You Can’t Bet The House On It Any More, Anyone Who’s Doing That Has Probably Lost Money By Now

1. Realtors are liars.

2. ‘Barbra Nightingale, a reader emailed to say that the number seemed ‘way off.’ She added, ‘I’m sure there are many seniors like me who are facing similar issues.’ Nightingale said that she’s paying more than $9,000 a month to insure her 2,600-square-foot house in Hollywood Hills, up from $3,500 five years ago’

   This is probably $9000 a year. But compare that to the FB in California who is paying $2000 and expected million$. I see that kind of payment on a $200,000 shack in a low risk area.

3. Dont you love it moving from too hot to the desert…..

   He’s also soured on Austin — too much traffic, too expensive, too hot. He recently got an in-person job in his hometown of Phoenix, where he’ll be moving soon.

   1. Austin is muggy. But the traffic has been insane since forevah. It will drive you crazy, especially if you have to commute, which is most people.

      I didn’t like living in the Phoenix area. But I will say it had some of the best weather I ever experienced. For 8 months of the year you can walk around in shorts. In the summer you can cook a brisket in yer garage.

      1. In the summer you can cook a brisket in yer garage.

         I have spent a 3-4 weeks in Phoenix on a substation startup in mid summer. I think in the summer you can cook a brisket with no fuel if you put the grill out on your driveway.

         1. I meant with no fuel. Because a garage gets hotter than a dry sauna. A shack I rented in Tucson had a cool setup. There was an exhaust fan that would blow out the garage when it got to a certain temperature.

4. “And he says he’s not ready to stomach a loss from a sale of his Austin home just yet. ‘I’m going to rent it,’ Ryan tells me. ‘I’m going to see what happens over the next year and just kind of go from there.”

   Oh Ryan, you’re about to learn some really hard lessons.

   1. Accidental landlords would have to bring cash to the closing table and don’t have it. Again, loanowners = broke a$$ losers.

      1. We’re just getting to that point now that we were at 15 years ago when many realize that just walking away is their best option.

         1. Jingle mail

   2. nah, they NEVER learn

5. From the comments to the Daily Hive article:

   $3.4 million dollars and you still end up having to Reno the kitchen cuz it looks like that >.>

   This is why I don’t advertise with DH

   The bitter DH writers love these stories

   Just the one guy who they, for whatever reason, decided was qualified to talk about real estate.

   He’s a member of the Metro Vancouver Housing Collapse Facebook group. A silo of censored misinformation.

6. “Of the roughly 15 properties his company signs up to manage each month, Ortscheid tells me, about 12 or 13 belong to people who didn’t intend to become a rental owner”

   Which equates to plummeting rental prices. Supply, supply and more supply.

7. Musk said Sunday that the DOGE team would use the system to halt payments to some federal contractors, including Lutheran Family Services, a faith-based organization that has been aiding refugees, and the U.S. Agency for International Development, the country’s main provider of aid abroad’

   ‘The only way to stop fraud and waste of taxpayer money is to follow the payment flows and pause suspicious transactions for review. Obviously,’ Musk posted Monday on X, the social media platform he owns. ‘Naturally, this causes those who have been aiding, abetting and receiving fraudulent payments [to get] very upset. Too bad’

   ‘Logistical nightmare’: Future uncertain for USAID employees abroad as Trump, Musk eye cuts

   In what has been a tumultuous few days for the U.S. Agency for International Development, employees working oversees are now worried they may soon be evacuated out of countries they’re stationed as the Trump administration weighs cuts to the agency.

   USAID is at the forefront of global development and humanitarian assistance, working in over 100 countries to promote economic growth, health, education and democratic governance.

   Scripps News just spoke with Randy Chester, vice president for USAID at American Foreign Service Association, and he described the panic and chaos that he is hearing from hundreds of USAID employees. Today a “few hundred more people” within the agency were cut off from agency servers, Chester said, in line with similar actions that had taken place Monday as well.

   “I think people are going through the five stages of grief, really, really fast,” he said in a phone call Tuesday evening, describing phone and video calls with people who were in tears. “To be treated in a manner that is not transparent is really affecting people’s psyche and their emotions.”

   https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/logistical-nightmare-future-uncertain-for-usaid-employees-abroad-as-trump-musk-eye-cuts/ar-AA1yqmfw

   1. ** “To be treated in a manner that is not transparent is really affecting people’s psyche and their emotions.”

      oh NOOOO!! not their ” Psyche and EMOTIONS ” !??!
      say it ‘aint so, Dr. Jill !?!

      TURN THOSE PRINTERS BACK ON !!

      awww boo ‘effin hoo. not so cocky on the downside, ARE ya?
      buncha lazy, spoiled, worthless ivy league simps and minions.

      ” A govt. big enough to grant you everything you want is also big enough to take away everything you have ”
      attributed to Thomas Jefferson but unverified.

   2. “To be treated in a manner that is not transparent is really affecting people’s psyche and their emotions.”

      Live by the Deep State, die by the Deep State

8. “I feel very foolish, and I don’t like that,’ he said”

   As has been said here so many times, stupid should hurt. Especially when there were clear signs everywhere that you were about to make the most idiotic decision Ryan. Learn from it I hope.

9. ‘The house is a large portion of wealth of a family’

   And therein lies a big part of the problem. Houses should be for shelter and not the “large portion” of one’s wealth.

   1. A house is fortunate to have a provider and protector. If the provider is also deeply in debt, the bank is fortunate as well.

10. 16 days into the 47 administration and so far so good, but Gaza is a betrayal to the U.S. taxpayers.

    1. Related article:

       https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/house-republican-claims-every-gop-colleague-has-an-aipac-babysitter-pressuring-them-to-cast-pro-israel-votes/ar-BB1nPXGP

    2. We’ll see if that actually happens. Getting anyone to take the Gazans as refugees is going to be next to impossible.

    3. Israel’s front-line soldiers are exhausted, wounded or disabled and, by comparison, their reserves are soft. The U.S. will likely provide security forces, and act as a general contractor to the clean-up and removal of debris. I expect that the U.S. will pay other countries in the region to host, integrate and matriculate Palestinians into their societies.

11. [This opinion is long so I will only offer up a snip.]

    I opened my NYTimes app today. They’re trying, but they can’t keep up. News that broke just hours ago is already off the homepage.

    THIS IS CRUCIAL

    The entire liberal deep state command and control system is broken. Let me explain 🧵

    The NYTimes’ primary function isn’t journalism. It’s narrative coordination—setting the frame so the entire political-media machine knows how to think about an issue before it takes off.

    Ever notice how, overnight, everyone starts saying “Biden is sharp as a tack” or “JD Vance is weird”?

    It’s not random. It’s a system.
    The Narrative Pipeline: How The Blob Operates

    The NYTimes, NPR, WaPo, CNN, and the rest don’t just react to news. They function as a distributed, decentralized mission command system for the Democratic Party and the broader Blob.
    Step 1: Local Bureau Chiefs – These guys are stationed across the country, watching which stories gain traction and fielding calls from Dem operatives feeding them narratives.

    Stories that they need to start controlling
    Step 2: New York Editors – Bureau chiefs snip the news and send it to NY, where an editor triages it:
    •Will this explode nationwide?
    •Will it simmer for days?
    •Or should we bury it?
    Step 3: Editorial Meeting – The most concerning stories get flagged. Here, editors decide on the narrative framing and who to assign to write it.
    But before they assign a journalist, they make one critical call—to the Deep State.

    Why? To give the government a head start on controlling the story.

    At this point, the Deep State doesn’t just say, “Here’s what happened.”
    They strategically select sources based on the tone they want.

    •If they need hawkish China rhetoric, they have a “China hardliner” expert on speed dial.
    •If they want to downplay a Chinese spy scandal, they go to a “dovish” China expert who will say it’s being blown out of proportion.
    •If it’s a military scandal, they pick a “trustworthy” retired general to subtly steer the discussion toward a desired conclusion.

    This isn’t journalism—it’s perception warfare.
    Once the tone is set, the editor assigns the story and suggests the approved sources to call.

    The journalist’s job is simple:
    •Get quotes from the right experts.
    •Write it up.
    •Stick to the approved angles

    If something goes wrong with the angle (e.g. a source exposes it as a lie) they return to the editor for “guidance”
    Occasionally, a journalist oversteps. If it’s minor, it passes. If it’s major, the editor kills the piece, buries it on page 16, or reassigns it to a more trusted writer to “correct” the framing.

    Overstep too many times and your reassigned to local news or gently (it’s not your fault, we LOVE your spark, just downsizing) let go

    Do a really good job sticking to the approved script you’ll get awards or book deals and travel assignments

    Nobody flatly says “this award isn’t for toeing the party line” because that would expose the scam

    No, these journalist are smart. They either pick up on the reward incentives or they are gently pushed aside.
    Suddenly, every news outlet, late-night host, and blue check is reinforcing the same message.

    And because they aren’t technically taking orders, they think it’s their own independent analysis.

    This is why the narrative feels so unified. No one’s forcing compliance—it’s a system that rewards alignment.
    Now each individual pundit and blog is allowed to post independently but they all know unconsciously to work the narrative because that’s where the rewards are.

