Agree or disagree with Pat Buchanan, he calls it as he sees it.

This time, he sees a failing Biden Presidency, but no coherent GOP response other than to cause the Dems more misery.

Long-term, he sees the Dems — the AGENDA PARTY — as winners.  And given current trends and the likelihood of their continuing, only the BLIND would disagree with him.

• The GOP’s base, the white majority, is diminishing.
• New York and California are solidly blue while Florida and Texas are turning purple.
• The media, entertainment, higher education and cultural institutions are all liberal.
• Democracies are becoming increasingly centralized.

Of course, as a traditionalist, Buchanan doesn’t think too carefully about the CURRENT STATE OF FINANCE, ENERGY and the ENVIRONMENT, any or part or all of which could FLIP THE SWITCH on the FUTURE in a New York minute.

That said, here’s the entire piece in Buchanan’s succinct and declarative prose:

Is Biden Right? Does the Left Own the Future?

As well there should be.  We’re not San Francisco SICKOS.  We’re New Yorkers.  Business pays the rent here.

IT ALWAYS HAS.

As such, the Partnership for New York City, the city’s largest business advocacy group — representing inter alia banks, finance, real estate and retail — has voiced, through its CEO, Kathryn Wylde, STRONG CONCERN over new Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg’s proposed prosecution policies and will meet with him to discuss them.

From the New York Post:

Business Leaders Discussing Recall Efforts

Excerpts:

• “The meeting was prompted as complaints from city business leaders poured into the office of Kathryn Wylde, the Partnership’s CEO, beginning last week after a memo from Bragg’s office outlined his new, hyper-lenient policies for prosecutors seeking incarcerations.”
• “Some members of the group are so angered by Bragg’s new policies that they are also discussing efforts to recall the newly elected prosecutor . . . .”
• “The order sparked outrage from police officials such as NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell and even from some of Bragg’s fellow Democrats, including Long Island congressman Tom Suozzi, who is running against governor Kathy Hochul in this year’s Democratic primary.”
• “‘Of course we’re worried about this,’” Wylde said, adding that one prominent business leader believed that, as written, Bragg’s policy would essentially allow a criminal to go free if he robbed a painting from the Metropolitan Museum of Art without a gun.”
• “Bragg, 48, is a former federal prosecutor and is one of several progressive DAs to win elections in large cities with the help of money from George Soros. Others include Chesa Boudin in San Francisco, Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner, and Kim Foxx in Chicago.“ (my italics, underscoring and bolding)

What do these so-called “progressive” DA’s want — a repeat of the the 60’s to 90’s CRIME WAVE that only ended when CRIMINALS WENT TO JAIL?

Taking out Bragg could be key and lead to undermining — or even OUSTING — the others.  It’s a chance for New York to show LEADERSHIP.

Let Bragg’s recall begin.

After informing New Yorkers living in Manhattan — AND IN VERY BLUNT TERMS — that he had every intention of being “SOFTER” on crime, including prosecuting ARMED ROBBERY not as a felony but merely as a misdemeanor, Alvin Bragg is now WALKING IT BACK.

But, honestly?  I’M NOT BUYING IT.  In fact, I’M STILL FOR RECALLING HIM.  I simply DON’T TRUST HIM.

HE SHOWED HIS HAND.

Check out the article:

Bragg’s Mea Culpa Tour

. . . in the Event It Attacks Ukraine?

Wow, ALTERNATIVE WAR can get nasty.

Russia's demographic and labor collapses have prevented it from pursuing broadscale technological advancement. These days about the only real work that is happening locally is in military engineering. Everything else must be imported. https://t.co/c23IAyFI4b

— Peter Zeihan (@PeterZeihan) January 24, 2022

In response, there are reports that Russia could cut undersea cables off the coast of Ireland that form the INTERNET CONNECTION between Europe and the US.

Sounds like a serious GUT-PUNCH COUNTER that could KNOCK OUT Europe’s economy.

WAR BY OTHER MEANS IS HERE.

Nice to see SOMEONE waking up to reality re both climate and energy transitioning.

From Bill Blain:

“Without Energy-Security, no nation is sovereign.”

“It’s easy to say no to an investment likely to generate hostile news. It’s simple to go along with increasingly Militant ESG rhetoric on gas to avoid negative headlines. But – we will fail to reach Carbon Net-Zero unless gas remains part of the transition equation and governments get a grip on energy strategies.” (my underscoring)

Oh, and don’t forget nuclear.  Because the MORE NUCLEAR, the LESS GAS.

Here’s what Blain has been tracking:

• Oil looks to be headed for $100.
• Chinese coal production has hit a record high — up 7.2% year-on-year to 390 million tons in December 2021. It will use over 4 billion tons this year. It used less than 50 million tons per month in 2000.
• France, Germany and the UK all fired up coal stations due to a January blocking high shutting down the wind.
• 1/5th of France’s nuclear power stations are currently “under repair”. Germany’s are closed. The UK’s new ones look stalled in cost overrun.
• UK consumers face a brutal cost of living crisis on the back of soaring energy bills.
• The Scots’ government is celebrating a windfall £700mm from selling a clutch of offshore wind licenses.
• The EU may withdraw low Co2 Natural Gas and Nuclear power from its green energy taxonomy.
• A La Nina cooling event meant 2021 was only the 7th warmest year on record – but the last 7 years have been the warmest series on record.

