a 99 cent two liter coke in a loooong time.

          5. Walmart. It was 1.25 a bottle for the longest time and then dropped to 99 cents a couple weeks ago.

          6. 2 liter bottles

            Were $5 if you bought 4. 2L go flat faster than I can drink them, which is faster than most people.

          7. 2L go flat faster than I can drink them

            From an engineering view, if you get the 2L nice and cold and then pour it into smaller sealed containers, it will keep fine. It’s the airspace that lets all the CO2 out of the soda pop.

            File that under “Beyond Stingy”.

          8. Where I live, the cheapest acceptable diet appears to be cook-your-own carnivore. Seriously.
            $1.99/lb Value pack chicken breast on sale. Ground beef $4.00/lb ground beef.
            $5.00/lb ham steak on sale.
            $2.00/doz eggs.
            $1.50/lb froz veg (optional)
            $2.00 box 48 black teabags

            The truly cheapest diet is rice and lentil but, yikes.

          9. The truly cheapest diet is rice and lentil

            Does it beat Taco Bell for calories per dollar? I assume it does but I’m always surprised that TB can do what they do. Kind of like how I don’t understand how Costco can sell a perfect cooked chicken for 5 bucks or whatever it is. Assuming they don’t lose money on them, the lifetime costs and energy inputs for that chicken must be figured out down to fractions of a cent every step along the way.

          10. how Costco can sell a perfect cooked chicken for 5 bucks

            I think the chicken is a loss leader. They also sell them at Sam’s Club. I’ve noticed that the roasted chickens sold at the supermarket are much smaller and usually cost more.

          11. cooked chicken for 5 bucks

            Farmer friend told me they use old laying hens for that, so many of the inputs are already written off.

          12. Farmer friend told me they use old laying hens for that, so many of the inputs are already written off.

            Now there’s an explanation that makes the math work. If true, I’m impressed that they are as good as they are.

      2. Wouldn’t living in Seattle city limits by definition make one a loser?

        There are a significant amount of people that work hard and raise their families properly in Seattle. The problem is they are covered up by the activists and the political class – who have all sorts of wacky ideas.

        1. Ok, b’s reply above is the fair one.

          I was poking fun at Seattle’s political leadership, which is completely with the majority of it’s residents.

  27. 1983 Flashback: Top BLM Associate Detonated Bomb In US Capitol Building

    by Kelen McBreen
    January 11th 2021, 3:56 pm

    Any person who simply walked the halls of the US Capitol Building during last week’s protest is being labeled a “domestic terrorist” by the American establishment.

    However, in 1983, a pair of left-wing terrorists detonated a bomb in the U.S. Capitol Building only for the two criminals to be pardoned on behalf of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler and then-President Bill Clinton.

    The explosion, which occurred just outside the Senate chamber, also blew the door off Democrat Leader Robert Byrd’s office.

    Byrd was once an “Exalted Cyclops” in the KKK and was a close friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton.

    So, why would Bill pardon a pair of domestic terrorists who nearly killed his dear friend?

    A 1983 report by the Washington Post says the bomb also tore apart “the Republican Cloakroom.”

    “An explosion left piles of rubble just outside the doors to the Senate chamber, blowing out a wall partition and windows, ripping through the Republican Cloakroom, and damaging several works of art on the second floor. The bomb appeared to have been placed on or under a window well seat in a corridor leading to the Senate chamber,” the article explained.

    The estimated damage cost was $1 million… in 1983!

    The people convicted for committing the attack, Linda Evans and Susan Rosenberg, each only served 16 years of their sentences.

    The women were a part of a group called M19 that was “an offshoot” of the communist Weather Underground of the 1970s.

    “The Weatherman” are connected to Barack Obama via Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn.

    Ayers even joked about being the ghostwriter of Obama’s autobiography “Dreams of My Father.”