    If someone breaks the narrative in a bug way intentionally there are three options:

    1) smear campaign to make them toxic
    2) ban them from the system (wikipedia blacklist, social media throttle, no DC party invites, no pentagon press pass, etc)
    3) turn them into a double agent who claims to buck the narrative but subtly shifts things left (@bariweiss is the ultimate genius at this)
    Not all stories emerge organically. Sometimes, the Deep State calls first.
    •A senior editor gets a call:
    •“Everyone in DC is talking about how weird JD Vance is.”
    •The next morning, at the editorial meeting, that becomes:
    •“People are saying JD Vance is weird. Let’s get some stories on that.”
    •Then every editor repeats it to their reporters:
    •“Did you hear JD Vance is weird? Let’s explore that.”
    Suddenly, every news outlet, late-night host, and blue check is reinforcing the same message.

    And because they aren’t technically taking orders, they think it’s their own independent analysis.

    This is why the narrative feels so unified. No one’s forcing compliance—it’s a system that rewards alignment.
    The deep state tries its best to play a soft hand.

    They let things emerge around the narrative and only step in if the narrative is evolving in a bad way or new information disturbs the narrative

    [That’s the end of the snip. Hit the link to read the rest.]

    I opened my NYTimes app today. They’re trying, but they can’t keep up. News that broke just hours ago is already off the homepage.

    THIS IS CRUCIAL

    The entire liberal deep state command and control system is broken. Let me explain 🧵

    The NYTimes’ primary function isn’t journalism. It’s narrative coordination—setting the frame so the entire political-media machine knows how to think about an issue before it takes off.

    Ever notice how, overnight, everyone starts saying “Biden is sharp as a tack” or “JD Vance is weird”?

    It’s not random. It’s a system.
    The Narrative Pipeline: How The Blob Operates

    The NYTimes, NPR, WaPo, CNN, and the rest don’t just react to news. They function as a distributed, decentralized mission command system for the Democratic Party and the broader Blob.
    Step 1: Local Bureau Chiefs – These guys are stationed across the country, watching which stories gain traction and fielding calls from Dem operatives feeding them narratives.

    Stories that they need to start controlling
    Step 2: New York Editors – Bureau chiefs snip the news and send it to NY, where an editor triages it:
    •Will this explode nationwide?
    •Will it simmer for days?
    •Or should we bury it?
    Step 3: Editorial Meeting – The most concerning stories get flagged. Here, editors decide on the narrative framing and who to assign to write it.
    But before they assign a journalist, they make one critical call—to the Deep State.

    Why? To give the government a head start on controlling the story.

    At this point, the Deep State doesn’t just say, “Here’s what happened.”
    They strategically select sources based on the tone they want.

    •If they need hawkish China rhetoric, they have a “China hardliner” expert on speed dial.
    •If they want to downplay a Chinese spy scandal, they go to a “dovish” China expert who will say it’s being blown out of proportion.
    •If it’s a military scandal, they pick a “trustworthy” retired general to subtly steer the discussion toward a desired conclusion.

    This isn’t journalism—it’s perception warfare.
    Once the tone is set, the editor assigns the story and suggests the approved sources to call.

    The journalist’s job is simple:
    •Get quotes from the right experts.
    •Write it up.
    •Stick to the approved angles

    If something goes wrong with the angle (e.g. a source exposes it as a lie) they return to the editor for “guidance”
    Occasionally, a journalist oversteps. If it’s minor, it passes. If it’s major, the editor kills the piece, buries it on page 16, or reassigns it to a more trusted writer to “correct” the framing.

    Overstep too many times and your reassigned to local news or gently (it’s not your fault, we LOVE your spark, just downsizing) let go

    Do a really good job sticking to the approved script you’ll get awards or book deals and travel assignments

    Nobody flatly says “this award isn’t for toeing the party line” because that would expose the scam

    No, these journalist are smart. They either pick up on the reward incentives or they are gently pushed aside.
    Suddenly, every news outlet, late-night host, and blue check is reinforcing the same message.

    And because they aren’t technically taking orders, they think it’s their own independent analysis.

    This is why the narrative feels so unified. No one’s forcing compliance—it’s a system that rewards alignment.
    Now each individual pundit and blog is allowed to post independently but they all know unconsciously to work the narrative because that’s where the rewards are.

    If someone breaks the narrative in a bug way intentionally there are three options:

    1) smear campaign to make them toxic
    2) ban them from the system (wikipedia blacklist, social media throttle, no DC party invites, no pentagon press pass, etc)
    3) turn them into a double agent who claims to buck the narrative but subtly shifts things left (@bariweiss is the ultimate genius at this)
    Not all stories emerge organically. Sometimes, the Deep State calls first.
    •A senior editor gets a call:
    •“Everyone in DC is talking about how weird JD Vance is.”
    •The next morning, at the editorial meeting, that becomes:
    •“People are saying JD Vance is weird. Let’s get some stories on that.”
    •Then every editor repeats it to their reporters:
    •“Did you hear JD Vance is weird? Let’s explore that.”
    Suddenly, every news outlet, late-night host, and blue check is reinforcing the same message.

    And because they aren’t technically taking orders, they think it’s their own independent analysis.

    This is why the narrative feels so unified. No one’s forcing compliance—it’s a system that rewards alignment.
    The deep state tries its best to play a soft hand.

    They let things emerge around the narrative and only step in if the narrative is evolving in a bad way or new information disturbs the narrative
    So where does this organic command and control system come from?

    Well, the military, of course
    Why This Matters: The Mission Command Model

    This decentralized coordination mirrors how the best militaries operate—through a doctrine called Mission Command.
    A bad general micromanages:
    •“Move three platoons and six tanks around this road and attack the base.”

    A good general gives flexibility:
    •“Take this logistics base by X time. Figure out the best way.”

    A great general sets intent:
    •“We need to cripple their supply lines. Here’s what we know about their logistics.”

    The best commanders set objectives, not orders—then let their officers adapt on the ground.
    This is exactly how the NYTimes and the Blob operate.

    They don’t give direct orders to every outlet. They set the intent—how the political-media machine should think about an issue.

    Then, think tanks, columnists, TV hosts, and activists execute their own variations of the message.
    Why Republicans Keep Losing the Narrative War

    Republicans don’t have this.
    •No clear commander’s intent.
    •No unified messaging framework.
    •No ecosystem where think tanks, media, and party strategists move in the same direction.

    Instead, it’s chaotic, reactive, and uncoordinated.
    Meanwhile, Democrats operate like a well-oiled Mission Command system—not because of a single top-down controller, but because every key player understands their role in pushing the message.

    And until Republicans build a competing system, they’ll always be playing defense.
    BUT TRUMP HAS BROKEN THE DEMS MISSION COMMAND SYSTEM

    The famed fighter pilot John Boyd (who literally wrote the manual for top gun)

    Came up with the OODA LOOP

    https://amzn.to/4jDBVMB
    OODA is a process for making better calculated decisions faster

    Observe
    Orient
    Decide
    Act
    Image
    I can’t go into all the details on how the food system works, if you can throw a LOT of information at an enemy

    Information of all kinds, including false information

    They start to get overloaded

    This is what is called THE FOG OF WAR
    Now military have been doing fake attacks and fake information and maneuvering around objectives for centuries but what Boyd found is you can’t just overload the enemy system because your troops will also get overloaded with information
    What you have to do is MOVE and adapt l.

    Thrown out a ton of information then let your officers change frequently

    In the field an officer might bypass the logistics base and go for the train rail but then misinformation causes the enemy to abandon the base so the officer will turn around and destroy it

    In a fighter jet you might fly straight so the enemy things you have a problem then when he’s on your tail most people would push the throttle… Boyd said it might be better to drop the flops as a break to make the enemy fly right past you

    Be unpredictable !
    Boyd called this “maneuver warfare” because you’re always maneuvering around the enemy

    If you can not only throw out more information, but move a lot faster then your enemy and change tactics on the fly you will “get inside the enemy’s ooda loop” and win easily
    This is exactly what TRUMP is doing

    The sheer number of stories is absolutely overloading the New York Times app

    New York Times editors do not have time to coordinate with the deep state and coax the process

    Trump is completely overloading the information distribution system
    And he’s not just overloaded the system but he’s moving FAST and adapting tactics

    Instance in Panama, he was demanding the canal, but then when he went down, there took a quick win with giving Navy ship’s free transit and kicking China

    Then he’s onto Canadian tariffs before the New York Times editors can figure out what the hell happened in Panama

    And well before they can develop a narrative for Panama
    Boyd didn’t just teach us how to defeat the enemy—he taught us how to recognize when you’re already winning.

    The easiest way to tell? The enemy starts making really dumb moves.

    They waste ammo shooting into empty forests, convinced you’re still there—when you actually left two days ago. They fly in a senior general to bark orders, trying to reassert control over a situation already spiraling out of their hands.

    Sound familiar?

    That’s exactly what the Democrats are doing right now. Chuck Schumer is firing off a constant stream of bombastic orders, desperate to override events he can’t control. The media is fixated on asinine distractions—like the price of eggs—while the real war is being fought elsewhere.

    When the enemy is losing, they can’t see the forest for the trees.

    Take the aid collapse—a massive exposure of corruption. Instead of grasping the real problem, Democrats have tunnel vision, obsessing over physical access to the building rather than the deeper rot it’s exposing.

    And when they’re really losing? They go after the general.

    Boyd taught us that when an enemy is out of options, they target the figurehead, hoping to break morale. That’s exactly what’s happening with Elon.