More.  And this is KEY:

“There is a distinct lack of joined-up planning to solve the complex issues of a) weaning the global economy off fossil fuels while b) maintaining economic growth. Governments are failing to direct energy transition strategies necessary for part a. They have effectively surrendered the narrative to populists and environmentalists, who completely ignore the economic growth (part b) of transition.” (my underscoring)

What are governments concerned with instead?  As mentioned above, ESG. Which has become in the environmental/energy space what CRT is in SOCIAL JUSTICE WORLD.  And for the same reason, viz. PROGRESSIVES ARE AT THE CONTROLS. 

Which means it’s not being approached on science-based economic grounds but only in so far as science supports — and rightly so –climate change awareness.  Trouble is, there’s more to climate change than awareness — or worse, UNWORKABLE SOLUTIONS.  But to Progressives, this is RELIGION, and you don’t question FAITH past a point.

Just as Progressives think that COMPASSION SOLVES EVERYTHING and that MONEY GROWS ON TREES, so do they consider ENERGY FUNGIBLE and at ZERO ADDITIONAL COST.

They’re living in the UTOPIA of their minds — the one promised to us in the 50’s and 60’s and later satirized by DONALD FAGEN in The Nightfly.

It’s a record Progressives should SPIN.

Help them SLOW UP . . . CALM DOWN . . . GET REAL.

Right, and you don’t need an MBA, JD, or CFA to understand it.

Here’s the Fed’s recent balance sheet expansion (the last 20 years or so):

It’s been up, up and away if that’s not putting too fine a point on it.

But now says the Fed, it’s TOOTHPASTE BACK IN THE TUBE TIME.

Oh, really?

Because if the world’s CB’s STOP PRINTING MONEY, LIFE AS WE KNOW IT WILL CEASE.

But on the other hand . . .

If we don’t STOP printing money, INFLATION MAY EAT US ALIVE.

PICK YOUR POISON.

. . . Even as It Ponders a Gold-Backed Stable-Coin.

In other words, a GOLD-BACKED DIGITAL RUBLE.  As it is, Russia has the highest gold-reserves to issued currency ratio in the world.

And, seriously, how else can Russia throw off the the DOLLAR/SANCTIONS YOKE but by moving to other currencies?

From Zero Hedge:

While Putin and Russia’s central bank consider crypto a “ponzi-scheme and . . . a threat to the ‘sovereignty’ of Russia’s monetary policy,” they may be open to Duma Deputy Chair Vladimir Gutenev’s proposal to consider a GOVERNMENT CONTROLLED STABLE-COIN BACKED BY GOLD.

More:

• “The gold-backed stablecoin could be similar to a golden ruble, the parliamentarian elaborated, and Russia can employ it to circumvent sanctions and the policy of containment applied against the country.”
• “The concept of tying a nation’s currency to gold – and the potential first-mover-advantage of such an act – was brought up by Alasdair Macleod . . . in June 2020, when he noted that China could escape the fate of a dollar collapse by tying the yuan to gold.  Of all the major economies, China’s is best placed to implement a sound money solution.”
• “Since then China launched the e-RMB (digital yuan), which – for now – has been a total flop. However, notably, that was not gold-backed.”
• “In the meantime, a working group at Russia’s State Duma, the lower house of parliament, is now preparing proposals to fill the regulatory gaps in the Russian crypto space remaining after the adoption of the law “On Digital Financial Assets,” making it clear that not all government institutions share CBR’s hardline position on the matter.”

STAY TUNED.  THIS COULD GET INTERESTING.

Where people were going pre-pandemic.

Not to be missed. 

Not to mention yet another example of Adam Taggart’s stunning list of INFORMED contributors.

Berman here COVERS THE ENERGY WATERFRONT from every angle: supply, investment, storage, OPEC+, BTU’s, tight oil, planetary growth, population, migration and renewables.

As to RENEWABLES SOLELY TAKING UP THE SLACK, his response is a categorical NO WAY.

For example, he points out that for purposes of POWER GENERATION, it takes either over a thousand wind workers or 300 solar workers to do the job of ONE FOSSIL FUEL WORKER.  THIS to produce the same number of BTU’s.

He also reminds us that renewables require more land use than hydrocarbons while offering NO SOLUTION TO GLOBAL OVERSHOOT, pointing out that the disturbances caused by the current MIGRATION PATTERNS of 10 million would be ungovernable at a FACTOR OF 10 or HIGHER.

Finally, he warns that we have between 10 and 20 years to start trying to sort this out while preparing for what will SURELY be the as yet incalculable consequences of a) energy-source uncertainty b) environmental degradation and c) slow-to-no growth.

As per merely the PHYSICS, Berman doesn’t see how the planet can achieve true SUSTAINABLILITY without a REDUCTION IN POPULATION of between 1.5 and 4 billion.

If 58 minutes+ is too big a chunk, simply watch what is surely the MEAT OF THE CLIP, the stretch between 35:20 and 48:12, in which Adam poses the MONEY-SHOT questions and Berman responds, albeit as he puts it, AT THE RISK OF SOUNDING QUITE DARK.

Either way, THIS IS SOUND INFORMATION.

One way to limit environmental degradation and resource depletion.