    Smithsonian Magazine reported, “Over the course of a 20-month span in 1983 and 1984, M19 also bombed an FBI office, the Israel Aircraft Industries building, and the South African consulate in New York, D.C.’s Fort McNair and Navy Yard (which they hit twice.)”

    Currently, Rosenberg serves as the vice-chair of the board of directors of Thousand Currents.

    According to Thousand Currents’ website, the group “provides the legal and administrative framework to enable BLM to fulfill its mission.”

    Americans need to brush up on their history.

    https://www.infowars.com/posts/1983-flashback-top-blm-associate-detonated-bomb-in-us-capitol-building

    1. On a quasi related topic, Tim Pool is now selling nutritional supplements in a 3 minute promotional segment just in the first 10 minutes of tonight’s Timcast IRL.

      You’re already rich, Tim Pool. Do you really need it?

  31. Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys
    Don’t let ’em pick guitars or drive them old trucks
    Let ’em be Looters and lawyers and such

    Ed Bruce (1939–2021), country music songwriter

    Ed Bruce was a country music singer-songwriter who wrote the classic song “Mammas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys.”

    Mickey Gilley and Johnny Lee Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys

    https://youtu.be/8YECECDYXC0

    1. The Margin
      ‘Big Short’ investor says his big Tesla short is getting ‘bigger and bigger’
      Published: Jan. 10, 2021 at 4:13 p.m. ET
      By Shawn Langlois

      Tesla (TSLA, -7.82%) short sellers, caught on the wrong end of a $38 billion hit in 2020, suffered “the largest yearly mark-to-market loss” Ihor Dusaniwsky of S3 Partners has ever seen.

      One of those under water on that trade: Michael Burry.

      The investor, made famous in the book and film, “The Big Short,” for his prescient bet against the U.S. housing market, announced in early December that he was shorting Tesla at “ridiculous” levels.

      It’s been ugly for Burry and the rest of the shorts since then, with the Tesla shares up more than 44% in the past month. Over the past year, the stock has exploded for a gain of 820%, making CEO Elon Musk the richest man in the world. On Friday, Tesla stretched its record winning streak to 11 sessions in a row, closing at another record.
      …

  34. This is beyond evil. Trump should sue for libel and defamation.

    President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence appear to have come to a détente after nearly a week of silence, anger and finger-pointing.

    The two met Monday evening in the Oval Office and had a “good conversation,” according to a senior administration official. It was their first time speaking since last Wednesday, when Trump incited his supporters to storm the Capitol building as Pence was presiding over certification of November’s election results. Pence and his family were forced into hiding.

    Never, ever did Trump incite his supporters to storm the Capitol building. Enough is enough with the lies.

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/frosty-few-days-pence-trump-012747266.html

    1. Since when is it a “lie” when “Trump” is the subject of the sentence. Everything written or said about Trump by the MSM and Democrats has been a lie the moment he came down that escalator.

    2. Trump would win that libel case handily, if we had an honest judicial system. IIUC, even if Trump is accused (impeached) of incitement, the text would have to qualify the statement with “allegedly.”

      1. the text would have to qualify the statement with “allegedly.”

        Exactly. This is an open and shut case of libel, and they get away with it. He should sue these “reporters” for $100 MILLION. That’s the only way to shut them up.

  36. This is a bedwetting article.

    New York Times — Fringe Groups Splinter Online After Facebook and Twitter Bans (1/11/2021):

    “Tracking what may be planned in the coming days could become even more difficult as the groups take to lesser-known networks and apps that can’t be easily monitored.”

    Can’t be easily monitored. Suck it, globalists.

    “In the days since rioters stormed Capitol Hill, fringe groups like armed militias, QAnon conspiracy theorists and far-right supporters of President Trump have vowed to continue their fight in hundreds of conversations on a range of internet platforms.

    Some of the organizers have moved to encrypted messaging apps like Telegram and Signal, which cannot be as easily monitored as social media platforms.