    But a great general knows the game. Patton famously commanded a full fake army during D-Day, letting the enemy fixate on him while lower-level officers did the real work.

    And that’s where we are now. The Democrats are flailing, distracted, and losing control. Meanwhile, the real fight is happening far below their line of sight.

    1. “This isn’t journalism—it’s perception warfare”

       The media is the enemy of the American people.

       1. apparently paid for by the American people (see the articles on the fact that “usaid” was funding all these places, from politico to BBC and AP

12. Hurricane Musk and the USAID Panic;

    Elon gets a flavor of the pushback his DOGE project will get.

    https://archive.ph/15WAI#selection-5805.0-5809.61

    WSJ Opinion – Hurricane Elon is blowing through Washington, creating panic and pushback wherever he and his government-efficiency minions appear. Mr. Musk sometimes blows hot air, and he needs to be watched to stay within legal guardrails. But he’s also hitting targets that have long deserved scrutiny and reform, which helps explain the wailing over the U.S. Agency for International Development.

    USAID—not a household acronym—provides money to various countries and non-governmental organizations. The agency sends money to around 130 countries, including Ukraine, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Syria, according to the Congressional Research Service. In 2023 the agency managed more than $40 billion and no fewer than 10,000 employees. The ostensible goal is to make friends and influence countries in the American interest.

    No doubt spending $40 billion is bound to do some good somewhere. One oft-cited example is the Pepfar program that has funded anti-AIDS efforts in Africa in particular. But USAID, like most foreign aid, has become something of a plaster saint in Washington even if it does far less good than advertised.

    Thus Mr. Musk brought down the wrath of the Beltway by targeting AID as part of his Department of Government Efficiency. His method taken from the private sector is to move fast even if he breaks things—and fix them later. When USAID officials leaked their dismay to the press, Mr. Musk tweeted that the place is a “viper’s nest” and the solution is “to basically get rid of the whole thing.”

    President Trump piled on with his typically restrained observation that “I love the concept but they turned out to be radical left lunatics.” Cue the political panic.

    USAID is hardly full of Mother Teresas who only want to do good without a political agenda. House Foreign Affairs Chairman Brian Mast cites examples of USAID’s progressive agenda at work.
    The agency in the Biden years supported electric vehicles in Vietnam and a “transgender clinic” in India. A Serbian LGBTQ group called ‘Grupa Izadji,’ received $1.5 million to ‘advance diversity equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities.” There are many other examples.

    These grants are dumb and wasteful, but some USAID spending may undermine U.S. interests. An analysis by the Middle East Forum says $164 million of USAID money has supported radical organizations around the world, and $122 million of that aid was going to groups aligned with foreign terrorist organizations.
    According to the report, USAID has given millions of dollars to “organizations directly in Gaza controlled by Hamas” and that recipients of the money have “called for their lands to be ‘cleansed’ from the ‘impurity of the Jews.’” The Middle East Forum notes that money also often flows to anti-American groups through intermediary recipients that fail to vet local partners.

    This sounds like an agency that needs a house-cleaning and maybe a reduction in what it does so it can focus on the most important. That’s what Secretary of State Marco Rubio now says he plans to do, rather than shutting the agency down as Mr. Musk claimed he wants to do. Mr. Musk can’t shut it down in any case. Congress established it as an independent agency in 1998, under the supervision of State, and so it would require an act of Congress to close it down. That isn’t about to get 60 votes in the Senate.

    The USAID uproar is a taste of the pushback that Messrs. Musk and Trump are going to face as they work to shrink and reform the executive branch. What Ronald Reagan called the “iron triangle” of interest groups, Congress and the news media isn’t going to give up power or money without a fight. You can add career regulators to that triangle.

    That’s all the more reason for the DOGErs to have a plan that works within the law and builds political support. The lawsuits are already flying, and courts will derail Mr. Musk’s project before it even gets off the ground if he isn’t careful.

    More oversight and transparency for a leaner USAID makes sense, and we wouldn’t mind if it vanished. But that takes more sustained political effort than a howling wind of tweets in the middle of the night.

13. hey INCO: since King Soopers is going on strike, I urge the good- hearted people here at Housing Blog to start a GOFUNDME page so you won’t starve.

    I’ve also personally FEDEX’ed a pallet of N. CA rice & a case of NAPA wine (c/o Ben) to get you through the next 2 weeks.

    stay strong.
    stay fed.
    stay inebriated.

    the pillars of our little community.

    1. Only the Kings in metro Denver are going on strike. The ones in my little burg are non union, so they will stay open.

14. [More scuttlebutt about DOGE and USAID …]

    Talked to a friend who has connections within the Democratic Party and he said the level of panic over Trump and Elon shutting down USAID is unlike anything he’s ever seen.

    https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1886579120512913445.html

    By following the money DOGE has struck a killing blow to the heart of the Democrat deep state machine.
    Direct quote: “This is worse than 9/11 for Democrats. USAID is the primary vessel they use to achieve their political agenda. USAID is and always has been the primary source of funding for their influence peddling schemes and for their indirect sources of income”
    Another text “Based on the reactions from within the party it seems to me that dismantling USAID is Trump’s biggest political victory to date, it was his enemy’s golden goose”
    Same source who told me during the campaign (well before it was made public) that Kamala’s internal polling had her behind Trump so his information is good.
    Another important addition. He said initial plans by the Democrats is to have their people at USAID hide the partisan funding under “unimpeachable initiatives”. “They will push back really hard on certain line items that on their face look like reasonable USAID expenditures and hide their political spending under these programs”

    @elonmusk Looks like the whole thing needs to be thrown out to avoid this from happening.
    More: “Another likely solution for Democrats which they already use to reward VIPs is to use NGOs as an intermediary to direct funds where they want them to go”

    So basically USAID allocates funds for a certain initiative that looks reasonable. Democrat friendly NGO is contracted to carry out initiative. NGO #1 subcontracts “VIP” which is another NGO owned/operated by a political ally or Democrat politician. Eventually the funds reach the secret intended target and the original problem is not solved. This means they can continue to rinse and repeat this grift.
    “If Trump/Elon want this to stick they need to completely shut down USAID or fire the entire staff, the party has instructed their allies to not make waves and blend in. USAID is 99% Democrats they will not be able to save it without risking internal sabotage.”

15. Insurances were way cheap ,in years past ,a couple thousand to insure a million dollar house was not a money maker ,especially if the insurance companies are expected to replace roofs when they wear out, don’t know where that idea came from….

    1. In areas where hail is common, most insurance policies depreciate the roof. Typically it is fully depreciated after 15-20 years, after which insurance pays $0. Also, those policies have large roof deductibles, say $5000.

       As Ben likes to say, the objective is to not pay claims.

    2. “…don’t know where that idea came from…

       Allstate didn’t replace my roof.

16. On Tuesday, staffers at Politico were notified that a ‘technical error’ had prevented paychecks from going out. Many joked that this had something to do with the Trump administration putting a freeze on USAID funding.

    [It wasn’t a joke. Go here to read the story …]

    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/politico-ny-times-propped-millions-dollars-us-government

    1. But, but, muh democracy!

    2. Also funding from the FDA? DOE and DOC funny business. How many agencies are there?

       1. “DOE and DOC funny business”

          Was contractor there, at DOE. Probably shouldn’t say too much more but it felt like a lot of money was spent irresponsibly.

17. Democracy is at stake

    The United States is at a crossroads. Our democracy is in peril. Since taking office on January 20th, Donald Trump is recklessly and callously signing executive orders designed to disrupt and undermine our democracy and the Constitution. With mind-blowing speed, he is unleashing his childish and dangerous wrath, vindictiveness, and cruelty on American citizens and our allies, while yet taunting our foes. It’s not just Democrats, “rogue” Republicans, government agencies, minorities, the disabled, and so many more that are affected; his insane tactics to throw everything into disarray affects all of us… Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike.

    Trump has taken aim at dedicated career civil servants, the World Health Organization, FEMA, military policies, foreign policy, education, climate change, DEI, security clearances, refugees and immigrants, tariffs, funding freezes, and much more.

    For our democracy to survive, and our Constitution to remain intact, we have got to take action before it’s too late. For those of you who voted for Trump and are having “buyers’ remorse”, your allegiance to a fascist oligarch has done a great disservice to the rest of us

    Respectfully submitted,

    Judy Kammerer

    Hamilton

    https://www.mississippivalleypublishing.com/journalpilot/democracy-is-at-stake/article_9e05a58e-e268-11ef-b836-e366b1cbed1a.html

    1. Cue the Critical Drinker’s maniacal laugh.

    2. I feel pretty confident that no Trump voter has remorse
       if anything they are excited and blown away by what has actually happened already

       Exceeds expectations.
       Hoping for more.

18. Federal workers face mounting pressure to decide on Trump resignation offer

    With a Thursday deadline looming to decide whether to take the Trump administration’s deferred resignation offer, a combination of panic, distrust, anger and resentment has seeped into the nation’s federal workforce.

    Some of the country’s 2.3 million federal workers are scrambling to make up their minds about the life-changing offer, with limited information available to them. Others are urging their colleagues to reject the deal that they consider to be a trap, while thousands have accepted the offer — seeing it as a chance to make some extra money or to just get out.

    “It’s crazy,” said an attorney at a financial regulatory agency Tuesday, who, like most federal workers who spoke with The Washington Post, requested anonymity for fear of professional retribution. “Who makes a life-changing decision in 10 days with no certainty other than Elon Musk’s word?”

    The Trump administration issued its offer in an email blast, titled Fork in the Road, on Jan. 28, giving eligible employees the option to resign with pay through Sept. 30, with just over a week to decide while the Office of Personnel Management and Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency badgered them with emails and social media posts laying out reasons to accept.

    A longtime State Department employee said Tuesday that she worries that if she doesn’t take the offer, she’ll lose her job on worse terms.

    “My fear is that if I pass on this offer, we could very well be the next on the chopping block — the next round or the round after that — and then I’ve got nothing,” she said.

    Her decision could hinge on whether she would retain the right to return to the agency after accepting the offer and preserve her retirement benefits, but she has struggled to get answers, the worker said. Guidance from her department and OPM hasn’t offered much clarity, she said. Given the antipathy federal workers have felt from the Trump administration and the rumors that has sparked, she’s afraid to ask questions.

    “I’ve read that once you send any emails about the ‘Fork’ deal, that your agency will automatically put you on administrative leave, or potentially worse,” the veteran State Department employee said.

    An official at the General Services Administration, which oversees federal real estate and operations, told staff this week that layoffs are “likely” across the federal government if not enough employees accept the deferred resignation offer, according to an email obtained by The Washington Post.

    A longtime Justice Department employee said Tuesday that she still hadn’t made up her mind about whether to take the offer. She initially greeted it with skepticism but was reassured by an OPM document Monday that spelled out some of the terms of the deal, such as a pledge not to terminate employees who take the deal before Sept. 30.

    Still, she was wary of a provision that anyone accepting it “forever waives” the right to pursue legal or administrative action.

    “I don’t trust Trump or Musk in any way if you look at their history,” the Justice Department employee said. “But then again, if I’m going to get fired, this is still better than leaving with nothing.”

    She’s awaiting advice from financial and contract experts and contemplating talking to an employment attorney. But right now, she said, her gut is telling her: “Don’t do it.”

    “The email communications from DOGE are insulting and threatening, belittle public service, and are legally questionable,” said an employee at a federal scientific agency.

    A U.S. Forest Service ecologist based in the Midwest said: “It’s insulting, it’s not legal, it’s not funded, and it’s a terrible deal even if it were all those things.”

    Veronica Ten Eyck, a program analyst at the Veterans Health Administration, accepted the offer on Friday night, typing the word “resign” in a reply email.

    She saw the “Fork in the Road” email as “an answer to prayer” after becoming disillusioned by her job, said Ten Eyck, 52.

    In recent years, it has included handling paperwork related to an increasing number of abortions and gender-affirming care procedures, she said, adding that the job she’s held since 2020 no longer aligns with her “core values.”

    The stress of the entire situation has made it harder to perform those jobs, some workers said.

    “Everything is moving very quickly,” said an Army scientist. “It feels intentional to stress everyone out. It’s all a little bit terrifying.”

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/federal-workers-face-mounting-pressure-to-decide-on-trump-resignation-offer/ar-AA1ypO0y

    1. Most of them are panicking because they have never worked in the private sector and have no idea of what to expect, including if they can even find a job. Corporate America isn’t exactly on a hiring spree these days, and even if it was I think that for most hiring managers having a career in the public sector means you’re damaged goods.

       1. Back around turn of this century when I was a hiring manager for tech jobs, every single government employee (at any level) coming in for an interview was light years behind everyone else. They had literally no idea.

          and that was 20/25 years ago I’m sure it’s way way way worse.

          Good news is, all the farms now need lettuce picked.

    2. Who makes a life-changing decision in 10 days with no certainty

       Speaking for myself, countless times, although my life was often more like whitewater canoeing than Lazy River rafting.

    3. handling paperwork related to an increasing number of abortions and gender-affirming care procedures, she said,

       Abortions and gender-affirming care procedures? For veterans?
       I fail to see how military service caused these costs.

    4. “A longtime State Department employee said Tuesday that she worries that if she doesn’t take the offer, she’ll lose her job on worse terms.”

       FOMO

       1. “A longtime State Department employee said Tuesday that she worries that if she doesn’t take the offer, she’ll lose her job on worse terms.”
          I know in Corp. America many times the first offer will be the best offer.

19. US Postal Service Suspends Inbound Parcels From China, Hong Kong

    The US Postal Service is temporarily suspending inbound international packages from China and Hong Kong Posts, potentially delaying or blocking shipments from retailers like Shein and PDD Holdings Inc.’s Temu.

    The package freeze highlights a wider challenge to globally-minded businesses from incremental complications, which could be compounded if the US-China trade relationship worsens. The USPS announcement rattled Asian markets, sending shares of Chinese e-commerce retailers down.

    “There’s a more macro risk to the market now as all these seem to be an escalation of the trade war between the US and China,” said Nick Twidale, chief analyst at AT Global Markets in Sydney. “I think we we will see these micro issues from both sides increase.”

    While it’s not clear what prompted the USPS move, it comes after President Donald Trump revoked a “de minimis” rule for China, which previously allowed small packages under $800 to enter the US duty-free. This exemption, often used by Chinese-linked e-commerce companies, was removed as part of a new 10% tariff on goods from China and Hong Kong, which took effect just after midnight Tuesday Washington time.

    The de minimis revocation is a “significant challenge” for USPS in terms of sorting out how to execute the new tariff rules, said Chelsey Tam, senior equity analyst at Morningstar. “There were 4 million de minimis packages per day in 2024, and it is difficult to check all the packages.”

    US officials have alleged that parcel mail, direct from China and via third-party countries, is a gateway for illicit drugs, including deadly fentanyl.

    “What the cartels in China have done is exploit that loophole to smuggle in not just fentanyl but all sorts of drugs,” White House trade adviser Peter Navarro told Politico at an event in Washington on Tuesday.

    https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-postal-suspends-inbound-parcels-043956902.html

    1. There were 4 million de minimis packages per day in 2024, and it is difficult to check all the packages.

       I wonder if 88,000 unloved IRS agents could be assigned to this task. It would only be 45 packages per day for each of them.

    2. I’m not sure how this changes anything with sending drugs. Put some tea in the package. Pay a token amount of duty on the tea.

20. Defense Department drafting plans to withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria after recent Trump comments

    The Defense Department is developing plans to withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria, two U.S. defense officials told NBC News on Tuesday.

    President Donald Trump and officials close to him recently expressed interest in pulling U.S. troops out of Syria, the officials said, leading Pentagon officials to begin drawing up plans for a full withdrawal in 30, 60 or 90 days.

    Last Thursday, a reporter asked Trump at an Oval Office media event about reports he had informed the Israeli government about pulling U.S. troops out of Syria.

    “I don’t know who said that. I mean, I don’t know who said that, but we’ll make a determination on that. We’re not getting, we’re not involved in Syria,” Trump replied. “Syria is its own mess. They got enough messes over there. They don’t need us involved in everyone.”

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/dod-drafting-plans-to-withdraw-all-u-s-troops-from-syria-after-recent-trump-comments/ar-AA1yrE2o

21. El Salvador’s offer to take in US deportees and violent criminals is unlike any other migrant deal

    El Salvador has offered to take in people deported from the U.S. for entering the country illegally and to house some of the country’s violent criminals — even if they’re American citizens.

    U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, after a meeting Monday with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, proclaimed it the most “unprecedented, extraordinary” offer the country has yet received during the ongoing wave of global migration.

    Writing on X, he said the Central American nation will allow the U.S. to “outsource” part of its inmate population, but it will only take in convicted criminals.

    The U.S. would have to pay El Salvador to house the prisoners, though he did not disclose an asking price.

    Bukele said the going rate would be “relatively low” for the U.S., but significant for his country — enough to make its “entire prison system sustainable.”

    Bukele has proposed housing U.S. criminals in the mega-prison his administration opened in 2023 to tame MS-13 and other powerful street gangs.

    The maximum-security facility is about 45 miles (72 kilometers) southeast of the capital city of San Salvador and is known as CECOT, a Spanish acronym that translates to “terrorism confinement center.”

    The facility can house up to 40,000 people across eight sprawling pavilions, where each cell holds up to 70 prisoners.

    Human rights organizations say the bare-bones setting is overly harsh. Inmates are not allowed visitors or time outside.

    They are served just one meal a day and are not offered educational or reintegration programs typically found at other prisons, save for the occasional motivational talk or exercise regimen under strict supervision.

    The prison’s dining halls, break rooms, gym and board games are for guards only, and administration officials have said inmates will never return to their communities.

    Naturalized U.S. citizens, in rare cases, can be denaturalized and revert to green-card status, such as if they lied on their initial immigration forms or committed a serious crime such as funding a terrorist group, according to Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration law expert and retired Cornell Law School professor.

    Green card holders can then be deported if they’re convicted of any number of crimes, including murder, assault, burglary, tax evasion, domestic violence and illegal firearms possession, he said.

    Natural-born U.S. citizens, however, maintain their citizenship through the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which outlines the rights guaranteed to all citizens, such as due process and equal protection under the law.

    “So, just as President Trump can’t eliminate birthright citizenship by himself, so too the U.S. government cannot deport U.S. citizens, even if they have committed crimes,” Yale-Loehr said.

    That hasn’t stopped Bukele from making the most of the renewed attention.