    Adding to the muddle, when Twitter and Facebook kicked Mr. Trump off their platforms last week, they made it harder for organizers to rally around a singular voice. The result is an unexpected side effect of the expulsions from mainstream social media platforms: Attempts at disruption could be harder to predict and could stretch for days — and not just in Washington, D.C.”

    https://archive.is/SzNoY

    1. The Hill (1/12/2021):

      “Facebook on Monday issued a warning to employees urging them to avoid wearing company t-shirts and other branded products in public after the social media platform suspended President Trump’s account late last week in the wake of deadly rioting at the U.S. Capitol.

      “In light of recent events, and to err on the side of caution, global security is encouraging everyone to avoid wearing or carrying Facebook-branded items at this time,” Facebook told employees in an internal memo obtained by The Information, a technology news site.

      The Information reported that the social media company’s security team posted the memo to an internal workplace board accessible by more than 56,600 employees.”

      https://thehill.com/policy/technology/533765-facebook-tells-employees-not-to-wear-company-shirts-in-public-report

      Translation: Fakebook acknowledges that its employees are globalist enemy combatants in the war against America.

      1. Liberal translation: Facebook employees are brave defenders of democracy, but they are being forced into hiding because the evil Trump supporters will attack them to undermine that sacred democracy. Cue up divine rage.

        1. Zuckerberg is a cuck.

          But it’s not enough for him to get cucked by his wife, he wants this whole country as cucked as he is.

          1. “But it’s not enough for him to get cucked by his wife, he wants this whole country as cucked as he is.”

            I don’t know what that means and I am afraid to search for the meaning.

      2. Here’s a comment on the Hill article:

        “The right is basically anti Constitution now. That, and pro historically high debt. Anti infrastructure. Anti unity. Anti middle class. Anto morals. Anti law & order. We could go on for days how they have trashed everything they formerly SAID they were for. They can’t say it now without being laughed at.”

        Yeah, he said that about Republicans. They have seriously lost their minds.

        1. It’s worth remembering that many communist regimes had the word “Democratic” in their name.

          That word doesn’t mean what they think it means.

      3. I would be looking for more False Flag attacks by Antifa or Antifa like groups on people wearing Fakebook, Goebbels, Twitter company t-shirts and other branded products in public as well as False Flag attacks at any protest by ANYONE protesting the inauguration in order to further push the Socialist Corporatocracy soon to be gun grabbing agenda and further bury all talk and proof of the presidential and Georgia senate runoff elections that were just stolen.

      4. These creeps have nothing to offer but 24/7 of 1984 type lies . Even entertainment was getting pretty one narrative. Mass brainwashing on every level
        with no allowed dispute to this outrageous takeover.
        The Government is owned by THEM, with only a handful of Patriots left standing.They took the vote, the only means to throw the bum traitors out.
        I’m sure that it took a lot of money to accomplish their goals, money that was looted to begin with.
        Come on ,fake news nonstop about a invisible enemy called Covid-19. They aren’t putting the blood of the dead under a microscope proving a death by Covid 19.
        The fake tests pick up anything, even harmless protein particles.Thats why so many people test positive without symptoms.
        They came out and have showed who they are and that Trump and half the Country are their enemy to defeat by any means.
        Kill small business so they can have even a bigger monopoly , while big Monopolies donate to Commie thugs to terrorize innocent law abiding Citizens..
        Trump was innocent of any of their attacks, and they actually used tax money to attack Trump. The relief bills filtered the lions share of money to their Masters.
        More looting of the tax coffers to come with Commie programs that filter money to their Masters.
        It’s all so sinister, but they actually tell you what they are going to do. You think that it’s crazy ,but they say it with a straight face , with now no dispute to their narratives.
        I wouldn’t take a vaccine from a Government that has been overtaken by Entities and Monopolies that don’t care if they harm you.