    He’s joked El Salvador would even take in disgraced former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, who was sentenced last week to 11 years in federal prison for accepting bribes of gold and cash and acting as an agent of Egypt.

    “Yes,” Bukele wrote on X, “we’ll gladly take him in.”

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/el-salvador-s-offer-to-take-in-us-deportees-and-violent-criminals-is-unlike-any-other-migrant-deal/ar-AA1ypUMB

22. Prince Andrew fears visiting U.S. because of Epstein scandal: Pal

    One-time world traveller Prince Andrew is cooling his heels over fears if he leaves the U.K. he’ll be arrested, a pal says.

    The disgraced royal, 64, has left the country only once in the past six years.

    His jet-setting reluctance stems from his closerthanthis connection to billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and new calls for an FBI probe into the twisted financier’s sex trafficking apparatus.

    “He is terrified if he goes to America he could be arrested, face civil action or be subpoenaed,” one friend told the U.K. Sun . “He used to be Air Miles Andy but he’ll never risk going to America again.”

    The pal added: “Since the whole thing blew up, he’s only been to Bahrain, where he has friends. There hasn’t been a single golf trip to Spain or holiday abroad.”

    U.S. President Donald Trump’s pick to be FBI director Kash Patel is vowing to “do everything” to expose the wealthy and well-connected accomplices of Epstein. He is calling for a new criminal probe.

    Andrew has denied any wrongdoing but friends say he fears he will be arrested and swept up in any new Epstein investigative initiative.

    And a lawyer for the numerous victims of Epstein — who officials say killed himself in prison in 2019 — and his vile gal pal Ghislaine Maxwell said the British government should “turn him (Andrew) over” for questioning.

    “The British monarchy should be embarrassed. He should be fully separated from the monarchy and the public should never be subsidizing someone who has either such bad judgment to be friends with this man or could have been involved with him,” lawyer Spencer Kuvin told the U.K. Sun.

    “The president should require his new FBI director to fully investigate Andrew’s conduct. The government should turn him over for that and demand he volunteer himself to be a part of it. The King should do that. Andrew should be held accountable by the monarchy.”

    The British government has continually blocked efforts by the FBI to question Andrew even after they were asked for help. The investigation has reportedly been put on pause.

    Last week, High Court files revealed Andrew emailed Epstein in February 2011 saying, “We’ll play some more soon.”

    https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/prince-andrew-fears-visiting-us-because-of-epstein-scandal-pal/ar-AA1yoNSb

    Deport princess harry!

    1. “U.S. President Donald Trump’s pick to be FBI director Kash Patel is vowing to “do everything” to expose the wealthy and well-connected accomplices of Epstein. He is calling for a new criminal probe.”

       This move should sell a few newspapers.

23. ‘Future is uncertain’: Refugee families in Idaho face separation after immigration order

    Local refugees are grappling with uncertainty after President Donald Trump’s executive order halting all refugee flights into the United States, leaving many Idaho families worried about permanent separation from relatives still abroad.

    The Ukrainian Welcome Center in Boise, which has helped more than 800 individuals connect with local sponsors, now finds itself at a standstill in assisting new arrivals.

    “Right now the future is uncertain,” said Andrew Connolly, who sponsored the Yarmoliuk family after the Russia-Ukraine war began. “We essentially adopted a Ukrainian family.”

    While the Yarmoliuks have established themselves with jobs and housing in America, Yarmoliuk wants to reunite with her parents who are still in Ukraine.

    Connolly submitted sponsorship paperwork for Yarmoliuk’s parents six months ago but now feels powerless to help unite the family under the new policy.

    “In a perfect world, this is a situation where the family could be together,” Connolly said.

    The welcome center’s operations have also ground to a halt for new arrivals. “It puts us in a holding pattern. We aren’t getting any new clients,” said Tina Marshall, executive director of the Ukrainian Welcome Center.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news/future-is-uncertain-refugee-families-in-idaho-face-separation-after-immigration-order/ar-AA1yqlrg

24. Pictures of Indians getting handcuffed, humiliated while being deported from US saddening: Congress

    The Congress on Wednesday expressed sadness over “pictures of Indians getting handcuffed and humiliated” while being deported from the US and recalled that America had to express regret over the treatment meted out to India diplomat Devyani Khobragade in 2013 after the then UPA government retaliated sharply. A military transport aircraft of the US is bringing a group of Indian migrants, in the first such deportation to India as part of the big crackdown on illegal immigrants by President Donald Trump in his second term at the White House.

    Without directly commenting on the deportation flight carrying the Indians, a spokesperson at the US embassy in New Delhi said on Tuesday that Washington is tightening immigration laws and removing illegal migrants.

    Congress’ media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, “Looking at the pictures of Indians getting handcuffed and humiliated while being deported from the US saddens me as an Indian.”

    Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday said the media kerfuffle over the deportation of 150 plus illegal Indian migrants from the United States obscures a few facts.

    “This is not the first such planeload, nor is it directly related to the ascent of @realDonaldTrump. There were 1100 Indians deported in the previous fiscal year (ending September 2024), under Biden, not Trump. As of 2022, there were 725,000 undocumented Indian immigrants in the US — the third-largest group, outnumbered only by nationals of Mexico and El Salvador, he said.

    “Since October 2020, US Customs and Border Protection officials have detained nearly 170,000 Indian migrants attempting to cross the border illegally from either Canada or Mexico. They are all subject to deportation,” Tharoor said.

    https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/India/pictures-of-indians-getting-handcuffed-humiliated-while-being-deported-from-us-saddening-congress/ar-AA1yruwe

    1. Pictures of Indians getting handcuffed, humiliated while being deported from US saddening: Congress

       I think the idea is to send a message: If you are present illegally in the US you are a criminal and will be treated as one when caught.

25. The D.E.A Los Angeles division has confirmed their support with ongoing operations in the northern Nevada area. According to a statement provided to KOLO, the agency specified that the people arrested had criminal records including injury to spouse convictions, battery convictions, and felony convictions for assault with deadly weapons.

    On Sunday, February 2 in Reno, D.E.A Los Angeles Field Division agents, helped federal partners locate an individual, who is a citizen of Mexico, who was ordered removed by an immigration judge on January 31, 2024. During a multi-agency operation, D.E.A agents assisted in locating the individual. The subject is an alleged gang member of the Sureno Gang Set. The D.E.A says he has multiple convictions for driving under the influence (DUI) and evading arrest. This individual will remain in I.C.E. custody pending removal to Mexico.

    Telemundo Reno was able to get video from the son of a man who was detained by immigration agents in Stead on Sunday, February 2. They spoke directly with the family and got their testimony.

    They ask we do not reveal their identity due to their current status.

    “February 3rd, it was just another Sunday,” says M, a young Hispanic man who has lived with his immigrant family for over 20 years in Stead. It was around 7 a.m. when they noticed several cars parked outside their house and it seemed a little suspicious to them. M’s father says at 9 a.m. he noticed that the fence of the house had been damaged by the strong winds during the night. It was then that M’s father set out to repair the fence with the help of his son. Around 10 a.m., family members tell us that they saw what looked like law enforcement getting out of their cars and running toward M’s father and ordered them to put their hands up.

    In the video obtained by Telemundo Reno, you can see the agents with the D.E.A logo on their uniforms. You can hear family members asking law enforcement where they were taking him and why, and they answered, “He has a deportation order.” With that, they quickly left with M’s dad inside the car.

    Many in the migrant community in Reno have expressed to us their fear and bewilderment at such incidents since they fear they could also be deported.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/immigration-arrests-in-reno-dea-collaborating-with-ice/ar-AA1yq0J6

    1. Many in the migrant community in Reno have expressed to us their fear and bewilderment at such incidents since they fear they could also be deported.

       Bewilderment? Do they not understand what being present illegally or having a deportation order mean? Or do they think it would be business as usual and they will get away with it?

       My advice to the “migrant community” is: sell your assets and head home, because if you are caught and deported you will likely lose them.

       1. You gotta think some of the smarter ones are starting to self-deport. I wonder what the stats show for that?

       2. Do they not understand what being present illegally or having a deportation order mean?
          They know very well. I am overseas now and personally know 2 people who have over stayed their work visas, One for about 6 years. They both are very concerned about being arrested and thrown in jail. One won’t fly because of it. Also, supposedly when traveling by bus and worried about getting busted and deported you should “bribe” the bus driver to pull over when a roadblock is ahead and then he will either let you out, or, put you in with the luggage until after the roadblock.
          FWIW, getting an extension of a work visa, through a licensed agent, takes a huge chunk out of your paycheck. When they told me what it costs vs, what they make, it may well be worth the risk.
          There is a backdoor exit possible when they decide to leave that is supposedly much cheaper than an agent but dangerous.
          They no very well what the story is probably more than we do.

26. San Francisco grants new mayor ‘unprecedented’ powers to battle fentanyl crisis

    San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to give newly elected Mayor Daniel Lurie greater powers and flexibility to expedite the city’s response to a fentanyl crisis that has turned sidewalks into open-air dens of drug consumption and homelessness.

    The board voted 10-1 to eliminate competitive bidding requirements for some contracts and allow the administration to solicit private donations to quickly add 1,500 shelter beds and hire more public safety and behavioral health specialists.

    Lurie, a Levi Strauss heir and anti-poverty nonprofit founder who had never held elective office until he squashed Mayor London Breed’s reelection bid last year, celebrated the win. On the campaign trail, he had pledged to work with supervisors to tackle the critical issue.

    “As mayor, I am proud to be delivering on that promise today,” Lurie said in a statement. “The Fentanyl State of Emergency Ordinance gives us the tools to treat this crisis with the urgency it demands. And with our partners on the board, that’s exactly what we will do.”

    Supervisor Shamann Walton, also on the progressive end of the city’s Democratic politics, was the sole “no” vote, citing the lack of details.

    “This is probably the most vivid example of putting the cart before the horse I have seen in my entire six-plus years in office,” he said. Checks and balances exist, he said, “so that we don’t have a dictatorship within San Francisco government.”

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/san-francisco-ready-to-grant-new-mayor-greater-powers-to-battle-fentanyl-crisis/ar-AA1ymCex

27. Should ‘aiding’ or ‘abetting’ a homeless camp be illegal? It might soon be a reality in this city

    As communities up and down California ban homeless encampments, one Bay Area city is trying to go a step further.

    The East Bay city of Fremont is set to vote on a new ordinance that would make it illegal to camp on any street or sidewalk, in any park or on any other public property. But, in an apparent California first, it also would make anyone “causing, permitting, aiding, abetting or concealing” an illegal encampment guilty of a misdemeanor – and possibly subject to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail.

    The broad language has left Vivian Wan, CEO of Abode Services, “very fearful,” she said. As the city’s primary nonprofit homeless services provider, Abode regularly sends outreach workers into encampments to help people sign up for housing and shelter, pass out information about food pantries and other services, hand out coats during cold spells, and more.

    “The job’s hard enough,” Wan said. “I can’t imagine doing the hard work that’s both physically and emotionally draining and then also have to be worried about your own legal liability. It’s incredibly frustrating.”

    In December, during the first meeting of Fremont’s newly elected City Council, more than a dozen people spoke out against the proposed camping ban during a lengthy public comment period, saying it would be immoral to criminalize people for having no home. Just three people spoke in favor of the ordinance, urging council members to take residents’ safety into consideration and respect the rights of taxpayers who expect to be able to use the public spaces they pay for.

    Councilmember Raymond Liu expressed a similar opinion before voting in favor of the ordinance.

    “I’ve had a lot of people come up to me and tell me that they don’t feel safe using our parks or our libraries because of the amount of encampments nearby,” he said.

    Mayor Salwan told CalMatters that the city would use the aiding-and-abetting clause against people who help build illegal structures at encampments.

    “Some individuals come kind of like vigilanties,” he said. “They want to start building these structures for the unhoused that are unsafe. Then this provision would come in.”

    Police wouldn’t arrest someone under the new ordinance merely for giving an unhoused person a tent, Salwan said.

    But what if that activist helps that person pitch the tent?

    “That’s a good question,” Salwan said. “I think we may have to seek clarification from the city attorney.”

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/public-safety-and-emergencies/general/should-aiding-or-abetting-a-homeless-camp-be-illegal-it-might-soon-be-a-reality-in-this-city/ar-AA1ypjbJ

28. LA clinics lose funding for transgender health care as Trump executive orders take hold

    A Los Angeles health clinic says it’s losing federal funding as a result of President Donald Trump ’s executive orders targeting transgender people.

    St. John’s Community Health, one of the largest free and reduced-cost providers in Los Angeles, reported that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday terminated a $1.6 million grant that was supposed to support its transgender health and social services program.

    St. John’s is the first California health provider to publicly report service impacts as a result of the Trump administration’s actions. According to a letter from the CDC, the grant was ended in order to comply with an executive order requiring federal agencies to only recognize two genders.

    “At St. John’s we believe everyone has a fundamental human right to health care. You can disagree with quote-on-quote gender ideology and how people may choose to live their lives, but that doesn’t give you the right to strip away their access to health care,” said Jim Mangia, president and chief executive of St. John’s Community Health.

    The grant, which started in 2022, was funded through the CDC’s HIV prevention program. It allowed St. John’s to operate a program for transgender adults that included sexually transmitted infection and HIV testing, health education and connections to social services including housing, substance use treatment and food stamps, Mangia said. More than 500 people received services through the grant annually.

    Last week, along with thousands of clinics across the country, St. John’s experienced a brief suspension in its access to more than $18 million of federal funding as a result of a separate executive order and internal budget memo that attempted to broadly freeze federal aid.

    Two separate judges have blocked that order temporarily, but those decisions don’t apply to the executive order now preventing St. John’s from accessing its grant money for transgender patients, Mangia said.

    Last week, Trump issued another executive order barring federal funding for transgender health services for minors, including hormone therapy and surgical procedures. The order specifically called out federal research grants given to hospitals and medical schools as well as Medicare and Medicaid funding.

    In that order and others, Trump describes gender-affirming care as “sterilizing,” “mutilation” and “maiming,” characterizations that are in direct opposition to clinical evidence supported by major medical organizations including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, all of which oppose government interference in doctor-patient decisions.

    Already hospitals across the country are stopping gender-affirming services for young people, according to news reports, including major hospitals in New York, Denver and Washington, D.C., which Trump praised in a statement as his “intended effect.”

    “Some medical providers are starting to preemptively cancel appointments with transgender youth because they’re afraid of losing their license or funding,” said Dannie Ceseña, director of the California LGBTQ Health & Human Services Network. “I’m hearing it across the state from a variety of partners.”

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/la-clinics-lose-funding-for-transgender-health-care-as-trump-executive-orders-take-hold/ar-AA1ypHav

    1. “characterizations that are in direct opposition to clinical evidence supported by major medical organizations including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, all of which oppose government interference in doctor-patient decisions”

       Can we talk about their “funding” let’s follow the money.

29. Democrats confront limits of their power in bid to stop Trump and Musk

    Outraged Democrats are testing the limits of their diminished power as they try to stop the stunning power grabs of President Donald Trump and his chief lieutenant, Elon Musk.

    The tech billionaire’s maneuvers, which include the hostile seizure of taxpayer data and the apparent closure of the government’s leading international humanitarian aid agency, have riled many Democrats, who have been mired in a post-election funk and struggled to identify a cohesive strategy in the earliest days of Trump’s presidency.

    “With one voice, we can push back and resist the excesses and extremes of the Trump administration,” newly elected Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in an interview. “Only two weeks in, Elon Musk is already our worst president ever.”

    It’s unclear, however, if such attempts at obstruction would realistically stop Trump and Musk.

    Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress, while the Supreme Court is led by a 6-3 conservative majority. And Republicans who control Congress, so far at least, have cheered Trump and Musk’s provocative moves.

    Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday shared one of the billionaire’s social media posts in which he claimed to have discovered roughly $700 billion in government fraud.

    “When Elon and the team started I was very supportive but thought the waste and fraud would top out at $250 billion,” Vance wrote. “The real number will end up much higher.”

    On Monday, some of Musk’s agents were spotted at the Department of Education, which Trump has vowed to abolish. And on Tuesday, Musk called for National Public Radio to be stripped of federal funding.

    More than 1,000 protesters gathered outside the Department of Treasury building in downtown Washington on Tuesday evening. Their chants of “Elon Musk has got to go!” echoed off the building’s marble columns as more than two dozen House and Senate Democrats lined up to speak.

    Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer tried to lead a chant of, “We will win.” He was quickly drowned out by chants of, “Shut down the Senate!”

    Another protest speaker, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, said in an interview that no elected Democrat should help Republicans govern in the GOP-controlled House, even if that leads to a government shutdown.

    “I don’t know that there’s anything in modern day history that comes close to the moment we’re in,” Crockett said. “As we typically say in the Black community, the hoods are off.”

    Protesters outside the Office of Personnel targeted Musk almost more than Trump.

    “Elon, Elon, stop the coup! Nobody elected you!” they chanted earlier in the day, as some waved signs that read, “Musk must go. Get out! Now.”

    “It’s one thing to downsize the government. It’s one thing to try to obliterate it,” said Dan Smith, a Maryland resident whose father was a farmer, a USDA research scientist, and “one of the hardest working federal employees I knew.”

    He called the Trump administration’s moves “frightening and disgusting.”

    “My only hope is that they’re going to push too far, and there’s going to be a response and a retaliation — and we’re going to come out this thing with more and stronger belief in democracy,” Smith said.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/democrats-confront-limits-of-their-power-in-bid-to-stop-trump-and-musk/ar-AA1ypRZP

    1. “who have been mired in a post-election funk and struggled to identify a cohesive strategy”

       Go stand in traffic and make people late for work. That will win more elections, right?

30. [Here is a 2.5 minute rant that is loaded with profanity.]

    https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1887037017361420749

31. Schadenfreude at Its Finest: Climate Grifters Cry Over Trump’s Grant Freeze.

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/02/05/schadenfreude-at-its-finest-climate-grifters-cry-over-trumps-grant-freeze/

    Oh, the humanity! The wine and cheese set over at Bloomberg has been thrown into full-blown hysteria because—brace yourselves—President Trump turned off the spigot of taxpayer cash that funds their sacred climate cult. Their headline reads like a lost script from The Handmaid’s Tale: “It’s Surreal: Trump’s Freeze on Climate Money Sows Fear and Confusion”​.

    “Surreal”? What’s surreal is that these people think they have some divine right to an endless fountain of taxpayer money to fund their political activism disguised as “science.” Imagine a world where these people actually had to produce something of value rather than leech off the federal government. Terrifying, right?