  38. America’s Third Largest Radio Group Bans Dissent, Threatens to Fire Conservative Talkers Who Question Election Results

    by Frankie Stockes | National File
    January 12th 2021, 9:05 am

    Cumulus Media, America’s third largest owner of AM and FM radio stations, is threatening to fire show hosts who question the results of the 2020 Presidential Election on air.

    Cumulus, whose stations are home to household names such as Mark Levin, Chris Plante, and Dan Bongino, reaches over a quarter of a billion listeners every month, with programming broadcast through 416 company-owned-and-operated stations, as well as an additional nearly 8,000 affiliates through Westwood One, a subsidiary of Cumulus.

    1. They outright took Michel Savage off the radio after 26 years on Jan 31,2020,
      They are going to go after the rest like Levin, or they will be controlled so much on what they can say it will be absurd.

  39. Facebook Bans Phrase ‘Stop the Steal’

    by RT

    12th 2021, 8:12 am

    Big Tech widening post-riot crackdown on speech

    1. Doesn’t matter now. They showed their colors. Conservatives are already seeking out new avenues of communications.

  40. Seems like Bitcoin has reached the point when it can only go up from here, and everyone knows it.

    This is normally the point in a mania cycle where there’s a parabolic price runup, followed by collapse.

    I realize that this time is different, for reasons X, Y, Z and W.

  42. I just don’t understand how the left thinks this is going to benefit them with a one narrative Monopoly control of USA.

  43. Ok, so Government isn’t going to stop a Monopoly/Commie takeover. The Nation could combat the takeover by 75% of the States Voting against whatever they do, but they are trying to prevent any organizing of groups against this takeover.

    1. Ok, so Government isn’t going to stop a Monopoly/Commie takeover.

      Stop it? It’s what they want!

      But don’t worry, I’m sure the chocolate ration will increase.

  44. LA County is now advising residents, especially “essential workers”, to wear masks at home.

    On a related note, a nephew has tested positive. His only symptoms so far are a headache and fatigue. He is considered to be at higher risk as he was born with a bad heart. He’s in his mid twenties.

    1. Well, I have no doubt that some snarly respiratory virus is going around that is causing real cases. But this has been going on for a long time, the Medical Cartel just didn’t talk about it. Older people dying of respiratory for a long time now in high numbers, especially if they were sitting ducks in nursing homes.

      1. Based on cursory data, it is the “symptom-free” youth who are the primary spreaders, and the vulnerable appear to be few by percentage, but most certainly includes those who labored in unhealthy environments.

    2. Regarding my nephew, he had heart surgery as an infant, and it was considered a success and he has been living a normal life.

  45. In Colorado,
    Your much calmer about this than I am. I can tell by your posts you know it’s happening. I don’t know how anyone can deny it anymore actually.
    Have liberals lost their minds in thinking this is good or democracy? They aren’t very bright I guess.

    1. Have liberals lost their minds in thinking this is good or democracy?

      Yes.

      Few people rub their hands and say bwahaha like a cartoon villain. Most think that their evil acts are good and believe that the ends justify the means. If subverting the electoral process is what it takes to usher in a collectivist utopia (where some animals are more equal than others), so be it. That said, they lust for power, but to be fair so do people of all political persuasions. This is why the Founding Fathers tried to create a system with checks and balances.

      1. subverting the electoral process

        …and the entire constitution if necessary. It was old and out of style anyway.

        1. If they can continue to get away with stuffing the ballot box, they will eventually have enough people “elected” to call for a Constitutional Convention and tear it all up. We’ll end up with a new one that guarantees lots of free stuff that the government will be unable to provide, while guaranteeing few freedoms. One “freedom” I expect to find is keeping the public square free of any religious discussion.

          Who knows what lunacies they would add to a new Constitution?

  46. China Joe is already talking about using the tax coffers to give lockdown relief to a certain ethic group only.
    If this is a example of how that corrupt old creep is going to United the Country than reverse discrimination doesn’t cut it.
    Biden is a criminal who stole the election . This man is a danger to the Republic in every way, along with his VP.

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