    A “Crisis” for the Climate Industrial Complex
    Let’s set the scene: Trump waltzes back into office and, in a move that should have shocked exactly no one, hits the brakes on the Biden-era climate boondoggles like the Inflation Reduction Act (which, ironically, reduced inflation about as effectively as a gasoline shower puts out a fire). Millions of dollars in grants—aka your hard-earned money—suddenly vanish from the pockets of climate non-profits, academics, and other assorted grifters who had built their entire existence around government handouts​.

    Bloomberg describes this as “confusion and panic.” Oh no! You mean these self-proclaimed geniuses who claim they can control the global temperature to within a fraction of a degree 100 years from now couldn’t foresee a Trump policy move that was as predictable as the sunrise? Not so bright after all, are they?

    The World’s Saddest Sob Stories
    The article parades out a cast of characters who are struggling to cope with the horrors of not being able to suckle at the federal teat. Let’s meet a few:

    Alex Bomstein of the Clean Air Council, a nonprofit that apparently exists to ensure perpetual panic over air quality. He whines that his organization has been given “mixed messaging” about whether their taxpayer-funded cash flow is actually getting turned off​. Imagine the horror of having to operate like a normal business, unsure if revenue will be guaranteed forever.
    Dominika Parry, CEO of 2C Mississippi, is devastated that her $gazillion climate grant might not materialize as expected​. Because when you think “Mississippi,” your first concern is clearly whether its climate nonprofit sector is fully funded.
    David Funk, the president of an “energy consulting firm” in Washington state, had to furlough employees because the Department of Agriculture wouldn’t give him free money​. Perhaps he could explore this new concept called “selling a service people want to pay for.”
    Laurence Smith, a professor at Brown University, says a postdoc under him couldn’t access her salary​. Let’s see if we’ve got this right: A researcher who relies entirely on government grants now finds herself in financial limbo because… the government stopped the grants? Almost like relying on endless taxpayer money is a bad career plan.
    The Real Tragedy: Elites Losing Control
    The real source of Bloomberg’s outrage isn’t about “science” or “the planet.” It’s that Trump is threatening the power structure these people have built. This isn’t about climate change—it’s about ensuring a permanent class of bureaucrats, nonprofits, and academics who depend on government cash to enforce their political will.

    The article even admits that part of the panic is over how to “navigate grant-proposal language around climate change and DEI” since references to “environmental justice” might no longer win them easy government money​. They’re terrified that the political winds have shifted, and they’ll have to find new ways to trick bureaucrats into handing over cash.

    Trump’s Masterstroke: Freezing the Cash Flow
    The reason this move is so effective is that the left built their entire movement on financial dependency. They need government money. By contrast, Trump and his supporters don’t need a federal grant to believe in their ideas. When Trump shuts off the money hose, the left panics because they realize their institutions can’t survive without it.

    Bloomberg’s solution? More lawsuits! Because if democracy doesn’t give them what they want, there’s always the judiciary​.

    Conclusion: Glorious, Delicious Tears
    This article is a masterpiece of unintended comedy. It’s a beautiful thing to watch people who have spent years lecturing the rest of us about “sustainability” suddenly find themselves unsustainable. The whole climate industry, it turns out, is just another bloated government-dependent bureaucracy. Without government cash, they’re toast.

    Environmental researchers are still trying to figure out how to navigate grant-proposal language around climate change and DEI in light of the executive orders. Applications that previously would have benefitted from a focus on helping disadvantaged communities, environmental justice or inclusivity — seen as demonstrating broad impact — suddenly could be undermined by the same references.
    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-04/-it-s-surreal-trump-s-freeze-on-climate-money-sows-fear-and-confusion

    So grab some popcorn, folks. The schadenfreude is strong with this one.

    1. Environmental researchers are still trying to figure out how to navigate grant-proposal language around climate change and DEI

       Kiss the rubberstamp goodbye.

32. Rep Green, a Democrates from Texas, calling for Articles of Impeachment against Trump.

    Here we go again. Soon to follow that Trump is a Russian operative, a Hitler , whatever.

33. Trump did what I thought was impossible by bringing back The
    Village People and their YMCA song. Now I’m wondering if this will be coming back.

    https://youtu.be/rog8ou-ZepE?si=_AgdciSIhCuJkvjk

34. Argentina Announces Withdrawal From WHO Over COVID Lockdown ‘Economic Catastrophe’

    The Argentine government has announced its decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) in response to the “catastrophic” economic impact of COVID-19 lockdowns.
    In a statement shared on X on Feb. 5, the Argentine President’s Office said that the COVID-19 lockdowns were one of the greatest economic catastrophes in world history, citing the severe and lasting impact on global economies as their primary reason for pulling out.

    “The WHO was established in 1948 to coordinate global health emergency responses, but it failed its most significant test: it promoted indefinite quarantines without scientific backing during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Argentinian President Javier Milei said.

    “These quarantines caused one of the largest economic catastrophes in world history.”

    He said that under the 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, such lockdown policies could be classified as “a crime against humanity.”

    Milei said that in Argentina, the WHO responded to a government that “kept children out of school, left hundreds of thousands of workers without income, caused businesses and SMEs to go bankrupt, and, despite all of this, led to the loss of 130,000 lives.”

    “It is urgent that the international community reassess the role of supranational organizations—funded by all—that fail to fulfill the purposes for which they were created, engage in political maneuvering, and attempt to impose their will on member states,” he said.

    “President Milei instructed Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein to withdraw Argentina’s participation in the World Health Organization,” presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni said at a press conference.

    Last year in a U.N. speech, Milei took aim at the 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals, a global initiative for sustainable economic growth and environmental protection.

    He said that although this is “well-intentioned in its goals,” it is “nothing more than a supranational government program with a socialist slant.”
    “If the 2030 agenda failed, as its own promoters acknowledge, the answer should be to ask ourselves if it was not an ill-conceived program to begin with,” he said.

    Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States, its top donor, will pull out of the WHO.

    He also said that the global health agency had mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic and other international health crises.

    Negotiations with the group about the pandemic agreement and International Health Regulations will be suspended while the withdrawal is taking place.

    Trump said the WHO had failed to act independently from the “inappropriate political influence of WHO member states” and required “unfairly onerous payments” from the United States that were disproportionate to the sums provided by other, larger countries, such as China.

    “World Health ripped us off, everybody rips off the United States. It’s not going to happen anymore,” Trump said.

    The United States is currently the largest WHO funder, contributing about $1.28 billion during 2022–2023, the last reported year on the organization’s website. That equates to almost half of the WHO’s joint external evaluation missions for the last fiscal year.

    This is Trump’s second attempt to withdraw from the WHO. The president began the process in 2020 due to frustration over the WHO’s reaction to China’s coverup of details surrounding the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at the start of what became the COVID-19 global pandemic.
    The House Oversight and Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released a report in December 2024 on the WHO’s response to the pandemic, calling it “an abject failure.”

    According to the report, the WHO is accused of bending to pressure from the Chinese Communist Party and placing “China’s political interests ahead of its international duties.”

    As part of the alleged failure, the WHO reportedly ignored warnings by Taiwan on Dec. 31, 2019, about “atypical pneumonia cases” in Wuhan, which it asked the WHO to investigate.

    “The initial mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic not only potentially caused the further spread of the virus, but it created a situation where people lost trust in the global public health organization,” the report said.

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/argentina-announces-withdrawal-from-who-over-covid-lockdown-economic-catastrophe-5804702

    1. Argentina Announces Withdrawal From WHO

       Good for them. Another $10M in wasteful harmful spending eliminated.

35. Why are they waving the flag of the country they don’t want to back to while burning the flag of the country where they want to stay?

    Migrants Burning American Flags While Waving Foreign Flags Doing Protest Against Deportation

    3 days ago

    https://youtu.be/gBsYq8h2Noo?si=mt1mqczSVBjIfqEM

    1. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5c35834a45dce9c59672275390e63ed78c6aa79110a93f4b39d8226cc0f3eafd.jpg

       Has cuss words, possibly NSFW

       1. 🤣😂😁

    2. Ain’t no party like a Diddy party!

36. [An opinion from the WSJ …]

    The New ‘Resistance’.

    Democrats are pretending again that an administration they oppose is illegitimate.

    https://archive.ph/BitAN

    Politics tends to attract people with more ambition than intelligence, more charisma than industriousness. So it’s a rare stroke of luck for U.S. citizens that a few of the smartest people in the country have agreed to come to Washington and work around the clock to identify federal waste, fraud and abuse. Last year Donald Trump campaigned with Elon Musk and promised to appoint the entrepreneur to lead such an effort. Voters then elected Mr. Trump and he has kept his word. Yet many Democrats now pretend that Mr. Musk, tasked by our duly elected president to fulfill this promise to voters, is somehow illegitimate and that the real authority in our government rests with unelected bureaucrats. They even have the nerve to refer to their play for unearned power as “democracy.”

    This “resistance” act is getting old, especially since the well-fed participants are mainly resisting challenges to the profligate Beltway status quo. Congressional Democrats have decided to position themselves as ardent apologists for every last misspent nickel in Washington. Witness their howling defense of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Yet a few prominent Democrats have begun to wonder out loud whether they really ought to be defending the indefensible.

    Even if most voters have never heard of USAID, they are skeptical of its alleged purpose. Jason Lange reports for Reuters on a new poll of Americans finding that “56% backed freezing U.S.-funded foreign assistance programs, with 40% of respondents opposed to such cuts.”

    The public’s significant opposition to foreign aid is bound to increase as people learn just how little of it makes its way to feeding and clothing the needy. The Beltway caterwauling about the invaluable role of USAID in responding to humanitarian crises is as insincere as political discourse gets. If the Beltway shriekers truly believed their rhetoric, they would be even more appalled than Team Trump that needed funds are being siphoned off to fund political race and gender projects and even allies of terrorists. How many starving children could be fed with the money now used to pay the agency’s 10,000 employees?

    In truth, such charitable work is best left to taxpayers acting voluntarily on their own, spending dollars more efficiently with far less overhead. If charity dollars need to flow through Washington, they often never leave.

    Rachel Bade writes in Politico about the new nervousness on the left regarding USAID:
    … relaunching the resistance to defend one of the least popular corners of the federal budget could be a monster miscalculation — and some prominent Democrats told me they have serious strategic reservations about how their party is fighting back.
    When I asked veteran strategist David Axelrod whether Democrats were “walking into a trap” on defending foreign aid, he literally finished my sentence.
    “My heart is with the people out on the street outside USAID, but my head tells me: ‘Man, Trump will be well satisfied to have this fight,’” he said. “When you talk about cuts, the first thing people say is: Cut foreign aid.”

    Rahm Emanuel — the former House leader, Chicago mayor and diplomat — told me much the same: “You don’t fight every fight. You don’t swing at every pitch. And my view is — while I care about the USAID as a former ambassador — that’s not the hill I’m going to die on,” he said.

    He’s right, but in fairness it won’t be easy finding a Beltway hill that can be defended against even a reasonable audit. The Journal’s Dan Henninger has written for years about the Democratic Party’s divorce from the private economy. As the party of government, there’s now a challenge for Democrats in deciding how to respond to voters who understand that the government has grown much too large. Ms. Bade reports:

    Democrats’ messaging problem goes beyond USAID… The situation, Axelrod said, reflects the Democratic Party’s broader existential crisis. How, he has been asking himself lately, “did the party of working people become a party of elite institutions?”
    “Part of the problem for the Democratic Party is that it has become a stalwart defender of institutions at a time when people are enraged at institutions,” Axelrod said. “And they become — in the minds of a lot of voters — an elite party, and to a lot of folks who are trying to scuffle out there and get along, this will seem like an elite passion.”

37. Elon’s DOGE | A Once In A Lifetime Opportunity

    Farzad

    4 hours ago

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34OSNilRsdE

    8:23.

38. ‘Limiting claims can help, according to Thompson. The more we file, the more expensive it gets. ‘An insurance company is less likely to want to insure you if you have had three claims,’ she said. ‘If you can pay cash to or credit to repair you know, say, a roof leak or a broken window, do not file insurance’

    Yer right Jess, keep the money flowing one way. To the insurance company and never away. That’s how insurance works!

    1. Luigi has entered the building.

39. ‘Wilson pays a $2,000 premium for the FAIR Plan that sets his maximum payout at $686,000, including $100,000 for living expenses while displaced. Meanwhile, Wilson has struggled to even talk to a FAIR Plan representative. Wilson said he feels haunted by his choices…his roof was too old. Instead, he ended up with what is known as ‘actual cash value’ coverage, which greatly limits the payout based on the physical depreciation of what was lost. ‘We’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars and that’s very, very painful’

    That’s some sound lending right there Amy.

    ‘With a baby on the way, Wilson said he can’t fathom living in limbo on the FAIR Plan forever, and he’s thinking about leaving California if private insurance remains out of reach. ‘I don’t want to have to be prepared to maybe lose everything again,’ Wilson said. ‘Stuck paying for an insurance that doesn’t cover anything’

    They have all the time in the world Chris.

40. ‘A trade war with the U.S. could put another nail in the coffin for the new condo market’

    When the cheerleaders are on the bus Shaun, the game is over.

41. ‘In Hong Kong, whose currency peg to the US dollar ties the city’s borrowing costs to those of the US, sharp increases in US interest rates in 2022-23 were a key factor behind the 27 per cent plunge in second-hand house prices since the August 2021 peak’

    That minor respiratory illness did all kind of crazy things.

42. Almost Zero Percent Chance These Condos Sell (GTA Condo Real Estate Market Update)

    Team Sessa Real Estate

    6 minutes ago TORONTO

    This episode looks at the current GTA Condo Markets – Toronto, York Region & Peel Region for the week ending Jan 29, 2025. We also discuss how assignments are flooding the secondary market making it next to impossible to become noticed without major price reductions.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7nm4aPNjWg

    13 minutes.

43. ICE makes surprise arrest of immigrant in a Utah courthouse

    The Salt Lake Tribune

    10 hours ago

    A 38-year-old man walked to a microphone in Ogden Justice Court on Jan. 29, expecting a brief hearing where he would be arraigned on misdemeanor charges after a fender bender.

    He had no idea that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers planned to meet him there. Police said the man had smelled of alcohol after he rear-ended another car, causing minor damage and no injuries, at a stoplight in December. Prosecutors were not seeking a jail sentence.

    But Judge Clay Stucki broke the news: The man would not be allowed to leave the courthouse — for a reason that had nothing to do with his case. ICE agents were waiting for him.

    The man took a step back, slowly shook his head and looked toward the ground.

    ”I personally feel bad that we’re going to have to take you into custody. That isn’t my choice or decision, but it’s something under federal law that I’m going to have to follow,” Stucki said. The man’s wife, seated with his daughter near the back of the room, put her hand to her head.

    The judge told The Salt Lake Tribune he had not been aware in advance that ICE planned to appear in the courtroom that day. The hearing occurred a week after ICE — in a change from policy under the Biden administration — broadened the circumstances under which it will pursue undocumented immigrants in or near courthouses.

    Stucki said he worries that any increased ICE enforcement inside courthouses could cause a chilling effect, deterring people from showing up for scheduled court appearances. That could lead to warrants for their arrest or other consequences.

    “Justice courts certainly are not immigration courts, and none of us right now are probably well acquainted with how immigration law and immigration enforcement fits in, especially with the small misdemeanors that the justice courts handle,” Stucki said.

    He added that he hopes things work out well for the defendant, who was given the time to enter a plea and resolve his case. The arrest “was, I’m sure, traumatic for him and his family,” Stucki said. “But I do appreciate the ICE agents tried to allow us to make it as least traumatic as possible.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YItdPG4xIE

    2 minutes.

    1. That could lead to warrants for their arrest or other consequences.

       Well, they already are law breakers

44. ICE raids in Denver & Aurora: Over 100 Venezuelan gang members targeted

    Scripps News

    3 hours ago

    ICE raids swept across Denver and Aurora, Colorado, as federal agents attempted to arrested over 100 suspected Venezuelan gang members. Witnesses report agents breaking down doors and questioning residents in an intense crackdown. While some in the community support the arrests, others fear the broader implications of these raids.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUhLBmuDUPI

    4 minutes.

    1. “ICE raids in Denver & Aurora: Over 100 Venezuelan gang members targeted”

       Ice Ice Baby

       https://youtu.be/rog8ou-ZepE?si=Xa1_iDx_02vjpBkC

    2. Over 100 Venezuelan gang members targeted

       Off to Gitmo.

       MexPres Sheinbaum announced that Mexico had brokered a deal to keep Mexicans out of Gitmo

45. [Here is the unedited 60 Minutes Kamala Harris interview along with the transcript.]

    https://redstate.com/jenvanlaar/2025/02/05/fcc-releases-unedited-video-transcript-of-kamala-harris-60-minutes-interview-n2185257

    1. Kamala’s performance is so bad that I couldn’t watch all of it.

46. [I found this on a blog and thought I would share …]

    “I think a lot of people who are just keeping quiet actually like what Trump is doing.”

    I’m stealing this from someone else:

    It’s like we were expecting cake, but instead we got a surprise party, and a free car, and a free house, and our grandmother came back to life.

    1. “I think a lot of people who are just keeping quiet actually like what Trump is doing.”

       Agreed. With the recent increases in interest rates, property insurance and taxes, many people can no longer live on their income and have been forced to start depleting their savings or sell assets at a loss. However, most will not reveal their dire economic position in casual conversation.

47. Do so many stock market crash warnings make you want to hide your cash under a mattress?

    Not to worry! A closely-watched pot never boils over.

    1. Motley Fool
       “Rich Dad Poor Dad” Author Robert Kiyosaki Predicts a Stock Market Crash in February: What Should Investors Do If He’s Right?
       Keith Speights, The Motley Fool
       Tue, February 4, 2025 at 1:47 AM PST 5 min read

       Robert Kiyosaki rose to fame in 1997 after Rich Dad Poor Dad was published. His personal finance book went on to sell over 26 million copies and remain on the New York Times best-seller list for almost six years.

       The investor and entrepreneur also wrote several other books that didn’t achieve the level of success as Rich Dad Poor Dad. They include Rich Dad’s Prophecy, in which Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter explained why “the biggest stock market crash in history is still coming.”

       Over two decades have elapsed since Kiyosaki and Lechter initially warned about a huge stock market crash. But now Kiyosaki thinks a major market meltdown is imminent.
       …
       https://finance.yahoo.com/news/rich-dad-poor-dad-author-094700786.html

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